✨Book Shanghai Tours & Tickets at a Discount!✨

Hello, fellow travelers!

I'm Nihao Lily, your go-to Greater China travel blogger.

Today, I'm sharing the ultimate Shanghai itinerary,

which I know is the number one thing on your mind if you're planning a trip here!

📌 Nihao Lily's Signature China Notes!

As a self-proclaimed Shanghai addict who visited the city three times last year alone,

I'll be sharing my absolute favorite must-do tours and

even some Disneyland ticket discounts. Make sure to read to the very end! 🤍

Table of Contents

✔️ Must-Visit Spots in Shanghai

✔️ Recommended 3-Night, 4-Day Shanghai Itinerary

✔️ Essential Shanghai Tour & Activity Tickets

Must-Visit Spots in Shanghai

If this is your first time traveling to Shanghai, listen up!

I’ve rounded up all the top must-visit spots

in one neat, essential guide.

✔️ Must-See Attractions

These are the absolute essentials that everyone should check out.

China and Shanghai are massive, but...

Luckily, most of the key tourist spots are clustered right around the Huangpu River.

This means you can easily cover almost all of them in a single 4-day trip!

🔸 Nanjing Road (Nanjing Dong Lu): Shanghai's ultimate shopping street, packed with stores and amazing eateries.

🔸 The Bund (Waitan): The absolute pinnacle of Shanghai’s iconic skyline and night views.

🔸 Yu Garden (Yuyuan): A stunning Qing Dynasty garden and a magical spot for traditional night views.

🔸 Disneyland: One of only six magical Disney theme parks in the world.

🔸 Xintiandi: A trendy area lined with European-style brick buildings (and home to the historical Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea).

🔸 Wukang Road (Wukang Lu): The legendary street home to the famous Wukang Mansion photo spot.

🔸 Tianzifang: A charming arts-and-crafts enclave filled with unique souvenirs and great vibes.

🔸 Water Towns: Day trips to gorgeous nearby water towns like Zhujiajiao or Wuzhen.

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✔️ Must-Eat Restaurants

For those of us whose taste buds are already well-trained by Malatang and Haidilao...

The food in China is so incredibly delicious and diverse

that I highly recommend skipping hotel breakfasts entirely!

The spots below are tried-and-true favorites,

so you absolutely can't go wrong! 👍🏻

🔸 Hejiu Yiqian (Long Time Ago) Lamb Skewers: The absolute gold standard for lamb skewers.

🔸 Dim Dou Dak: You absolutely must order the red rice noodle rolls (Hongmichangfen) here.

🔸 Sichuan Citizen: A fantastic Sichuan restaurant near Wukang Road.

🔸 Grand Mother: You have to try their melt-in-your-mouth braised pork belly (Hongshaorou).

🔸 Yang's Dumpling: Legendary Shanghai-style pan-fried dumplings (Shengjianbao) #1.

🔸 Da Hu Chun: Traditional Shanghai-style pan-fried dumplings #2.

🔸 Lai Lai Xiao Long: A must-visit spot for delicious soup dumplings (Xiaolongbao).

🔸 Ye Shanghai: A Michelin-starred restaurant famous for its Peking duck.

✔️ Café & Drinks

You can't visit Shanghai without checking out its vibrant cafe and tea scene.

While some of these brands are starting to pop up globally,

nothing beats experiencing them fresh at the source.

As for milk tea, I personally preferred Cha Panda over Chagee (Bawang Chaji)!

🔸 HEYTEA: Famous for its incredible mango and grape cheese teas.

🔸 Chagee (Bawang Chaji): A massively popular premium milk tea spot.

🔸 Cha Panda: Another fantastic milk tea destination.

🔸 Hinichijou (Bear Paw Cafe): The heartwarming bear-paw-served cafe near Wukang Road.

🔸 Lillian Bakery: Home of the legendary, melt-in-your-mouth egg tarts.

Recommended 3-Night, 4-Day Shanghai Itinerary

🚩 Day 1:

Airport ✈️ → Hotel 🏠 → Wukang Road

→ Yu Garden → Nanjing Road & The Bund 🌃

It takes about 50 minutes to get from Pudong Airport

to most hotels in the city center.

Drop off your bags at your accommodation and head straight out to start your adventure!

I highly recommend timing your visit to Wukang Road for just before sunset—

the golden hour light makes for some truly magical photos

that you'll cherish forever.

Once you've had dinner and the sky turns dark,

make your way over to Yu Garden!

It's the ultimate spot to experience traditional Chinese night views in all their glory. 💫

There are plenty of delicious food stalls and great places to shop around there, too!

From Yu Garden, you can easily walk over to the Bund in about 10 minutes.

In my book, Shanghai's night view is hands down one of the best in the world.

It's a breathtaking sight that never gets old, no matter how many times you see it! ✨

🚩 Day 2:

Yang's Dumpling 🥟 → Lunch: Ye Shanghai → Xintiandi ☕

→ Disneyland

I usually like to book my stay near Yu Garden.

So for breakfast, I grabbed some takeout from Yang's Dumpling, a famous pan-fried dumpling spot right near my hotel.

If your accommodation is near Nanjing East Road, I highly recommend checking out Lai Lai Xiao Long or Da Hu Chun for their incredible dim sum and dumplings!

Next up, let's head over to Xintiandi.

Xintiandi is a gorgeous area where Shanghai’s modern-historic architecture has been beautifully preserved, making it the perfect spot for pretty buildings and trendy cafes.

It's also where the historic Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea is located,

so I highly recommend giving it a visit.

After spending your morning wandering around Xintiandi, I highly recommend heading to the nearby Ye Shanghai for their legendary Peking Duck for lunch.

Since it can get quite a wait, heading there a bit early is a smart move.

Or, you can always make a reservation in advance!

And now, are you ready to head to Disneyland?!

A lot of people recommend doing an 'open run' (getting there right at opening), but...

honestly, to save your energy, I’d highly advise against it.

I arrived around 2:00 PM, watched the fireworks show, and walked out...

and my step tracker still hit 20,000 steps... 😱

If I’d known Shanghai Disneyland was going to be this much fun,

I would’ve visited so much more often...!

Even though this single pen cost me ~$13,

I have zero regrets about this purchase! 😇

✨Book Shanghai Disneyland Tickets at the Best Price✨

🚩 Day 3:

Morning: Supermarket or North Bund Cafe

→ Water Town Tour

If Day 2 was all about experiencing modern Shanghai,

Day 3 is for stepping back in time to explore the city's historic charm.

We're going on a Water Town Tour!

Since the tour starts at 1:00 PM,

spending your morning souvenir shopping at a local supermarket

or relaxing at a cafe on the North Bund is a great way to start the day.

And then, off we go to the water town!

When you think of Shanghai, the dazzling lights of the Bund usually come to mind first. But isn't it wonderful to spend a day soaking in the peaceful, nostalgic atmosphere of old Shanghai?

Water towns are historic, canal-centered villages

where houses line the rivers and canals,

all beautifully connected by stone bridges and narrow alleys.

✨Book the Shanghai Water Town Tour✨

🚩Day 4:

Museum of Art Pudong → Diandude → Holiland → Head Home

Did you know that China has a massive presence in the Asian art market?

With growing local interest in the arts,

the city hosts an incredible lineup of world-class exhibitions.

When I visited, they were running a fantastic Musée d'Orsay exhibition.

I just looked it up, and they've got a Picasso exhibition running until this May! (!)

If you're heading to Shanghai this spring, you absolutely have to go❣️

✨Book Museum of Art Pudong Tickets✨

The Museum of Art Pudong actually has 3 designated photo spots,

and hunting them down for the perfect shot was half the fun!

And for lunch, head right next door to Super Brand Mall

and eat at Diandude.

I am deadly serious right now. You know what I mean.

This is an absolute MUST-visit!

Afterwards, pop into Holiland in the same mall,

grab some of their famous "towel cakes" and sweet treats, and you're ready to head to the airport!

Must-Have Shanghai Travel Tours & Tickets

For the tours and tickets introduced below,

you can use the discount codes to save some extra cash.

The savings add up when you book with your travel buddies,

so I highly recommend booking together for even bigger discounts!

✔️ Water Town Tour

Among the various water towns, the most famous ones

are Wuzhen Water Town and Zhujiajiao.

Of these, Wuzhen is one of the oldest water towns, particularly famous for its breathtaking sunset views and magical night lights.

✨Book the Shanghai Water Town Tour✨

It's a fantastic value-for-money tour with over 600 glowing reviews,

and the recent feedback from fellow travelers is stellar.

If you want to escape the skyscrapers and experience the tranquil side of historic China, I highly recommend a water town tour!

✔️ Shanghai Disneyland

One of only six Disneylands in the entire world!

Are you planning a trip to Shanghai

specifically to visit this magical place?

Even though I've visited Shanghai over a dozen times, I'd never actually thought about visiting Disneyland haha. 😅

But after finally going for the first time last year,

I seriously regretted not going sooner! 😅

It was honestly so much fun! ✨

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I entered at 2 PM and managed to ride 8 attractions!

Time flew by so fast while I was there.

Even though I walked 20,000 steps and felt completely drained,

I am absolutely going back on my next trip to Shanghai.

As a true ESTJ, I compared multiple sites to find the cheapest Shanghai Disneyland tickets, and MyRealTrip was the winner.

You can grab them even cheaper by applying the discount code!

✨Book Shanghai Disneyland Tickets at the Lowest Price✨

Today, I've shared a complete wrap-up of my 4-day, 3-night Shanghai itinerary.

After visiting Shanghai three times last year alone...

I think my "cool-down period" is finally over!

I want to visit at least twice again this year ❣️

Have an amazing trip to China!

Zàijiàn! 🖐🏻🖐🏻🖐🏻

+ Disneyland Route and Itinerary Guide!

​ https://www.trvlogue.com/ko/shanghai-disneyland-rides-guide

++ Pudong Art Museum Review

https://www.trvlogue.com/ko/pudong-art-museum-shanghai

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