Shanghai Travel Essentials 2026: Apps, Prep, & Must-Haves
Heading to Shanghai? Make your 2026 trip a breeze with this essential guide to must-have apps like Alipay, Didi, and crucial travel preparations. Get set for adventure!
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Heading to Shanghai? Make your 2026 trip a breeze with this essential guide to must-have apps like Alipay, Didi, and crucial travel preparations. Get set for adventure!
Shanghai Travel Nth Time | Your Ultimate Guide to a Shanghai Trip
| Essential Apps & Packing List for Your Shanghai Adventure
Since 2026, traveling to China has become visa-free for many,
and more people are now heading to Shanghai, a destination that's often just a short flight away!
To make your China Shanghai trip incredibly easy and smooth,
I've put together a list of
essential apps and must-have items.
📍 Shanghai
Shanghai, China
Seriously, for your Shanghai adventure, this is ALL you'll need!!!!!!!!
I put this guide together while helping a friend prepare for their very first Shanghai trip.
Shanghai Travel Essentials |
Passport & Electronic Arrival Card
✔️The absolute most important item for your Shanghai trip is your passport...
Even with visa-free entry, a passport is, of course, essential!
When entering China, including Shanghai, for visa-free tourism purposes:
- A stay of up to 30 days,
- Your passport must have at least 6 months of validity remaining.
✔️When entering China, including Shanghai, you'll need to complete an electronic arrival declaration, much like in Thailand.
For detailed instructions on how to fill out China's electronic arrival card, check out the post below >
Shanghai Travel Essentials
Internet | eSIM / Physical SIM / VPN
For any trip to China, including Shanghai, having internet access is
absolutely, incredibly, critically important!
Without internet, you won't be able to make payments,
you'll struggle to hail a taxi,
and you'll truly feel lost and frustrated...
So, when you head to Shanghai,
make sure you're well-equipped with internet access.
Generally, there are three main ways to get internet: eSIM, physical SIM, or VPN.
If you want to freely use apps like Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube,
it's generally better to use an eSIM or physical SIM rather than relying solely on a VPN.
Personally, for Shanghai and other parts of China,
I found an eSIM more convenient because you don't have to swap out physical SIM cards.
Regarding daily internet usage for a Shanghai physical SIM or eSIM,
it varies by person, but around 3-4GB per day should be plenty
even with active social media use.
Shanghai Travel Essentials | NO Cash, NO Cards! |
Payment | Alipay & WeChat Pay
In Shanghai, and throughout China, cash is rarely used,
and most card payments (especially foreign ones) are not accepted.
!
Payments in Shanghai are almost exclusively made via Alipay and WeChat Pay.
!!!!!
Make sure to install the Alipay app (Alipay)
and link your international credit card *before* you travel.
It's also a good idea to bring your physical credit card as a backup, just in case.
And I highly recommend setting up WeChat Pay as well.
Cash exchange is almost entirely unnecessary.
If you're truly concerned, bringing ~$7 to ~$14 in cash should be more than enough.
(Personally, I didn't spend a single Yuan in cash during my Shanghai trip and brought it all back!)
Shanghai Travel Essentials |
For Hotels, skip Agoda and go with Trip.com
When planning your trip to China, including Shanghai,
always make your hotel reservations through
Trip.com.
Why? Because Trip.com is a Chinese company, and they often have the best local listings and deals.
If you search for Shanghai hotels on platforms like Agoda,
you'll find limited choices,
difficulties contacting hotels directly, and potentially face many issues.
Please, PLEASE book your Shanghai hotels through Trip.com.
When you look on Trip.com, there are so many hotels in Shanghai,
and it filters to show only hotels accessible to foreigners,
so you don't need to worry too much.
Plus, if any issues arise, you can call Trip.com's customer service (even in Korean!).
✔️✔️Shanghai has a huge number of hotels, and you can easily book a 5-star hotel in a great location for ~$69-$138.
Just a heads-up, many people in China really do
smoke a lot in hotels, so...
[Shanghai Hotel Selection Tip]
Focus on recently built hotels,
Shanghai 5-star recommended,
Even if it's listed as 3-4 stars, there are many good options,
but it's highly recommended to check Trip.com reviews thoroughly
before booking.
[Shanghai Hotel Location Recommendation]
If it's your first time traveling to Shanghai ⬆️
I recommend booking a Shanghai hotel in the areas indicated above ⬆️,
in the city center.
Among Shanghai hotels,
those located too far
from the Oriental Pearl TV Tower
or
near the airport
are cheaper, have great facilities, and spacious rooms –
all good things!
However, the downside is that travel time to major Shanghai tourist attractions can be a bit long.
Make sure to request a non-smoking room in your booking message &
if you still smell smoke after checking in, don't hesitate to ask for a room change!
Shanghai Travel Essentials | Taxi App |
China's Kakao Taxi = Didi
In Shanghai and across China, people use the 'Didi Taxi' app, similar to Kakao Taxi in Korea or Uber.
Didi Chuxing = didi = Didi
This app is truly, truly essential.
You MUST download it and register your card BEFORE you leave Korea
(seriously, please do it!).
When using Didi Taxi,
because many Shanghai taxis are quite old,
I personally tend to choose STANDARD(.)
rather than Taxi ( ).
Shanghai taxis can be really, truly old, and you might be shocked
by the strong smell of cigarette smoke and crumbling car seats.
No need to choose an expensive taxi option.
There are so many taxis in Shanghai!!!
The Didi taxi app is quite accurate at pinpointing locations
but
make sure the location is correct,
and call a taxi from where you're ready to get in.
And don't forget to pay after getting out of the taxi.
Shanghai Travel Essentials ㅣ Messenger Apps
ㅣ WeChat ㅣ wechat l weixin
While traveling in Shanghai, it can be inconvenient without WeChat,
it's not impossible to travel.
WeChat is
a messaging app, much like KakaoTalk in Korea, LINE in Japan, or WhatsApp,
but in China, including Shanghai,
besides messaging friends,
it also functions like Instagram,
hotels often send notifications via WeChat,
and many other services, like reservations, often require WeChat.
So, it's highly recommended to install the WeChat app and complete the verification process before you go.
Also, as a foreigner, be careful when joining group chats,
as your WeChat account might get blocked.
Shanghai Travel Essentials ㅣ Translation Apps
When traveling in Shanghai, this translation app is,
honestly, even more essential
than WeChat or Gaode Maps.
Abandon the arrogant thought that 'Everyone in Shanghai speaks English, right? All hotel staff will be good at English, right?'
Make sure to bring a good translation app.
If English doesn't work,
it's easy to simply use a translation app.
Shanghai Travel Essentials ㅣ Gaode Maps = Amap, Baidu Maps
Honestly, since Gaode Maps (= Amap) is only in Chinese,
I didn't use it much, but
In Shanghai, where Google Maps doesn't work, I recommend installing the Gaode Maps app in advance
and pre-marking the places you want to visit.
( + I also recommend saving the Chinese addresses of the places you want to go
in your notes...)
Shanghai Travel Essentials ㅣ Basic Chinese Travel Phrases
Basic Chinese Travel Phrases
Hello = ni hao = 你好
A more important phrase in Chinese is:
I don't understand (= I don't speak Chinese) = ting bu dong
= 听不懂
Memorize 'ting bu dong'!
Ting bu dong, wo shi Hanguoren [I don't understand, I am Korean]
听不懂 ， 我是韩国人
Thank you = xiexie = 谢谢
+ And then use a translation app.
With these, you can absolutely travel in Shanghai!
Shanghai Travel Essentials ㅣ Exchange Rate ㅣ Travel Costs
You can think of China's 1 Yuan as approximately 200 Korean Won.
100 Yuan = 20,000 Won
That's expensive!!!
Local food, on the other hand, usually starts around 10 Yuan.
Typically, when coming from Shanghai Airport to a hotel in the city center,
a taxi fare is usually around ~$14-~$21.
While some things in Shanghai can be expensive,
the basic cost of living is quite affordable,
so if you try to save money, you can have a fun trip and spend less than you might in Thailand.
Feel free to hop in a taxi for most of your journeys!
Oh, about those delivery apps like Meituan...
I actually didn't download any,
and I managed to eat wonderfully and get around just fine without them!
But I *do* have Meitu (the photo app!),
hehe!
While having those delivery apps might occasionally snag you a small discount,
I personally found them a bit too much hassle!
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For visa-free travel to China, you must stay for a maximum of 30 days, and your passport must be valid for at least 6 months. This applies when entering China, including Shanghai, for tourism purposes.
When traveling to Shanghai, it's recommended to use an eSIM or a USIM. Personally, I found eSIMs more convenient as there's no need to swap physical SIM cards. Daily data usage varies by individual, but 3GB-4GB is generally sufficient for social media use.
Trip.com is a Chinese company, and it conveniently filters and displays only hotels accessible to foreigners. Another advantage is that if any issues arise, you can communicate through their Korean customer service center.
Many Shanghai taxis are old, and you might experience cigarette odors or worn-out seats. Personally, I recommend choosing STANDARD (快车) rather than Taxi (出租车).
In Shanghai, cash and card payments are mostly difficult. Alipay and WeChat Pay are predominantly used, so it's essential to install the apps and register your cards in advance.
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