East · 3 nights · March to May, and October to November
Shanghai
A treaty-port grid that learned to cook, shop, and stay up later than the rest of the east coast.
River, concession lanes, soup dumplings
Shanghai rewards people who walk a neighborhood instead of collecting skylines. The Bund is a twenty-minute look across the river, best early or after the tour boats thin out. The French Concession is the real half-day: plane trees, Wukang Road, small shops, and lunch. Yu Garden is a dense old core wrapped in a commercial maze — go once, then leave it. Eat xiaolongbao at a specialist, not as a side dish in a banquet, and remember that Shanghainese food is sweet, soy-dark, and braised more often than it is spicy.
See
The Bund 外滩
Cross from the west bank in the morning. Save the night view for a short walk, not a three-hour photo queue.
Former French Concession 法租界
Wukang Road, Anfu Road, and the lanes between. This is the day that makes the city make sense.
Yu Garden 豫园
The garden is small and the bazaar around it is not. Enter when it opens.
Shanghai Museum or the river museums 上海博物馆
People's Square if you want bronzes and painting. The West Bund if you want contemporary galleries and fewer tour flags.
Eat
Xiaolongbao
Pierce, sip, then eat. Nanxiang is the famous name; a busy local branch often beats the flagship queue.
Shengjian
Pan-fried, thicker, soup inside. Breakfast or a late afternoon snack, not a delicate course.
Hongshao pork
The city's home flavor: dark soy, sugar, fat that should not be dry. Order greens with it.