Experience a fusion of futuristic skyscrapers and colonial-era charm with this 48-hour itinerary to Shanghai, China's global epicenter. Beyond the commonplace recommendations – like stroll along the iconic Bund at sunrise, a visit to Shanghai’s Yuyuan Garden, a climb up the Pearl Tower, a shopping spree along Nanjing East Road, or a meander through the winding back alleys of touristy Tianzifang – this guide is all about this city’s best kept secrets, ensuring you make the most of every moment in this bustling metropolis.

After living in Shanghai more than 10 years, this curated 48-hour city guide will navigate you through the cream of the crop on what to do, see, and eat in the Paris of the East.

READ MORE: What to Eat and Drink in Shanghai: The Ultimate Foodie Guide

Day 1

Juqi Antique Market

Juqi Antique Market

Juqi Antique Market

If you happen to be in Shanghai on a Friday morning, Juqi Antique Market is worth the early morning wake up call. Equal parts trash and treasure, this market represents a bygone era of China's past in a time-warp vortex of a building. Like one massive indoor garage sale, visitors are caught between piles of worn books, family heirlooms, and curio of yesteryear. Between the wee hours of 5am and lunch times on Fridays is when the market is most active; be prepared to haggle.

Jianbing

Otherwise, kickstart your Shanghai weekend at a leisurely pace like a local with a jianbing – a savory folded crepe cooked with eggs, scallions, cilantro, sweet bean paste, chili sauce, and a crispy fried wonton skin – found on every street corner for about $1USD (RMB7). One of the best in the city is at the corner of Jiagning Road and Aomen Road.

M50 Art District

From there, walk a few blocks towards M50, Shanghai’s art district. Transformed from a former cotton mill into a creative hub in 2000, it houses over 120 galleries, artist studios, cafés, and shops. Island6 is a favorite, known for new-media art that merges traditional Chinese design with modern technology through interactive LED installations.

(Interested in more art museums? Shanghai has endless options, starting with the Museum of Art Pudong, the Long Museum, and Fotografiska – a premier international photography museum housed in a restored 1931 warehouse along Suzhou Creek.)

Suzhou Creek Walking Path

1000 Trees

On the backside of M50 is an entryway onto Suzhou Creek, a 12.5-kilometer revitalized riverfront pathway tracing historical architecture, cafés, and scenic views all the way from the legendary Bund skyline to the western suburbs. Head towards 1000 Trees, an eco-conscious mixed-use development housing shops, restaurants, work spaces, and ample terraces from which one can enjoy waterfront views. Grab a snack in the basement food court or admire the site from the walking path.

Jade Buddha Temple

From here, venture south to Jade Buddha Temple, a more authentic alternative to Jing’an Temple. Jade Buddha Temple is a renowned Song Dynasty-style, still-active Chan Buddhist monastery built in 1882. The temple houses both a seated and reclining Buddha. If you're lucky, you will get to see the monks praying.

Yaya's

Now that you’ve worked up an appetite, head to lunch at Yaya’s, a trendy Italian-Chinese fusion joint with fun vibes and a lineup of noodle-centric plates like mapo tofu lasagna and oil-splash pappardelle.

Sloppy Gin

Azabuya

If you’re craving a sweet finish, grab a donut, pastry, or bun at Sloppy Gin, a scoop of Asian-inspired gelato at Azabuya (they have five grades of matcha to choose from, amongst more than a dozen other flavors), or an afternoon pick-me-up coffee at Australian brunch café Egg.

From here, you’ve got two options: one for the do-ers – Zhujiajiao – and the other for the be-ers – Hengyue Xinshe Hot Springs at Anandi Hotel.

Zhujiajiao

Zhujiajao is a watertown located 50 kilometers outside of downtown Shanghai. Dubbed “the Venice of Shanghai,” Zhujiajiao is one of the oldest settlements in China, with architecture dating back to the Song and Yuan Dynasties. Here, visitors can explore historic trading streets, take a paddle boat cruise along the canals, visit ancient gardens, and enjoy the local fare.

READ MORE: Shanghai Day Trip: Zhujiajiao Water Town, The Ultimate Guide

READ MORE: Escape to Jing Ting, a Zhujiajiao Ancient Town Retreat

 Hengyue Xinshe Hot Springs 

For those looking to kick back and relax, Hengyue Xinshe Hot Springs is the ideal escape, a premium wellness retreat focusing on holistic relaxation through Ayurveda and nature-inspired therapy. For an entrance fee (RMB227/$33USD), visitors have 6-hour access to unlimited saunas, hot and cold pools, hot springs, therapeutic heat rooms (Himalayan salt, jade, etc.), wellness activities like paddleboard yoga, sound healing, and free flow fruit, beverages, and snacks.

Ting by Frederic Jaros

8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana

Ling Long

NABI

Return back to the city just in time to treat yourself to a splurge-worthy meal. Options span pastry-cuisine inspired tasting menu restaurant Ting by Frederic Jaros, two Michelin-starred Italian fine dining at 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, regional Chinese cuisine centered around the concept of "xian" (umami) at Ling Long, or contemporary Korean fine dining rooted in heritage recipes at NABI.

Sober Company

With adrenaline fueling your first 24 hours, post-dinner swing by award-winning Sober Company – a bar split across four distinct spaces: Sober Kissa (a coffee and tea cocktails-focused lounge); Sober Izakaya (sushi bar with paired tipples); Sober Sakaba (second floor bistro with 10 classics with a twist); and Tipsy (a hidden speakeasy) – before heading upstairs to INS – a multi-story vertical nightlife amusement park of sorts, featuring 10 independent nightclubs, bars, and lounges across seven floors, allowing guests to explore various musical genres, from techno to K-pop, with a single, all-access ticket.

Pony Up

Gallow’s Humor

Chair Club

Or, for a slightly tamer night out, throw one back at Pony Up – a neighborhood hangout serving playful libations – and, directly across the street, Gallow’s Humor – a craft cocktail watering-hole-meets-dungeon-rave through hypnotic techno, psychedelic lighting, and consciousness-expanding flavors – before ending the evening at Chair Club for some of the best R&B and hip hop live music performances in town.

READ MORE: The Best New Bars in Shanghai 2025

The Sukhothai Shanghai

Retire to your urban oasis at The Upper House, a luxury, design-drivel hotel in the heart of Jing’an, Neri&Hu-sustainably designed The Sukhothai Shanghai, or spring for the high energy W Shanghai – The Bund, a space that blends 1920s Shanghai glamour with futuristic, bold design.

Day 2

YEN

If you’re in Shanghai on a weekend, free flow dim sum brunch at YEN (in the W Shanghai – The Bund) is a must. Running every Saturday and Sunday from 11:30am-2:30pm for RMB388/person ($57USD), this Shanghai institution rolls out the red carpet with over 60 plates to choose from, from steamed to seared, baked to fried, staples to fusion, land to sea, and soups to sweets, all made fresh to order.

Otherwise, seek caffeinated inspiration at T12Lab, an experimental coffee roaster in Xuhui lauded for its high-quality espresso-based drinks, specialty beans, and tranquil wabi-sabi atmosphere.

Man Man Tang Bao

Next, head to Man Man Tang Bao, a hole-in-the-wall xiaolongbao mainstay doling out the city’s tastiest soup dumplings, congee, and black sesame tangyuan.

READ MORE: Your Essential Guide to the World of Chinese Dumplings

READ MORE: 6 of Shanghai’s Wildest Xiaolongbao

Time for some culture, at the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Center, a private museum sporting 6,000+ original, historically significant propaganda posters from 1910 to 1990, with a focus on the Maoist era. Located in a non-descript office building, it documents China's social, political, and cultural shifts, offering a unique, often unseen, perspective on 20th-century history.

From there, wander through the leafy, tree-lined streets of The Former French Concession. Don’t miss the picturesque Wukang Road, café-lined Wulumuqi Road, and boutique-filled Anfu Road.

Build up a hankering for lunch by strolling through Zhongshan Park, a 200,000-square-meter public park bosting a blend of English-style natural landscaping and Chinese garden design.

Bottega

Zup

Tacolicious

Nerds

Kebaba

Polux

For lunch, you’ve got options: Bottega serves standout Neapolitan pizza, Zup covers the American Midwest ‘zas (choose from either thick-cut Detroit squares or thin crust tavern-style slices), Tacolicious is all about the downright delicious Tex-Mex, Nerds is for the focaccia panini sandwich lovers, Kebaba supplies Shanghai’s hungry masses with Euro-style kebabs from lunch to late-night, and Polux, backed by celebrity chef Paul Pairet, is a French bistro with all the classics done right plus one of the most comfortable patios in town.

If the weather permits, enjoy a leisurely lunch on any of Shanghai's dozens of terraces. 

For the remainder of the afternoon, spend time exploring the North Bund, a quieter substitute to the main Bund promenade that is equally picturesque sans the crowds. Visit the famous Luckin Coffee outpost that opens to sprawling skyline views and the North Bund Green Land with its metallic, mirror-finished, egg-shaped dome that provides a fisheye view of the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Lujiazui skyline.

Japanese food in Gubei

Or, head west from downtown towards Gubei for a taste of Shanghai’s sizeable Little Tokyo and, even further towards Hongqiao Airport, to check out the expansive Koreatown. 

Wei Xiang Zhai

Qian Ping Ping Mian Dian

Dong Tai Xiang

San Bai Bei

Maolago

Return the city in time to keep it local for dinner with options spanning sesame paste noodles and fried Shanghainese style pork chops at time-honored noodle shop Wei Xiang Zhai, fiery Chongqing pugamian (blanket noodles) simmered with diner’s choice of fried chickpeas, braised beef, or intestines at Qian Ping Ping Mian Dian, pillowy yet crispy shengjianbao (pan-fried buns) and scallion oil noodles at 24-hour haunt Dong Tai Xiang, or, for something more substantial, go for lively Ningbo seafood "izakaya" San Bai Bei or Guizhou-style sour tomato and fish hotpot at Maolago.

Bar Leone

Penicillin

COA

Bar Blanc

Sting & Honey

Union Trading Co

Round out the evening with a nightcap at any of Shanghai’s top cocktail bars – from the World’s No. 1 bar, Bar Leone, to Hong Kong transplant Penicillin (for all manner of mad scientist-esque drams), from temple to the agave gods Coa, to straightforward smashable sippers at Bar Blanc, from whimsical cocktail creations at Sting and Honey to revamped classics at Union Trading Co – you truly can’t go wrong.

And just like that, your 48 hours in Shanghai are up. Crawl into bed with satisfaction knowing you've done the city right and left even more for your next visit.

READ MORE: What to Eat and Drink in Shanghai: The Ultimate Foodie Guide