Shanghai Weekend Escape

I’ve decided to make Shanghai my last weekend trip before Christmas, as it has been on my bucket list forever. With a population of more than 24 million, it is the largest city by population in China, and the second most populous city in the world after Chonqing, China. I was super happy to explore this exciting city but, as I had only a weekend, I had to make the most out of my 48 hours. Hence, how to make the most out of Shanghai in a weekend?

WHERE TO STAY

As you probably heard, Shanghai can be very expensive. Nevertheless, I still managed to find something cheap and close to the centre. It took me a while as most places were fully booked, but I found a hostel rather than a 5 star fancy hotel called “Mingtown Etour Youth Hostel”. The location was perfect, only 5 minutes away from People’s Square and 20 minutes walk from the Bund. I loved the charming garden ornamented with fairy lights and confy sofas. Also great value for money, ¥138 for two nights (£15)!!

HOW TO GET AROUND

Shanghai is a big city and so I highly recommend using the subway to get around. I single ride costs between ¥3-5, depending on the travel distance. Moving by subway is very easy, as the system is being expanded constantly, and it is now getting to most places in the city with maximum one change of line. During rush hours it can be very packed but it is still fast and more convenient than buses. At the same time, as shanghai traffic jam can be crazy, you wouldn’t want to sit in a taxi with an angry Chinese taxi driver for several hours.

PEOPLE’S PARK

We started off on Saturday morning with a Starbucks Latte and a stroll around People’s Park. We had a real experience admiring the Shanghai and western residents in their morning tai chi exercises.

At the same time, every weekend the park plays home to the famous “The people’s Square Marriage Market”, where parents place out on umbrellas adverts to find matches for their grown up children.

M50 MOGANSHAN ROAD CONTEMPORARY ART DISTRICT

Our next stop was M50, formerly a set of dilapidated warehouse, now a contemporary art district in Shanghai that hosts more than a hundred artists whose studios are open to the public. It was quite empty around 11 AM so it was nice to have a proper look at what China’s contemporary artists are up to.

FRENCH CONCESSION

My favourite place to write about in this post. The FFC (Former French Concession) was a foreign concession in Shanghai, China from 1849 to 1946, and it was progressively expanded between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The concession period ended in 1943 when the Vichy French government signed it over to the pro-Japanese puppet government in Nanjing. The FFC is honestly the most beautiful colonial districts left in Shanghai, filled with gorgeous villas, variety of hipster cafes and restaurants, concept bars and boutiques, art galleries and antiques stores. It was honestly one of the most stylish and cheerful districts I’ve ever seen in my life – so many Instagram perfect corners!! I swear we’ve been stopping literally all the time.

NANJING ROAD

Our next stop was china’s premier shopping street, Nanjing Road, which starts at the junction of Jing’an Temple and West Yan’an Street and ends at the Bund. Today is a 5.5 km London must-see destination that attracts shoppers from all around the world. I still can’t get enough of the beauty of the stores on Nanjing Road. You can find everything here from high fashion clothes to limited edition capsule collections and Chines traditional clothing.

THE BUND

We finished off this incredible day with a sunset view at the Bund, Shanghai top attraction!! I swear it couldn’t get more magical; I almost had tears in my eyes. The golden hour was absolutely unbelievable. Tourists surrounded and pushed me but I was too occupied taking photos and being overwhelmed by the beauty of this place so I didn’t really care. I highly recommend heading to the Bund when is already dark, as you can admire the Oriental Pearl Radio & Television Tower and Shanghai’s skyline illuminated which is definitely more evocative.

WHERE TO EAT

In a city like Shanghai, food is everywhere and the options are endless. However, according to a friend of mine that has lived in Shanghai for more than 3 years now, the best Chinese restaurants are Lotus Eatery - which made history btw - and canton 8. Lotus Eatery offers a great value menu of delicious Yunnan food whilst Canton 8 is a 2 Michelin Star restaurant serving up Cantonese cuisine and dim sum selections. I had dinner at Canton 8 on Saturday night and let me tell you, it was amazing and the cheapest 2 Michelin Star restaurant in the world. I love the food and wished there were more than two of us to really explore the menu. The dim sums were flawless and the duck breast a must-order!!

Shanghai is so magical. Bye for now.