🇨🇳Shanghai

China's futuristic showcase: a neon-lit skyline across the river from 1920s European facades, and a metro that will out-engineer anything back home.

Daily budget

$55–105

mid-range, per person

Cheap meal

$2.50–5.00

local staple

Mid-range hotel

$60–130

per night

Transit ride

$0.40–0.85

single trip

Avg. monthly salary

≈ $1,550

local, approx.

In photos

Quick facts

Language

Mandarin Chinese (Shanghainese spoken locally). English signage is decent in the center; spoken English is inconsistent — lean on a translation app.

Currency

Renminbi / yuan (¥ or RMB). US$1.00 ≈ ¥7.2

Time zone

CST (UTC+8), no daylight saving

Best time to visit

Mar–May and Sep–Nov are mild and comfortable. Jul–Aug is hot, humid, and can bring typhoons; winter is damp and chilly.

Power

Type A/C/I plugs, 220V

Tap water

Don't drink it — bottled or boiled water everywhere

Emergency

110 police · 120 ambulance · 119 fire

Money & what things cost

Like Beijing, Shanghai runs on Alipay and WeChat Pay — set up the tourist/foreign-card mode on Alipay before you land, since it covers everything from the metro to street vendors. Cards are more common here than in Beijing at international hotels and Western chains, but mobile pay is still the path of least resistance everywhere else. Arrange a VPN in advance (see Connectivity).

What locals earn

Average monthly salary (Shanghai, urban)	≈ ¥11,000 ($1,530)	China's highest-paying major city
Typical entry-level salary	≈ ¥7,000–9,000 ($970–1,250)
Minimum wage (Shanghai)	¥24/hour (≈ $3.35)	monthly minimum ≈ ¥2,690, highest in China

Why this matters: Shanghai is the most expensive city in mainland China, and it shows in rent and dining more than in transit or street food — the ¥5 metro ride and the ¥15 dumpling breakfast are still priced for the ¥11,000/month resident, not the visitor. As in Beijing, tipping isn't part of the wage model and isn't expected.

Food & drink

Item	Local price	≈ USD
Soup dumplings (xiaolongbao), a basket	¥15–25	$2.10–3.50
Noodle or rice shop meal	¥20–40	$2.80–5.60
Sit-down restaurant, per person	¥70–150	$9.70–21
Upscale dinner with a Bund view, per person	¥300–600	$42–83
Coffee at a specialty café	¥25–38	$3.50–5.30
Craft beer at a bar	¥35–55	$4.90–7.60

Transport

Item	Local price	≈ USD
Metro ride (distance-based)	¥3–9	$0.40–1.25
Bus ride	¥2	$0.30
Didi across town	¥25–50	$3.50–7.00
Taxi flag fare	¥14	$1.95
Maglev train, Pudong Airport → Longyang Rd	¥50 (one way, 8 min)	$7.00
Didi from Pudong (PVG) to the center	¥150–220	$21–31

Where to sleep & what it costs

Tier	Per night	Notes
Hostel dorm	¥70–130 ($10–18)	French Concession hostels have real character
Budget hotel	¥280–450 ($39–63)	Reliable domestic chains (Jinjiang, Hanting)
Mid-range hotel	¥450–900 ($63–125)	Puxi (west of the river) generally beats Pudong for atmosphere
Luxury / Bund view	¥1,800+ ($250+)	Rooms facing the skyline sell out on weekends — book ahead

Getting around

From the airport: Pudong (PVG): the Maglev train reaches 300+ km/h to Longyang Road metro station in 8 minutes (¥50) — a bucket-list ride in itself, then connect to the metro. Didi runs ¥150–220 straight to the center. Hongqiao (SHA), mostly domestic flights, sits on the metro network directly.
Metro: One of the largest and most modern systems in the world, fully bilingual, security-screened at every entrance like Beijing's. Buy a Shanghai Public Transportation Card or tap a linked phone wallet.
Didi & taxis: Didi is the easy default, same as Beijing — book in English, fixed estimate. Metered taxis are plentiful and honest; carry your destination in Chinese characters for smoother rides.
On foot: The former French Concession and the Bund waterfront are genuinely excellent walking territory — leafy plane-tree streets, Art Deco buildings, and the river promenade linking old Puxi to futuristic Pudong across the water.

Neighborhoods to stay in

French Concession: Tree-lined streets, boutiques, cafés, and Shanghai's best-preserved 1920s architecture — the top pick for atmosphere.
The Bund / People's Square: Central, walkable to major sights, classic river and skyline views.
Jing'an: Upscale, central, excellent metro connections, slightly quieter than the Bund.
Pudong (Lujiazui): The skyscraper skyline itself — dramatic hotel views, but a river-crossing from most of the historic sights.

Tipping & etiquette

Tipping: Not customary and not expected — restaurants, taxis, hotels, guides. As in Beijing, service wages don't assume a tip on top, and offering one can create more confusion than goodwill outside Western-oriented luxury venues.

Shanghai is China's most cosmopolitan city and generally more used to foreign visitors than elsewhere — but the courtesy rules (both-hands business cards, avoiding sensitive political topics) still apply.
Reservations matter more here than in most of China — popular restaurants and rooftop bars book up, especially on weekends.
Dress smart-casual for rooftop bars and better restaurants; shorts-and-flip-flops venues are the exception, not the rule, in the center.
Queuing is generally orderly in Shanghai's malls and metro compared to some other Chinese cities.

Safety & common scams

Among the safest big cities anywhere for a visitor — low violent crime, well-lit and well-patrolled central districts, and a genuinely walkable-at-night reputation. As in Beijing, the practical friction is more about language and connectivity than personal safety.

Scams to know

Tea ceremony and 'art student' scams around Nanjing Road and the Bund — a friendly English-speaking 'student' invites you to view art or try tea, ending in a wildly inflated bill. Decline unsolicited invitations from strangers near major sights.
Unlicensed cabs outside the airports and major train stations — use Didi or the official taxi queue.
Knockoff goods sold as genuine at markets like the AP Plaza — fine if you know that's what you're buying, not otherwise.

Emergency numbers: 110 (police) · 120 (ambulance) · 119 (fire) — limited English support; hotel staff can usually translate

Phone & internet

Same rules as the rest of mainland China: buy an eSIM or airport SIM for constant data, and set up a VPN before you leave home, since Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, and most Western apps are blocked by the Great Firewall. Alipay and WeChat work without a VPN and cover payments, maps, and translation in one app — worth setting up before you land.

First-timer FAQs

Do I need a visa?

Most Western passport holders need one arranged in advance, though Shanghai (like Beijing) offers a 144-hour visa-free transit for eligible nationalities flying onward — check current rules closely, as policy shifts. Shanghai's ports are among the more generous for short visa-free stays.

Shanghai or Beijing — if I can only do one?

They're genuinely different trips: Beijing is imperial history and the Great Wall; Shanghai is Art Deco meets futurism and China's most modern face. First trip to China with time for both? The 4.5-hour high-speed train between them is comfortable and easy — do both.

Is Shanghai easier for non-Mandarin speakers than the rest of China?

Somewhat — more English signage, more staff at hotels and major venues speak some English, and the metro is fully bilingual. It's still China: a translation app and the Alipay/WeChat setup make the difference between a smooth trip and a frustrating one.

What's the one thing people underestimate?

The scale and the payment system. Distances between neighborhoods are bigger than they look on a map, and almost nothing runs on cash or foreign cards the way visitors expect — set up mobile pay before you arrive, not after.

How many days do I need?

Three days covers the Bund, Yu Garden, the French Concession, and a night view from Pudong; four lets you add a day trip to the water town of Zhujiajiao or Suzhou, both under an hour by train.