I’m heading to Shanghai and Tokyo for a week of vacation in June, to meet up with friends and travel with others. I love Shanghai and to share, here are my top 5 things to do while in 上海, kind of my “36 Hours”:
- Y+ Yoga on Fuxing Xi Lu. I have yet to find a better yoga studio, with teachers as good and a small class environment. Not only that, but the facilities themselves are phenomenal in a beautiful old French building on a tree lined street, fresh fruit, water, and juice served after classes. Good luck finding that in the states.
- Lunch time mega malls. Take your pick, Grand Gateway, Metro, anywhere in Xujiahui, or in Luwan or wherever. My favorites tended by be in Grand Gateway, but that’s just where I spent a ton of time. All varieties of food (both Chinese and otherwise) during lunchtime, ridiculously cheap and so easily accessible.
- Old Town near Yuyuan. I could spent hours strolling through the streets here. Walking around, seeing the older side of Shanghai, without the 40+ story skyscrapers, people living real lives. Snacking on street food, watching the hustle and bustle, it’s something else. A close second on this would be walking along Fuxing Xu Lu until it runs in to Hengshan Lu. Leafy streets and plenty of little cafes to drop in to.
- Dinner at M on the Bund. I don’t care what people say, this is my favorite restaurant in Shanghai. Sitting right at 5 on Bund, the views across the Huang Pu to Pudong are incredible, the patio outside if amazing, the service is great and the food is delicious. Every time I’m in Shanghai and whenever I had guests, we’d made it out here. Glamour Bar downstairs is also great.
- Drinks at People’s Seven. Best. Bar. Ever. Hands down. Nothing I’ve seen after this place compares. A close second would be have a drink at the Grand Hyatt at Cloud 9 or Fuxing Gongyuan / Park 97 / Cashbox. The latter always comes in to play if you want to end the night singing until 5am.
I love Shanghai, and there a ton of other places and things that would be worth mentioning. In a city that moves that fast, it’s likely the places listed above don’t exist any more or have changed, but I love them all.