If you have a stopover at Shanghai you may like to get out and see some sights, here’s an itinerary that should roughly fill in 12 hours and take in more than a few of the iconic highlights. This is based on arriving and departing from Pudong Airport. You can also quite easily do the same route from Hongqiao Airport.
The Shanghai in 12 Hours Itinerary
Pudong Airport – Shanghai World Financial Tower – the Bund – Nanjing Road – Jing’an Temple – Shanghai Maglev – Pudong Airport.
1.Take Metro Line 2 from the airport to Lujiazui Metro Station (1 h 40 min) and go out exit 6. Walk Ten minutes to the Shanghai World Financial Centre and take one of the fastest elevators in the world to the 100th-floor sightseeing deck.
2. Take in the sights of three of China’s tallest skyscrapers that sit beside each other, the Jin Mao Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Centre and the sparkling new Shanghai Tower.
3. Take a taxi to Dongcheng Road Wharf (东昌路) and catch the ferry across the Bund to Jinling East Road Wharf (东昌路), here you can see Waitan Bridge and begin walking north along Zhongshan East Road to the Bund.
4. Walk along the famous Bund and take in the historic Colonial buildings and amazing vistas across the Huangpu River and the skyscrapers of Pudong that you visited earlier.
5. From the Bund, head down Nanjing Road to China’s most famous pedestrian street and shopping street, Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street.
6. At the end of Nanjing Road you’ll find People’s Square Station, take Metro Line 2 to Jing’an Temple Station and go out exit 1 to see Jing’an Temple. Take in the historic Buddhist temple and traditional architecture.
7. Return to the Metro station and take line 2 to Longyang Road Station. Here you can experience a ride on the fastest train in the world, the Shanghai Maglev back to Pudong Airport (Metro + Maglev 1h).
Note this is a tight schedule, based on being at the Shanghai World Financial Tower at 9.00 am and spending around 1.5 hrs at each attraction due to Jing’an Temple closing at 5pm. If you are pressed for time, you could drop the Jing’an Temple and save 1.5-2 hrs. You could also reverse the schedule and start at Jing’an Temple.
Staying longer? Check out my hand-picked choices for hotels near Pudong Airport or the top Five Star hotels and hotels near Nanjing Road.
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