Nearly all first-time visitors to China decide to visit Shanghai, and with good reason. The city has so much to see and so much variety, and it blends old and new in a way that always feels exciting. Historical temples sit among modern towers, like Jingβan Temple, while traditional-style districts such as YuYuan Garden are beautiful to explore both day and night.
You can wander through XinTianDi and its tiny maze-like streets of 1900s-style architecture, then head to the Bund for sweeping views across the river to PingAn and the towering skyscrapers on the other side. Nanjing Road is always full of energy, and of course one has to go up to the observation deck of Shanghai Tower, where even the next tallest skyscraper somehow looks small. And honestly, all of that still does not even cover half of what Shanghai has to offer!
The thing that surprised me most when we arrived was how much open space there is in the city. Having been to HongKong first, I expected Shanghai, especially in the CBD, to feel much denser and more crowded. In reality, at times it almost felt empty. Our first experience of stepping out into the city was getting off the metro near our hotel and being greeted by a clear view of the Pearl Tower framed between the buildings on both sides of the street. For such a perfect view, there were no crowds of tourists lining up to get the same shot.
