China’s second-largest city continues to transform rapidly. Beyond luxury megastores and virtual-reality experiences, Shanghai is repurposing what’s left of its unique architectural heritage into cultural and dining destinations, creating a new dynamism. A major transition to electric vehicles has helped quiet the streets, while expanded high-speed rail and metro services have made the city more accessible. Daily life in Shanghai runs almost entirely through apps — for bookings, payments and transport — which offer incredible convenience, but come with a learning curve for travelers. What is easier, however: A new 10-day visa-free transit option for visitors from dozens of countries, including the United States, is one way China is laying out the welcome mat after its border closures during the pandemic.

中国第二大城市上海正持续飞速蜕变。除了奢品旗舰店与虚拟现实体验，这座城市正将留存的独特建筑遗产改造为文化与餐饮地标，焕发出全新活力。电动汽车的大规模普及让街道更安静，不断扩容的高铁与地铁网络也让这座城市的出行更为便捷。在上海，预约、支付、出行等日常生活几乎全靠各类应用软件完成，这带来了极致便利，却也让游客需要一定时间适应。不过，有一项便利门槛极低：疫情封关后，中国正以多项举措向世界张开怀抱，其中就包括针对美国等数十国公民推出的全新10天过境免签政策。

Itinerary

行程安排

Friday

周五

3 p.m. Go on an art walk

15:00 艺术漫步

The Bund, Shanghai’s waterfront of neo-Gothic and Baroque- and Renaissance-style buildings along Huangpu River, once housed global titans of industry. Today, it is a contemporary art destination. Start at the Hive Center for Contemporary Art (free) for large-scale works by established Chinese artists, such as the abstract painter and sculptor Wang Wenting. Opened in 2023 in a former bank building, the gallery’s monumental stained-glass skylight alone is worth the visit. At Rockbund Art Museum, two blocks east, rotating exhibitions — such as one inspired by the work of the French theorist Suzanne Césaire (through April 26) — highlight experimental multimedia works (free). Since opening in 2024, Space 185 at Bund Art Center, a half-mile south, has put on shows pairing contemporary Chinese heavyweights such as the painters Zhao Gang and Yu Hong with global names like Anish Kapoor (free).

外滩是上海沿黄浦江铺展的滨水地带，林立着新哥特、巴洛克与文艺复兴风格的历史建筑，曾是全球工商业巨头的聚集地，如今已成为当代艺术地标。第一站前往蜂巢当代艺术中心（免费），这里展出了中国知名艺术家的大型作品，比如抽象画家、雕塑家王文婷。该艺术中心2023年在一栋百年银行旧址内开业，单是馆内恢弘的彩色玻璃天窗就值得一访。向东两个街区，就是上海外滩美术馆，馆内常设轮换展览（免费），比如正在展出的、受法国理论家苏珊·塞泽尔作品启发的多媒体实验艺术展（展期至4月26日）。向南不到一公里，外滩艺术中心的185空间于2024年开放，曾举办赵刚、喻红等中国当代艺术领军人物与安尼施·卡普尔等国际艺术大师的联展（免费）。

6 p.m. Shop for snacks

18:00 零食采购

Take a six-minute Didi ride or walk just under a mile west along the neon-lit, pedestrian-only Nanjing Road, the city’s version of Times Square. Among the many mega marts is Shanghai First Food Mall, a snack and street-food emporium. On the first floor, pick up palmier-like caramelized butterfly cookies (from 40 renminbi for a box) and cream cakes from Kaisiling (from 12 renminbi for a slice), items so beloved Shanghai’s government designated them a part of the city’s non-material cultural heritage. The second floor has food vendors and a grocery, while the third floor is a medley of many of Shanghai’s popular fast-casual joints.

打滴滴六分钟，或沿霓虹璀璨的南京路步行街向西步行1.5公里左右——这条路堪称上海版时报广场。在鳞次栉比的大型商场中，藏着上海第一食品商店，这是一座零食与街头小吃的宝库。一楼可以买到凯司令的焦糖蝴蝶酥（40元/盒起）与奶油蛋糕（12元/块起），这些经典点心已被上海市政府列入非物质文化遗产名录；二楼是各类食品商户与生鲜超市；三楼则汇聚了上海多家热门轻食快餐品牌。

7 p.m. Eat crab noodles

19:00 吃蟹黄面

The brackish waters of the Yangtze River Delta, where the city sits, host the pride of Shanghainese cuisine: hairy crab. Although peak harvest is in fall, some menus feature the specialty year-round. The restaurant Cejerdary, on the Bund, treats it with a special reverence, underlined by an austere dining room centered around a miniature karst landscape of bonsai. The restaurant serves crab from Yangcheng Lake, the region’s premier source. One order of stew contains the meat and roe of a dozen fist-size crabs and can be ordered over noodles or rice (from 280 renminbi). A generous splash of black vinegar helps cut through the dish’s sweet richness.

上海地处长江三角洲，咸淡水交汇的水域孕育了本帮菜的骄傲——大闸蟹。尽管金秋才是大闸蟹的丰收旺季，但不少餐厅全年都供应这道招牌美味。外滩的蟹家大院以极致的匠心对待这种食材：餐厅装修简约沉静，用餐区以微缩喀斯特盆景为核心景观，主打阳澄湖核心产区的大闸蟹。一份蟹黄捞面/捞饭，用足足十几只拳头大的螃蟹的蟹肉与蟹黄熬制而成（280元起），淋上一勺香醋，可以和菜品的鲜甜醇厚形成对比。

9 p.m. Enter a time warp

21:00 穿越旧时光

It can be difficult to find authentic time capsules in ever-futuristic Shanghai, which has preserved relatively little of its structural heritage. That is why the Jazz Bar at the Fairmont Peace Hotel, one of the city’s oldest music venues, is so special. Since 1980, a five-piece band with rotating members (the youngest is now 70) performs from 7 to 11 p.m. every night. A singer joins in during each hour-long set for a few oldies by past stars like Teresa Teng and Zhou Xuan (418 renminbi minimum per person; drinks from 118 renminbi, snacks from 88 renminbi).

在永远向着未来狂奔的上海，能留存下来的原汁原味“时光胶囊”寥寥无几，这也让费尔蒙和平饭店的爵士酒吧愈发珍贵——它是上海历史最悠久的音乐场馆之一。一支由轮换成员组成的五人爵士乐队自1980年起在这里常驻演出，最年轻的成员也已70岁高龄。乐队每晚19:00-23:00演出，每小时的演出单元中，都会有歌手登台，演绎邓丽君、周璇等传奇歌星的经典老歌。（人均最低消费418元，饮品118元起，小食88元起）

10 p.m. Take in two vistas

22:00 双景尽收眼底

Shanghai functionally has two skylines: the historic Bund on the city's western Puxi side, and the sleek Pudong skyline east of the Huangpu River. To see it all in a single panorama, head to the hotel Regent Shanghai on the Bund, which opened in 2023, where the river bends just north of the main promenade. Book ahead and enjoy a bourbon cocktail (from 138 renminbi) at its terrace restaurant, Condé, while basking in Pudong’s neon glow and Puxi’s soft radiance.

上海有两条标志性天际线：浦西外滩的百年历史建筑群与黄浦江东岸浦东现代的摩天楼群。想要一眼将两幅盛景尽收眼底，一定要去2023年开业的海鸥丽晶酒店，它坐落于外滩主步道北侧的江湾处。提前预订座位，在酒店的露台餐厅Condé点一杯波本鸡尾酒（138元起），一边沐浴着浦东的霓虹璀璨，一边感受浦西历史建筑的温润灯火。

复兴公园INS夜生活综合体内的八家场馆之一——KZ。

Saturday

周六

10 a.m. Go on a dumpling crawl

10:00 包点巡礼

A single block of West Jianguo Road is a dumpling-lover’s paradise. Start at Man Man Tang Bao, where Mr. Li Dailiang and his son make to order extra delicate xiao long bao, steamed dumplings stuffed with a gelatinous pork broth that melts once it is cooked (from 20 renminbi for eight). Nearby, the circa-1885 Fuchun Xiao Long Bao does an excellent sheng jian man tou: a larger, doughier version of the soup dumplings that are pan-fried (from 18 renminbi for four). Choose between two types of wonton soup at Denglong Wonton: pork with bamboo shoots and watercress-like shepherd’s purse (25 renminbi) or pork with shrimp (32 renminbi). Although a light broth is traditional, here it is rich. You can even order an extra scoop of lard — aptly called le kou fu, or happy blessing (5 renminbi).

建国西路的一个街区是包点爱好者的天堂。第一站前往曼曼汤包，李代良父子现点现做，小笼包皮薄如纸，内馅是遇热即化的皮冻猪肉汤汁，一口爆汁（20元/八个）；不远处是始创于1885年的富春小笼馆，生煎包堪称一绝，比汤包个头更大、面皮更暄软，底部煎得金黄酥脆（18元/四个）；还有灯笼馄饨，有两款经典馄饨可选：荠菜竹笋丁鲜肉馄饨（25元）、虾仁鲜肉馄饨（32元）。不同于传统的清淡汤底，这里的汤底醇厚浓郁，还可以额外加一勺猪油，店家给它取了个贴切的名字“乐口福”，寓意口腹之乐（五元/勺）。

12 p.m. Hit the shops

12:00 街区逛买

On Julu Road, browse loose-structured clothing featuring motifs inspired by the Tang Dynasty at Label Del. and the latest from China’s up-and-coming fashion designers at Labelhood House. On Wuyuan Road, a half-mile southwest, shop for beautiful small objects like gingko leaf-shaped copper tea sieves at the Gathering. Across the street is the Former Residence of Zhang Leping, one of China’s first comic artists and the creator of the children’s cartoon character Sanmao (“Three Hairs"), which is now a free museum. About a mile south, Yongkang Road is dotted with old-school shops like Gu Qing Ji Nam Pak Goods, which has sold pantry items like sauces, elixirs and cured meats following family recipes since 1925. Find sweet treats like tofu-based ice cream and pudding at Beiye Tofu (from 28 renminbi) and durian cakes at Yelo Bow (from 49 renminbi for a slice).

巨鹿路上，Label Del有以唐代纹样为灵感的宽松服饰，在蕾虎(Labelhood House)有中国新锐设计师的最新作品；向西南800米到五原路，在集雅Gathering挑选银杏叶铜茶滤等精致文创小物，街对面是张乐平——中国最早的漫画家之一、经典儿童形象“三毛”的创作者——的故居，如今已成为免费博物馆；向南约1500米到永康路，路边有许多老派商铺，比如始创于1925年的古青记山货行，至今仍在售卖按祖传配方制作的酱料、膏方、腊味等食材；还有北叶豆腐的豆腐冰淇淋、豆腐布丁（28元起），Yelo Bow的榴莲蛋糕（49元/片起）等甜品小店。

3 p.m. Experience traditional Chinese medicine

15:00 体验传统中医

Kang You Si Ji is a popular wellness clinic using traditional Chinese medicine with locations across the city. Head to its Jing’an branch for a full-body Tuina massage, a 2,000-year-old technique that acts on the body’s energy, or qi (from 250 renminbi for an hour). The practitioner will start by asking about your sleep, digestion and stress levels (it may help to prepare a brief written overview in Chinese), before observing your posture and locating muscle tension. Then a series of rhythmic movements will follow your body’s meridian pathways, which are thought to carry qi throughout the body. Add on an ear cleaning for 168 renminbi, a service that involves dislodging earwax with a tuning fork.

康友四季是上海人气颇高的中医养生馆，在全市有多家分店。前往静安分店，体验全身推拿——这项拥有2000年历史的理疗技法，作用于人体的气血经络（一小时250元起）。理疗师会先询问你的睡眠、消化与压力状况（建议提前准备一份简短的中文书面说明），再观察体态、定位肌肉紧张部位，随后循着人体经络，用一系列富有节奏的手法完成推拿。还可以加168元体验采耳，理疗师会用音叉配合专业工具清理耳垢。

5 p.m. Enjoy tea and art in a Wong Kar-wai film

17:00 在王家卫的电影里品茶赏艺

Fans of the 2000 film “In the Mood for Love” now have a way to step into its creator’s lush aesthetic at Mi Shang Prada Rong Zhai, a new dining and arts space from Prada that was designed with the Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai. Have tea on the garden terrace of the restored circa-1918 mansion or in an Art Deco room where almost every surface is mirrored, gilded, or clad in velvet or lacquered wood. Order the tea ritual to try five types (228 renminbi), including China’s coveted pu’er variety. On the upper floors, check out biannual art exhibits, including an upcoming show about finding meaning in data done in collaboration with the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas’s studio AMO/OMA.

2000年电影《花样年华》的影迷终于有机会来到迷上Prada荣宅，亲身走进导演王家卫打造的浓郁美学世界——这一全新餐饮及艺术空间由Prada打造、由香港导演王家卫参与设计。在这座约建于1918年的修复古宅中，你可以在花园露台或满是镜面、鎏金、丝绒与漆木的装饰艺术风包间里品茶。点一套茶道套餐（228元），可以品鉴包括在中国备受追捧的普洱在内的五款茶品。楼上还可参观一年两期的艺术展览，包括即将开展的、与荷兰建筑师雷姆·库哈斯的AMO/OMA工作室合作的展览，它将探讨如何在数据中寻找意义。

7 p.m. Savor classic Shanghainese cuisine

19:00 品味经典本帮菜

For some 1930s nostalgia and excellent Shanghainese fare, head to Ren He Guan’s Zhaojiabang Road location. The atmosphere would be kitsch if it wasn’t so transporting, with mint-green walls plastered with vintage art and booths dimly lit by stained-glass lights. From 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. most nights, a singer croons folk songs on a small, neon-lit stage designed to look like the one at the Paramount, a historic night club nearby that reopened in 2017 after decades of neglect. Order classic savory-sweet dishes like zui xia, prawns poached in broth and steeped in preserved plum wine, served cold (53 renminbi); guo shao he man, braised river eels with thinly sliced bamboo shoots and peppers (99 renminbi), and hong shao rou, pork belly braised in soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and sugar (from 27 renminbi).

想要沉浸式感受上世纪30年代的怀旧风情，同时吃到地道本帮菜，一定要去人和馆肇嘉浜路店。薄荷绿的墙面上贴满复古画作，彩色玻璃灯给卡座投下温柔的光影，若非氛围足够动人，这般布置很容易显得俗套。多数夜晚的18:00-19:00，都会有歌手在霓虹灯装点的小舞台上吟唱民谣歌曲，舞台设计模仿附近百乐门的舞台——这座传奇夜总会在荒废数十年后，于2017年重新开业。必点经典本帮甜咸口菜品，包括醉虾，高汤汆熟的大虾浸在青梅酒中，冷食上桌（53元）；锅烧河鳗：河鳗配嫩笋片、青椒焖烧入味（99元）；还有红烧肉：五花肉用酱油、绍兴酒与冰糖慢炖制（27元起）。

9 p.m. Discover the alternative after-hours

21:00 探索小众夜生活

In recent years, the area around Fuxing Park, namely Nanchang Road and Fuxing Road, has turned into a lowkey alternative to the techno and bottle-service clubs that long characterized Shanghai’s nightlife. Opened last year, Bar Leone is a Hong Kong import that serves classic cocktails (from 128 renminbi) with small twists, like a velvety whiskey sour shaken with olive oil, in a space styled after an Italian aperitivo bar. Across the park, join the craze for Japanese-style listening bars at Root Down. A few blocks away, Paal’s cocktails (from 98 renminbi), like its gin fizz made silky with clarified yogurt, are inspired by the late fashion designer Virgil Abloh’s so-called “three-percent rule” of innovation via a tiny tweak. And for those who want bottle service, the nightlife complex INS, in Fuxing Park, has eight venues dedicated to various music genres, from Chinese hip-hop to Studio 54-era disco (entry from 168 renminbi).

近几年，复兴公园周边——南昌路、复兴路一带——已逐渐成为长久以来定义上海夜生活的techno电音和瓶装酒服务夜店之外，上海夜生活的低调新选择。去年开业的Bar Leone来自香港，在意大利餐前酒酒吧风格的空间内主打带小巧思的经典鸡尾酒（128元起），比如用橄榄油摇制、口感绵密的威士忌酸；公园对面的Root Down是当下正火的日式聆音酒吧；几个街区外的Paal提供鸡尾酒（98元起），比如用澄清酸奶打造丝滑口感的金酒，灵感来自已故时尚设计师维吉尔·阿布洛提出的“3%创新法则”——用微小的改动实现创新。如果你想要享受开酒服务，复兴公园内的夜店综合体INS新乐园有八个不同场地，覆盖中文嘻哈、Studio 54年代迪斯科等多种音乐风格（门票168元起）。

游客在豫园附近的一座寺庙里供奉香火。

Sunday

周日

9 a.m. Stroll through the dynasties

09:00 漫步江南园林

Before the crowds descend, head to the 16th-century Yu Garden at opening time to experience a classic example of jiangnan design, which emphasizes harmony between architecture and nature (from 30 renminbi). Outside the garden entrance, a central bridge with nine turns — designed to confuse evil spirits — leads to the 18th-century Huxinting Teahouse, which reopened in the fall after a two-year restoration. Peek at the first-floor displays to learn about the teahouse but be warned that the upstairs tea room has a minimum spend of 388 renminbi. Enjoy a brunch of Shanghainese xiaochi, or small plates, at Lu Bo Lang. Most of the menu consists of slightly sweeter versions of Cantonese dim sum staples. Try the Shanghai delicacy mei mao su, a deep-fried crescent-shaped pastry filled with shredded pork and vegetables (36 renminbi, three pieces).

在游客蜂拥而至之前，不妨在开园时前往建于16世纪的豫园，感受这座经典江南园林建筑与自然相融共生的精髓（门票30元起）。园林入口外是专为困住邪灵设计的九曲桥，桥的尽头是始建于18世纪的湖心亭茶楼——这座茶楼历经两年修复于去年秋天重新开放。可以在一楼看看关于茶楼历史的展览，需注意二楼茶座设有388元的最低消费。随后可去绿波廊品尝上海本帮小吃早午餐。这里的菜品大多是粤式点心的微甜版本，可以试试上海经典名点眉毛酥——油炸的月牙形酥点，内馅是猪肉与蔬菜（36元三个）。

11 a.m. Find a match

11:00 相亲

Every Saturday and Sunday, well-meaning parents have gathered at People’s Park in Huangpu District to advertise their children for prospective matches at the Marriage Market. Enter from the People’s Square metro station through Gate 5 and you’ll soon arrive at hundreds of signs listing candidates’ age, height, occupation, income, and even assets (photos are notably absent). It’s a fascinating snapshot of the values of working-class Shanghai. Pick up a tang hu lu, a candied fruit stick, from a street vendor and people-watch under gingko trees. Or reach out to Free Tours China and customize a locally guided excursion that includes the Marriage Market (from 1,000 renminbi).

每个周六和周日，黄浦区人民公园黄浦区人民公园里都会聚集许多热心的父母，在相亲角为子女张贴征婚启事。从人民广场地铁站五号口进入公园，很快就能看到数百张征婚启事，上面写着应征者的年龄、身高、职业、收入，甚至资产（唯独没有照片）。这幅景象生动地展现了上海普通工薪阶层的婚恋价值观。你可以在路边小摊买一串糖葫芦，在银杏树下静静观察人来人往；也可以联系“Free Tours China”，定制包含相亲角在内的本地导览行程（1000元起）。