# Essential Shanghai Travel Guide: What to See & Do

**Discover Shanghai: Historic Streets, Cultural Heritage, and a Dazzling Skyline**

Shanghai is a city of striking contrasts, where centuries-old traditions meet the energy of one of the world’s most important financial centers. Located beside the Huangpu River near the mouth of the Yangtze, the city has long been shaped by commerce, migration, and international exchange.

Today, Shanghai brings together classical gardens, Taoist temples, colonial landmarks, and futuristic skyscrapers within one remarkable urban landscape. For travelers looking for things to do in Shanghai, its greatest appeal lies in the way the past and future exist side by side.

## See Shanghai’s Iconic Skyline from the Bund

The Bund offers one of the clearest views of Shanghai’s contrasting architectural styles. Its riverside promenade is lined with grand buildings influenced by Gothic, Neoclassical, Baroque, Renaissance, and Art Deco design.

Across the Huangpu River, Pudong’s skyscrapers create a dramatic modern counterpart. The skyline includes Shanghai Tower, Jin Mao Tower, and the Shanghai World Financial Center, together forming one of China’s most recognizable city views.

## Explore Shanghai’s Old Town and Traditional Heritage

Shanghai’s Old Town reveals a more traditional side of the city. Yu Garden provides a peaceful setting filled with ponds, rockeries, bridges, and pavilions.

Nearby, the City God Temple, Confucian Temple, and Yuyuan Bazaar reflect the area’s religious, commercial, and culinary traditions. The Jade Buddha Temple offers another glimpse into Shanghai’s enduring spiritual life.

## Experience Shanghai’s Food, Tea, and Handicrafts

Shanghai’s culture is also expressed through its food, tea, silk, handicrafts, and shopping streets. Visitors searching for authentic gifts can find porcelain, calligraphy, folding fans, herbal products, silk goods, and carefully crafted tea equipment.

Nanjing Road represents the city’s modern retail energy, while local markets preserve older forms of craftsmanship. Together, these contrasting shopping experiences show how Shanghai’s traditional culture continues to exist alongside its fast-paced urban life.

## Discover the Dialogue Between Shanghai’s Past and Future

Shanghai’s historic landmarks, cultural traditions, and futuristic skyline make it a city of continuous contrast. History is not separate from modern life here; it is woven into the rhythm of a vast and ambitious metropolis.

## Walk Shanghai with Neywo

Neywo turns Shanghai into a self-guided audio tour. Stories arrive as you reach the place they belong to, and the route reshapes when you wander off it.

## More in China

- [Tianjin](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/tianjin.md)
- [Urumqi](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/urumqi.md)
- [Xi'an](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/xian.md)
- [Xining](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/xining.md)
- [Yangshuo](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/yangshuo.md)
- [Beijing](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/beijing.md)
- [Changsha](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/changsha.md)
- [Chengdu](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/chengdu.md)
- [Guilin](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/guilin.md)
- [Hangzhou](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/hangzhou.md)
- [Lanzhou](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/lanzhou.md)
- [Lijiang](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/lijiang.md)

## Elsewhere in China

- [Dongguan](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/guangdong/dongguan.md) — Guangdong
- [Guangzhou](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/guangdong/guangzhou.md) — Guangdong
- [Shenzhen](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/guangdong/shenzhen.md) — Guangdong
- [Nanjing](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/jiangsu/nanjing.md) — Jiangsu
- [Suzhou](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/jiangsu/suzhou.md) — Jiangsu
- [Zhouzhuang](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/jiangsu/zhouzhuang.md) — Jiangsu
- [Pingyao](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/pingyao.md)
- [Qingdao](https://neywo.com/destinations/china/qingdao.md)

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