4-Day Shanghai Itinerary: A Day-by-Day Template
Four days splits neatly: the colonial waterfront and the old town, the towers across the river, the former French Concession on foot, and a canal town day trip.
Shanghai · 4 days China
Best time: March to May and September to November.
The Bund and the old townDay 1
📍7:30 AM
The Bund
The riverside promenade lined with 1920s banking and trading houses, best in the first hour of light before the crowds arrive.
🚶 ~24 min · 🚗 ~3 min · 0.9 mi
🌳11:00 AM
Yu Garden and the old town bazaar
A sixteenth-century scholar’s garden of rockeries and ponds, surrounded by a dense, heavily commercial bazaar.
🚶 ~30 min · 🚗 ~4 min · 1.1 mi
📍6:00 PM
Nanjing Road
The pedestrianised shopping street running west from the Bund, at its most theatrical after dark.
PudongDay 2
🏰9:30 AM
Shanghai Tower
The tallest building in the city, with an observation deck near the top and one of the world’s fastest lifts getting you there.
🚶 ~48 min · 🚗 ~6 min · 1.8 mi
🖼️1:00 PM
Shanghai Museum
Back across the river, a strong collection of bronzes, ceramics and calligraphy, free to enter and rarely rushed.
🚶 ~44 min · 🚗 ~6 min · 1.6 mi
⛴️6:30 PM
Riverside walk in Lujiazui
The Pudong bank at dusk, looking back at the Bund with the towers lit behind you.
The French ConcessionDay 3
🌆10:00 AM
Former French Concession streets
Plane-tree avenues of 1920s villas and lane houses; the walking itself is the attraction here.
🚶 ~21 min · 🚗 ~3 min · 0.8 mi
📍1:30 PM
Tianzifang
A block of shikumen lane houses turned into a warren of small studios, galleries and cafes.
🚶 ~25 min · 🚗 ~3 min · 0.9 mi
📍6:00 PM
Xintiandi
Restored stone-gate houses rebuilt as a dining and bar quarter, polished but a fair introduction to the architecture.
A canal townDay 4
📍9:00 AM
Zhujiajiao water town
A canal town on the city’s western edge, reachable by metro and bus, with stone bridges and a Ming-era street plan.
🚶 ~5 min · 🚗 ~1 min · 0.2 mi
📍1:00 PM
Fangsheng Bridge
The five-arch stone bridge at the centre of the town, the best vantage on the canal traffic.
🚗 ~85 min · 24 mi
⛩️5:30 PM
Return and Jing’an Temple
Back in the city, the gilded temple sits incongruously among office towers and is floodlit at night.
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The route, mapped
Every stop below, numbered in the order you would do them.
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Best time to goMarch to May and September to November. Summer is hot and humid with typhoon risk; winter is damp and cold rather than freezing.
Getting aroundThe metro is extensive, cheap and bilingual. The Maglev runs from Pudong airport at up to 430 km/h and takes about eight minutes.
Local tip: Walk the Bund early. By mid-morning the promenade is shoulder to shoulder, and at seven the light on the 1920s facades behind you is better than the towers in front.
Related itineraries
The full plan as text
The same day-by-day plan as text. Times are starting points, not homework.
Day 1: The Bund and the old town
7:30 AM
The Bund
The riverside promenade lined with 1920s banking and trading houses, best in the first hour of light before the crowds arrive.
11:00 AM
Yu Garden and the old town bazaar
A sixteenth-century scholar’s garden of rockeries and ponds, surrounded by a dense, heavily commercial bazaar.
6:00 PM
Nanjing Road
The pedestrianised shopping street running west from the Bund, at its most theatrical after dark.
Day 2: Pudong
9:30 AM
Shanghai Tower
The tallest building in the city, with an observation deck near the top and one of the world’s fastest lifts getting you there.
1:00 PM
Shanghai Museum
Back across the river, a strong collection of bronzes, ceramics and calligraphy, free to enter and rarely rushed.
6:30 PM
Riverside walk in Lujiazui
The Pudong bank at dusk, looking back at the Bund with the towers lit behind you.
Day 3: The French Concession
10:00 AM
Former French Concession streets
Plane-tree avenues of 1920s villas and lane houses; the walking itself is the attraction here.
1:30 PM
Tianzifang
A block of shikumen lane houses turned into a warren of small studios, galleries and cafes.
6:00 PM
Xintiandi
Restored stone-gate houses rebuilt as a dining and bar quarter, polished but a fair introduction to the architecture.
Day 4: A canal town
9:00 AM
Zhujiajiao water town
A canal town on the city’s western edge, reachable by metro and bus, with stone bridges and a Ming-era street plan.
1:00 PM
Fangsheng Bridge
The five-arch stone bridge at the centre of the town, the best vantage on the canal traffic.
5:30 PM
Return and Jing’an Temple
Back in the city, the gilded temple sits incongruously among office towers and is floodlit at night.
Make this Shanghai plan yours
Forward your real booking confirmations to Petrel and it builds this exact day-by-day view for you: flights, hotels, reservations, live flight status, and the travel time between stops. Under a minute.
Start your free tripFirst trip free. No account, no credit card.