I'll be in Shanghai for a week at the end of November, spending most of my time at a trade show. This means that my time to explore is limited to a few hours each night or in the morning. I'm staying at the Grand Hyatt in Pudong.

Any recommendations for trips I can take around Shanghai that can be broken into 1-2 hour blocks? I know I need to get across the river to the old city (Puxi?) but don't know much beyond that. I'd like a mix of interesting sites, shopping for locally interesting stuff (no need to visit the high-end stores...we have enough of those at home), and good food.

Thanks,

Tim

There's is a lot you can fit into your two hour blocks. A stroll along the Bund at night is a nice option or a little shopping spree on Nanjing Lu. There's a subway stop near the Grand Hyatt that connects you well to Puxi. I wouldn't take a taxi from Pudong to the other side of the Huangpu river, because the time you will spend in traffic jams can easily exceed your two hour limit.

Many thanks for the advice...Looking forward to visiting Shanghai.

Tim

You can also walk to the tourist tunnel (which costs money) under the river but will take you to the Bund.

You can walk to the ferry that takes you to the other side of the Bund, that's further but doable too. Hmmm...how about taking the ferry one way, walking down the bund to the tourist tunnel, and taking the tunnel back -- sounds like a great 2-3 hour way to see the Bund.

The subway doesn't stop that near the Bund anyway, you have to walk the length of Nanjing Liu shopping street to get there. That walk is worth taking for another block of time, but avoid the "students" who want to practice English or show you their art work, those two bits are the starting hooks of well-known scams.

You can take the subway to People's Square and walk to visit the Shanghai museum in another two hour block.

A few stops the OTHER way on the subway is a massive discount store, sort of like a Walmart.

Buy a cash card for use on the subway. The cash card will save you a lot of time in ticket lines and can also be used to pay for taxis.

The Hyatt in Jin Mao is taller than the nearby TV tower, so paying what seemed to me like a high price to go to the TV tower isn't worth it. There isn't much right at the GH. There is a nearby shopping center to visit, it's right near that massive Citibank you'll see.

Get a guidebook and bilingual map (if you can find the latter) before you leave the U.S., they are amazingly rare in China.

I'm heading to Shanghai on Monday, also staying at the GH, but leaving on Saturday.

Go have some custom made clothes at Shanghai NanWai Tan Textile Cloth Market on #399 LuJiaBang Rd. We had excellent custom made wool crepe coats with silk lining made for $75.00 and a few of us had suits made for $100-$125. Jackson Xue, stall # 1F, 153 did the best work of all. You have to go back for a second fitting and they will then deliver to your hotel.

Make sure and go to M on the Bund for dinner, it was excellent! Have a great trip.

I thought the same thing when I was in Shanghai a couple of months ago. I think they wanted around 140 RMB to go up the tower. More than I wanted to spend.

The mall that's nearby is your standard mall, although this one has a movie theatre.

Other than the mall and tower, nothing but construction near the hotel.

From the Grand Hyatt, you can take a walk to the Binjiang Da dao, the Pudong side of the HuangPu river to see the Bund panorama at night.
There are a few restaurants, and the obligatory Starbucks there.

For a real "out of this world" dinner and great view go to the Jade on 36 restaurant in the new tower of the Shangri La.

I second the opinion that a visit to to the Pearl TV tower is a waste of time and money.
the view from your hotel will be the same and in a nicer environment.

Enjoy your time in Shanghai

Few stops from the Lujiazui metro (close to Hyatt) stop is the shanghai science and technology museum. If you are interested, the fake market is right underneath that metro station and you don't even have to come outside.

I just took a walk last night (for the first time) at Binjiang Da Dao, posted as "Riverside Walk" in English. Very nice, I thought, very pretty view of the Bund. There are numerous restaurants in addition to Starbucks (although the one and only public restroom is underneath Starbucks) plus -- you guessed it -- a Mickey D's.

The Bund tourist tunnel is pretty well posted too on the Pudong side and is open until 10pm weekdays, 10:30 weekends, and costs Y35 one way, Y45 round trip. Still haven't done it but it looks a very convenient, albeit pricey, way to get to/from the Bund.

Grand Hyatt-> Bund via ferry

Time: 10 minutes walk, a ferry ride, and Y2 for the ferry ticket.

Walk out the front door of the hotel to the street, turn right and at the first street you come to, turn left. Walk one block (you will pass a golf "club' with a driving range on the left side of the street). At the first street, Liujazi Circle road, turn right and walk to the end, about 2 blocks. Turn left and about 200m down the road on the right is the ferry terminal. The ticket booth isn't that obvious but you pay them Y2 and get a poker chip which you insert in the turnstile to ride the ferry across the river.

At the other end, you come out in the middle of the Bund promenade, walk up a flight of stairs to get to it. Go north if you want to go to the Bund tourist tunnel to return to Pudong.

There are numerous ticket windows selling attraction tickets on the promenade but they all seem to be selling them at full box office price so there is no reason to use them. And if, like most visitors, you arrive in China desperately needing a cheap Rolex knockoff watch, you will be given numerous opportunities to buy one along your walk on the promenade!

I would also add the suggestion of a stroll around the French Concession (around Huaihai Rd., easy to reach by metro). Many shops and cafes to duck into. The markets around Fangbang Rd. are good for souvenirs but it's a bit of a walk from the downtown core.