Shanghai Traveler Essentials
- Safety rating
- 8.5/10
- Best time to visit
- Spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) bring mild temperatures and clearer skies, avoiding the hot, humid summers.
- Population
- 24.9M
Overview
Shanghai is China's dazzling financial powerhouse, where the colonial-era Bund faces off against the futuristic skyscrapers of Pudong across the Huangpu River. Art deco boulevards, leafy former French Concession lanes, and frenetic shopping streets give it a uniquely cosmopolitan energy. It blends old Shanghai glamour with cutting-edge ambition like nowhere else.
Getting around
The vast, cheap, English-signed metro reaches almost everywhere, supplemented by ride-hailing via Didi and ubiquitous taxis.
Local etiquette
Avoid sensitive political topics, accept business cards with both hands, and queue patiently as lines can be loosely observed.
Safety
Shanghai is very safe with low violent crime, though watch for pickpockets and tea-house or art-gallery scams targeting tourists near the Bund and Nanjing Road.