By Air

Shanghai has one main airport that handles all international flights and a separate airport that serves domestic routes. Both airports have buses and taxis for the transfer to the city centre, and car hire is also available. The terminal buildings have the normal range of facilities including ATMs, bureaux de change and information desks.

By Rail

Many parts of China can be reached by direct train from Shanghai. If you are travelling to or from Beijing, there is a convenient overnight express that leaves at 18:00 and arrives the following morning. The express train for Hong Kong departs at noon and takes approximately 24 hours.
The main train station is to the north of Suzhou Creek and can be reached by taking the new underground metro. It is not a particularly safe area, so take care. There is another station in the northwest of Shanghai that has a few long-distance routes, such as the train for Inner Mongolia. A new station is also due to open in the southwest of the city.

By Ferry

Travelling by boat is a pleasant and relatively cheap option. There are a number of domestic and international routes and they are generally fast and well run. Ships and ferries to Korea and Japan depart from the International Passenger Quay, about five minutes walk east from the Pujiang Hotel. Most domestic boats leave from the Shiliupu Passenger Terminal. Destinations include towns located on the Yangzi River and a number of coastal cities such as Nantong, Dalian and Ningbo.

By Bus

In the past, few visitors have used the bus service for long distance travel due to there being too many small bus stations scattered around the city, making it confusing for tourists. An excellent new terminal has recently opened next to the main railway station, which should make things much easier. It's the largest long-distance bus station in Asia and has the capacity to handle 20,000 passengers every day. There are also plans to open more than 200 bus ticket kiosks around the city.

The Bund, Yuyuan Garden, Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai Wild Animal Park, Jin Mao Building

The Bund

The world-renowned Bund is one of the most recognisable architectural symbols of Shanghai. This famous waterfront is a wonderful display of architecture from different periods and places including Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque and Renaissance.

The Bund was the centre of Shanghai's politics, economy and culture many hundreds of years ago, and numerous consulates, banks and businesses were located here. Although the styles are different, many of the buildings have similar tones and they form a harmonious-looking skyline. The former City Communist Party is one of the grandest buildings to be found here. The wide riverfront promenade on the east bank of the river provides a captivating view of Shanghai, particularly at night.

Yuyuan Garden

Yuyuan Garden is situated at the south district of Shanghai. This famous classical garden was built in the Ming dynasty and is representative of the classical architectural style. Covering 20,000 square metres, the gardens have more than 40 scenic areas, divided into six parts by five boundary walls including Grand Rockery, Flower Pavilion, Hall of Heralding Spring, Hall of Jade Magnificence, Inner Garden and Lotus Pool.

In the 400 years of its existence, Yuyuan Garden has undergone many changes. It became very dilapidated during the mid 18th century until some rich merchants bought the gardens and spent more than 20 years reconstructing the buildings. It was then severely damaged during the Opium Wars of the 19th century. A restoration project was launched in 1956, and the gardens were finally re-opened to the public in 1961.

Jade Buddha Temple

The temple, situated in the northwest of the city in Anyuan Lu, houses two Shakyamuni statues which the monk Huigen brought with him from Burma. In order to find a fitting place to accommodate the statues, he collected funds for building a temple at Jiangwan in the northeast of Shanghai. The work was completed in 1882 but the building was destroyed in 1911 during the revolution. Seven years later an undertaking was made to rebuild the temple on a site nearer the old city, and this is how the present Jade Buddha Temple came into being. The building work took ten years to complete, from 1918-28. The temple is divided into three halls and two courtyards.

Shanghai Wild Animal Park

There are many rare and endangered animals in this park, about 25 miles from the city centre. It is one of the biggest in China and there are over 200 rare species and over 10,000 animals from all over the world including giraffe, zebra, white rhinoceros and hunting leopards. Some indigenous animals under special protection include giant pandas, golden monkeys, South China tigers and Asian elephants. The park is divided into two areas; one for walking and one which is accessible by bus. The walking area allows a close look at the less dangerous animals on foot, while the bus enclosure takes you among zebra, yak, deer, elephant and tigers.

Jin Mao Building

The design of the building is a combination of traditional Chinese architecture and a Gothic influence. Architects incorporated the theme of the Chinese pagoda and the number eight. The lowest segment of the building is 16 storeys high and each succeeding segment is one-eighth smaller than its predecessor. Two elevators whisk visitors to the sightseeing area, covering 88 floors in only 45 seconds at a speed of nearly 30 feet per second. From here, there are magnificent views over the whole of the city.

March - May
October - December

July - August -> 32(°C) - Summer
January - February -> 0(°C) - Spring

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