After exploring the beautiful Yellow Mountains of Huangshan, I had a 11ish hour night train journey that was going to take me to a whole different type of beauty, which was Shanghai.
I opted to take the night train as I thought I’d try something a little different and I wouldn’t be travelling throughout the day and lose valuable exploring time. The night train has a few travel options, seated, hard sleeper, soft sleeper (K8420 train), so depending on your budget you can pick the best form of travel for you. I ended up going with the cabin in the sleeper train (soft sleeper) that slept 4 people. The cost of a bed in the 4 bed cabin was approximately 263 Yuan. I pre booked my train ticket from the UK via China Highlights website. I thought the price was very reasonable as I was getting travel and accommodation in one. The train departed from Huangshan at about 20:45pm and arrived in Shanghai at 8:50am the following morning.
I ended up on the top bunk and as I had never slept on a train, it was quite strange getting settled in to begin with and I was a little worried that I was going to fall out haha.
Each cabin has 4 beds. Each bed is provided with a pillow and a duvet and I must say they were spotless and even I didn’t complain and I’m slightly OCD. There was some room under the beds for luggage along with compartments above the door for storage of larger suitcases. There was a lock on the inside of the cabin so you can lock yourself in. When a passenger in your cabin arrived they would knock on the door and you can get up and open up for them. That way you feel safe that you and your luggage is safe and you can get a peaceful nights sleep. Thankfully there were no other passengers in our cabin. After about half an hour on the train, I managed to get comfortable and fall asleep and slept pretty much throughout the whole journey. I must say the gentle swaying of the carriage kind of felt nice and helped me fall asleep.
Soon as I arrived in Shanghai I didn’t waste any time and caught a cab to my hotel (Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Central Shanghai), showered up and hit the streets of Shanghai. As I only had a few days I had a lot of things to pack into my days.
Travelling around Shanghai is super easy and cheap by using the metro/tube. The price for a day pass is 18 Yuan and with that day pass you can travel on all lines for 24hours from the first use. The day pass is so cheap that even if you are not going to use it very much you have the ease of buying one ticket a day and being able to travel freely without having to figure out and explain where you are travelling to and how much it will be. If your legs are giving way from all the walking and shopping, you can opt for a taxi which start at 14 yuan.
So, here are my 5 top things to do whilst is Shanghai
- See the views of The Bund and Lujiazui
The view of The Bund and Lujiazui is just amazing and one not to miss, especially when its all lit up at night. You can see the views from along the Huangpu river and get some great snaps. Be warned it gets really hectic so you might struggle to get a shot without someones head ruining the view. I decided to check out the view from a height at the Hyatt Vue bar which is on the 32 and 33rd floor! From this location to can see the views from both sides of the Huangpu River, the Bund on the Puxi side and the and the skyline of Lujiazui on the Pudong side. If you’re staying at the hotel the entry to the venue is free but for if you are not don’t worry you can pay on entry and it is 100yuan per person including one drink. The views are amazing and it is a lovely spot to take the weight off your feet and chill out. If you have your swim wear with you, take it along and take a dip in the hot tub. If I knew there was a hot tub before hand I would have definitely taken my swim suit along and taken a dip. It was soooooo cold I could have done with warming up. I would like to say a big thank you to the Hyatt Vue bar for having us and taking such good care of us, really enjoyed my visit and I would highly recommend you check it out.
2. Visit Nanjing Road and shop (in particular Shanghai New World Daimaru Department store)
If you love to shop you will LOVE Shanghai, in particular Nanjing road as it is a very popular spot for shop alcoholics. My favourite shopping centre has to be the Shanghai New World Daimaru department store…it is just beautiful and has a 7 storey spiral escalator, which is the largest in the World!!! It was just amazing and I have never seen anything like it. Hands down the most spectacular department store I have EVER been in.
3. Visit Peoples Park
I was lucky enough to visit Peoples park and witness something I wouldn’t have done if I wasn’t there on the weekend and it was the Marriage Market. It is held on the weekend for parents of sons and daughters to gather and advertise their children to prospective in-laws. It was such an eye-opening experience and one I will defiantly not forget. Each parent has a sign with their daughter or sons details such as the following gender, age, occupations, weight, height, photos, telephone number, and educational background. It gives the parents an opportunity to speak to one another and arrange a meet up…great idea as its bringing people together.
I visited the park on a weekend and it was packed, people playing cards, exercising, socialising. There was a great atmosphere.
4. Visit Old Shanghai
I loved visiting Old Shanghai and seeing traditional China. There are so many littles alleys and lanes where you can pick up souvenirs and get a real insight into life of a local in Shanghai. There is a high possibility you can get lost in these lanes but that way you’ll discover so much more.
If you are planing on sending postcards to your friends and family i suggest you do so from the Shanghai Impression postcard shop in Old Shanghai. I don’t have an address for it but it is somewhere in the lanes of Old Shanghai. If I find the address I will update the post with it. This shop has a lovely selection of postcards and some really unique cards.
5. Visit Yu Garden
Whilst you take a visit through Old Shanghai i would suggest to visit Yu Garden, (also known as Garden of Happiness) as it is located close by. It is 40Yuan to enter. It will take you away from the hustle and bustle and admire the beautiful architecture. I would suggest an 1-1.5 hours for your visit.
My time in Shanghai went soooooo fast, I feel like I needed a couple more days to explore.
Its time to say goodbye to China for now but i will definitely be back…now i must head over to the capital of Japan, TOKYO…..SUPER EXCITED!!
