Must-Visit Attractions in Shanghai – Free Attractions and Recommended Places

Shanghai is China’s undisputed economic capital, also known as “Magic City” and “City That Never Sleeps” by young people. Everything here seems very high-end. It boasts the world-famous Disneyland, as well as numerous entertainment attractions and tourist destinations. Delicious food and beautiful women are also common resources. Here are some free recommendations for must-visit attractions in Shanghai.

Disneyland wasn’t my main goal. But to accommodate my travel companion, we spent the last two days at Disneyland. Yes, in Shanghai, where it was hot enough to kill in late July.

Now, let me tell you about my four-day city tour. How I managed to see 5 super popular exhibitions, eat at 6 trendy restaurants and check in 7 landmarks in 4 days.

Day1

Arrived at the hotel at 1:30 PM, started the journey at 3:30 PM… (Waited 1 hour for my travel companion to put on makeup)

The most popular old-style mansion, Sinan Mansion

The name itself is intriguing. Sinan Mansion is the only project in the center of Shanghai that aims to preserve and protect a group of garden mansions. It boasts 51 historically significant garden mansions, and a variety of delicious restaurants. Some of the more famous restaurants include the cherry blossom-themed Starbucks, the Orange Hot Pot and the Sinan Mansion French Restaurant. The environment is top-notch, also suitable for taking wedding photos and holding wedding ceremonies.

Victoria’s Secret Asian Flagship Store with its own runway effect on three floors

B1 pink zone; F1 very sexy zone; F2 Sports and Dream
angle series; F3: high-end lingerie & designer recommendations, as well as the diamond bra from the Victoria’s Secret show! And the stairs here are runway effects, the stairs wall is the cool video of the Victoria’s Secret show. You’re not a woman if you don’t take a hundred pictures. It’s in the Lippo Plaza on Huaihai Middle Road, surrounded by many big-name stores, Gucci, Coach, Burberry, you name it.

Crispy Cheese-bursting Fried Pork Cutlet at Grand Gateway

It’s in B1, I forgot the name. Originally wanted to take a taxi to Hongkou Football Stadium, but the traffic was too bad, so we got off at Grand Gateway. We were hungry and didn’t look at the Lazy Egg exhibition or ride the Ferris wheel. We couldn’t find the restaurant we wanted, so we went to B1 and had this to fill our stomachs. Then we took the subway to Hongkou Football Stadium. We got the number for the famous “Ge Lao Guan” and Xue Zhiqian’s “Shang Shang Qian” at 7:30 PM. “Ge Lao Guan” had 100 tables waiting, “Shang Shang Qian” had 42 tables. A friend from Shanghai told me that’s basically the ratio. While waiting, we quickly went downstairs and grabbed the last three pieces of the famous “Red Gem” cream squares. It was 18 yuan for a box, not 16. There were two squares in a box. After going upstairs, we waited until 9 o’clock and finally got to eat the delicious “Ge Lao Guan” Chongqing Spicy Frog Fish Head. I recommend the Russian Soup Spicy Frog Pot, the soup is so delicious, free refills, and the self-service snacks include glutinous rice balls with fermented rice and green bean soup, the green bean soup is super sweet, haha, it’s Shanghai!

Day2

Toronto Celebrity Culture Street

The hotel in Hongkou District is right behind Toronto Culture and Celebrity Square. For over a century, Shanghai has undergone a transformation from a sand boat fishing village during the opening-up period to a ten-mile foreign concession in the 1930s, finally becoming the great Eastern metropolis it is today. Toronto Road and its surrounding areas showcase this process and its cultural epitome from one perspective. It truly is “One Toronto Road, a Hundred Years of Shanghai”. Literary giants such as Lu Xun, Mao Dun, Guo Moruo, Su Xue Lin, Ye Shengtao and left-leaning writers such as Ding Ling and Rou Shi, with their literary activities, forged the literary status of Toronto Road as “the stronghold of modern literature”. The well-known Gongfei Coffee Shop (site), Hongde Hall, and various uniquely styled Kong (Xiangxi) Mansion, Bai (Chongxi) Mansion, Tang (Enbo) Mansion, Fan (Guangling) Mansion further make Toronto Road a “museum of Shanghai architecture in the open air”; from Qu Qiubai, Chen Wangdao, Zhao Shiyan, Wang Zaoshi, Uchisai Wanzao to Jingyunli, Chinese Arts University, Shanghai Art Drama Society, celebrity residences, old Shanghai neighborhoods, have accumulated into the rich cultural atmosphere of Toronto Road today, making people linger.

Photo-taking paradise M50 Creative Park & Ying Art’s fantastic color bar, falling into the colorful Alice’s hole

These two spots are close to each other. M50 is basically like Beijing’s 798, originally the Shanghai Chunming Coarse Textile Factory, which began to transform into an art and creative park in 2000. The studio of Six Islands is very beautiful, the exhibits are mostly interactive, a photo-taking paradise! There’s also the exhibition called “Social Emotions” by Brother Yu, which is quite fun. They give out candy and some stickers and peripherals at the entrance.

fantastic color
bar’s exhibition is really beautiful, the colors are so rich, high saturation, any pose looks good. A small red book user said it was free, but now it’s not, 30 yuan. There’s also a second floor that we didn’t go to. The exhibition ends on 11.17.

Neon lights galore, Charlie’s Burger’s pink cheese burger

This is also a trendy restaurant I’ve been longing for! Pink! Pink! There’s a pink cow neon light on the second floor. Pink tables and chairs at the entrance. If it wasn’t summer, I would have definitely sat outside. Per capita 90+

Lancôme’s Declaration of Happiness at the Mixc Shanghai

This is also very famous on Xiaohongshu, free, open until 7.30, now it’s over. (That’s why I was forced to buy peak season two-day tickets to Disneyland in the heat.)

Old Shikumen renovation, eating and drinking at Tianzifang

It’s so famous, I have to go every time I come to Shanghai. I bought two silver bracelets, they’re really nice. I’ll put them in my next Shanghai souvenir notebook.

Nanjing Road, visiting various super large flagship stores

For example, the Uniqlo global flagship store is really huge, and there’s an Innisfree cafe. The third floor is the rest area, I couldn’t walk anymore. I didn’t really walk around Nanjing Road, after all, I’m a baby who lived in Shanghai for several months when I was little, and I’ve been there many times.

Day3

Xue Zhiqian’s Shang Shang Qian Hotpot

Got there at 12 o’clock on a weekday, no need to wait. Shang Shang Qian is all good, I recommend shrimp slip double-sided, beef tongue was sold out, so I ordered tomato mushroom soup pot, the tomato pot is slightly spicy, can’t drink the soup.

Shanghai Exhibition Center, Eternal Classic – Audrey Hepburn Exhibition

Missed the limited early bird ticket for 99 yuan, bought a couple’s ticket for 258 yuan, single ticket for 139 yuan. Open until 9.20. I bought a velvet pearl little black dress for this exhibition before, but the fabric was too thick and it was too hot in Shanghai, so I didn’t wear it. I just wore a cool and comfortable one, I want to cry. After all, so many pretty girls with influencer faces came to see this exhibition, so go early, there’s no line. If you go late, you’ll die from the queue.

Been up the Oriental Pearl three times

Never get tired of the Bund and Waibaidu Bridge. Got out at 10:20, missed the last subway, ran for the bus from the Bund at night. Luckily, I met a warm-hearted Didi driver who was on the same route, and accidentally got on a cheerful special car driver who was on the same route to People’s Square.

Day4

My First Half of Life film location, Japanese restaurant

Got downstairs at 10:40 and lined up, finally got to eat at the door of the hotel. It’s the door! The door of the Heisei Japanese restaurant, the film location of My First Half of Life. Opens at 11 o’clock. I recommend the salad shrimp, grilled enoki mushrooms, eel rice, the bones are a bit hard, the Calpis yogurt feels like soda + Yakult. Per capita 120+

Yu Museum, Kaws, From The Beginning to The End

It’s so far away, it’s really far away, the subway station is a long walk, no taxis either. Couple’s ticket 240, open until 8.13. I met an art enthusiast inside, listening to him marvel at the craftsmanship of the exhibits in the lobby.

Minsheng Art Museum, Transparent Sounds

Also an exhibition I’ve been looking forward to, also open until 7.30, which is now over. Another reason I went to Disneyland at this time.

City God Temple, you know it’s boring but you still have to buy souvenirs and take night shots.