Shanghai, China. After Beijing, it is one of the most popular cities to visit in China. The modern downtown along with the modern transport infrastructure make it a nice city to visit.
This is what we were able to accomplish in about a day and a half in Shanghai.
Day 0 – Reached Shanghai and Oriental Pearl TV Tower
We reached Shanghai late in the evening. We headed straight to the Pearl TV Tower and enjoyed amazing night time views from the observatory deck. Remember the James Bond movie Skyfall with the Shanghai scenes? Yep, you can see the buildings and the skyline at night and it is quite spectacular!
After spending time at the tower soaking in the skyline views, we had dinner at a nearby restaurant and then headed to the hotel and called it a night.
Day 1 – Exploring Shanghai
After breakfast we headed to the Shanghai zoo. We are normally not fans of zoos (seeing animals in small enclosures, etc.). However, we were very pleasantly surprised to see how large and well laid out the zoo is. It is one of the better zoos we have visited. If you have young kids and are looking for a nice place to take them, then I would definitely recommend the Shanghai zoo. The large enclosures, the wide paths and the beautiful mature trees make it a very pleasant experience.
Our next activity was the Huangpu River Cruise where we had an opportunity to see and enjoy the Shanghai skyline during the day. After the cruise, we enjoyed lunch at a local diner before heading to our next stop — The Silk Factory.
At the silk factory, we had an opportunity to see the process as well as purchase items (please check out my article on Factory stops). I will be honest. I had done my research before hand and wanted to purchase authentic silk filling comforters. There was no bargaining, but, I was happy that I picked up some nice, authentic bedding basics for a reasonable price.
One of the unique attractions in Shanghai is the Maglev train. It is currently the fastest commercial train in operation and a must see and enjoy activity for kids and adults alike. It was indeed a fascinating experience. Our ordinary cameras couldn’t adjust too well to the high speeds…. however, it was amazing to see how quickly and easily our own eyes adjusted to the changing speeds. I really started to appreciate the magic of the human body.
Afterwards, we headed to Nanjing Road to enjoy some shopping time. By that time however, most of my shopping was done, so we just enjoyed the sights and sounds of the area instead.
Our final stop for the day was the Shanghai Acrobatic Show where we had an opportunity to see some amazing stunts. After the show we grabbed a quick dinner before calling it a night.
Day 2 – Headed home
After a late breakfast and furious packing, we headed to the airport to head back home.
Thoughts
Shanghai is a beautiful, cosmopolitan city. As you are already aware, our trips tend to be kid friendly so I really cannot provide any insight on the quality of the night life. But, just looking at the beautiful night skyline, I can only imagine…
Wandering Tales Travel Dreams 