上海 / A connected city stay
Plan 5 days in Shanghai with original photos: airport arrival, the Bund, Wukang Road, Century Park and onward trains to Hangzhou or Changsha.
Start with the journey in
Shanghai can be both your first landing in China and the beginning of a longer journey. This five-day stay includes arrival, three full sightseeing days and departure: a riverfront day, a leafy city walk and a park day in Pudong. The photographs connect the practical arrival with the places you will explore. Choose a longer stay for museum time or an island excursion instead of squeezing those into your flight day.
PVG and SHA are separate airports. Shanghai Hongqiao railway station (上海虹桥站), Shanghai station (上海站) and Shanghai South (上海南站) are also different destinations. Save the exact airport code or station from every ticket.
After immigration and baggage collection, follow current signs to information and onward transport. Compare the full metro, airport bus or official taxi journey to your hotel, including the final walk with luggage. Set up mobile data, save the hotel address in Chinese and keep a payment backup. A late landing should end with check-in and a nearby meal.
Hongqiao Airport and Hongqiao railway station are distinct destinations within a wider transport hub. Follow your terminal or train booking, then allow for walking, security and boarding. The concourse photograph is an orientation detail, not a guide to a specific gate. If transferring from PVG, check the complete airport-to-station journey before buying a tight onward ticket.
A booking through Shanghai South needs its own station transfer; do not navigate to Hongqiao by habit. The train-interior photograph comes from a Shanghai South journey, not a promised train type. Once you reach your hotel, test a small payment and take a short neighborhood walk. Keep the full Bund outing for a rested day.
Choose one useful base
A useful starting area for a first stay centered on the Bund, Old City and onward metro journeys. Check the hotel’s actual entrance and usable station exit rather than choosing by district alone. Ask about luggage storage and late check-in before arrival.
Consider the leafy western neighborhoods for cafes and street walks, or Pudong if your main plans are east of the river. Century Park and Lujiazui are separate stops even though both are in Pudong. Stay in one hotel for the core route and use transport between districts.
5 days · Arrival + 3 sightseeing + departure
Arrival and departure are part of this stay. Adjust sightseeing around confirmed admission slots and the weather. The planner opens this same route; changing its style or length changes the daily suggestions.
Check in and save the hotel address in Chinese.
Test payment and take one easy neighborhood walk.
See the Bund only if arrival energy allows.
Follow your actual arrival time. Leave luggage or check in when the hotel allows; a late arrival replaces the outing with a nearby meal and rest.
Explore the Yu Garden and Old City area at a measured pace, checking admission if entering the garden.
Transfer to a manageable stretch of the Bund (外滩) and leave time for a meal break.
Stay for the Pudong skyline across the river if energy allows; a cruise is optional.
Begin around Wukang Building (武康大楼), then walk a compact route along Wukang Road (武康路).
Pause in a cafe or nearby public space instead of rushing across districts; respect residential and school entrances.
Use the neighborhood for a relaxed dinner.
Travel to a currently accessible entrance of Century Park (世纪公园) in Pudong.
Choose a manageable lake-and-greenery walk with lunch and a proper rest break.
Return to your base without adding another distant stop.
Zhongshan Park (中山公园) is a separate Puxi alternative if it fits your hotel better. Use current maps, not a photographed visitor board.
Return to a favorite district or use a weather backup.
Check airport or railway station details and leave a departure buffer.
Your ticket time takes priority. An early departure replaces the outing; collect luggage and leave time for the hotel-to-station or airport journey.
Give each place its own time
Use these notes for the daily route above, or swap in an alternative. This is a menu of places, not a list to finish in one day. Photographs record earlier visits; current access and services may differ. Original ChinaPass photos and credited external photos are identified below. Select a photograph for a larger view.
01 / 豫园
Choose Yu Garden for the Old City part of the riverfront day. The pond, covered walkway and traditional buildings give the morning a different pace from the Bund skyline. Allow time for the garden itself and a meal, then walk or transfer to the riverfront later. Browsing the surrounding streets and entering the garden are separate choices.
Check the garden’s current admission arrangements before setting out. Keep enough time for the Bund instead of trying to cover every Old City attraction.
02 / 外滩 · 黄浦江
The opening photograph looks across the river toward the Oriental Pearl Tower and Pudong’s illuminated buildings. Choose one manageable stretch of the Bund promenade, pause for dinner and return for the evening view if you want a change of light. An Old City visit earlier in the day requires a separate walk or transfer; it is not the same waterfront stop. A cruise is optional and needs its own dated booking.
The bridge photograph was also taken during a Bund outing, but its exact bridge and viewpoint are unconfirmed. It is not a navigation landmark for this route.
03 / 武康大楼 · 武康路
Start with the building’s distinctive corner, then choose a short route along Wukang Road and the surrounding tree-lined streets. Leave time for a cafe and look at the smaller architectural details between the well-known facades. The school photo records one such detail from the city-walk collection; it is not an invitation to enter the campus or a required stop on the Wukang route.
Photograph from the pavement, keep entrances clear and respect residents and school activity. Do not stand in the road for the building’s corner view.
04 / 世纪公园
Use Century Park for an unhurried lake-and-greenery day after two busier city outings. Start from the entrance that works with your journey and choose a manageable loop. The photograph shows an open lawn beside the water, a different side of Shanghai from the towers. Keep a proper lunch and rest break; add another Pudong stop only if the transfer and your energy allow it.
The photographed board is near the Gate 7 area. It does not establish the best entrance for your hotel or current gate access; use present-day signs and maps.
05 / 中山公园
If you are staying in western Shanghai and want less travel, consider Zhongshan Park instead of crossing to Century Park. The visitor-board photograph introduces a different park, not another entrance to the same one. Build a shorter outing around the park and a nearby meal rather than visiting both parks simply to complete a list.
This is a swap for the park day. Check a current walking route and entrance; the photographed board is travel context.
06 / 崇明
The tourism board shows how much wider the island area is than a downtown walking route. For a longer stay, choose one specific Chongming destination and arrange the outward and return journey before setting off. Leave the whole day for the excursion, or plan an overnight separately. If you prefer a compact city stay, use the time for a museum or a favorite neighborhood instead.
Chongming is an optional replacement for a full sightseeing day on a longer trip. It is not automatically included in the five-day planner or on the Shanghai–Hangzhou transfer day.
The next city starts at hotel checkout
After your Shanghai stay, book the actual departure and arrival stations and leave time for checkout, luggage, boarding and the next hotel. Read the Hangzhou guide for West Lake, temples and tea hills. The compact five-day two-city route has less Shanghai sightseeing than this standalone five-day stay; it is a complete alternative itinerary.
Explore the Hangzhou guide →Use a separate travel day for the domestic connection, then start Changsha’s two-day core after check-in. The seven-day combined route includes the connection and a shorter Shanghai stay. If your international flight departs from Shanghai, plan the return journey and a sensible buffer before booking it.
Shanghai → Changsha · 7 days →Plan from current information
The route and neighborhood choices are ChinaPass editorial suggestions. Official venue, city and transport sources below support the place and access details. Recheck admission, opening calendars, terminal arrangements and dated services before booking; this guide does not quote live fares or guarantee availability.
Garden identity and Old City location; recheck current admission separately.
Airport-specific transport and terminal information; check the current journey for PVG or SHA.
Transport choices at Shanghai’s two airports; fares and journey times are not reproduced here.
Wukang Building and the surrounding street-walk context.
Park identity and Pudong location; recheck gates and current visitor notices.
District and Zhongshan Park location context.
The wider island district; individual destinations and transport need separate planning.
Before, during & after your city stay
Match your arrival airport or station to your booking, save the hotel address in Chinese and leave time for luggage and check-in. A late arrival means a nearby meal and rest.
The city planner includes arrival on Day 1 and a departure buffer on the final day. Those days allow short local outings, not full sightseeing schedules.
Confirm your next hotel or departure ticket before adding another city. Returning to your first city requires its own transport and time; it is not automatically included.
These complete routes show how Shanghai connects with other stops. Choose a route to open its full itinerary; incoming routes are not suggestions to travel in reverse.
5 days · Starts here
The final day includes a departure buffer. Return travel to the first city is additional.
View Shanghai → Hangzhou plan →10 days · Finishes here
The final day includes a departure buffer. Return travel to the first city is additional.
View Beijing → Xi'an → Shanghai plan →7 days · Starts here
The final day is for sightseeing. Allow extra time for departure or return travel.
View Shanghai → Changsha plan →