Arrival playbookShanghai
Your first 24 hours in Shanghai
Choose the airport-to-hotel handoff, recover when data or payment fails, and keep the first night calm.
PVG + SHAChecked Aug 2026
Open field note Shanghai
Useful knowledge
Guides for Shanghai
City-wide and regional notes that are broader than one specific Place.
ItineraryShanghai
Shanghai Short-Stay Guide
A practical 24, 48 and 72-hour Shanghai guide for getting payment, navigation, airport transfers and a calm area-by-area itinerary working first.
24–72 hours30–90 minutes to central Shanghai
Open field note 
Payment survival guideChina
Alipay and WeChat Pay, with a rescue plan
Know whether your foreign-card setup is truly ready—and what to do in the first 60 seconds after a payment fails.
10-point readiness60-second rescue
Open field note 
Survival hubChina
China travel, with a backup plan
Set up data, two ways to pay, a reliable route and the first Shanghai handoff—plus what to do when any one of them fails.
5 essential checksChecked Aug 2026
Open field note 
ItineraryShanghai
Suzhou from Shanghai
A realistic Suzhou day trip built around one classical garden, one cultural layer and one unhurried canal district.
One full day25–40 minutes by high-speed train, plus station time
Open field note Shanghai / From Amu’s notes
Places I know here
06places to explore
ShanghaiThe Bund
01/ Place
The Bund
Shanghai's essential orientation walk: historic riverfront facades, the Pudong skyline, and an easy RMB 2 ferry crossing.
ShanghaiLujiazui
02/ Place
Lujiazui
Modern Shanghai at street level: choose one tower, walk the Pudong waterfront, then cross the Huangpu by public ferry.
ShanghaiWukang & Anfu
03/ Place
Wukang & Anfu
A shaded architecture-and-street-life walk best done on a weekday morning, with a route that still works beyond viral cafes.
ShanghaiYu Garden & Old City
04/ Place
Yu Garden & Old City
Visit the ticketed classical garden at opening, then explore the surrounding free bazaar and old-city lanes with clear expectations.
ShanghaiShanghai Museum East
05/ Place
Shanghai Museum East
The city's major permanent-collection museum: free individual entry, a huge building, and a visit that improves when you choose two galleries.
ShanghaiZhujiajiao
06/ Place
Zhujiajiao
Shanghai's easiest water-town half day: metro access, preserved canals, optional boats and a route that escapes the busiest lane.