I've just recently come back from my first trip to China, and had a thoroughly enjoyable experience. However, for this recommendation, I'll just focus on my time in Shanghai as I feel the city is a good way to ease into Chinese travel (which can be quite challenging, particularly with regards to language and text).
Shanghai has had many years of external cultural influences and you will still find a large number of ex-pats living here. So, for the new visitor there is a pretty big English speaking safety net to help you through. Yet the city is also a prime example of the massive expansion and investment going on throughout the east coast of China, I've travelled to a number of cities, but was amazed at the number of high-rise buildings that make up this sprawling city and further surprised to find how green much of the city still is.
However, even with the greenery,m and sea-breezes, you need to be aware of the smog. Everywhere I went in China I encountered the haze of pollution to varying degrees and Shanghai is certainly no exception, but don't let this put you off as it is just another part of the China experience.
To get around the city, I'd recommend the Metro, which is clean, fast, has frequent trains (about every 3mins max) and easy to use, with ticket machines having English translations. One thing you must travel on when there is the Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) train that runs from the Airport to Longyang Metro station. It tops out at a speed of 430 Km/h and when a train goes the other way it is an amazing split second that's hard to forget.
There are numerous places to eat in Shanghai, but one that really appealed was a chain called Element Fresh. The restaurants serve a range of foods from around the world and everything was delicious and reasonably priced. I'd definitely recommend their smoothies and juices if you're in need of a fruit hit after all the Chinese food,
If you want to go to a bar in the evening, the majority can be found on Hengshan Rd (there's a Metro stop), which is one of the main tourist areas in Shanghai and has a very Westernised feel. There's even an Irish pub, the Blarney Stone, that serves a very good Guinness and would make you think you were actually in Ireland.
For those inclined to shop for bargains there are two likely locations. The first is the Tourist Market located near Renmin Rd. It's worth going here to see the architecture and all the other tourists wondering around, but I wouldn't bother buying anything here as I guarantee the tourist market comes with tourist prices. For the real deals, get off the Metro at the Science and Technology station (Line 2) and wander around the market that surrounds the station exits. Here you can get serious deals on merchandise that is likely a knock-off, but may actually be real, as long as you haggle hard. If you do it right, you can get some fantastic deals, but if you're not confident in your haggling skills (and just can't walk away from a deal) you may as well stick with the tourist market.
As for the best time to see Shanghai, I'd recommend April through to mid-May, as the weather tends to be ideal and the plants in blossom are wonderful. For the full-on crowd experience, you can't go past the May holiday (formerly seven days, now just three) around May 1st. This is when most Chinese actually get some of their limited holidays and the city is jam-packed with people. People's Square is a prime location meet the crowds and is also where the Shanghai museum is located (although the queue can be horrendous on these holidays).
Well, even though this recommendation has gone on for quite a while, it still only scratches the surface of possibilities in Shanghai. Like China itself, there is just so much to see and do I'm sure there'll be something for everyone there.
Shanghai has had many years of external cultural influences and you will still find a large number of ex-pats living here. So, for the new visitor there is a pretty big English speaking safety net to help you through. Yet the city is also a prime example of the massive expansion and investment going on throughout the east coast of China, I've travelled to a number of cities, but was amazed at the number of high-rise buildings that make up this sprawling city and further surprised to find how green much of the city still is.
However, even with the greenery,m and sea-breezes, you need to be aware of the smog. Everywhere I went in China I encountered the haze of pollution to varying degrees and Shanghai is certainly no exception, but don't let this put you off as it is just another part of the China experience.
To get around the city, I'd recommend the Metro, which is clean, fast, has frequent trains (about every 3mins max) and easy to use, with ticket machines having English translations. One thing you must travel on when there is the Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) train that runs from the Airport to Longyang Metro station. It tops out at a speed of 430 Km/h and when a train goes the other way it is an amazing split second that's hard to forget.
There are numerous places to eat in Shanghai, but one that really appealed was a chain called Element Fresh. The restaurants serve a range of foods from around the world and everything was delicious and reasonably priced. I'd definitely recommend their smoothies and juices if you're in need of a fruit hit after all the Chinese food,
If you want to go to a bar in the evening, the majority can be found on Hengshan Rd (there's a Metro stop), which is one of the main tourist areas in Shanghai and has a very Westernised feel. There's even an Irish pub, the Blarney Stone, that serves a very good Guinness and would make you think you were actually in Ireland.
For those inclined to shop for bargains there are two likely locations. The first is the Tourist Market located near Renmin Rd. It's worth going here to see the architecture and all the other tourists wondering around, but I wouldn't bother buying anything here as I guarantee the tourist market comes with tourist prices. For the real deals, get off the Metro at the Science and Technology station (Line 2) and wander around the market that surrounds the station exits. Here you can get serious deals on merchandise that is likely a knock-off, but may actually be real, as long as you haggle hard. If you do it right, you can get some fantastic deals, but if you're not confident in your haggling skills (and just can't walk away from a deal) you may as well stick with the tourist market.
As for the best time to see Shanghai, I'd recommend April through to mid-May, as the weather tends to be ideal and the plants in blossom are wonderful. For the full-on crowd experience, you can't go past the May holiday (formerly seven days, now just three) around May 1st. This is when most Chinese actually get some of their limited holidays and the city is jam-packed with people. People's Square is a prime location meet the crowds and is also where the Shanghai museum is located (although the queue can be horrendous on these holidays).
Well, even though this recommendation has gone on for quite a while, it still only scratches the surface of possibilities in Shanghai. Like China itself, there is just so much to see and do I'm sure there'll be something for everyone there.
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