place to stay, things to do in Shaghai

Hi all,

I'll be traveling to Shanghai for the first time and wanted your advice. I'll be staying there for three days and want to experience local customs but do not want to leave the comfort when it comes to transportation and hotel.

People recommended me the Bund and Changnin. I don't speak Mandarin or I'm looking for some advice that make sense to a foreigner.

Thank you all!

You might try the RuiJin Hotel. It is in the French Concession district -- beautiful grounds and great location. As far as experiencing local customs, you could do worse than visiting a park -- Tai chi in the morning, ballroom dancing in the evening, great opportunities for people watching any time. And once the park [we like Fu Xing park; convenient to the Rui Jin Hotel], keep your eyes open for the 70-something set: I found them to be extraordinarily friendly to foreigners [they remember the Shanghai of their youth]; likely to speak some English; and less likely to be looking for more than a conversation than the 20-something set.


As far as transportation, taxis are cheap and plentiful, but get someone to write down your destination for you in characters; keep the card of your hotel for the same reason. Alternatively, it is possible to hire a car and driver [possibly even one with some rudimentary English] fairly cheaply [less than US$100/day].