Shanghai now: The city’s most stylish addresses

China’s second-largest city continues to transform rapidly. Beyond luxury megastores and virtual-reality experiences, Shanghai is repurposing what’s left of its unique architectural heritage into cultural and dining destinations, creating a new dynamism. A major transition to electric vehicles has helped quiet the streets, while expanded high-speed rail and metro services have made the city more accessible. Daily life in Shanghai runs almost entirely through apps — for bookings, payments and transport — which offer incredible convenience, but come with a learning curve for travellers. What is easier, however: A new 10-day visa-free transit option for visitors from dozens of countries, including the United States, is one way China is laying out the welcome mat after its border closures during the pandemic.

FRIDAY

3pm | Go on an art walk

The Bund, Shanghai’s waterfront of neo-Gothic and Baroque- and Renaissance-style buildings along Huangpu River, once housed global titans of industry. Today, it is a contemporary art destination. Start at the Hive Center for Contemporary Art (free) for large-scale works by established Chinese artists, such as the abstract painter and sculptor Wang Wenting. Opened in 2023 in a former bank building, the gallery’s monumental stained-glass skylight alone is worth the visit. At Rockbund Art Museum, two blocks east, rotating exhibitions — such as one inspired by the work of the French theorist Suzanne Cesaire (through April 26) — highlight experimental multimedia works (free). Since opening in 2024, Space 185 at Bund Art Center, a half-mile south, has put on shows pairing contemporary Chinese heavyweights such as the painters Zhao Gang and Yu Hong with global names like Anish Kapoor (free).

6pm | Shop for snacks

Take a six-minute Didi ride or walk just under a mile west along the neon-lit, pedestrian-only Nanjing Road, the city’s version of Times Square. Among the many mega marts is Shanghai First Food Mall, a snack and street-food emporium. On the first floor, pick up palmier-like caramelised butterfly cookies (from 40 renminbi for a box, or US$5.80, S$7.90) and cream cakes from Kaisiling (from 12 renminbi for a slice), items so beloved Shanghai’s government designated them a part of the city’s non-material cultural heritage. The second floor has food vendors and a grocery, while the third floor is a medley of many of Shanghai’s popular fast-casual joints.

7pm | Eat crab noodles

The brackish waters of the Yangtze River Delta, where the city sits, host the pride of Shanghainese cuisine: hairy crab. Although peak harvest is in fall, some menus feature the specialty year-round. The restaurant Cejerdary, on the Bund, treats it with a special reverence, underlined by an austere dining room cantered around a miniature karst landscape of bonsai. The restaurant serves crab from Yangcheng Lake, the region’s premier source. One order of stew contains the meat and roe of a dozen fist-size crabs and can be ordered over noodles or rice (from 280 renminbi). A generous splash of black vinegar helps cut through the dish’s sweet richness.

9pm | Enter a time warp

It can be difficult to find authentic time capsules in ever-futuristic Shanghai, which has preserved relatively little of its structural heritage. That is why the Jazz Bar at the Fairmont Peace Hotel, one of the city’s oldest music venues, is so special. Since 1980, a five-piece band with rotating members (the youngest is now 70) performs from 7pm to 11pm every night. A singer joins in during each hour-long set for a few oldies by past stars like Teresa Teng and Zhou Xuan (418 renminbi minimum per person; drinks from 118 renminbi, snacks from 88 renminbi).

10pm | Take in two vistas

Shanghai functionally has two skylines: the historic Bund on the city's western Puxi side, and the sleek Pudong skyline east of the Huangpu River. To see it all in a single panorama, head to the hotel Regent Shanghai on the Bund, which opened in 2023, where the river bends just north of the main promenade. Book ahead and enjoy a bourbon cocktail (from 138 renminbi) at its terrace restaurant, Conde, while basking in Pudong’s neon glow and Puxi’s soft radiance.

SATURDAY

10am | Go on a dumpling crawl

A single block of West Jianguo Road is a dumpling-lover’s paradise. Start at Man Man Tang Bao, where Li Dailiang and his son make to order extra delicate xiao long bao, steamed dumplings stuffed with a gelatinous pork broth that melts once it is cooked (from 20 renminbi for eight). Nearby, the circa-1885 Fuchun Xiao Long Bao does an excellent sheng jian man tou: a larger, doughier version of the soup dumplings that are pan-fried (from 18 renminbi for four). Choose between two types of wonton soup at Denglong Wonton: pork with bamboo shoots and watercress-like shepherd’s purse (25 renminbi) or pork with shrimp (32 renminbi). Although a light broth is traditional, here it is rich. You can even order an extra scoop of lard — aptly called le kou fu, or happy blessing (5 renminbi).

12pm | Hit the shops

On Julu Road, browse loose-structured clothing featuring motifs inspired by the Tang Dynasty at Label Del. and the latest from China’s up-and-coming fashion designers at Labelhood House. On Wuyuan Road, a half-mile southwest, shop for beautiful small objects like gingko leaf-shaped copper tea sieves at the Gathering. Across the street is the Former Residence of Zhang Leping, one of China’s first comic artists and the creator of the children’s cartoon character Sanmao (“Three Hairs"), which is now a free museum. About a mile south, Yongkang Road is dotted with old-school shops like Gu Qing Ji Nam Pak Goods, which has sold pantry items like sauces, elixirs and cured meats following family recipes since 1925. Find sweet treats like tofu-based ice cream and pudding at Beiye Tofu (from 28 renminbi) and durian cakes at Yelo Bow (from 49 renminbi for a slice).

3pm | Experience traditional Chinese medicine

Kang You Si Ji is a popular wellness clinic using traditional Chinese medicine with locations across the city. Head to its Jing’an branch for a full-body Tuina massage, a 2,000-year-old technique that acts on the body’s energy, or qi (from 250 renminbi for an hour). The practitioner will start by asking about your sleep, digestion and stress levels (it may help to prepare a brief written overview in Chinese), before observing your posture and locating muscle tension. Then a series of rhythmic movements will follow your body’s meridian pathways, which are thought to carry qi throughout the body. Add on an ear cleaning for 168 renminbi, a service that involves dislodging earwax with a tuning fork.

5pm | Enjoy tea and art in a Wong Kar-Wai film

Fans of the 2000 film In the Mood for Love now have a way to step into its creator’s lush aesthetic at Mi Shang Prada Rong Zhai, a new dining and arts space from Prada that was designed with the Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai. Have tea on the garden terrace of the restored circa-1918 mansion or in an Art Deco room where almost every surface is mirrored, gilded, or clad in velvet or lacquered wood. Order the tea ritual to try five types (228 renminbi), including China’s coveted pu’er variety. On the upper floors, check out biannual art exhibits, including an upcoming show about finding meaning in data done in collaboration with the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas’s studio AMO/OMA.

7pm | Savor classic Shanghainese cuisine

For some 1930s nostalgia and excellent Shanghainese fare, head to Ren He Guan’s Zhaojiabang Road location. The atmosphere would be kitsch if it wasn’t so transporting, with mint-green walls plastered with vintage art and booths dimly lit by stained-glass lights. From 6pm to 7pm most nights, a singer croons folk songs on a small, neon-lit stage designed to look like the one at the Paramount, a historic night club nearby that reopened in 2017 after decades of neglect. Order classic savoury-sweet dishes like zui xia, prawns poached in broth and steeped in preserved plum wine, served cold (53 renminbi); guo shao he man, braised river eels with thinly sliced bamboo shoots and peppers (99 renminbi), and hong shao rou, pork belly braised in soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and sugar (from 27 renminbi).

9pm | Discover the alternative after-hours

In recent years, the area around Fuxing Park, namely Nanchang Road and Fuxing Road, has turned into a lowkey alternative to the techno and bottle-service clubs that long characterized Shanghai’s nightlife. Opened last year, Bar Leone is a Hong Kong import that serves classic cocktails (from 128 renminbi) with small twists, like a velvety whiskey sour shaken with olive oil, in a space styled after an Italian aperitivo bar. Across the park, join the craze for Japanese-style listening bars at Root Down. A few blocks away, Paal’s cocktails (from 98 renminbi), like its gin fizz made silky with clarified yogurt, are inspired by the late fashion designer Virgil Abloh’s so-called “three-percent rule” of innovation via a tiny tweak. And for those who want bottle service, the nightlife complex INS, in Fuxing Park, has eight venues dedicated to various music genres, from Chinese hip-hop to Studio 54-era disco (entry from 168 renminbi).

SUNDAY

9am | Stroll through the dynasties

Before the crowds descend, head to the 16th-century Yu Garden at opening time to experience a classic example of Jiangnan design, which emphasises harmony between architecture and nature (from 30 renminbi). Outside the garden entrance, a central bridge with nine turns — designed to confuse evil spirits — leads to the 18th-century Huxinting Teahouse, which reopened in the fall after a two-year restoration. Peek at the first-floor displays to learn about the teahouse but be warned that the upstairs tea room has a minimum spend of 388 renminbi. Enjoy a brunch of Shanghainese xiaochi, or small plates, at Lu Bo Lang. Most of the menu consists of slightly sweeter versions of Cantonese dim sum staples. Try the Shanghai delicacy mei mao su, a deep-fried crescent-shaped pastry filled with shredded pork and vegetables (36 renminbi, three pieces).

11am | Find a match

Every Saturday and Sunday, well-meaning parents have gathered at People’s Park in Huangpu District to advertise their children for prospective matches at the Marriage Market. Enter from the People’s Square metro station through Gate 5 and you’ll soon arrive at hundreds of signs listing candidates’ age, height, occupation, income, and even assets (photos are notably absent). It’s a fascinating snapshot of the values of working-class Shanghai. Pick up a tang hu lu, a candied fruit stick, from a street vendor and people-watch under gingko trees. Or reach out to Free Tours China and customise a locally guided excursion that includes the Marriage Market (from 1,000 renminbi).

By Erin Vivid Riley © The New York Times.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.