Surprising Shanghai (part 2)

This is another overdue post of my trip to Shanghai. You may read the first part here. 

My third day in Shanghai started with a nice stroll around my hostel. I woke up early in the morning and decided to quickly get ready and leave the hostel because I felt excited to wander around. It was around 7 in the morning and although there was not much to see in the area that I was staying in, I managed to grab some delicious breakfast on the go!

People were lining up to get breakfast.. so I followed!

Chinese doughnuts my love

beef wonton

Then I went to Shanghai Museum, located conveniently in People’s Square. The museum wasn’t the best but I learned a good deal of information about China’s history and arts during my visit. What surprised me though, was the fact that local people had to queue to get in! I took the advantage of being a foreigner and was able to go in through a special line with no queue. But really, it felt nice knowing that a lot of people are still interested in going into a museum 🙂

My next destination was Xintiandi, a pretty area also known as the French Concession because it used to be occupied by the French. Today, there are a lot of European-style buildings and the area is famous for its cafes and shopping spots. Personally, this is my favorite part of the city (except Disneyland, of course hahaha), because the vibe was nice and the architecture was so pretty, a mix between Chinese and European style. I would love to stay in this area if I ever got the chance to be back!

Then, about a metro station away (but it’s still within walking distance!), there was another tourist attraction that is called Tianzifang. It’s an area full of small shops and cafes located in a small alley.. so small that it’s a bit hard to navigate yourself around especially when it’s so crowded. The area reminds me of London’s Carnaby Street, only much smaller and more crowded. Think about a touch of London in China! I think it is still interesting to go to, only if you don’t mind being in a small and crowded space.

Tianzifang

Managed to find an empty spot for a picture!

Tianzifang

After sunset, I managed to check out The Bund. This is the ultimate picture spot in Shanghai, as you get to see beautiful city lights across the river, including Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl Tower. A lot of travel blogs recommended going there at night to capture the city lights, and that’s what I did. My photos did not do the justice because I did not bring a professional camera with me, but the view’s really amazing, as you get to see modernization on one end, and old buildings from the old British settlement era on the other.

Last but not least, I also spent some time walking around East Nanjing Road… a busy road full of shopping malls and high street brands like Forever 21, Uniqlo, Adidas, HM, etc. Again, many blogs I read mentioned that the area should be avoided at night as it can get really crowded. But surprisingly, I think it was not as crowded as Mongkok and Tsim Tsa Tsui in Hong Kong! If you’ve been to Hong Kong, I think you’ll find that Shanghai’s crowd is more acceptable, because that’s what I felt 🙂

Before I realised, it was already late so East Nanjing Road was my final destination of the day. I then had a quick dinner and went back to my hostel to rest.

I’ll be back with more Shanghai stories, thanks for reading and have a great day! x