Shanghai Shi Travel Forum

Hello fellow VTers,

Just want to know if Oct 13 would be a good date to visit Shanghai. As i've read first week of Oct is national holiday and i hope to avoid the crowd.

Also, would you recommend Captain Youth Hostel at fuzhou lu #37 for budget-concious traveller like me...is it centrally located, clean and safe place to stay?

I have 3.5D/3N to spend in Shanghai and planned the following:
day 1 - spend the rest of the day with friend (will be arriving around 2pm)
day 2 - people square, shanghai museum, old chinese town, yu yuan garden, ferry trip to pudong (pearl tower and just to see the place)
day 3 - day trip to suzhuo via train, back to shanghai, chinese acrobat at night
day 4 - tour around bund area by bike, sleeper train for beijing

Is the itinerary okay? I'd like to see as much as possible but i'm afraid my iti would be too much or too little. Shanghai would be my first city for China...planning to go around at least for a month. My interest includes people immersion, food tripping (btw, pls recommend a good resto to eat), architecture...and I guess everything Chinese!

Thank you very much...salamat,
Isa

13/10 would be fine, the National Day holiday week only falls for the 1st 7 days.
No!!! Don't stay at Captain's! Are you looking for a dorm bed, or private room? There're better choices for both.
What date are you arriving, 13/10 itself? Don't bother going to Suzhou, you sound like you're just slotting it in as a time-filler. You should have no problem finding something to occupy that time in Shanghai. What are your sightseeing interests and preferences?
I see that you've already found my food tips for Shanghai. Let me know if you'd like to meet up for a chat/tea/meal here.
Are you arriving in Hangzhou via AirAsia flight?

thanks for the fast reply. the date is not yet set at the moment but would definitely be after the national holiday. i'd be arriving directly to shanghai via cebu pacific. would prefer a dorm bed if possible...haven't tried one but i think it would be a good experience...please recommend a better place.

suzhuo could be replaced with other activities. i don't have a concrete plan other than that at the moment but i'm trying to find a map which i could print. little familiarity of the place can help me decide on which place to go. what i really enjoy is walking leisurely and trying all the sidewalk food available :0) also love local/flea markets and antique shops to do window shopping. do you think biking around the city is ambitious? i've tried (and loved it) in Siem Reap but i guess in Shanghai it's totally chaotic...any thoughts on that?

a meet up is really great...i'll send you a separate mail as my itinerary progress. thanks again.

Try Hiker IYH or Etour IYH. Both are centrally located and cheaper than Captain's.
Look in any guidebook eg Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Frommer's and you should be able to find more than 1 decent map. Hint: Frommer's can also be found online.
I would suggest metro instead of cycling around Shanghai as it's a bit too big, and cycling is forbidden on most major roads.

Hi I-S-A:

You're trying to do too much on day 2.

Biking in Shanghai is not enjoyable at all, and bicycle rentals are not cheap or plentiful.

Weather is very nice in Shanghai then and crowds are manageable.

Your Day 2 is way too busy. The Shanghai Museum is full of interesting stuff and worth a few hours by itself. The Yuyuan Garden will take at least an hour to go through. Visit Pudong on a separate day in combination with the Bund. Go to the top of the Jin Mao tower for a great view of Shanghai. Also, check out the lobby of the Grand Hyatt on the 56th floor of the Jin Mao tower. It will give you an amazing view of the hotel's atrium, which rises 28 floors aboe the lobby.

thanks a lot guys!

ellyse, i'll look into Hiker and Etour later. and yes, i bookmarked frommers already. they have nice walk-tour suggestions.

chris, would fine-tune the itinerary as suggested. i'll save biking for other parts of china...say yangshuo.

mike and lisa, thanks a lot. i think the bund and pudong combination is a better idea. and yes, i'd love to spend longer time at the museum. i see you've been updating your shanghai page...will be browsing through your tips.