Shanghai

Shanghai is one of Asia's most dynamic metropolises, buzzing with new architecture, world-class dining, shopping, arts and nightlife. Of the city's many unique traits, perhaps the most striking is its mix of architectural styles: traditional Chinese, European colonial and ultra-modern. From the dense shikumen, two- to three-story tenements protected by brick walls, to the stately, colonnaded financial buildings on the Bund, to the newest, glass and steel building designed by the world's "starchitects," Shanghai's skyline is one-of-a-kind. But be sure to take note of what Shanghai looks like today - with scores of new developments planned for the foreseeable future, you might not be able to recognize it on your next visit.

Experiences

A handpicked selection of experiences endorsed by our experts. If you can’t see what you’re looking for, let us know, as our extensive network of local contacts can open many doors.

1933 Shanghai

Visit 1933 Shanghai, a gigantic Art Deco-era slaughterhouse repurposed into a thriving cultural center and one of 2010’s hottest spots.

Arts and Crafts

Wander around the tiny arts and crafts enclave of Taikang Lu in the French Concession area. This neighborhood of labyrinthine alleyways has shikumen housing small craft stores, coffee shops, and art studios. Walk down Tianzi Fang, a narrow street with the most interesting establishments.

Colonial Shanghai

Take a guided walk along Shanghai's landmark waterfront, The Bund, a vestige of the city's capitalist days in the first half of the 20th century. As you walk past its 52 buildings over a one mile stretch, you will see the new China in the highly modern architecture of Pudong across the Huangpo River.

French Concession

With your expert guide, get a taste of Shanghai's commercial, Jazz-Age heyday while strolling the tree-shaded streets of the French Concession. Administered by the French from 1849 to 1943, much of the original colonial architecture is present and the wrought iron gates in front of the old houses are very reminiscent of Paris.


History Tour

Remote Lands’ friend, an urban planning expert-cum-Shanghai historian, can provide a highly specialized tour with fascinating insight into the city’s development over the past 150 years.

Jewish History of Shanghai

With Remote Lands’ specialist expert guide, go on a private tour of into the little-known history of Jews in Shanghai. Drive to Hongkou District, an area where Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust settled in the 1940s, as well as other important sites in the city. Jews have long been in Asia and the first Jews to arrive in Shanghai, among them the wealthy Sassoon family, came from Iraq via India in the 1840s. The Sassoons were instrumental in transforming this formerly sleepy town on the Huangpu River into the “Pearl of the Orient.”

Moganshan Lu Art Galleries

Peruse the galleries in the Moganshan Lu warehouse district, also known as M50, with an expert in contemporary Chinese art, who will give you a private tour of the top galleries and studios where you will meet renowned curators and artists.

Motorbike Sidecar Tour

For the adventurous, get a thrilling street-level view – literally – of today’s Shanghai from the vantage point of a speeding motorcycle sidecar tour.

Rock Bund Art Museum

With a contemporary art expert, explore the new Rock Bund Art Museum, which opened in May 2010 with an exhibit by the celebrated Cai Guo-Qiang and is the centerpiece of a vast urban renewal effort.

Shanghai Museum

Explore the Shanghai Museum, which contains one of the world’s finest collections of Chinese art and antiquities. The current museum, opened in 1995 although it was established in 1952, is designed in the shape of a Shang Dynasty bronze cooking vessel, symbolizing “a round heaven and a square earth.” The museum contains one of the world’s finest collections of Chinese art and antiquities, spanning 5,000 years from China's Neolithic Period to the Qing Dynasty.

Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall

Experience the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. Housed in a striking, modern five-story building made of microlite glass, this is one of the world’s largest showcases of urban development and renewal. Its highlight is an vast scale model of urban Shanghai as it will look in 2020, providing visitors a first-hand glimpse of projects currently under construction.

Tai Chi

Take a private tai chi lesson in the Yu Gardens.

Yu Garden

Visit the Yu Gardens, the most celebrated classical Chinese gardens in Shanghai. The gardens capture the essence of southern Chinese landscape design from the Ming and Qing dynasties and are characterized by an exquisite layout, beautiful scenery, and artistic architecture.

China Regions

Explore in-depth information, experiences and highlights by navigating to specific regions using the links below.

Multi-Country Specialists

China Goes Well With

Why Remote Lands?

Exclusively Asia

With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.

Travelogues

An Asia-focused magazine brought to you by Remote Lands - a platform for adventure, luxury, and authenticity from experts and explorers around the continent.

What Others Say

Here is a small selection of the kind words our clients have said about us recently.