Shanghai Travel Guide (2026)
China's largest city and the port that met the West first. Two hours from Seoul, close enough for a weekend, with the concession-era facades of one riverbank facing the skyline of the other across the Huangpu. Suzhou and Hangzhou are 30 to 60 minutes away by high-speed rail, which makes day trips easy to attach.
- Recommended stay
- 3 nights recommended
- Budget feel
- About KRW 550,000-1,000,000 per person (including flights, 3 nights, mid-range hotel)
💰 As of 2026, a 3-night Shanghai trip for two costs about $830–$2,300 in total, $415–$1,150 per person. See full cost breakdown →
Food & dining
Xiao long bao and sheng jian bao, the pan-fried ones, are how the city eats breakfast. Local cooking leans sweet and soy-heavy — hong shao rou is the emblem — and in autumn the hairy crab season takes over. Food clusters along Nanjing East Road and the Tianzifang lanes, and the basement food halls of large malls are the lowest-risk option.
Getting around
From Pudong Airport there are two ways in: the Maglev and Metro Line 2. The Maglev is CNY 50 one way in standard class and CNY 100 in VIP, but showing a same-day boarding pass brings standard down to CNY 40, paying with a Shanghai transit card is also CNY 40, and a same-day return is 20% off. Line 2 is far cheaper but slower, and the two are separate tickets. In the city the metro is dense and distance-priced, and the easiest way to pay for anything is a foreign card registered inside Alipay or WeChat Pay.
Highlights
The Bund at night with Lujiazui and the Shanghai Tower opposite, Yu Garden and the old streets in front of it, Nanjing East Road, Xintiandi and Tianzifang, and Shanghai Disneyland. Suzhou's classical gardens and Hangzhou's West Lake are each a day trip on the fast train.
Itineraries
Trip cost
Good to know before you go
Do I need a visa for Shanghai in 2026?
Korean ordinary passports enter visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism, business, visiting family or transit, and the measure has been extended through 31 December 2026, covering 45 countries. There is no application: you arrive with your passport and return-flight details. Work, study and stays past 30 days are not covered. This is an area that changes often, so confirm with the Chinese embassy for your own country before you fly.
What is the 240-hour visa-free transit, and does it apply to me?
From 17 December 2024 China extended visa-free transit from 72 and 144 hours to 240 hours, or ten days, for ordinary passport holders of 54 countries travelling on to a third country, usable at 60 ports across 24 provinces and municipalities. If your passport already has the 30-day exemption there is rarely a reason to use it. The two lists differ — 45 countries for the 30-day exemption, 54 for the transit rule — so if you are travelling with someone of another nationality, check both separately.
Maglev or metro from Pudong Airport?
The Maglev is CNY 50 one way in standard class and CNY 100 in VIP, but there are several discounts: show a same-day boarding pass and standard drops to CNY 40, paying with a Shanghai transit card is also CNY 40, and a same-day return ticket is 20% off. The catch is that it only runs to Longyang Road, where you transfer to the metro anyway. With heavy luggage or a destination deep in the centre, taking Line 2 the whole way means fewer changes. The Maglev and the metro are separate tickets, so a transfer means buying again.
How do I pay for things in Shanghai?
Cash and foreign cards are accepted in fewer places than you would expect, so registering a foreign card inside Alipay or WeChat Pay is effectively required. Both support foreign cards; set it up and run a small test payment before you leave, and you will not be stuck at a counter. Metro entry, taxi hailing and QR ordering in restaurants all live inside those two apps. Keep a little cash as a fallback and nothing more.
Can I do Suzhou or Hangzhou as a day trip?
Both. High-speed rail puts Suzhou around 30 minutes away and Hangzhou around an hour, so leaving in the morning and returning for dinner is comfortable. Suzhou is gardens and canals; Hangzhou is West Lake. Buy tickets in an app or at the counter with your passport, and allow 40 minutes before departure — stations verify documents on the way in.
When is the best time to visit Shanghai?
March-May and September-November are the easiest. Summer is hot and humid with a rainy stretch and typhoons on top; winter rarely goes below freezing but the damp makes it feel colder than the number. Avoid the National Day week in early October and the Spring Festival holiday if you can — domestic travel peaks, flights and rooms get expensive, and the sights are extremely crowded.
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