Shanghai: City guide

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See

From Pudong Airport, take the Shanghai Transrapid train for a high speed (270mph) levitated ride, then pick up the metro into the center of Shanghai.

By and large, it's a safe city, and the best way to explore the backstreets is on foot. Early risers can watch the Shanghainese practise their T'ai Chi in the city's parks. Wander around the leafy French Concession's shops, bars and restaurants, and check out the Shikumen -- Chinese adaptations of European terraced houses.

Take a trip on the kitsch Bund Sightseeing Tunnel for a psychedelic rainbow ride to Pudong, then stroll along the waterfront to admire the Jetsons-esque skyscrapers. Check out the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and look back at the Bund on the other side of the Huang Pu River. (For a more authentic return trip, take the ferry with the locals.)

Culture vultures shouldn't miss the Shanghai Museum, probably the best in China. More quirky attractions include the Museum of Public Security (exhibits include spy cameras, stuffed homing pigeons and a murder victim's skull complete with protruding scissors) and the Shanghai Glasses Museum, featuring the world's oldest sunglasses.

Be seen

After a tough day on the corporate treadmill, the Shanghainese like to take an evening stroll along the Bund. Join them and admire the near-comprehensive display of European architectural styles, from Romanesque to Art Deco.

Face is a converted country house filled with Eastern magic (in summer, float around the lawns sipping cocktails) and in Barbarossa the hookah pipes and silk cushions will seduce you with a taste of the Arabian nights.

Xian Tian Di is where the brash, flash locals and expats hang out -- try T8 or TMSK for oriental chic. Hop in a taxi and head further out to the new Pier One complex for preprandial cocktails at Monsoon, dinner at the sleek, futurist Mimosa Supperclub and elegant clubbing at Minx.

In the French Concession, head to Fuxing Park to Park 97's late night art deco lounge or celebrity hangout Guan Di. La Fabrique, with its slick, black, leather and neon interior, plays host to the ubercool media fusion types, while serious clubbers should head to Bonbon, the home of Godskitchen in China, for international name DJs and a hyped-up, happy crowd.

Eat

Shanghai's food is sweet, salty and some of the best will come from hole-in-the-wall joints. Take your pick and be guided by the locals. Street food is abundant, too -- try the candy-dipped fruit for a sugar rush.

Local specialties include xiaolongbao (dumplings filled with meat and soup -- try Wang Jia Sha's) and their fried siblings, shengjian bao -- Xiao Yang Shengjian's are highly regarded. The popular, warren-like Bao Luo is tucked away on Fumin Lu and offers great, fresh local cuisine. You'll find Shanghainese eating Shanghai food here, from tofu to pork dumplings, snake to drunken shrimp. (Word to the all-night crowd -- it's open 'til 6am.)

For gourmet cuisine, head to Three on the Bund, a restaurant, bar and boutique complex overlooking the Shanghai waterfront. Choose from Laris or Jean Georges Shanghai for stylish, innovative modern cooking.

Vegetarians can struggle to find good veggie food in China. Thankfully, Shanghai's mini-chain Vegetarian Lifestyle comes to the rescue. Try the Sanchoi Bao (lettuce-wrapped parcels) and the vegetarian soup-filled steam buns.

Shop

Shanghai is a shopper's paradise - you can buy anything under the sun.

More stylish than the Nanjing Road, the French Concession area around Huaihailu and Julu Lu is crammed with cute boutiques. Here, you'll find up-and-coming Chinese designers brushing shoulders with covetable homewares and patisserie shops. Art fans should check out the Suzhou Creek's flourishing art collectives.

If Mao memorabilia is your thing, Dong Tai Road street market sells communist collectibles alongside mass-produced "antiques". Now that the Xiangyang market has closed, the best places to pick up knockoff and reject branded goods are the Yatai Market at the Shanghai Science and Technology metro station and the Qipu Road market. For silk and made-to-order suits and dresses, head to the indoor South Bund Fabric Market.

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