Shanghai

With a price tag of more than US$200 million, the huge new Wusong International Cruise Terminal, at a bend in the Huangpu on the Puxi side of the river, is one of the most advanced passenger terminals in the world, and will make Shanghai the first Chinese mainland city with berths for large international cruises. The cruise terminal has a four-storey building for cruise ticketing, waiting and customs (with immigration procedures taking only 48 seconds), and other facilities spread over 300,000m2, including shopping streets, hotels, office buildings, apartments and art centers – the aim being to turn the area into something of a Xintiandi…

Free shuttles provided by the port will drop you off at Baoyang Road Station, where you can take the subway.

By public transportation: From the terminal, you can take a taxi to Baoyang Road Station where you can take the subway line 3 to reach SH Railway Station. From the Railway Station, you can change to subway line 1 to reach People's Square Station. Then change to line 2 to reach East Nanjing Road Station and then walk to the Bund.

The cruise terminal is about 50 minutes driving from Pudong Airport. You can also take the Malev Train (400+ km an hour) from Pudong and take a cab from there.

Large ships could also dock at Waigaoqiao 15 miles to the east which was used before Wusong was open.

Shanghai adopted a 144-hour visa-exemption transit policy concerning certain countries at certain domestic ports of entry starting January 30 2016.

Shanghai is presently the most used cruise port of China, followed closely by Hong Kong.

Shanghai, a vigorous and energetic international metro-polis, welcomes people from all over the world to enjoy its special atmosphere. This modern metropolis with its rich heritage of ancient Chinese culture has much to see and do.

Shanghai means "Above the sea"

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is the modern symbol of Shanghai City. Standing beside the Huangpu River with a height of 468 meters (1536 feet), it is the tallest TV tower in Asia and the third highest in the world. This unusual structure that dominates the skyline is a great attraction to tourists.

Nanjing Road is considered to be the "No. 1 commercial street in China". Here along its 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles), you will find over 600 shops that on average are visited by some 1.7 million people each day. If you like shopping, do not miss it!

Yuyuan Garden is the largest of Shanghai's ancient gardens with architectural styles of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The garden has six areas, each with its own style. The Grand Rockery, in the center of the Garden, is the most renowned sight here.

Shanghai Museum is a veritable treasure house of ancient Chinese art and houses 120,000 precious relics. Bronzes, pottery, paintings and calligraphies are distinctive features of the Museum's collection. Seen from above, the Museum resembles a large bronze mirror of the Han Dynasty (206BC -220). From the distance, it looks like a bronze Ding, an ancient cooking vessel that contains so many mementos of the 5,000-year-old history of Chinese civilization.

Another sight not be missed is the Bund. The bund is best visited just before sunset, you will then see an unique spectacle: Shanghai turns on its light! Situated on the east bank of the Huangpu River, here, one can enjoy the bracing air and fine sunshine as well as seeing something of the many activities along the river. The new finance and commercial houses cluster together along the south of the Bund while along the west there is a wealth of grand buildings in the European architectural styles of the nineteen-twenties, thirties and early forties. Marshal Chen Yi's statue looks down on the square where lively musicians gather to play and…

Shanghai is a very easy walkable city and the need for taxis is little.

Hop on/off tours. There is no better way to see Shanghai than by taking one of several hop on/hop off tours.

To get around in the cities, one best uses a taxi: They are cheap and plentiful.

There are roughly three groups of taxi drivers:

Touts: Stay away from them, you are about to pay a multiple of what you should pay, walk a half a block and you will find a honest cabbies. The mechanics: They have build their own taximeter, with all consequences. The honest cabbie: As the Chinese government is clamping down on mistreatment of tourists, this group is in the far majority( >90%), in fact the more south you go in China, the more honest people get. Make sure they put the meter on, otherwise get out!

Important: If you buy a guide book for the town you are about to visit, make sure it is of the latest edition available. This as the pace of construction is enormous: what is here today, might not be there tomorrow! Make sure the maps in your guide book have "english" as well as "chinese" characters, so you and the cabdriver can communicate by pointing at the map. Cabdrivers only speak chinese.

Because not only has Shanghai hired the world’s best architects to design those skyscrapers but also told them that lighting is an essential design element. From dusk to 10 p.m., when most lights are turned off to conserve energy, both sides of the Shanghai riverfront turn into a wonderland. The Bund bathes in neutral lighting; the Pudong side glitters like no other major city in the world. Buildings change colors; they are presented as works of light art; some are gigantic billboards. Take a river cruise to watch this spectacle.

Public transportation (MRT) is excellent. All Shanghai MRT stations have station names in English. Announcements on trains also are made in English.

Keep an eye out for upscale hotels, if you need to use the restroom.

The visitor to Shanghai having marveled at the city's modern architecture and historical sites will be further rewarded when going to see neighboring water towns like Zhujiajiao and Qibao Ancient Town. Here is another world where ancient houses huddle by the rivers running through the towns that with their flagstone-paved roads and typical local flavors will be sure to slow your pace as you savor their traditions.

Known as the 'Oriental Paris', Shanghai is a shopper's paradise. One of the musts for tourists is Nanjing Road. Huaihai Road intrigues those with modern and fashionable tastes, while Sichuan North Road meets the demands of ordinary folk. In addition, Xujiahui Shopping Center, Yuyuan Shopping City, Jiali Sleepless City are thriving and popular destinations for those who are seeking to buy something special as a memento of their visit.

When the large department stores open in the morning, the background music will consist of loud communist party songs, to change after an hour of so to regular elevator tunes.

Every large tourist town has at least one or more shopping malls for westerners. Often the only place one can buy larger clothing sizes. Although these malls are fun, please be aware that almost everything is fake and that the bargaining is hard. The quickest way often is to show with bills in your hand, how much you are willing to pay and than walk on. If they than gesture you back finalize the deal. Always stay courteous.

Restaurants are often found in clusters in certain parts of the city, recognizable by very colorful decorations to attract customers. Stroll by and look for restaurants that are patronized by chinese families themselves. Most menu's have pictures of the items served. Seafood in general is kept alive in large tanks. Eating out in China is a feast, with very little etiquette, and in general rather noisy. Enjoy the fun! Only drink bottled water even use that if you have to brush your teeth. Use common precautions when eating out.

The Yuan (or Renminbi RMB).

Occasionally you will be given a counterfeit bill, mostly in a small denomination. Nothing you can do about it, just keep it as a souvenir.

Internet is very well adapted in China, in fact even the more modest hotels have almost all WiFi in their rooms and in the public areas you will find Internet stations. Often for free or at a very modest charge. Facebook is blocked in China,

Wi-fi connectivity extends through all of Shanghai MRT Metro. Meaning that when you are underground, you can keep talking or searching.

Emergency number China: 110 Hong Kong and Macao: 999

There seem not set opening hours for stores, it seems as long as there are customers they stay open.

Chinese New Year (about two weeks long) is the time when all the Chinese are traveling and transportation can be very hectic.