Two years ago I went on a short getaway to China. I visited two cites, Hong Kong and Shanghai. On this blog I am going to be reviewing my first trip, Shanghai. Enjoy!
Day 1
I departed on a flight in the morning from Jakarta to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific. I landed in Hong Kong and had a little layover before I boarded my connecting flight to Shanghai on Cathay Dragon/Dragonair Airbus. Although there was heavy rain, both flights were considerably pleasant, but I'm not going to be conducting an airline review in this blog, although I look forward to dedicating a blog exclusively to a flight report in the future! I landed in Shanghai Pudong International, navigated through the airport and hopped on a high-speed rapid transit train (which reached speeds up to 200 miles an hour) called the Maglev, a Chinese equivalent to the Shinkansen in Japan.
My flight from HK to SH
Shanghai Pudong International Airport
The Maglev provided services to and from Shanghai Pudong Airport and was headed to the Longyang Road Maglev Station. It costed me RMB 50 (USD 8) for a one-way ticket on The Maglev and took about 20-30 minutes to reach the city. Passengers can then transit to the Longyang Road Metro Station and travel by Shanghai Metro to downtown Shanghai. I went on Line 2 (the green line) on the Shanghai Metro from Longyang Road Station to Nanjing West Road Station, where my hotel was located.
Shanghai Maglev Train Station
Shanghai Maglev
Other than by car, the train option (metro + maglev) is the only access to Shanghai Pudong Airport people can take and vice versa. My trip from Longyang Road to Nanjing Road costed me roughly RMB 7 (USD 1) and took approximately 15 minutes to arrive. My first impressions on the Shanghai transit system is that it's very cheap, clean, and easy to navigate. All of the passengers were compliant to the rules and norms which made the journey even more effortless. I'd give the Shanghai Metro a solid 5 stars and would advise anyone to use it when getting around the city.
Shanghai Metro
I arrived at Nanjing West Station and headed out to see that my hotel was just conveniently located right across the street. The hotel I stayed in was called The Radisson Blu Shanghai New World Hotel. This was probably one of the nicest and most affordable 5 star hotels I have ever stayed in, not to forget the fact that it's also located in Nanjing Road which is a major shopping and commercial district in Shanghai, which makes it even more convenient and accessible. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is visiting Shanghai for the first time like I did. After check-in, I headed to my room and took a long nap, and that literally concludes 90% of my first day in Shanghai.
View from my hotel room
When I woke up from my nap, it was already evening, and I wanted to get out of the hotel to find supper. I headed down the Nanjing West Road pedestrian street and ended up in People's Square. I walked around for a bit then headed towards the restaurants and shops, where the shopping centres in Nanjing that night were bright and packed with people. I made my decision for dinner that I was going for a Big Mac at McDonald's, because I literally had no idea where else to get my food. Unsurprisingly, the burger tasted exactly the same in Shanghai like where it would anywhere in the world. After my disappointing dinner, I continued to walk around the area, seeing a lot of street performers, food stalls, and vertical neon shop lights (which reminded me of Japan). I spent the next hours just wandering around and taking pictures until I checked my phone and realised that it was already 12:00 AM. Time flies like a blink of an eye in Shanghai because the city never sleeps. Even in the middle of the night, the shopping plazas were still fully lit (some were even open) with a considerable amount of people still crowding the area. So after that I eventually decided to go back to the hotel and take a rest, and that was the end to my first day. I had a tiring yet wonderful day.
Nanjing Road Shopping and Commercial Area
Day 2
Today was the start of my first official day in Shanghai, where I had a full day planned ahead on my agenda. I was going to Lujiazui, the main commercial and financial business district in Shanghai and also where a lot of the tourist attractions were, like the Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower. I headed out of my hotel after breakfast to the Nanjing West Station across the street to hop on the metro to Lujiazui. I went on Line 2 again, and it took only 3 stops to get to the Lujiazui Station. The trip costed around RMB 3 (USD 0.45) with a duration from about 15 to 20 minutes, which I considered was unbelievably cheap for a relatively extensive distance. I got off the metro and out of the station to see that I was already in the centre of the Lujiazui area, where a big circular elevated pedestrian bridge was right in front of me, with the Oriental Pearl Tower in the background. The width of it was considerably large, and had many branches leading towards buildings, with the bridge itself acting sort of like a circumference to the roundabout in the middle. I took an elevator to get on the bridge, to see that it was jam-packed with people doing activities and taking photos, especially tourists. Though I thought it wasn't the best day for taking pictures, since that day the city was shrouded with haze.
Lujiazui Roundabout & Pedestrian Bridge
The next couple of hours consisted of me just walking around and taking pictures. I went to the IFC Mall, did a little shopping, then to the Apple Store located in front of the mall, which was probably one of the coolest Apple Stores I had ever seen. It's similar to the one on Fifth Avenue in New York where the glass building was just the entrance and you had to go down another level to enter the actual store, except this one was round and shaped like a tube/pipe. It's identical to the one in NYC, but unique in it's own way. The atmosphere in the store is really inviting, and it had an environment friendly concept so there was a lot of vegetation inside. I eventually decided to buy an Apple Watch, the 42mm Sport Edition with an aluminium alloy. It's a great watch and I still use it until this day.
Apple Store Lujiazui
After the Apple Store, I kept on walking around the area until I found the Disney Store. And the moment I saw the store from a distance, I immediately wanted to check it out, remembering what my cousins back home in Indonesia asked me on the day before my trip that they would like for me to buy them anything Disney related. I finally spent two hours in that store! I have a lot of young relatives at home and they all love anything related to Disney. Frozen, Moana, Big Hero 6, Cars, Toy Story, you name it. I eventually bought so many gifts for my relatives back in Indonesia, and it wasn't cheap. Everything I bought added up to 7 large plastic bags, and the grand total for everything I purchased reached around a whopping RMB 8500 (USD 1200). One thing I finally knew for sure was that Disney merchandise is very expensive and I would've never even thought of buy anything from that store if it weren't for my cousins who were hardcore Disney fans. But even though it was way too overpriced, I loved buying gifts and souvenirs from my travels for my friends and family at home, so it was actually quite worth it.
Disney Store Lujiazui
It was already 5:00 PM when I was finished with my shopping at the Disney Store, and I was getting ready to experience the Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower at night. I left all of my shopping bags at the Disney Store and was going to pick them up later when I'm done, considering the utter inconvenience I would be in if I took all 7 of those huge bags with me up the Pearl Tower. I walked to the ticket booth and got the B Ticket which includes the Upper Sphere + Lower Sphere + Museum and costed RMB 160 (USD 24). I wanted to get the A Ticket that costed RMB 220 (USD 32), but I was pretty much broke at that point after my Disney shopping spree, and it only included an additional entrance to the Space Module which I thought was a bit overpriced (says the person who spends $1200 on plush toys and action figures), don't judge me LOL. Nevertheless, the Pearl Tower was beautiful. It looked mesmerising at night from the outside, and the view inside from the top was also incredible, although I couldn't see anything when I went to the Upper Sphere thanks to the smog.
Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower
Tips for when visiting the Pearl Tower:
- Bring a jacket or coat, it will be very windy on the Upper Sphere since it's open air.
- The best time to experience the tower is at night, where you will see spectacular views of the city.
- Don't pay extra for an A Ticket, the additional entry to the Space Module isn't worth it.
- I recommend the dinner/lunch combo ticket on the Revolver Restaurant if it suits your budget. Although I haven't actually experienced it myself, I've heard many positive feedbacks from the people who have.
- Don't buy souvenirs at the Pearl Tower Gift Shop, buy it elsewhere where it's not overpriced like flea markets with the same quality.
- Lastly, bring small snacks/pocket entertainment with you because the line for the elevator going up is VERY long, where it took almost 4 HOURS for me.
Pearl Tower Entrance
Observation Level
Skywalk - Upper Sphere (Outdoor)
View from Skywalk Glass Floor
View from the Lower Sphere - facing the Huangpu River
I was done by midnight and spent approximately a total of 6 hours on the Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower. That consists of the 4 hour line and 2 hours of sightseeing. By that time, I didn't even think of having dinner anymore. The experience was overwhelming, but it was amazing nevertheless. I recommend it to anyone visiting Shanghai for the first time to go and experience it for themselves. After I was done, I was exhausted, sleepy and didn't have the energy to walk anymore, so I took a cab back to the hotel. The fare was around RMB 150 (USD 22) and it took about 10 to 15 minutes to reach my hotel. I went up to my room, showered, then went straight to bed, and that wrapped up my second day in Shanghai.
Day 3
Today I visited two places, the Yu/Yuyuan Gardens in the afternoon and The Bund in the evening. As usual, I started my day with breakfast at the hotel, which I have to mention was a pretty impressive breakfast with a lot food selections considering it was a continental breakfast. Before my outing on my third day in Shanghai, I had already booked a massage and spa treatment at my hotel on the first day I arrived. It was about 2 to 3 hours, and I can't say the approximate fee since it tends to fluctuate. The treatment wasn't amazing, but it wasn't bad either, so it was just OK. After my massage, I went up to my room to shower and headed straight to the metro station after I was done. I took Line 2 from Nanjing West to Nanjing East, then transferred to Line 10 to take the train going from Nanjing East to Yuyuan Garden. The ride was still very inexpensive and costed the same as before, RMB 3 (USD 0.45). I arrived at the front entrance of the Yu Garden complex, where the actual gardens were still far inside the area and you had to bypass a lot of shops/markets on the way to the entrance of the actual gardens. And the whole place was consisted only of traditional oriental architecture, which I found quite pleasing to the eyes.
Yu Garden Markets
I finally reached the entrance to the gardens and bought a ticket. The admission fee was RMB 40 (USD 6). The gardens were beautiful, and if it weren't so crowded, it would be even more breathtaking. Some people say I might be exaggerating, but I'm really not because this was the first time I have ever seen anything like it. where the whole place looked like something that came to life from a painting. The gardens are a place to escape the urban sprawl of Shanghai for a moment and feel a presence of peace and serenity, which I so desperately needed at that time. So today was actually my most relaxing/leisurely day in Shanghai.
Yu Gardens
I spent around 3 hours to go through the whole area of the gardens, and by the time I was done it was already noon, so I headed to the foodcourt to find something to eat. After lunch, I continued to walk around the area and did a little shopping in the markets. By the time I was done, it was almost evening and I headed out the area to catch a cab to the bund because it was not that far. The Bund is a waterfront area, sitting on the west bank of the Huangpu River. It was actually located in the Nanjing East area, so from the area to my hotel was accessible by walking distance, since it was in the same borough. The cab ride costed around 20 RMB (USD 3), which was almost 7 times the metro fare, although I was not surprised since taxi fares should be expensive. I waited for the sun to set to get a good pic of from The Bund, and I was a little disappointed because the haze and smog that was just too thick. Although I didn't get any fantastic photos, I still very much enjoyed the bund. The architecture of the buildings were spectacular, and the view from across the Huangpu River was mind blowing.
Lujiazui from across the Huangpu river, seen from The Bund
I started to feel the mix of the windy air and the vibes of Old Shanghai seep into my skin. The Bund has to be one of the most incredible places I've ever visited, and so far it's my favourite place so far on my trip to Shanghai. There was a touch of European influence in it's architecture, while still retaining it's oriental roots. You haven't been to Shanghai if you didn't visit The Bund. I'll leave it to that.
The Bund
I took another cab from The Bund back to my hotel, because I was already too exhausted. It took only 3 minutes, and the metre didn't even climb, so I was supposed to pay RMB 10, but then I added another RMB 5 for the tip. That added up to RMB 15 (USD 2) for my whole trip. I arrived at my hotel, started packing for tomorrow's flight back to Hong Kong in the evening, then went to sleep. Day three, done.
Day 4
Today was my last day in Shanghai before my flight back to Hong Kong tonight. I wanted to make the most of this day, so I tried to fit in a lot of places to the time I have, which was approximately 12 more hours. I had breakfast as usual, went up to the room to gather all of my belongings, then checked out of the hotel. I left my 4 suitcases at the hotel after check out and was going to stop by the hotel again later on the way to the airport to pick them up. Today I planned on going to two places again, Xintiandi and the Shanghai Museum, which were not far apart from each other, and also not that far from my hotel, so I decided to take a taxi to get around faster. First I went to the Shanghai Museum. It was fairly close and the cab fare costed roughly RMB 20 (USD 3), although I could've just walked if I had time. I admit, there wasn't much to see in the Shanghai Museum, and I only went because it was the closest museum to my hotel and I thought I should just check it out since I was already there.
Shanghai Museum
Museum Entrance
The Shanghai Museum was a typical Chinese historical museum, where they displayed mostly exhibits of clay or pottery artefacts and ancient Chinese currencies.
Clay artefacts
Ancient currencies
I didn't spend a lot of time in the museum, and the tickets were free, where the museum hands out 8000 free tickets daily. After I was done, I headed on to my last destination, Xintandi. It was an affluent car-free shopping area with small alleys, where the shops in that area were also built to have an Old Shanghai theme. I took a cab, which costed about the same from my hotel to the museum. I arrived at Xintiandi, and my first impressions were that this was kind of like an equivalent to Ginza in Tokyo, Japan. The streets were filled with iconic luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hermès, Rolex, etc. It was unique in it's own way though, because there were small alleys/gaps between buildings where inside them were pubs, nightclubs, and bars. I spent my afternoon until evening in Xintiandi. I did a little shopping again, where I thought I should by a something for myself. Not to sound conceited, but the only thing I've bought for myself was the Apple Watch I got two days ago, and I would like to have something else. I finally got two pairs of shoes, which were both Adidas.
Xintiandi alleys
Xintiandi at night
My flight to Hong Kong was at 10:00 PM, which was in about 3 hours. I hailed a cab and headed back to my hotel to pick up my luggage, then requested a shuttle to the airport at the concierge which turns out was completely free of charge, and I didn't even know until they offered it to me the day before. I hopped in the shuttle, said goodbye to my hotel, then headed to the airport.
Last view of my hotel from exterior at night 😢
It was a smooth ride to the airport, and I arrived just in time before check-in closes. The counter wasn't that crowded, and I had an easy check in process. I got my Dragonair boarding pass and headed toward the gate, where boarding will commence in about 15 minutes. I waited as I reflected my whole experience in Shanghai. I was sad that I was leaving Shanghai, and I may not go back in a long time, but nevertheless I was very happy and grateful that I had the chance to travel to such amazing destinations like Shanghai. It was extraordinary, and I'll leave it to that. So I guess that concludes my amazing holiday in Shanghai. Although I was a bit blue, my vacation hasn't ended! Next stop: Hong Kong. Thank you so much if you've read my blog until the very end, and I really hope you enjoyed it! Please help support my page and look forward to my next post on my time in Hong Kong, which I will be posting very soon. Thank you and have an amazing day! x
Best Regards,
Dom / @dominickoesno
Hi @dominickoesno! Welcome to Steemit and good luck!!
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superb article
Thank you!
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