Where to stay in Shanghai: which neighbourhood suits your trip

The short answer. For a first visit of two or three nights, stay on or just behind the Bund (外滩, Wàitān): the river, the historic bank buildings and Nanjing Road are on foot, and Metro Lines 2 and 10 are a few minutes away. If you came for old buildings, plane trees and long walks, stay in the former French Concession (法租界, Fǎzūjiè), around Wukang Road and Hengshan Road. If you want the skyline from your window and a quick run to Pudong airport, stay in Lujiazui (陆家嘴). Everywhere else is a compromise between those three.

Shanghai is large and the metro is good, so no central district is a bad choice. The question is what you want outside the hotel door at eight in the morning and eleven at night.

The Bund and Nanjing Road East

Who it suits: first-timers, short stays, anyone who wants to be in the postcard.

The Bund is a kilometre and a half of 1920s banks and hotels facing the river, with the Pudong towers opposite. Several of the buildings are hotels themselves, so you can sleep in the story. Behind the waterfront, the blocks between the Bund and Henan Road are the old business district, quiet at night and full of cafés by day. Nanjing Road East, the pedestrian shopping street, runs west from the Peace Hotel to People’s Square.

Metro: Lines 2 and 10 at Nanjing Road East, Line 2 to both airports.
Watch out for: weekend and holiday crowds on the promenade, and higher prices than anywhere else in the city.

The former French Concession

Who it suits: history lovers, walkers, second visits, anyone staying a week.

The Hengfu historic district, roughly between Huaihai Road, Hengshan Road and Huashan Road, is low-rise and tree-lined: apartment blocks and garden houses from the 1920s and 30s, small shops, and the city’s best café streets. Nothing here is a single sight; the district is the sight. Hotels range from heritage apartments to small boutique houses.

Metro: Lines 1, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12 ring the district; most hotels are 10 to 15 minutes’ walk from a station.
Watch out for: distances. The Bund is 30 to 40 minutes away by metro, so plan a full day there rather than popping over.

Lujiazui

Who it suits: business travellers, skyline watchers, families who want big hotel rooms.

The financial district on the Pudong side has the tallest towers, the broadest pavements and the best river views back towards the Bund. It is a modern district of malls and office blocks; after work it empties. The riverside promenade and the pedestrian bridge between the towers are the places to be at dusk.

Metro: Line 2 runs straight from Lujiazui to Nanjing Road East (one stop under the river), People’s Square, Hongqiao and Pudong airport.
Watch out for: a lack of street life. Dinner means a mall or a taxi across the river.

People’s Square and Jing’an

Who it suits: museum-goers, shoppers, anyone who wants to be in the middle of the metro map.

People’s Square is the hub where Lines 1, 2 and 8 meet, with the main museums and the Park Hotel on its edges. Jing’an, further west along Nanjing Road, is the city’s modern high street: the temple, the big malls and many international hotels. Neither is pretty, but both are practical, and the former French Concession begins a few blocks south of either.

Metro: Lines 1, 2 and 8 at People’s Square; Lines 2 and 7 at Jing’an Temple.

Xintiandi and Huaihai Road

Who it suits: nightlife, restaurants, a mix of old lanes and new shopping.

Xintiandi is a restored block of shikumen lane houses turned into restaurants and bars; around it, Huaihai Road is the long shopping avenue of the former French Concession. It is a good base if you want evenings out and still want to walk to the old streets by day.

Metro: Lines 10 and 13 at Xintiandi; Line 1 along Huaihai Road.

The Old City (Yuyuan) and the North Bund (Hongkou)

Who it suits: travellers on a second or third visit, or on a tighter budget.

The Old City around Yu Garden is the Chinese town that predates the concessions, now largely rebuilt but with its temple, bazaar and lanes. The North Bund, across Suzhou Creek, has the 1930s Broadway Mansions and Astor House, the old Jewish quarter further east, and lower prices for a riverside location. Both are short metro or taxi rides from the Bund.

Metro: Line 10 and 14 at Yuyuan Garden; Lines 10 and 12 at Tiantong Road and Line 4 along the North Bund.

Getting to the airports from each base

Pudong airport: Metro Line 2 from any stop on the line, about an hour from People’s Square for roughly 7 yuan; a taxi from the Bund is around 180 yuan and 50 minutes. The Airport Link Line connects the two airports in about 40 minutes for 26 yuan.
Hongqiao airport and railway station: Metro Lines 2 and 10 from the centre; a taxi from the centre is about 30 minutes and 100 to 150 yuan.

The former French Concession is the farthest of the central districts from Pudong airport and the nearest to Hongqiao; Lujiazui and the Bund are the reverse.

Three practical notes

Hotels and foreign guests. A hotel no longer needs a special licence to take foreign guests. In May 2024 the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Commerce and the National Immigration Administration told hotels they may not turn foreigners away for lacking “foreign-related qualifications”, and in July 2024 the Ministry of Commerce and six other departments told booking platforms and hotels not to advertise that they do not accept foreign guests. The hotels recommended on our area pages are marked with whether they have confirmed they take foreign passports; if you book elsewhere, it is still worth asking before you pay. The hotel registers your stay with the police at check-in. If you stay in a private home instead, you or your host must report to the local police within 24 hours of arrival. The full steps, including what to do if a hotel refuses you, are in Hotel check-in with a passport.
The season. Shanghai has no central heating, so for a winter stay check that the room has working heating; in summer, check the air-conditioning. A room facing the street can be noisy, so ask for one at the back if you sleep lightly. When to visit Shanghai covers the weather month by month.
Price bands. This site gives relative price levels (1 to 4) for each area and hotel rather than room rates, which change with the season and the booking site. Our area pages explain the bands and list the hotels; each hotel card shows what is within a ten-minute walk.

See the full comparison, with a map, on the Where to stay overview, and the Getting around guide for the transport detail.