im going to shanghai PLZ HELP ??

Question

is it expemsive ? what hotel do u recommend and what do u do for fun ?

Answer 1

Shanghai can be expensive. And it can be very cheap. It depends on what you are looking for. IF you want all Western things, all imported products, all non-Chinese food - it's expensive. If you don't mind Chinese things, Chinese food, etc, it can be dirt cheap (especially if you live like a local).

For Hotels - there is a real range of prices. You can stay at hostels... super-cheap. You can stay at Motel 168 (costs about US$25/night), quite clean and decent. You can stay at holiday inn. Or you can stay top-end like the Grand Hyatt or the Ritz Carlton (can be over US$300 per night). It also depends on the season you go. If it's the busy season and there are lots of events, it'll be more expensive for hotels, etc.

Taxis, etc, are much cheaper in Shanghai than in the West. Taxis start at about US$1.40, and the meter stays at that rate for about 15 minutes. Shanghai is not a very spread-out city (unless you cross the river to Pudong), so taxis will rarely cost you over US$3. You can take the subway for US$0.50. You can take a bus for even less.

If you go to local Chinese food restaurants, then the prices can be really cheap - about US$6 - 10 for a big meal for 3 people. You can also buy food at vendors by the street (such as shish-kabab things), for very cheap.

Western or Japanese (or basically imported) food is expensive. They tax things a lot in China. And they have to import chefs, so non-Chinese food tends to be expensive.

If you want to keep prices down, try go to Carrefour. They have a big supermarket - cheap prices. So stock up from there. If you don't mind spending more, then you should check out the restaurants in the guide Best Shanghai: http://www.best-shanghai.com.

FOR FUN...
I'll give you the real MUST-VISIT places in Shanghai (as a tourist). I've been living here for years...

1) The Bund. It's a street of colonial style buildings by the Huangpu River. It's the most famous street in Shanghai. An absolute MUST. Nowadays, many new restaurants have been popping up along the river, expensive but good quality and with nice views. The most famous is M on the Bund, as it started earliest.

2) Xintiandi. It's an area of old Chinese style "Shikumen" houses that have been renovated into a shopping and entertainment/restaurants, small boutiques and bars area of the city. They have kept the shikumen houses, so it gives an idea about Shanghai's history.

3) Yu Yuan Gardens. It is in a renovated Chinese-style-architecture area of Shanghai. Lots of shops and many tourists. The Gardens themselves are quite nice, as is the area around them. A bit too well-renovated, but very high on the list of tourist things to do in Shanghai.

4) Pudong, near the river. This is the new business district of Shanghai. It has the tall buildings (soon to have tallest building int he world). For a GREAT view of the Huangpu River and the Bund (from the opposite side of the river), try Jade on 36 at the Shangri-La Hotel - it's a bar restaurant. Or you can go to the top of the Jin Mao Building or Peal Oriental Tower for a sky-high view. The Jin Mao is cool to go up for a view from the "clouds" (there's even a bar called Cloud 9), but it's a bit farther back, so the actual view of ths city is not as good.

5) Former French Concession FFC) area. If you know Shanghai's history, you will know that was divided up into sections that were ruled by different countries (such as the British and French). The Bund area was ruled/"administered" by the British. And the French area - called the FFC is also a very nice area. Not many tall buildings - it has many French style villas. The streets are tree-lined, a bit like in French cities, with French Wutong (Phoenix) Trees. Charming area. Try Fuxing Xi road near Wu Kang road. It's nice to even walk around that area. The trees keep the area a bit cooler, with all the shade.

There are all sorts of things to do, depending on your interest. Lots of nice restaurants, with different themes/styles. Lots of bars and clubs (if you wan to know about the BEST bars and clubs, again, try: http://www.best-shanghai.com).

Nanjing Road is famous for shopping malls. But you can find shopping malls in every city. There are even some schools for talented children that are interesting and some acrobatic shows. It really depends on what you like.

Shanghai even has an indoor ski area, not too far away, and a fake beach with artificial waves, quite close-by.

You could try the canal town of Zhouzhuang, which is cute/quaint, but very small. About 45 minutes by car.

Or you can travel by train/car to nearby touristy cities of Suzhou or Hangzhou (famous for gardens and lakes). You could even take a several hour car/train ride to Nanjing, China's old capital.

If you have any specific interests, let me know... i'll be glad to give you some more specific advice.

Answer 2

You can find a whole range of prices for hotels and restaurants. This is a huge city. But, overall, it is more expensive than a smaller city. Shanghai/Pudhong is world class and a hotel room that I stayed in cost $400 USD per night. That said $100 per night will get you a very nice place. Green Mountain was a hotel that is very nice but there are many. Decide what you want to do and where you want to be and then look. Go to the Bundt at night and have a look. The view across the river is fantastic.

Answer 3

Whether its expensive is up to you. When shopping in China you
can try to bargain with sellers. There's alot to do for fun in Shanghai, some other people have listed things. I would recommend a day trip to the city of Hangzhou to see West Lake (See Ho in Chinese). There's alot of good hotels in Shanghai, get on the internet and search around. Go ahead and get a map and find some places of interest. There's plenty of shopping, restaurants, and other things. SHANGHAI IS HUGE!

Answer 4

Depends on the what you want. You could really live a cheap life like all other places in China. Motel 168 can cater for your accomodation needs, you could do a student hostel if you want some company..
On the whole, you can hit me up when you get there. Shanghai can be quite fan.
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Answer 5

go ask a travel guide or join a travel tour.

depends what you intend on doing there. or what your idea of fun is...