Travel guide to Shanghai

Next to the lovely Fuxing Park, the Pudi Boutique Hotel has 52 rooms with dark-hued furniture and funky artwork; from 1577 yuan, if booking online (99 Yandang Road, Luwan, 5158 5888, www.boutiquehotel.cn). Getting high is compulsory at the Grand Hyatt; it occupies the 53rd to 87th floors of the shimmering shard-like Jin Mao Tower, while its Cloud 9 bar has stunning 360-degree views of Shanghai; from 2000 yuan for a double (88 Century Avenue, Pudong, 5049 1234, www.shanghai.grand.hyatt.com). A short taxi ride from Shanghai's extravagant Expo site, the luxuriant St Regis has doubles from 2070 yuan (889 Dong Fang Road, Pudong, 5050 4567, www.starwoodhotels.com/stregis).

Lash out

A long-time favourite for Westerners and affluent Chinese, the swish, centrally located Portman Ritz-Carlton has doubles from 2000 yuan a night (1376 West Nanjing Road, Huangpu, 6279 8888, www.ritzcarlton.com). The 235 rooms at the new, five-star Peninsula have art deco and Oriental flourishes, while an in-house spa promises extreme pampering. From 3200yuan for a double; the ultra-lavish Peninsula suite — with two bedrooms, an enclosed balcony, private gym and whirlpool — is yours for a mere 85,000 yuan (32 The Bund, Huangpu, 2327 2888, www.peninsula.com). A revamped classic, the Fairmont Peace Hotel, reopens this winter after a three-year hiatus. Taking reservations for stays from September onward, the refurbished rooms start at 2300 yuan (20 Nanjing Rd, 6321 6888, www.fairmonthotel.com/peacehotel).

SHOP & PLAY

To market

For a vibrant, ramshackle slice of Shanghai, head to Dongtai Road Antique Market and nose through dusty, second-hand memorabilia from the Mao era, opium pipes and eye-catching porcelain. Don't bank on everything being top quality but do expect a raffish atmosphere and plenty of haggling (Luwan, 9am-6pm daily). At the Shiliupu Fabrics Market, talented tailors can conjure up made-to-measure clothing from silk, cashmere, linen and cotton. A business suit should set you back about 500 yuan ($84), (168 Dongmen Road, Huangpu, 10am-6pm daily). Cha lovers should seek out Tianshan Tea Market (520 Zhongshan Xi Road, Changning, 10am-6pm daily).

Go shop

Shiny new malls, overflowing with the latest Gucci and Armani fashions, seem to sprout almost every month in Shanghai. The flashiest is Super Brand in the Pudong district's ever-growing forest of gleaming high-rises (168 Lujiazui Xi Road, www.superbrandmall.com). Nanjing Road and Huaihai Road are the city's tried and trusted shopping arteries. If you can handle the crowds, don't miss the Yuyuan Bazaar, which is chock-a-block with souvenir stores selling teapots, woodcuts, lacquerware, pearls and calligraphy (19 Wenchan Road, Nanshi). Nifty boutique shops are all the rage in Shanghai, with Suzhou Cobblers renowned for its lovely hand-sewn silk slippers (17 Fuzhou Road, 6321 7087, www.suzhou-cobblers.com).

Live music

Once derided for its lamentable live music scene, Shanghai now attracts some top performers — those who pass China's strict censorship rules, anyway. Shanghai Grand Stage (Shanghai Gymnasium, 1111 Caoxi Road, Xuhui, 6217 2426) has hosted the Rolling Stones, Christina Aguilera, Eric Clapton and Michael Bolton rolls into town on June 3. Top DJs hit the decks at M2 Club; John Digweed and Ferry Corsten recently performed sets (4F, 283 Huaihai Road, Luwan, museshanghai.cn). For live punk and alternative music, dive into Logo (13 Xingfu Road, 6281 5646, www.logoshanghai.net). Sax appeal slithers through the smoky House of Blues & Jazz (60 Fuzhou Road, Huangpu, 6323 2779).

Nightclubs

Shanghai's clubbing scene is in a state of permanent flux, with venues forever coming and going. One veteran still luring night owls is Club Bonbon (2F, 1329/1331 Central Huaihai Road, 2193 9299, www.clubbonbon.com), while the it-crowd flocks to Baby Face (No. 101, 138 Huaihai Road, Huangpu, 6375 6667, www.babyface.com.cn). Revellers hunting Latin exuberance, salsa-themed parties and table dancing should try Zapata's (5 Hengshan Road, 6474 6166 or 6433 4104, www.zapatas-shanghai.com). A stylish newcomer, the 2000-capacity Obama launched in April with a theme night dedicated to the US president (The Garden Plaza, 2088 West Yan'an Road, Gubei, 6082 5511).

SEE & DO

Shanghai icons

For many it's the symbol of modern Shanghai. The 468-metre, red-bulbed Oriental Pearl Tower is a spectacular sight from any angle and can be scaled (by lift) for some sensational panoramic views (100-150 yuan, 1 Century Avenue, Pudong, 5879 8888, 8am-9.30pm daily). The Yuyuan Gardens (40 yuan adults/10 children, 132 Anren Street, Nanshi, 6360 0830, 8.30am-5pm daily) is a Ming-era dynasty site with liberal sprinklings of flowers, carp-filled pools and pretty pagodas, while the Jade Buddha temple is delightfully serene (20 yuan, 170 Anyuan Road, Jing'an, 6266 2668, 8am-4.30pm daily). Shanghai's much-hyped Expo runs until October 31 and although queues can be maddening — the event is expected to draw 70 million visitors — it's worth going just to see the quirky pavilion designs (www.en.expo2010.cn).

Culture

More than a millennium of Chinese history is crammed into the Shanghai Museum (free, 201 Renmin Avenue, Huangpu, 6372 3500, 9am-5pm), while the Museum of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party oozes Marxist rhetoric (3 yuan, 76 Xingye Road, Luwan, 5383 2171, 9am-5pm daily). For top-notch opera, book a seat at the Grand Theatre (300 Renmin Avenue, Huangpu, 6386 8686, www.shgtheatre.com), or go to nearby Yifu Theatre for performances of China's myriad regional dance styles (701 Fuzhou Road, 6322 5294, tianchan.com. Contemporary art galleries are sprinkled across Shanghai; try Hongkou's Duolun Road Cultural Street, an area of restored old houses once home to some of China's leading literary figures.

Foot work

Avoid it at weekends, unless you want to rub shoulders with what seems like half of China, yet a stroll along the Bund is unmissable. The kilometre-long stretch fringing the muddy Huangpu River is lined with art deco and neoclassical-style bank and consulate buildings that date back to the city's glory days before World War II. Another fabulous place for a wander is the former French Concession district. Navigating its wide, leafy avenues, you'll appreciate why Shanghai's nicknamed the Paris of the East. For an insight into how most Shanghainese live, hit the ungentrified backstreets of the Old Town.

Follow the leader

Scores of tour companies offer boat trips on the Huangpu. Head down to East Jinling Road dock on the Bund, or the Pearl Dock in Pudong but consider a night cruise — when buildings on both sides of the river are lit up. For hop-on-hop-off tours, Shanghai Sightseeing Buses ply 50 routes, taking in top attractions (ticket office and station, Shanghai Stadium, 666 Tianyaoqiao Road, Xihui, 6426 5555). Shanghai's Jewish history can be explored on a half-day guided tour (400 yuan a person, 6283 9235, www.shanghai-jews.com).

EAT & DRINK

Cafe culture

A cool place for latte and brunch is in the warren-like lanes of the Taikang Road Art Centre — a little community of cafes, restaurants, boutiques and galleries housed in uniquely Shanghainese shikumen buildings (ostensibly late 19th-century and early 20th-century blocks fused with Western and Asian-type architecture). The Kommune Cafe is a hive for an creative, artsy crowd (210 Taikang Road, Luwan, 6466 2416). If you'd prefer tea, frequent one of Shanghai's 4500 teahouses. De He serves sublimely sweet Golden Osmanthus, a honey-shaded green tea scented with the fragrant yellow flower that usually blooms in autumnal Shanghai (135 West Jianguo Road, Luwan, 5468 1117).

Snack attack

A clutch of steaming, sizzling cheap eats are hawked in and around Yunnan Road, a short walk from Renmin Square. Gorge on skewered chicken, mutton and beef, fluffy pork and vegie buns, juicy meat dumplings and hand-pulled noodle soups before checking out sugar-coated pastries and cakes in the neighbourhood's many bakeries. Rather more high-brow, Peruvian chef Eduardo Vargas's Azul Viva lounge gets rave reviews for its mouth-watering Spanish tapas with a South American twist (8 Dongping Road, Xuhui, 6433 1172). Issimo serves stylish Italian-themed dishes at the boutique hotel JIA (931 West Nanjing Road, 6217 9000 www.jiashanghai.com).

Top of the town

Touted as the world's highest restaurant, the Grand Hyatt's 100 Century Avenue stretches from the 91st to the 93rd floor of the Shanghai World Financial Centre and serves up a sophisticated selection of Chinese, Japanese and Western dishes (100 Century Avenue, Pudong, 6888 1234, www.shanghai.park.hyatt.com). Celebrated Shanghainese fare such as hairy crab and drunken chicken, so called because it's marinated in local Shaoxing wine, are on the menu at Fu 1039, an intimate Chinese place set in a restored 1930s villa (1039 Yu Yuan Road, Changning, 5237 1878). The newest of many French eateries in Shanghai is Allure, on the 11th floor of Le Meridien Hotel. Bargain set lunches — rustled up by chef Michael Wendling — from 128 yuan, dinners 488 yuan (789 Nanjing East Road, Huangpu, 3318 9999). Classy outdoor restaurants fill the revamped shikumen area of Xintiandi (corner Taicang and Madang Roads, Luwan, www.xintiandi.com).

By the glass

The bars along the Bund are prime places for fine wine and cocktails and attract a suitably sharp-dressed crowd. Take your pick from Glamour (6F, 5 The Bund, 6322 0099, www.m-theglamourbar.com), New Heights (7F, 3 the Bund, 6321 0909, www.threeonthebund.com), Bar Rouge (7F, 18 The Bund, 6339 1199, www.bar-rouge-shanghai.com) or, for the best views of all, Vue (33F, Hyatt Hotel, 199 Huangpu Road, 6393 1234, www.shanghai.bund.hyatt.com). O'Malley's (42 Tao Jiang Road, 6474 4533, www.omalleys-shanghai.com) is the place to kick-start a night on Hengshan Road, while the Windows bars enjoy cult status (www.windowsbars.com).

Hot tip

Ride the Maglev from Shanghai's Pudong Airport to the city. The 30-kilometre trip takes eight minutes at up to 430km/h, tickets 50 yuan, www.smtdc.com/en.

Getting there

Qantas (www.qantas.com.au) flies Sydney-Shanghai direct; Cathay Pacific (www.cathaypacific.com) is via Hong Kong.

Visas & Currency

Australians need a visa for China. Three-month, single-entry ones, available for $40, and can be applied for online at www.sydney.chineseconsulate.org/eng. China uses the yuan (also called the renminbi). $1 = 5.9 yuan

Calling China

The Chinese country code is +86 and (0) 21 for Shanghai. To call Shanghai from abroad, add +8621 to the numbers listed.