Everything You Should Know Before You Visit Shanghai

The culture shock you get when you visit Shanghai is like no other. You have to trust me on this: I have been to Asian metropolis such as Hanoi and Saigon before; I have visited Indonesia and India, and none of them felt as shockingly different (in a positive, interesting way) as Shanghai. This city is an incredible mix of traditions and modernity, a bustling metropolis of the eastern world and one of the most high-tech cities on the planet.To get more news about Shanghai travel tips, you can visit shine news official website.

Find out more about Hanoi on my post 17 Fun And Unmissable Things To Do In Hanoi and plan your visit to Saigon with my post 10 Things To Do In Saigon In Just 3 Days.

Home to a staggering 24 million people, it’s the second most populous city on the planet, and as you can probably imagine, incredibly different to the western world.

Despite the sprawling skyscrapers, futuristic towers, and many of the same brands and stores, Shanghai is poles apart from what you’d perhaps imagine and it can take some getting used to.

That’s not to say don’t visit Shanghai: far from it. This East China city is an extraordinary place that really must be seen to be believed. However, there are some things you really must know before you plan a trop there.Shanghai is a city of contrasts, where you’ll find small, ancient buildings sandwiched between modern ones. For the most part, the city has a futuristic feel, with avant-guard buildings and a shiny skyline that looks like it’s just popped out of a science fiction movie. The Huangpu River is the perfect dinner spot: the view of the Pudong side of the city from the Bund at night is breathtaking.

If you visit Shanghai, make sure to go to Puxi. This is the historic part of the city, where locals live, and it’s where you’ll find old buildings, traditions, and lots of examples of the local culture and vibe.One of the first things to consider when visiting China is sorting out a Visa. The only cities/principalities in which you don’t need a Visa when visiting China are Macau and Hong Kong. You will need a Visa for Shanghai. However, if you’re only planning to visit Shanghai for a short time (ie for a layover to go to another destination outside of China), then you may not need one.

If you plan to stay longer, you will need a Visa and I strongly advise you to give yourself plenty of time before you travel to apply for one.You can apply for a Visa of up to 30 days, with six months required on your passport past the visa expiry date. The cost of them varies and it very much depends on the country you’re traveling from . If you are traveling with family or friends, you are also eligible for a Group eVisa. However, keep in mind that the maximum stay with a Group eVisa is 15 days.

If you plan to visit Shanghai, remember that China has a pretty stringent policy when it comes to internet censorship with many sites that westerners commonly use to communicate blocked by the government.

The likes of Facebook and Twitter are blocked regularly so if you’re wanting to connect with home via these mediums you may need to download a VPN.

There are a number of VPNs that can be used in China and what they do is allow you to connect to a server elsewhere in the world to bypass geoblocks and governmental censorship. Essentially masking your Chinese IP address, you’ll be able to use everything you usually would and speak to friends and family back home.The best VPN for China is often considered to be ExpressVPN which many review sites and experts advise to use, due to be it being specially designed to use on the country.

Another way to talk with family and friends is WeChat (called Weixin in China). You can download it before you visit Shanghai and ask your friends back home to get it too. It’s what the locals use instead of WhatsApp.