Shanghai

Shanghai's front door: the riverside promenade facing the Pudong skyline, and the East Nanjing Road pedestrian street running inland from it.

The round old walled city south of the Bund: Yu Garden, the City God Temple, and the bazaar quarter that grew up around them.

Two clusters across the river: the 1990s financial district — Shanghai Tower, the Oriental Pearl, three observation decks, the Museum of Art Pudong and the Binjiang riverside walk — and, four metro stops east, the Huamu culture cluster with the Shanghai Museum East and the Shanghai Library East.

Shanghai's upscale central corridor: Jing'an Temple, the Zhangyuan shikumen quarter and the Natural History Museum, strung along Metro Line 2.

The heart of the Hengshan-Fuxing historic area: Wukang Road, Anfu Road and the lanes between them, lined with plane trees, garden villas, apartment houses and writers' former homes.

South of Huaihai Road: the Xintiandi shikumen mall and the Communist Party's founding site, the Sinan Road villas and Fuxing Park, and the Tianzifang lane-house maze a short walk south-west.

Hongkou's waterfront and its back streets: the Suzhou Creek mouth, the North Bund promenade, and the Tilanqiao refugee quarter — plus the 1933 abattoir inland by Hailun Rd.

The civic heart on the old racecourse: three museums (one a special-exhibition venue until 14 November 2027), the park with its weekend marriage market, and two 1930s Hudec buildings, at the Line 1/2/8 interchange.

44 dishes by shelf — start with these, the benbang table, street and breakfast, in season, shanghai-style western, souvenirs, vegetarian and halal — each with where to get it.

Knife-fish noodles in Feb, qingtuan in Mar, guangming ice brick and salt soda in Jun, youdunzi in Oct — eat what the season is eating.

Four paid decks side by side — height, price, queue, view — and which one to buy.

Choose the Shanghai Museum building by the collection you want, because the People’s Square and Pudong sites are not interchangeable.

Choose among the three People’s Square museums by subject and access, not proximity.

Choose whether crossing the Huangpu is transport, entertainment or the evening’s main event.

Choose one continuous Former French Concession walk rather than collecting disconnected landmarks.

Decide what is worth paying for around Yu Garden and the old town.

Link Tilanqiao, the North Bund, the Postal Museum and nearby industrial heritage without backtracking.

Decide which Bund buildings you can actually enter, not just which façades to photograph.