Practical Solo 2-Day Shanghai Itinerary for a May Weekend

First, here's the overall itinerary (pics at the end):

May 28 (Fri) – Depart Xi'an in the afternoon, arrive Shanghai in the evening. Overnight at Campanile Hotel Bund.

May 29 (Sat)

Morning: Yuyuan Garden – admission 40 yuan

Noon: Shanghai Tower observation deck – ticket 180 yuan

Afternoon: Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, the Bund

Evening: Huangpu River cruise from Shiliupu Pier No. 2 – ticket 120 yuan

May 30 (Sun)

Morning: Madame Tussauds – ticket 190 yuan

Afternoon: Tianzifang, Wukang Road

Flights: round trip 1,400 yuan, 2 nights hotel 725 yuan, plus entrance fees and meals, so it's under 2,500 yuan for one person.

Now, a few overall impressions and tips:

Choose a hotel near the Bund – I booked one right in the area, and within about a 1 km radius you can walk or bike to spots like Nanjing Road, the Bund, Yuyuan Garden, and Madame Tussauds. It's very convenient.

The best time to visit Shanghai is before mid-May; any later and it gets quite hot. I went at the end of May, and the day I left it was already pretty warm, especially with luggage after checking out. So plan your trip for earlier if you can.

Take the river cruise at night – the scenery on both sides of the Huangpu River is gorgeous after dark.

If you're on a budget like me, download and register the Daduhui app in advance for the metro (the WeChat QR code only works on buses, not the subway).

Here’s the detailed travel log:

On Friday afternoon I flew out of Xi'an at 5:30 pm with Spring Airlines (no meal service, by the way) and landed at Hongqiao Airport at 7:30 pm. Metro Line 10 took me straight to Yuyuan Garden Station, and it was less than a 10-minute walk to the hotel. The place was decent, and the bed was comfy.

Saturday morning I skipped the hotel breakfast and walked to Yuyuan Garden – about 20 minutes. Yuyuan Garden and the City God Temple are right next to each other, packed with street snacks and a food court full of local treats. Definitely worth sampling.

The City God Temple area is full of charming little shops typical of old Shanghai, perfect for browsing.

Yuyuan Garden itself is 40 yuan. Inside it’s spacious, with narrow winding paths and a lovely, intricate garden. The traditional furniture in the various halls is exquisite, and there are calligraphy and paintings, but you can only view them from the doorway. Their official WeChat account has a free audio guide if you're interested. The garden is large enough that you can easily get lost – it’s a fascinating maze of twisting paths. Check the map to see if you missed any spot; you can easily spend an hour to an hour and a half here.

Shanghai Tower is on the east side of the Huangpu, in Pudong. I took a bus, 10 minutes, and you're right in the Lujiazui financial district – all skyscrapers, which is why they call it the "Magic City."

After lunch in the B1 level, I bought a ticket to the 118th-floor observation deck. 180 yuan, a one-minute elevator ride straight up, and you’re looking down on all of Lujiazui and the Huangpu River – amazing.

From Shanghai Tower, I took the metro to East Nanjing Road Station – right at the pedestrian street.

Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street runs from one end to the Bund, with Shanghai New World at the other end, where you can visit Madame Tussauds. I didn’t know that at the time, so I walked all the way to the Bund, strolling along the waterfront promenade and taking in the skyscrapers of Lujiazui across the river and the historic Bund buildings behind you.

By mid-afternoon I was exhausted, so I went back to the hotel – that’s the upside of staying nearby. Rested up and headed out again in the evening for the river cruise.

Huangpu River cruises run during the day too, about once an hour, but there are more departures at night. All tickets are bought at Shiliupu Pier.

I got a ticket for the 7:25 pm sailing, 120 yuan, and we cruised for about an hour before returning to the starting point. The nighttime views are absolutely stunning.

Sunday morning I didn’t check out – I figured I could make it back by noon, so I set off around 9 am. A short bike ride got me to Shanghai New World. The mall opens at 10, but the food court on B1 was already serving, so I ate and by 10:10 I was ready.

Madame Tussauds ticket office is on the ground floor – 190 yuan. You can also buy tickets in advance on their WeChat account; if you purchase before 8 am, you save 10 yuan, and you can enter with the e-code, no need to queue at the counter.

The wax figures are incredibly lifelike: movie stars, sports icons, singers, political figures, classic characters – plenty to see, and you can touch them and take photos. They’ve set up perfect photo spots with props and costumes, so if you love snapping pictures, you’ll have a blast.

An hour later I was done, returned to the hotel to check out and grab my luggage. My flight wasn’t until 6 pm, so I still had time for one more stop.

I headed to Tianzifang – just four metro stops away. It’s a maze of quirky little shops, crowded but really fun, and you can find some cool little souvenirs.

With time to spare after Tianzifang, I decided to visit Wukang Road since it was on the way to the airport. I hopped off the metro mid-way to see Shanghai’s iconic old buildings.

Wukang Road is perfect for artsy photo ops, lined with former residences of famous figures and full of characterful architecture.

That was my last stop before Metro Line 10 to Hongqiao Airport. Flew back with Juneyao Airlines – they served a meal and the service was great – and I arrived safely back in Xi'an.

One final tip: you can plan your days around the Huangpu River. I should have gone to Madame Tussauds right after the Bund on Saturday since it’s nearby, but I hadn’t checked in advance, so my plan wasn’t perfect. Still, Shanghai’s metro is excellent, so with good time management you can cover a lot more in two days.

Anyway, happy travels! If you have any questions, leave a comment and I'll reply when I see it.

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Update June 2:

As requested, I’m adding a few photos for you to enjoy.

Here are the Lujiazui skyscrapers – the building on the left in the second photo is Shanghai Tower, the tallest in Asia and second tallest in the world:

Here’s one end of the pedestrian street:

Bund scenery:

Cruise timetable:

Bund at night:

Madame Tussauds:

And the final stop – Wukang Road: