Shanghai

Shanghai exceeded every expectation. The food alone is worth the trip - I still dream about the xiaolongbao at Din Tai Fung and the spicy crayfish at a random night market. But the city itself is a spectacle: the Pudong skyline at night, the historic waterfront, the hidden temples squeezed between skyscrapers. Everywhere I looked there was something new. If you love cities with energy and flavor, Shanghai is a must.

I've been to a lot of big cities, but Shanghai has my heart. There's so much to unpack: the smell of sizzling scallion pancakes from street carts, the hum of e-bikes on tree-lined roads, the absurdly good coffee in Xuhui. I visited the Shanghai Museum and the exhibits were world-class. Even getting lost in the rain one evening ended with a friendly shopkeeper walking me to my hotel. Not a single dull moment. Can't recommend it enough.

Shanghai completely blew me away. The mix of old and new is unlike anything I've seen - one minute you're in a futuristic financial district, the next you're wandering through narrow lanes with laundry hanging overhead. I went to the observation deck of Shanghai Tower at golden hour and honestly felt like I was on top of the world. The city is clean, the metro is world-class, and people were kinder than I expected. Already planning my next trip.

I spent four days in Shanghai and left with a mostly great impression. The skyline from the Bund is unreal, especially at sunset. I loved walking through the former French Concession - the plane trees and little cafés felt like another world. Only drawback: taxis were hard to flag at rush hour and I got turned around in the subway once. Still, the food scene is amazing, from soup dumplings at a tiny local shop to late-night skewers off a side street. Definitely coming back.

Shanghai is overwhelming in a way I wasn't prepared for. The Bund at night is stunning, but the crowds and noise made it hard to enjoy. We tried a local dumpling place near Yuyuan that was cheap and tasty, but the service felt rushed and a little dismissive. The metro is efficient, but plenty of signs are only in Chinese, and my phone data kept dropping inside the stations. It's a city that never stops, and I think I'd appreciate it more with a guide. Not a bad trip, just not the relaxing getaway I hoped for.

I really wanted to love Shanghai, but honestly it just didn’t wow me the way I expected. The Bund is nice, but the whole time I felt like I was being pushed along by the crowds, and a lot of the old streets have been replaced by identical luxury malls. My hotel was fine, but the staff seemed rushed and the breakfast didn’t have much local flavor. A few moments, like the river breeze at night, were nice, but I left feeling a bit neutral. Maybe I just had bad luck.