Shanghai Hotels

Shanghai Art Museum
Venue of the Shanghai Biennale, this excellent museum is particularly worth a visit for its location within the former British racecourse club building next to Renmin Park. Refreshingly cool in summer, the interior galleries - arranged over three floors - are perfectly suited to appreciating art, with well-illuminated alcoves and a voluminous sense of space.

Jinmao Tower
In a city of dubious contemporary architecture, the colossal Jinmao Tower stands out for its winning design, loosely inspired by a traditional Chinese subject, the pagoda. If you want to see Shanghai in a splendid nutshell, travel in the elevators (moving at 9.1m/second) to the 88th-floor observation deck, accessed from the separate podium building to the side of the main tower. Time your visit at dusk for both day and night views.

Bǎoluó Jiǔlóu
Join the Shanghainese night owls who queue down the street well into the early hours outside of this amazingly busy venue. Bǎoluó is typically chaotic, cavernous and packed - a great place to get a feel for Shanghai's famous buzz. The English menu isn't much help here (the translations are gibberish) so follow your nose and see what other tables are ordering. Try the excellent baked eel, which isn't on the English menu.

Fuxing Park
This leafy park, laid out by the French in 1909 and later used by the Japanese as a parade ground in the late 1930s, remains one of the city's more pleasant. Heavily shaded by big-leafed wutong trees, it's an excellent place to take a seat and escape the summer sun and there's a popular kiddies playground. Wreathed in the laughter of children, the huge stony-faced busts of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels gaze out from a seemingly redundant epoch.

Dī Shuǐ Dòng
Dī Shuǐ Dòng is the discerning local's choice for fiery Hunanese cooking. It's a refreshingly unpretentious and friendly place serving consistently good and authentic food. Try the chicken and chilli claypot or the classic boiled frog and cool down with plenty of beer. Milder dishes include spare ribs and braised spring chicken with ginger, plus the crowd-pleasing caramelised bananas for dessert. English menu. Reserve.

Huangpu River Cruise
The Huangpu River offers staggering views of the Bund and riverfront activity. Most tour boats depart from the docks on the south end of the Bund, near East Jinling Rd, where tickets can be purchased; popular 30-minute cruises also depart hourly from the Pearl Dock (Míngzhū Mǎtoú; 1 Century Ave) in Lùjiāzuǐ.

Mint
Mint occupies the 2nd floor of Woo Villa, known as the Green House, designed by Ladislaus Hudec in 1938 and previously owned by the family of architect IM Pei. It's a stylish, intimate place that attracts both Western and local hipsters. On Thursdays there's a popular salsa night, while Friday is R&B. The rest of the time it's house. There's a cool feel to the place, but you need to get here early on weekends. It's closed on Sunday.

Jade Buddha Temple
Built between 1911 and 1918 in Song dynasty style, this active place of worship is one of Shanghai's few Buddhist temples. But the large numbers of tourists it attracts make contemplation difficult. The centrepiece of the temple is its 1.9m-high pale-green jade Buddha

Captain's Bar
Don't let the crummy lift up to this bar on the top floor of the Captain Hostel put you off. This is the only bar in the area offering both a decent, if slightly restricted, view of Pǔdōng's lights from the outside terrace and drinks that don't cost a bomb. It's also less crowded and far more laidback than the other Bund bars. They serve American-style food too.

Brasil Steak House
For an artery-clogging carrion feast, carnivores will be doing cartwheels. Who would have thought that a Brazilian churrascaria (an all-you-can-handle barbecue steak buffet) would be all the rage in Shanghai? There's also an all-you-can-eat salad bar, but hey, that's for weenies. It's next to Jing'an Park, with another branch opposite the Shanghai Library.