Shanghai travel tips

1. Eat your way around the world The food in Shanghai is so damn good, and has always satisfied my hungry stomach. (I’m not ashamed to say that I travel for the food as much as the sights.) I ate Mongolian food for the first time while I was in Shanghai. Previously, I hadn’t even known that Mongolian food was a thing. I still think about the cheesy, meaty goodness at that restaurant! But if you want to sink your teeth into something local, my favorite kinds of Shanghai dumplings are: · Xiao long bao (小笼包), delicate little things that have a soup broth inside · Sheng jian (生煎) which are fried pork dumplings with a crispy base. They’re both so delicious that I wrote an entire article about how good the dumplings in China are (you can check it out later). My advice while you’re in Shanghai is to get out of your comfort zone and try everything. Watch where the locals go and what they eat. 2. See if visa-free travel applies to you To be able to sink your teeth into a Shanghai dumpling, you’ll need to make sure you get here in the first place! Like most travelers to Shanghai, you’ll probably have to get a visa before you visit. And depending on where you live, the visa process can be difficult or time-consuming, so I recommend getting started early. Not the week before you leave! However, if you’re on a short trip (on the way to another country), then it’s worth knowing that Shanghai has a 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit policy. Passport holders from a bunch of countries can enjoy 144 hours in Shanghai without having to get a visa. So, if you’re on your way to somewhere else, you could spend up to 6 days in Shanghai without going through any extra paperwork trouble. Some of the countries included under this rule are: · The US · The UK · Germany and many European countries · Canada · Australia · New Zealand · Singapore. Interestingly, some large countries like India and Malaysia do not enjoy this privilege, and you’ll need to apply for a tourist visa regardless of the length of your stay. 3. Get a VPN If you’re like most people, then you enjoy sharing images and updates about your trip as you explore. But you’ll have a lot more trouble doing that while you’re in Shanghai. China’s firewall is real, and it will leave you unable to access sites like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Google. Basically, the sites that you’re most likely to use to stay connected, share your holiday snaps, and find out the answers to questions (like ‘best dumpling restaurants in Shanghai’), will be completely off limits. That’s why you’ll need a virtual private network (VPN) during your stay. And you’ll need to download it before arriving in China, otherwise you won’t be able to download it at all. #trip#上海旅行 #thingstodoshanghai