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Shanghai is one of the most extraordinary cities in the world, but it’s also one that works best when you’ve done a bit of planning before you land. We visited as a family of four as part of a wider Asia trip and came away fascinated, a little overwhelmed and wishing we had built in an extra day.
But if you’re short on time, this 3-day Shanghai itinerary is one the kids will enjoy. Partly because it includes Shanghai Disneyland, but also because it has that perfect mix of Chinese culture, history and modern city all mixed in.
3-Day Shanghai Itinerary At A Glance
- Day 1: Zhujiajiao Water Town + Yu Garden + The Bund
- Day 2: Shanghai City Day
- Day 3: Shanghai Disneyland
Before You Visit Shanghai
One thing worth saying upfront: Shanghai is not the China you might have imagined. It’s modern, international and spectacularly built.
A local we spoke to told us honestly that it isn’t the most culturally representative part of China, and that you shouldn’t judge the whole country by it. What it is, is one of the most visually impressive cities on the planet, and for a three-day family visit, it has more than enough to keep everyone fully occupied.
This three-day Shanghai itinerary with kids is built around the highlights: old Shanghai and the ancient water town on day one, the city’s modern spectacular on day two, and Shanghai Disneyland as the grand finale on day three.
Before you read further, make sure you’ve read our China travel tips and sorted your apps and eSIM before you land and set up all the apps you will need.
Getting Around Shanghai
Didi is the most practical option for families, particularly with luggage, kids or when you’re covering distance between areas. It’s extremely cheap by Australian standards and the Didi app works well with Amap or AliPay for navigation.
The metro is excellent, fast, clean, English-signposted and very affordable.
Metro Line 2 connects the city centre to Pudong and Shanghai Disneyland is accessible via Line 11. Amap will give you exact platform and carriage guidance.
3-Day Shanghai Itinerary With Kids
This itinerary is built around 3 full days, so with that in mind, it assumes you arrive the day before, i.e. day 0 and you leave the city the day after. It is designed to be a guide to help you plan your own time.
One of the main reasons we chose Shanghai was because of our plan to visit all of the Asia Disneyland parks, and it fit into our larger itinerary of visiting Hong Kong afterwards.
The two are very easy to visit on a single trip, however we also have an Asia Disney Parks itinerary if you want to add in Tokyo Disney as well.
But there is certainly a lot more to Shanghai that just Disney!
Day 1: Zhujiajiao, Yu Garden, Old Street and The Bund
This is the history and culture day, and it’s a packed day. The recommended approach is to book a guided tour that bundles the main stops.
The logistics of doing Zhujiajiao independently (which is around 40 minutes from the city centre) add complexity that a guide handles for you.
But you can absolutely visit via public transport as well!
Option A: Guided Tour (Recommended)
This full-day guided bus tour runs daily except Mondays, and departs at 9am from the gate of the Renaissance Shanghai Yu Garden Hotel.
Take the Metro to YuYuan Garden Station (Exit 3) to meet the guide, who will be holding a sign for Mubus: Shanghai City Tour.
The tour includes round-trip transport to Zhujiajiao, entrance tickets for Yu Garden and Zhujiajiao’s Kezhi Garden, a buffet-style lunch at a restaurant, and an English-speaking guide.
We also had a traditional tea ceremony and sampled many different types of tea before heading to Zhujiajiao. Thankfully, our kids like tea.
It runs until around early evening when the group arrives at The Bund, after which you’re free to stay for the night views. This is perfect timing to explore Nangjing Road for shopping and dinner before all the lights come on in the Bund.
Book the Yu Garden, Bund and Zhujiajiao Water Town Tour here
Option B: DIY Version
If you’d rather go independently, the same route is completely doable:
Morning: Yu Garden and Old Street
Take the metro to YuYuan Garden Station and walk to Yu Garden, a 400-year-old classical Chinese imperial garden with pavilions, ponds and rock formations.
It will transport you into a completely different Shanghai to the one you’ll see from the tower observation decks. It’s large and beautiful. Allow at least an hour.
From there, wander into the Chenghuang Miao Quarter (Old Street), the traditional market area surrounding the City God Temple.
It’s busy, it’s touristy, but it’s also charming, with traditional architecture, street snacks, souvenir stalls and local atmosphere that makes for a good hour of wandering.
The tea shops along Old Street are optional. If you’re keen, stop in. If the kids are less enthusiastic about sitting through a tea ceremony, keep moving.
Afternoon: Zhujiajiao Water Town
From Yu Garden, hail a Didi or take the metro and bus combo to Zhujiajiao, an ancient water town about 40 minutes from the city centre, often called the Venice of Shanghai.
You will find beautiful stone arch bridges, traditional canal-side buildings, yummy food to try, and a pace of life that feels like a different century entirely. This is a nice change from the chaos of the inner city, even though it does still get very busy.
The main area is free to explore. The Kezhi Garden has a small entry fee. The boat rides cost extra but are worth it for the perspective from the water.
Allow around 2.5-3 hours before heading back to Shanghai.
Evening: The Bund
Whether you took the tour or went DIY, end the day at The Bund in the early evening and stay until after dark.
The Bund is the famous waterfront promenade along the Huangpu River.
It’s lined on one side with colonial-era European architecture and looking across the water to the Lujiazui skyline of Pudong, the cluster of extraordinary towers including the Shanghai Tower, the World Financial Center and the Oriental Pearl.
During the day it’s impressive. As night falls and the skyline lights up across the water, it becomes something else entirely. Unfortunately for us it was a rainy day and the city doesn’t look quite as brightly lit.
Walk the promenade, find a restaurant with river views for dinner, and don’t leave before the skyline is fully lit. This was one of the most memorable evenings of our Asia trip.
After Dinner: Nanjing Road
After dinner, do a spot of shopping along Nanjing Road, the famous shopping street. The pedestrianised section stretches from People’s Square toward The Bund, lined with everything from Chinese brand department stores and flagship international shops to street food and restaurants.
It’s busy, very busy, but the scale of it is worth seeing.
Walk from People’s Square down toward the Bund end at a relaxed pace. The full pedestrian stretch is around 5km if you do the whole thing, but a couple of kilometres covers the best of it, and if you’re visiting with younger kids, you might not want to do much of it at all.
Day 2: Shanghai Natural History Museum, Sculptures and Shanghai Tower
Morning: Shanghai Natural History Museum
The Shanghai Natural History Museum is one of the best family-friendly attractions in the city and deserves more attention than it gets from foreign visitors.
Arrive right when the doors open to get ahead of the crowds. Head directly to the Dinosaur Hall, the highlight for most kids and the one that warrants going early. It has massive animatronic dinosaurs that actually move, plus AR features you can use throughout the hall.
The rest of the museum is packed with specimens and interactive exhibits across natural history, evolution and Chinese wildlife.
Allow around 2.5 hours here comfortably. The museum is accessible by Metro Line 13 (Jing’an Temple station) or a short Didi from most central hotels.
Late Morning: Jing’an Sculpture Park
Walk straight out of the museum doors and into Jing’an Sculpture Park, which sits right alongside the Natural History Museum building.
It’s a traffic-free, open-air park filled with giant, colourful sculptures of animals and abstract shapes, the kind of place where kids immediately want to run around and climb things, which after 2.5 hours in a museum is exactly what’s needed.
Free entry. No planning required. Just let them loose for half an hour while you find a bench.
Lunch: Wujiang Road
Walk about 10 minutes south to the Wujiang Road pedestrian street area for lunch. Two good options depending on what the family feels like:
Yang’s Fry Dumpling on Wujiang Road is the local pick, with pan-fried soup dumplings (sheng jian bao) that are crispy on the bottom and bursting with hot broth.
If the kids want something more familiar, Bella Napoli is a well-regarded wood-fired Neapolitan pizza restaurant a short walk away, good for families who need a slightly lower-key lunch option.
Afternoon: Shanghai Tower Observation Deck
Cross over to Pudong via Metro Line 2 from People’s Square to Lujiazui Station. From here you’re right at the foot of the three famous towers: Shanghai Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center and the Jin Mao Tower.
The Shanghai Tower observation deck on the 118th floor is the one worth paying for.
It’s the world’s second tallest building and the views from that height, over the entire Shanghai skyline, across the river to The Bund and out to the horizon in every direction, are staggering. The speed of the lift alone is an experience.
Book tickets in advance to avoid queuing. The Shanghai Tower observation deck can be booked here. Allow around 1.5 hours.
The Shanghai Ocean Aquarium is also in Lujiazui if you’d rather spend the afternoon there with younger children. It’s consistently rated as one of the best aquariums in Asia. We didn’t get the chance to visit but it sounds like a worthwhile stop!
Evening: French Concession and Tianzifang
Take a Didi from Pudong to the French Concession, a tree-lined neighbourhood with European-style architecture, independent restaurants, boutique cafes and a completely different atmosphere to the skyscraper districts.
Tianzifang is a warren of alleyways within the French Concession, lined with art studios, craft shops, cafes and small restaurants.
It’s one of the more relaxed areas of Shanghai for browsing and a good place to find dinner. Easier to navigate than the busier tourist areas and good for picking up any last-minute souvenirs.
Day 3: Shanghai Disneyland
Save the biggest day for last. A full day at Shanghai Disneyland is the highlight of the whole three-day itinerary, and after two days of real-world Shanghai, the sheer spectacle of the world’s largest Disney park outside the US hits differently.
A word of warning before you go. Shanghai Disneyland is enormous, the crowds are large every day of the year and in summer, it’s extremely hot! But it’s so worth visiting, providing you know what to expect and you plan for it.
I honestly would not visit without Disney Premier Access passes at least for your top rides if they include Zootopia and Tron. We got Disney Premier Access bundle deals via Klook with our tickets and it made the day a lot more relaxed knowing we didn’t have to spend it all in line.
- Arrive at opening time and go straight to Zootopia Land. The queues for Zootopia: Hot Pursuit hit 90-120+ minutes by mid-morning. This is non-negotiable.
- Book your Disney Premier Access passes in advance via Klook. On a one-day visit they’re practically essential for covering the headline rides without spending the whole day in queues.
- Download the Shanghai Disney Resort app before you travel, it works in mainland China without a VPN and shows real-time wait times throughout the day.
- Stay for ILLUMINATE! in the evening. The castle projection and fireworks show is one of the best nighttime Disney experiences anywhere.
Read our full Shanghai Disneyland guide for the complete breakdown of every land, ride recommendations, height requirements, food tips and what to do when it rains.
Book Shanghai Disneyland tickets here
Practical Tips For Your Shanghai Trip
Before You Arrive (This Is Important)
- Get an eSIM with a built-in VPN and test it before you leave home. Google Maps, WhatsApp, Instagram and most Western apps are blocked in China without one.
- Set up Alipay and WeChat while you’re still on your home SIM. Both apps require SMS verification from your home carrier. If you’ve already switched to an eSIM, you won’t receive those texts. Do this before you travel.
- Download Didi, Amap and Apple Translate with the offline Chinese language pack before you land.
- Book attractions in advance. It is strongly recommended for anything popular, particularly places like Shanghai Tower and Shanghai Disneyland tickets.
- For the full pre-trip checklist, read our China travel tips.
Once You Arrive
- Carry your passport at all times. You’ll need it more than you expect.
- RMB cash is optional. Shanghai is the most cashless city we have visited in Asia.
- The language barrier is real. Even in central Shanghai, English is limited once you step away from the main hotels and tourist areas. Your translation app will get a workout.
- The heat in summer is significant. If you’re visiting in July or August, build in midday breaks and don’t underestimate the drain of walking in high humidity.
- Crowds are real. Shanghai has more people than most places you’ve ever been to, particularly around tourist areas. Expect to be shoulder-to-shoulder. It’s part of the experience, but worth being prepared for.
- Queue etiquette is different to home. People push into lines in Shanghai and it happens constantly and without apparent awareness. Keep your group together and don’t leave gaps. It’s cultural, not personal.
Where To Stay In Shanghai
Shanghai is enormous! It has two airports so that gives you an idea of how big it is. For the purpose of visiting Disneyland, Pudong Airport is likely your best choice to arrive and depart.
We stayed at the Comfort Inn by Ramada in Pudong, around 20 minutes from Shanghai Disneyland, which offered a free shuttle to the park. For families doing a two-day park visit or wanting to be closer to the Disneyland area, this is a practical, budget-friendly option.
But if you want to be right in the action, staying at one of the Shanghai Disneyland Resort hotels means you’re right at the doorstep, which is convenient after a big day in the park.
There is either the Toy Story Hotel or the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel.
Alternatively, for central Shanghai sightseeing, staying in the city near the Bund and doing the Disneyland day on a Didi (40-50 minutes) or Metro Line 11 is another option.
Other Things to Know Before You Visit China
Shanghai is almost entirely cashless. You will use Alipay or WeChat apps almost exclusively.
They work a little like Apple or Google Pay but far more comprehensive. You pre-load your credit and debit cards onto the apps, verify them then use the app to tap and pay whever you go. Make sure this is fully set up before you leave home.
These apps are more than just payment apps. You can use them to book rideshare, message friends, order food and more.
We used DiDi far more than the metro and had a mostly good experience despite the frustration with using the local apps.
Make sure you fully set up Alipay, WeChat and Amap before you leave home.
We thought we did, but it turned out some parts weren’t fully verified, and we needed text message confirmations. This is very hard when you are on an eSIM and not your home number.
Instead, we used my best friend’s number and she messaged me with the verification codes. Then, on two occasions, our DiDi driver needed the last four digits of the phone number on the account, which was our friend’s number, since that’s what we’d used for setup.
The language barrier in that moment was challenging. It’s rare but worth knowing about.
This is one thing we never travel without
Travel insurance is one of those things you hope you never need — but it’s absolutely worth having, especially when travelling with kids. For flexible coverage, we’ve used SafetyWing, and World2Cover through Klook is another solid and affordable option.
FAQ
Is Shanghai good for families with kids?
Yes, though it helps to set expectations. It’s a visually extraordinary city but also a loud, crowded and fast-paced one. Kids who enjoy adventure, novelty and sensory experiences will love it. Younger children may find the crowds more overwhelming. For Disney fans of any age, Shanghai Disneyland alone makes the trip worth it.
How many days do you need in Shanghai?
4-5 days would give you more time to see all of Shanghai’s highlights and Disneyland. This 3-day itinerary is good for short stays and seeing the essentials.
Is the Zhujiajiao day trip worth it?
Yes. Zhujiajiao is one of the most distinctive things you can do in Shanghai and the contrast with the modern city is striking. The guided tour is the most efficient option for families getting there from the city.
What is the best way to get around Shanghai with kids?
Didi for most journeys, as it’s affordable, air-conditioned and door-to-door. The metro is excellent for longer distances. Use Amap for navigation.
Plan Your Shanghai Trip
- Book Shanghai Disneyland Tickets
- Book the Zhujiajiao + Yu Garden + Bund Tour
- Book Shanghai Tower Observation Deck
Plan Your Trip
Here are a few things we always organise before travelling:
- Stay connected: We use Airalo eSIM
- Car hire: Compare options with DiscoverCars
- Travel insurance: Check SafetyWing or World2Cover via Klook
- Airport transfers: Book with Welcome Pickups
- Accommodation: Find the best deals here
- Tours: We always use GetYourGuide