Where to stay in Shanghai
Start by picking a side of the Huangpu. West-bank districts — the Bund, People’s Square, the former French Concession, Jing’an — put you inside walkable streets with the skyline as a view. Pudong puts you inside the skyline itself, with the historic waterfront as your view instead and longer walks to everything else. The Metro crosses in a few minutes either way, so this is a question of what you want out your window and what you want under your feet, not of distance. The second question — hotel or apartment — has a much narrower answer here than in most cities, because of who is legally able to register a foreign guest with the police.
Best neighborhoods, by traveler
The Bund & the Huangpu riverfront (Huangpu)
Higher pricesBest for: First-timers who want the historic waterfront underfoot and are willing to pay for a river-facing room
Vibe: Grand, colonnaded, heavily visited
Trade-off: The single most expensive stretch in the city, and a river view can double a rate for the same room. Crowds are relentless from late afternoon onwards.
People’s Square & Nanjing Road East (Huangpu)
Mixed pricesBest for: Travelers who want the shortest possible metro rides to everything and the widest price range
Vibe: Central, commercial, unromantic
Trade-off: Metro Lines 1, 2 and 8 all cross here, which is the whole argument — the streets themselves are shopping crowds and traffic rather than atmosphere.
Former French Concession & Xintiandi (Xuhui / west Huangpu)
Mid-range pricesBest for: Repeat visitors and anyone who would rather walk a neighbourhood than tick off a skyline
Vibe: Low-rise, leafy, café-dense
Trade-off: The best walking in Shanghai, but metro coverage is thinner between the lines and you will use ride-hailing more than you expected.
Jing’an
Mid-range pricesBest for: Travelers who want a central base with good restaurants and no interest in the tourist waterfront
Vibe: Polished, business-adjacent, well connected
Trade-off: Lines 2, 7 and 14 converge at Jing’an Temple, which makes it the most efficient non-touristy base — but the area is malls and offices at street level.
Lujiazui & Pudong
Higher pricesBest for: Travelers who want a high-floor room looking back at the Bund, and business visitors
Vibe: Vertical, corporate, quiet after office hours
Trade-off: Superblocks and elevated walkways mean almost nothing is a genuine short walk, and the food at street level is mall food. You get the view by giving up the neighbourhood.
Hongkou & the North Bund
Budget pricesBest for: Budget-conscious travelers who still want to be near the river
Vibe: Workaday, riverside, changing fast
Trade-off: Materially cheaper than the Bund a couple of metro stops south, with less to do on your doorstep in the evening.
Hotel or apartment?
Choose a hotel when…
- You hold a foreign passport and want the 24-hour police registration handled at check-in without thinking about it — which covers most visitors on most trips.
- You are staying three to seven nights: Shanghai’s mid-range hotel supply is deep and priced well below the Western equivalent, so a rental rarely wins on cost.
- You want a front desk that can call a Didi, explain an address to a driver, or print something for you.
Choose an apartment when…
- You are a family or group staying a week or more and genuinely need a kitchen, laundry and separate bedrooms.
- You are booking a licensed serviced apartment or aparthotel with a staffed reception — the kind of property that registers foreign guests exactly the way a hotel does.
- You are on a longer work stint or a relocation rather than a holiday, where a residential lease becomes the right instrument.