3-Day 2-Night Shanghai Travel Guide, a Must-Read for Students

📍Accommodation Recommendations: It’s best to choose hostels around Nanjing Road or the Bund. They are affordable, convenient for getting around, and you can enjoy the stunning night view of the Bund in the evening. You can filter for the "18-25 Favorite" tag on Trip.com to find highly cost-effective accommodations. 🚗Transportation Guide: Just use Alipay for the subway. There are benefits for student verification on the Metro Metropolis app; for short distances, ride shared bikes and enjoy the fun of city walking; for late-night taxis, use Trip.com’s taxi service, where new user coupons can be applied directly. Day 1: The Bund Epic Walk 🌅Morning: Watch the sunrise at North Bund, fewer people and beautiful scenery. Take a photo with the Mini Egg Dome, perfect for social media. 📸Late Morning: Check in at the Shanghai Postal Museum’s atrium “Magic City Gate,” shoot wide-angle shots looking up for amazing photos. 🌉Next: Stroll along Zhapu Road Bridge and Waibaidu Bridge. Take the “Four-piece set” photos at Zhapu Road Bridge and recreate the famous scene from "Romance in the Rain" at Waibaidu Bridge. 🏨Noon: Head to the Peninsula Hotel’s second floor Dicos, take photos by the vintage window frame with the Oriental Pearl Tower as the background, full cinematic vibes. 🖼️Afternoon: Visit the Shimei Building, use the pillars at the entrance as a photo frame, focus on the Bund with blurred crowds for a high-end look. ⛴️Evening: Take the 2-yuan Bund ferry, squeeze to the bow to capture the golden river surface and the international architecture. 🌇Night: Go to the Pudong Art Museum sunset corridor, shoot the moment the international buildings light up at 7 PM, time-lapse videos are stunning; then visit the Lujiazui “Three-piece set,” take quirky low-angle shots with your phone at the Jinmao Hyatt Hotel entrance. Day 2: Trendy Internet-famous Streets 📚Morning: Visit Xujiahui Academy, shoot “intellectual style” photos in the study area under the light dome. 🏢Next: Head to Wukang Building, must shoot from a low angle, lower your camera across the street for a beautiful composition of the building, plane trees, and blue sky. 🍃Noon: Buy the trendy CORNER CONE GELATO on Wukang Road, check in at Romeo’s Balcony; then go to Anfu Road, shop for spicy girl outfits at Brandy Melville, and hunt for second-hand books and records at Duozhuayu recycling store. ⛩️Afternoon: Visit Jing’an Temple at dusk, the golden roof with lights and traffic gives a strong cyberpunk vibe, the pedestrian bridge is a perfect spot for photos. 🤖Night: Go to HAUS NOWHERE on Huaihai Road, take photos with the 4-meter-tall “Mechanical Giant,” full of futuristic tech vibes. Then head to the “Jufu Chang” bar street, with affordable craft beers, jazz bars, and street cocktail stalls on Fumin Road, Changle Road, and Julu Road, enjoy a tipsy night. Day 3: Cultural and Artistic Journey Morning: Visit the East Wing of Shanghai Museum, appreciate the rich collections and feel the charm of history and culture. Afternoon: Go to the China Art Palace, see various exciting exhibitions and immerse yourself in art. Evening: Visit Yuyuan Garden and City God Temple, rich in historical and cultural heritage, with many time-honored eateries. Wearing Hanfu to enjoy the lantern festival here is very atmospheric. 🍜Food Recommendations: For breakfast, try Dahuchun Shengjian buns, crispy bottoms with juicy meat filling, 13 yuan for 4 pieces; also Guangmingcun fresh meat mooncakes, 6 yuan each, hot with fragrant flaky crust. For main meals, recommend Zhuang’s Longxing Crab Powder Noodles, 98 yuan for crab roe noodles, full of crab meat; Haling Noodle House’s bullfrog noodles, served in a 30cm bowl bigger than your face, spicy bullfrog piled high. Snacks include Nanjing East Road’s Shenda Cheng double stuffed dumplings, 8 yuan each, red bean paste with black sesame, super sticky and delicious; Hongkou Pastry Factory’s family-style rice cake dumplings with fried dough sticks, a perfect salty-sweet combo. For desserts, try Azabuya’s triple matcha ice cream for 38 yuan, level 5 bitterness with a fragrant kick; PAIN CHAUD’s pistachio cream puff, 23 yuan each, bursting green filling with great looks and taste. 💡Tips: Remember to bring your exam admission ticket; some attractions and exhibitions offer student or college entrance exam exclusive discounts; search “Student Special” on Trip.com for accommodation deals; bring a fill light for night photography; avoid City God Temple snacks and the Bund sightseeing tunnel as they are not cost-effective. Near Wukang Building, the “Old Mai Café” offers limited edition cultural products that you can buy to stamp and share on social media, very meaningful souvenirs.