A PLACE IN THE PLAN
The Bund
Settle beside the river and choose a short first walk.
See where it fits →CHINA / SHANGHAI
Shanghai Itinerary: 3 days
Historic riverfront streets, a garden morning and a selected afternoon at Disneyland.
A three-day Shanghai itinerary with a Bund hotel base, Yu Garden and a short Shanghai Disneyland visit, plus an optional acrobat show.
A trip from Alisha & MattPlanned with couples in mind.
A riverfront base.
YOUR TIME3 days · 2 nights
THE FOCUSThe Bund · Yu Garden · Disneyland
THE BASESWaldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund
THE PACEArrival + exploring + departure
THE EXPERIENCES TO BUILD A TRIP AROUND
Give these places their time
Pair the Bund arrival with one Old City and Disney day.
A PLACE IN THE PLAN
Old City & Yu Garden
Give the garden and old streets a morning window.
See where it fits →A PLACE IN THE PLAN
Shanghai Disneyland
Pick a few park priorities for the remaining day rather than promising every attraction.
See where it fits →GET TO KNOW THE PLACE
A riverfront base.
A garden-to-park day.
Use the Bund as the base, then decide how much belongs in the full middle day. Yu Garden and Old Shanghai offer a different experience from Disneyland. The escorted route combined them; add a night if a full park day matters more than following that sequence.
Arrive from Beijing and stay two nights near the Bund. The full middle day combines Old Shanghai with Disneyland, as the escorted trip did. Add a night and a full park day if rides are a priority; this plan does not promise a complete Disneyland visit.
See how the route fits together ↘A LITTLE ORIENTATION
Get your bearings before setting out.
Arrive from Beijing and stay two nights near the Bund. The full middle day combines Old Shanghai with Disneyland, as the escorted trip did. Add a night and a full park day if rides are a priority; this plan does not promise a complete Disneyland visit.
ROUTE DIAGRAM · NOT TO SCALEShanghaiTwo-night Bund base
Old CityYu Garden morning
DisneylandAfternoon and evening
Pudong airportDeparture
3 DAYS · 2 NIGHTS · YOUR OWN ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE PLAN
ON THE MAP
Put the places in perspective.
Get your bearings before setting out. The map shows how the outings relate to one another; use the day plan to decide which belong together.
Explore the places in the list below.
Place coordinates: Wikidata , Wikipedia and © OpenStreetMap contributors. Geography: Natural Earth. Select a place for its source.
Your Shanghai route and overnight stays
| Day | Route or focus | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BEIJING → SHANGHAI | Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund. |
| 2 | YU GARDEN → SHANGHAI DISNEYLAND | Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund. |
| 3 | BUND → PUDONG AIRPORT | Onward travel. |
THE PLAN
Your Shanghai itinerary, day by day
Open a day for the stops and practical advice. Let the plan help you decide where to linger.
3 days · 2 nightsA ROUTE TO MAKE YOUR OWN
SHANGHAI · THE ROUTE
DAY1Arrive beside the Bund.
BEIJING → SHANGHAIArrival and settling in · use the time your journey leaves
Choose the evening according to arrival and energy.
- Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the BundCheck in and leave time to settle in.
- Xintiandi dinnerThe hosted route used Din Tai Fung; verify current restaurant operation or choose another place in the district.
- Acrobat performance or riverfront walkBook a current show if you want one. The Bund walk is an alternative, not another required late-night commitment.
WHERE YOU’LL SLEEP
Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund.
DAY2Old Shanghai, then Disney.
YU GARDEN → SHANGHAI DISNEYLANDMain visiting day · give the featured stops their time
This is a split day, with limited park time.
- Old City and Yu GardenGive the garden and nearby lanes a focused morning. Confirm current tickets and opening for the date.
- Transfer to DisneylandAllow the full cross-city journey, entry and security time.
- Pick your park prioritiesPirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure was a key interest. Use the current app for attraction status, waits, booking requirements and shows.
- Dinner and departureArrange your own meal and return transport. A hosted farewell dinner is not included with an ordinary park ticket.
WHERE YOU’LL SLEEP
Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund.
DAY3Departure from Shanghai.
BUND → PUDONG AIRPORTDeparture or onward travel · keep the connection first
The trip continued to Bali; use your own actual flight.
- Checkout and airport transferProtect the full transfer, bag drop and security margin.
- Continue to Bali or travel homeDo not add another major sight before a morning international departure.
WHERE YOU’LL SLEEP
Onward travel.
GET TO KNOW THE PLACE
Things to See in Shanghai
Get to know the main sights before putting them into your day. Open a card for the visit details and its place in the route.
BEIJING → SHANGHAI
The Bund
Settle beside the river and choose a short first walk.
Plan your visit
YU GARDEN → SHANGHAI DISNEYLAND
Old City & Yu Garden
Give the garden and old streets a morning window.
Plan your visit
YU GARDEN → SHANGHAI DISNEYLAND
Shanghai Disneyland
Pick a few park priorities for the remaining day rather than promising every attraction.
Plan your visit
MAKE ROOM FOR THISA riverfront base.
A riverfront base.
A garden-to-park day.
Two nights make this a selective stop. The Bund deserves its own pause, and Disneyland gets a short priority list rather than a promise to ride everything.
A GOOD PLACE TO LAND
Find a base
that suits your days.
Start with where you want to spend the evening, then consider the next morning’s journey.
A BASE TO EXPLORE.
THE BUND · TWO NIGHTS
Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund
The riverfront hotel base in the route.
Find it on the mapThese stays give the route its overnight stops. Before booking, ask about the things that will shape your day: breakfast, arrival time and transfers. Check what your chosen room rate includes.
A little preparation makes a better day.
Use the links below for current visitor information, then check the details with the people arranging your visit.
KNOW THE PACE BEFORE YOU GO
Make the day fit the visit
Pair the Bund arrival with one Old City and Disney day.
GETTING THERE & AROUND
Count the whole journey
Arrange the airport transfer and park journey around the Bund base. Keep the final airport journey separate from sightseeing.
WALKING & CHOICES
Choose the version you will enjoy
Yu Garden and Disney make a full day with a change of pace. A performance or arrival-night riverfront walk is a choice.
BEFORE YOU SET THE DATES
What to arrange first
Book the park entry and any show you want, then check the garden visit against the available morning.
THE MAIN DECISION
Start with the parts that set the day
Arrange the airport transfer and park journey around the Bund base. Keep the final airport journey separate from sightseeing.
YOUR OWN BOOKINGS
Match the details to your visit
Use the linked visitor information for the sites and journeys you choose. Check arrival instructions, entry and any guide or transfer against your actual booking. Meals and optional outings depend on what you arrange.
PICK YOUR SEASON
Shanghai, month by month.
Compare average daytime highs and overnight lows to help choose a season and pack for the trip.
Shanghai
Reference station: Shanghai Baoshan · 9 m elevation
Average daily highAverage daily low°F
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Warmest average daysJuly
Coolest average nightsJanuary
Plan for the actual outingUse these averages to compare seasons, then check a forecast before packing. They do not show rainfall or guarantee the weather for your dates.
1991–2020 station normals reported to the WMO, via NOAA. High-temperature data ↗ · Low-temperature data ↗ Coastal, city and mountain conditions can differ. These are averages, not a forecast or record extremes.
View the monthly figures
| Month | °F | °C |
|---|---|---|
| January | 47° / 36° | 8.2° / 2.2° |
| February | 50° / 38° | 10.1° / 3.6° |
| March | 58° / 44° | 14.3° / 6.9° |
| April | 68° / 54° | 20.1° / 12° |
| May | 77° / 64° | 25.1° / 17.5° |
| June | 82° / 71° | 27.8° / 21.7° |
| July | 90° / 79° | 32.4° / 25.9° |
| August | 89° / 79° | 31.9° / 25.9° |
| September | 82° / 72° | 27.9° / 22.2° |
| October | 73° / 62° | 22.9° / 16.7° |
| November | 64° / 51° | 17.5° / 10.7° |
| December | 52° / 40° | 11° / 4.4° |
A NOTE FROM ALISHA & MATT
Choose the visit
that suits you.
Book the visits that determine the day, then give the gaps a purpose: lunch, the journey and a chance to sit down.
Alisha & MattChoose the evening honestly.
A late flight may leave room for dinner or a Bund walk, but not both plus a show.
Add a park day for more rides.
Yu Garden and Disneyland are far enough apart that the morning visit reduces park time substantially.
Check current dining.
Restaurant branches and park dining options can change. Keep more than one meal choice for dietary needs.
BEFORE YOU GOA few questions
A few questions
before you go.
Can I combine this with the other guides?
Yes. Join the guides at the travel days, then count the hotel nights. One guide’s departure can be the next guide’s arrival, so adding all the day counts would give you time you do not actually have. Match the connections before booking.
How do we keep a copy?
Use “Save this trip” to bookmark the guide in this browser. For a copy to take along, choose “Print this itinerary”: every day opens for printing, and your device’s PDF option lets you save the plan.
THERE’S MORE TO SEE, TOGETHER.Where shall
Find us on Instagram ↗Where shall
we go next?
Follow along for more places we have been and ideas to help plan your own visit.