Not to miss

Huangpu River Cruise

The Huangpu River offers staggering views of the Bund and riverfront activity. Most tour boats depart from the docks on the south end of the Bund, near East Jinling Rd, where tickets can be purchased; popular 30-minute cruises also depart hourly from the Pearl Dock (Míngzhū Mǎtoú; 1 Century Ave) in Lùjiāzuǐ.

The river trip is big business with a medley of operators offering cruises. Tickets vary in price. Other boat trips lasso in both Yangpu Bridge and Nanpu Bridge (南浦大桥; Nánpǔ Dàqiáo). The three-and-a-half hour cruise up to the mouth of the Yangtze River at Wúsōngkǒu (吴淞口) costs from 90 (or 120 with refreshments).

Depending on your enthusiasm for loading-cranes, the night cruises are more scenic, though the boat traffic during the day is interesting. Departure times vary depending on which trip you take, but there are generally morning, afternoon and evening departures; boats to Wúsōngkǒu generally leave at 14:00.

Room With a View Gallery

Art critic Wu Liang conceived of this trendy space atop a department store for showcasing contemporary artworks and the output of up-and-coming artists. An accessible and successful combination, the gallery doubles as an image-conscious loft-bar where the tried and trusted blend of alcohol and art gets the nod from Bohemians city-wide.

Jinmao Tower

In a city of dubious contemporary architecture, the colossal Jinmao Tower stands out for its winning design, loosely inspired by a traditional Chinese subject, the pagoda. If you want to see Shanghai in a splendid nutshell, travel in the elevators (moving at 9.1m/second) to the 88th-floor observation deck, accessed from the separate podium building to the side of the main tower. Time your visit at dusk for both day and night views.

It's essentially an office block (owned by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation) with the high-altitude Grand Hyatt renting space from the 53rd to 87th floors.

While you're there you might as well shoot off a postcard from what is officially the world's highest post office. Alternatively, sample the same view through the carbonated fizz of a gin and tonic at Cloud 9 - the world's highest bar at the time of writing - on the 87th floor of the Grand Hyatt and photograph the hotel's astonishing barrel-vaulted atrium, one of the world's tallest.