Shanghai

Shanghai's signature promenade — a sweep of grand 1920s banks and hotels along the Huangpu, facing the futuristic towers of Pudong across the water. Walk it by day for the colonial architecture, and again after dark when both banks blaze with light; it's the definitive Shanghai view, old China and new staring at each other across the river.

A serene 400-year-old classical garden of rockeries, ponds, pavilions and dragon-topped walls, hidden in the heart of the frantic Old City bazaar. Wander its winding paths, then dive into the surrounding warren of curved-roof shops and snack stalls, and the famous zigzag bridge to the Huxinting teahouse. Touristy but beautiful — a pocket of old China amid the metropolis.

The twisting Shanghai Tower is the second-tallest building on earth, and its 118th-floor deck — reached by one of the world's fastest lifts — floats you dizzyingly above the whole city and the Pearl tower beside it. Go near dusk to watch Shanghai light up; it's the ultimate view of the most futuristic skyline anywhere, and the Lujiazui towers dazzle from the ground too.

The most atmospheric quarter to wander — quiet avenues canopied by plane trees, 1920s villas and shikumen lane houses now full of independent boutiques, coffee roasters and hidden bars. Get pleasantly lost around Wukang Road and Anfu Lu, coffee in hand; this leafy, elegant Shanghai is where locals and expats actually live and play, and it's the city at its most seductive.

Shanghai's kitchen is a delight — its icon the xiaolongbao soup dumpling and the pan-fried, sesame-topped shengjianbao, alongside sweet-savoury 'red-braised' pork, hairy crab in season and a whole world of noodle and dumpling shops. Eat them at an old canteen or a queue-out-the-door specialist; cheap, comforting and unmistakably local. Mind the scalding soup inside.

China's most famous shopping street — a dazzling, neon-lit pedestrian mile running from People's Square to the Bund, packed day and night with department stores, crowds and a little sightseeing train. More spectacle than bargain, but a quintessential Shanghai stroll, especially after dark when the lights come on; the Bund waits at the far end for the perfect finish.

Two takes on old Shanghai reborn — Xintiandi's polished shikumen lane houses turned upscale bars and restaurants, and Tianzifang's tighter maze of arty boutiques, tea rooms and cafés in a restored lane neighbourhood. Both are touristy but genuinely fun to wander, eat and drink in; together they show how Shanghai reinvents its 1920s bones for the 21st century.

A working Buddhist monastery of golden halls and drifting incense, home to two serene Buddha statues carved from single blocks of Burmese white jade. A calm, colourful oasis amid the modern city, with monks chanting and a good vegetarian restaurant; one of the most active and atmospheric temples in Shanghai, and a lovely counterpoint to the skyscrapers.

One of China's finest museums, free and superbly presented on People's Square — galleries of ancient bronzes, ceramics, jade, calligraphy and painting that trace thousands of years of Chinese art. Beautifully lit and never overwhelming; a cool, cultured couple of hours that gives real depth to a China trip. (A vast new second campus has opened in Pudong too.)

The best way to take in both Shanghais at once — a boat glides down the Huangpu with the floodlit colonial Bund on one bank and the glittering Pudong towers on the other, all mirrored in the black water. Touristy, yes, but genuinely spectacular after dark; an hour of pure Shanghai dazzle, and a lovely way to end an evening on the waterfront.

A dazzling golden-roofed Buddhist temple sitting incongruously — and spectacularly — among the glass skyscrapers of central Shanghai, its warm timber halls and gilt Buddhas floodlit at night. The surreal clash of ancient and ultra-modern is the whole point; small enough for a quick visit, striking enough to be unforgettable, and right on the metro in a great shopping district.

The photogenic old teahouse standing on stilts in the middle of the Yu Garden bazaar's lake, reached by the famous nine-turn zigzag bridge (built so evil spirits, who move only in straight lines, can't follow). Climb up for a pot of tea and a moment's calm above the crowds; it's one of the oldest and most beloved teahouses in China.

Shanghai's booming contemporary-art riverside — a run of striking museums along the Huangpu south of the centre, from the vast Power Station of Art (a former power plant) to the Long Museum and the Pompidou's Chinese outpost, linked by a breezy waterfront park. Cutting-edge, spacious and a world away from the crowds; the place to see where China's art scene is heading.

Shanghai does glamour like nowhere in China — cocktail terraces high on the Bund and in the concessions, staring straight across at the floodlit Pudong towers, plus a deep scene of speakeasies and jazz clubs below. Dress up, ride the lift, and toast the skyline; from the historic Peace Hotel jazz bar to sleek rooftop lounges, the city's nights sparkle.

A quirky, unmissable little museum hidden in the basement of a French Concession apartment block — a private collection of vivid Mao-era propaganda posters, tracing the turbulent decades of 20th-century China through its art. Small, fascinating and a real conversation-starter; you'll need to find it (the guard hands you a map), which is half the fun.