Shanghai In-Depth Tour 3 Days and 2 Nights Route inspiration
Shanghai highlights include the Oriental Pearl Tower, Nanjing Road, the City God Temple/Yu Garden area, a possible Huangpu cruise and Madame Tussauds. Choose the attractions that fit your interests; lunch, tower entry, museums and cruises are separate purchases.
Note:
- English assistance is available in some visitor settings, but it is not universal. Save Chinese addresses and use an offline translation option for taxis, small shops and unexpected changes.
Itinerary
Day 1 — Arrive in Shanghai & Nanjing Road
Original itinerary heading
Day 01 — Departure Place - Shanghai: Madame Tussauds Wax Museum + Nanjing Road Walking Street.
Madame Tussauds Shanghai (上海杜莎夫人臘像館) is a wax museum located on the 10th floor of the New World Department Store, Nanjing Xi Road, Shanghai, China. Opened May 1, 2006 it was the second Madame Tussauds museum to open in Asia after Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. It offers a mix of Chinese and western figures, from film stars to athletes and world leaders.
Day 2 — Oriental Pearl Tower, Yu Garden & the Bund
Original itinerary heading
Day 02 — Oriental Pearl Tower (263m Main Observation Deck & Glass Skywalk & Tower Base Exhibition Hall + Scenic Buffet Lunch), Yu Garden, City God Temple, The Bund, Huangpu River Cruise.
Yu Garden or Yuyuan Garden (traditional Chinese: 豫園; simplified Chinese: 豫园; pinyin: Yù Yuán, Shanghainese Yuyoe Wu Chinese pronunciation: [ɦy²².ɦɥø⁵⁵], lit. Garden of Happiness[3]) is an extensive Chinese garden located beside the City God Temple in the northeast of the Old City of Shanghai at Huangpu District, Shanghai. It abuts the Yuyuan Tourist Mart, the Huxinting Teahouse and the Yu Garden Bazaar. Planning note: The tower, buffet, garden and river cruise are separate products. Choose a main paid visit plus the Bund/old-city walk rather than assume every item fits; Yu Garden daytime access and special evening events are different.[6]
This garden is accessible from the Shanghai Metro’s Line 10 and Line 14 Yuyuan Garden station.
Boasting over 40 scenic spots, including pavilions, rock formations, and ponds, it is now a key site under state-level protection.
A centerpiece is the Exquisite Jade Rock (玉玲珑) a porous 3.3-m, 5-ton boulder. Rumours about its origin include the story that it was meant for the Huizong Emperor (Northern Song Dynasty from 1100 to 1126 AD) the imperial garden in Bianjing, but was salvaged from the Huangpu River after the boat carrying it had sunk.
Day 3 — Wu Kang Road, Xintiandi or Tianzifang & departure
Original itinerary heading
Day 03 — Strolling along the popular Wu Kang Road, visiting Xintiandi/Tianzifang, and then heading back.
Wukang Road is a street in Xuhui District, Shanghai, China, running roughly from north to south. It starts from Huashan Road in the north and ends at Huaihai Middle Road in the south, where it meets Tianping Road and Yuqing Road. The road is 1183 meters long and varies in width from 12 to 16 meters. Lined with garden houses and historical apartments built during the Republic of China era, Wukang Road is one of the 64 streets in Shanghai that are never to be widened and was named a Famous Historical and Cultural Street in China in June 2011.
Originally named Ferguson Road (Route Ferguson), in 1907, the Shanghai French Concession Board widened a dirt road opened by the American Methodist missionary John Calvin Ferguson, who was the principal of Nanyang Public School, and paved it with cinders, officially naming it “Ferguson Road.” In 1914, after the Shanghai French Concession expanded westward, Ferguson Road was divided into three sections: the east section was renamed as Couper Route, the south section as Bishop Yao Road, and the middle section remained Ferguson Road. In 1943, when the Wang Jingwei government took over the concession, Couper Route, Bishop Yao Road, and Ferguson Road were renamed Anfu Road, Tianping Road, and Wukang Road, respectively. The name Wukang Road comes from Wukang County in Zhejiang Province (now merged into Deqing County).
Wukang Road intersects with several other roads (mostly east-west), including Huashan Road, Anfu Road, Wuyuan Road, West Fuxing Road, Hunan Road, Tai’an Road, and Huaihai Middle Road.
In December 2013, Xuhui District piloted a “Fallen Leaf Scenic Road” on Wukang Road, which means that the fallen leaves from the French plane trees along the road are intentionally not swept away. The “Wukang Road – Anfu Road” neighborhood was awarded the title of Shanghai Municipal Tourism and Leisure Block in September 2021.
FAQs
1. Q: What is a notable feature of Yu Garden?
2. Q: Are there any cafes or restaurants on Wukang Road?
3. Q: What is special about Wukang Road?
A: Lined with garden houses and historical apartments built during the Republic of China era, it is one of the 64 streets in Shanghai that are never to be widened and was named a Famous Historical and Cultural Street in China.The fallen leaves in autumn add to its charm.
4. Q: Where is Madame Tussauds Shanghai located?
5. Q: What honor did the “Wukang Road – Anfu Road” neighborhood receive in 2021?
6. Q: What entry permission does this route require?[2]
A: Check every stop against the NIA permitted-area table; a short itinerary alone does not qualify. For 240-hour transit, eligibility depends on your passport, designated port, confirmed onward travel to a third country or region, and the stay granted. Verify the current NIA rules before booking; otherwise use another valid entry/stay basis.[3]
Before you make arrangements
Confirm any special Yu Garden evening event separately from daytime entry. Current tower/cruise prices, availability and weather-related operation remain date-specific.
Notes & sources
These notes support the specific corrections above. They do not mean that every sentence, future opening time or individual eligibility has been verified.
Correction notes and source scope
Remove unsupported sale/group-departure implication while preserving destination names and original duration.
Editorial correction; no new factual-verification date claimed.Replace obsolete 144-hour FAQ with current entry-permission question.
NIA — current visa-free transit policy and permitted-area tableSource checked 2026-10-31Remove blanket 144-hour entitlement and obsolete 2024 guide reference; apply current NIA conditions and route-specific geographical limits.
NIA — current visa-free transit policy and permitted-area tableSource checked 2026-10-31Remove guarantee of English communication in most situations.
Editorial correction; no new factual-verification date claimed.Retain original attraction list without all-in package implication.
Editorial correction; no new factual-verification date claimed.Keep original destination narrative; add specific pacing/access constraint for this day.
Yu Garden — official visitor informationSource checked 2026-10-29
- NIA — current visa-free transit policy and permitted-area table
31 route geographic-scope screenings; image table independently viewed locally. Reopened in this review.
Checked 2026-10-31 - Yu Garden — official visitor information
Daytime garden opening, usual Monday closure, official mini-program and gate ticket offices. Evidence inherited from the 29 October audit; not a fresh operating-calendar check.
Checked 2026-10-29