The Oriental Pearl TV Tower
The new mandatory pilgrimage for all visitors to the city is climbing the Oriental Pearl TV Tower - and at 457 metres, it's well worth it for the giddying views.

Shanghai Museum
The state-of-the-art Shanghai Museum, newly opened in the central Renmin Park, is by far and away the most modern and best presented in the country. The collections of scrolls, ceramics and bronzes are especially impressive.

Peace Hotel
Perhaps the most famous hotel in China, the Peace Hotel is worth visiting for its fabulous art-deco interiors (if not for the service, which is not five-star standard).

Huangpu River Tour
The round-trip up to the confluence of the Huangpu and Yangzi rivers gives you the chance to inspect from close quarters all the paraphernalia of Shanghai's massive shipping industry.

Dongtai Lu Antique Market
The permanent antique market at Dongtai Lu is probably the largest in China. Come here for old Buddhas, coins, tea-pots, Mah jong sets, furniture and Cultural Revolution memorabilia.

Nanjing Dong Lu
Outside Hong Kong, Nanjing Dong Lu is China's most garish, luxurious and crowded shopping street, bursting with colossal department stores.

Strolling the Bund
Shanghai's famous old riverfront, the Bund, is a combination of Liverpool and 1920s Manhattan. Once a hectic working harbour and old Shanghai's commercial heart, it is still the focus of the modern city.

Taking Tea in the Huxinting Tea House
Shamelessly touristic but still atmospheric, you can sit in the Huxinting Tea House in the heart of the old city, having endless refills in dark china cups, whilst gazing out over the lake, listening to a traditional Chinese orchestra, or joining a traditional tea ceremony upstairs.

Old Homes in the Former French Concession
A great way to sample the pre-war, suburban atmosphere of the concession as it used to be is to visit the old homes in the former French Concession. Preserved homes worth seeing include those of Sun Yatsen, Zhou Enlai and Song Qingling.

Snack-Eating
Shanghai's greatest contribution to world cuisine is its snacks, which range from dumplings dunked in vinegar in the Old City, to freshly baked croissants and pain chocolate in the French Concession.