Stretching about 1.5 kilometers along the western bank of the Huangpu River, the Bund is lined with historic buildings built in a mix of Gothic, Baroque, and Art Deco styles. At night, the promenade opens onto a clear view of the old European facades on one side and Pudong’s glass towers across the water, creating a sharp contrast between Shanghai’s past and its present. It is about a fifteen-minute walk from People’s Square, so it fits easily into a day exploring Shanghai’s old city center.

Yu Garden sits inside Shanghai’s old city, just behind the bazaar streets near City God Temple. Built as a private Ming dynasty garden in the 1500s, it compresses rockeries, ponds, pavilions and small courtyards into about two hectares. The layout is deliberately indirect: paths turn sharply, bridges zigzag over water, and each courtyard appears only after you move deeper inside. The bazaar outside is loud and crowded, but the garden itself feels quieter and more enclosed—a manageable one-hour stop in the old city center.

Spread across the former French administrative zone, this district is mostly low-rise, tree-lined streets where plane trees form a canopy thick enough to shade the sidewalks in summer. Villas and lane houses from the 1920s sit behind iron gates and low walls, and many have been converted into cafes or small shops. There's no landmark to aim for here — it rewards walking without a fixed route. Wukang Road and Anfu Road are good starting points if you want a sense of the district without wandering aimlessly.

Near People’s Square, the Shanghai Museum occupies a building inspired by an ancient bronze vessel. Inside, the bronze and ceramics galleries hold pieces spanning several thousand years, each one given enough space and light to be seen on its own rather than as part of a crowd. The calligraphy and painting rooms tend to be quieter than the ground floor, making them a reasonable stop if the main galleries are crowded. Entry is free, though timed tickets are usually required and can run out by early afternoon on weekends.