The Bund
Shanghai's most popular tourist attraction, the Bund features a 1.6km (1 mile) strip of dozens of historic riverfront buildings, separated from the Huangpu River by a raised terrace embankment. The word ‘bund' is an Anglo-Indian construction meaning ‘embankment', recalling the flood barriers that used to line it.

The grand remnants of colonial power are crowded along the Bund. These include the Customs House (with its famous bell ‘Big Ching'); the former Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank HQ (now Shanghai Pudong Development Bank); the Peace Hotel (though it is currently closed, this is one of Asia's art deco masterpieces and a favourite of Noel Coward's); and the former Bank of China. Four buildings (Numbers 3, 5, 6 and 18) have been lavishly refurbished and now contain high-end retail, arts and restaurant complexes. This parade of Shanghai's past faces-off with the futuristic skyline of Pudong on the opposite riverbank.

Known in Chinese as ‘Waitan'
Free admission.

Shanghai Museum
Rebuilt in the shape of an ancient Chinese bronze ritual vessel in 1994, the Shanghai Museum houses over 120,000 historical and artistic treasures and is one of the city's cultural gems. Its four storeys present a chronological and stylistic tour of China's greatest artistic traditions, with bronzes, sculptures, ceramics, paintings, calligraphy, jades, coins, furniture and ethnic minority folk art, as well as special exhibitions. Particular highlights are the display of ancient bronzes on the entrance level and the Chinese paintings on the floor above. Given the size of the collection, only some 3% of the museum can be shown at any one time. Audiophone guides area available.

201 Renmin Dadao, Renmin Square, Huangpu
Tel: (21) 6372 5300.
Website: www.shanghaimuseum.net/en
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700 (last ticket sales 1600).
Admission charge.

Yu Gardens and Bazaar
Yu Gardens and Bazaar cover several blocks of the historic downtown area, where souvenir shops and eating houses are packed together in brightly coloured alleys. A haven of tranquillity after the throngs of tourists in the bazaar, the Yu Gardens were founded by a family of Imperial officials in 1559. Although looted by the 19th century Western colonialists the gardens still preserve an exquisite catalogue of tunnels and grottos, a stone boat for staging river parties, quiet pools, a fine Chinese opera stage and a hall that became the headquarters of the Small Swords Society (a political and military organization affiliated to the Taiping Administration, which occupied most of the Chinese sections of Shanghai in 1853). Outside this walled tranquillity, the Mid-Lake Pavilion Teahouse and Nine Twists Bridge have become attractions in themselves, with queens and presidents ceremoniously taken to visit.

Old Town, from Fuyou Lu to Fangbang Dong Lu
Opening hours: Daily 0830-1700.
Admission charge.

Former French Concession
Lined with French colonial-era architecture that survives remarkably unspoilt in the heart of this dynamic city, the former French Concession is a great place to wander aimlessly and typifies Shanghai's international sophistication and style. Particular gems include the grounds of the Ruijin Guest House, 118 Ruijin Er Lu (formerly the Morris Estate), complete with a variety of restaurants, and the art galleries, designer boutiques and cafes of Taikang Lu and Fuxing Xi Lu. Fuxing Park and has its shady walks and bar strip and there are many delightful old residences along Sinan Lu (including ones belonging to the revolutionaries Sun Yatsen and Zhou Enlai), Gaolan Lu and Xianshan Lu and some fine colonial-period hotels, especially the Okura Garden Hotel, 58 Maoming Nan Lu, and the Jinjiang Hotel opposite.

French Concession, Puxi
Free admission.

Museum of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party
One for the history buffs, this site stands as testimony to Shanghai being the nursery of Chinese Communism. Here, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was formed, in a room belonging to one of the delegates, Li Hanjun, on 23 July 1921. Another delegate, Mao Zedong, was one of only two of 13 that ever served in the first Chinese Communist government, formed in 1949. The modern museum occupies the whole building and documents the formative years of the CCP, incorporating delights such as a life-size wax diorama of the first meeting, with Mao centre stage, at his most idealised.

374 Huangpi Nan Lu
Tel: (21) 5383 2171.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1600.
Admission charge (free on Sundays).

Shanghai World Financial Centre observation deck
Shanghai officially upstaged Toronto when it opened the world's tallest observatory in August 2008. The 474m (1555ft), 101-storey obelisque towers over downtown Shanghai, the Huangpu River and the Bund. Three levels, the 94th, 97th and 100th have transparent glass floors and full-length glass windows so visitors can ogle the cityscape in all its glory. It is the world's third-tallest skyscraper after Burj Dubai and Tapei 101, making its sister Shanghai skyscrapers, the Jin Mao Tower and Oriental Pearl, seem positively miniscule.

100 Century Ave, Pudong New Area
Tel: (21) 3867 2008.
Website: www.swfc-observatory.com/en/  
Opening hours: Daily 0800-2300 (last ticket sold 2200).
Admission charge.

Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre
While urban planning is a dreary, cliché-ridden bore in most cities, Shanghai is not 'most cities.' The physical transformation of the city since the early 1990s has been astonishing. And the work continues. As the city prepares to host the 2010 World Expo, the infrastructure, personality and skyline of Shanghai will continue to evolve at warp speed. This fascinating museum reveals how and why Shanghai embarked upon such a massive-scale engineering makeover. The prime exhibit is a 500 sq m scale model of Greater Shanghai, featuring all buildings of six floors or higher as it will look in the future.

110 Renmin Da Dao (inside People's Square)
Tel: (21) 6318 4477.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1600.
Admission charge.