Traveling in China isn’t like travel in Europe or other well-trodden destinations. The industry isn’t as regulated as it could be, and scams are allowed to run free so long as they stay small and don’t hurt anyone. Meaning, if they just target your money they are acceptable. That’s more cash for the economy, after all. So, don’t pay more than roughly RMB30 an hour for a guide, RMB50 at the high end. That’s USD7, which is minimum wage in America, so if you pay that in China you’re paying a more-than-fair wage, but if you pay more than that you’re encouraging more conmen into what they consider a lucrative field for exploitation. Consider that the minimum monthly income in China is under RMB2000 and if you overpay you’ll not only upset the balance, but you may be placing a target on your guide’s back. Leave your sense of charity at home, these are hard working people who want a fair wage, not your pity. Pay what’s fair and don’t tip. No one in China tips, and it just leaves the impression that you don’t know what to do with your money or you feel pity for them. Neither is intelligent.

If you are approached by a “tour guide” at a major monument or attraction you can rest assured they are not a real guide. Real guides are hired by companies who organize tours, so if you want a real guide go through a company, and don’t hire people who lurk around monuments waiting for wealthy-looking tourists.

The Bund offers one of the single most iconic riverside views on the planet. Standing with your lover at the handrail overlooking the Huangpu and gazing at the productivity of Pudong is as iconic as strolling hand in hand down the beach. And while the Huangpu may have a slight mercury smell and give you dysentery if you swallow any of the water spray, it’s still a romantic site, and exotic to boot.

From the iconic and beautiful summit of Jinmao Tower you’ll find the Cloud Nine bar offering panoramic views of Pudong as well as first-class cocktails. You’ll find the views from this structure particularly stunning at sunset and into the evening, and since the drinks and snacks are grand you’ll enjoy sitting there watching the sun dip and the moon rise, and back again if the mood suits. While other buildings offer similar views, few do it with as much class as Jinmao Tower.

The French Concession remains one of the most beautiful and romantic places in town for a nice stroll with your loved one. You’ll find tree-lined streets shading comfortable, brick duplexes in the old French colonial style. Grand churches, excellent restaurants, cafes and bars, and chic shops dot the walkways making them memorable and unique, and still distinctly Shanghai.

Suzhou has a wealth of beautiful gardens for tai chi, yoga or other bendy activities. You’ll find active health nuts around the gardens, including folks doing swordplay, singing, whipping the sky with Indiana Jones whips and other strange activities. You’ll find similar activities around West Lake in Hangzhou.

Moganshan is a beautiful outdoor camp where you can do a naked retreat, extreme biking and other fun, hippie activities. Book a package online or deal with the mini resort on your own. It’s a bit on the expensive side, and a ways off the beaten path, but remains one of the more highly praised resort-camps outside Shanghai.

And if water sports are your game the ocean isn’t far from Shanghai and if boating in the murky Huangpu isn’t appetizing consider a short trek to the shores where you can rent a small boat to test your luck in the open waters.

O’Malley’s Irish Pub, in the French Concession, is one of the top Irish hang outs for St. Patrick’s Day. However, since the 2010 remodel, the place has lost a bit of it’s traditional Irish charm in favor of a wee bit more class. We’re not sure how that’s faring with the Irish population, but most of the rest of Shanghai seems to be responding positively. Still, we miss the old pirate ship motif.

The Dublin Exchange is another decent Irish option, though most Irishmen wouldn’t actually be caught dead in there. It offers a few of the Irish cliches, like dark wood, tile, Guinness and bangers and mash, Sheppard’s Pie and side dishes all made of potato, but it lacks any authenticity past the name and menu. Still, for a holiday like St. Patrick’s Day you can rest assured the joint will be packed with folks in large green hats, shirts and furry feet chanting to Irish songs they barely know and hoping for a better year full of the “Luck of the Irish.”

A quick search of bars with Guinness or Murphey’s, Jameson or Bushmills will prove helpful when locating actual Irishmen in the city.

1. The Shanghai Art Museum boasts an impressive range of jade, paintings, calligraphy and statues all of which offers a glimpse at another age and another culture. Still, you can see remnants of this same ancient art in today’s contemporary Chinese art and architecture.
2. The Science and Technology Museum offers a peek at the past, present and future of science and progress in China. As you’ve traveled you’ve seen the sky dotted with cranes and the streets full of construction trucks. The city continues to grow and this museum gives a glimpse at the ideology behind China’s growth, as well as it’s strong addiction to science and technology.
3. The Shanghai Museum of Arts and Crafts displays modern, ethnic and cultural art, some of which is for sale, and a range of beautiful creations from all of China’s many walks of life. For the art fan or hippie, this is the ideal museum stop over.
4. The Sexual Culture Museum has collected an odd and massive range of statues, paraphernalia, plates covered in lewd paintings and much, much more. This isn’t cultural, it’s simply a collection of real artifacts from the sex industry and personal use. You’ll learn a lot, and it’s a great place for photos.
5. The Shanghai History Museum is the most famous in China, and offers an age-by-age walk through Chinese history. You’ll be impressed by the range of artifacts, and the cleanliness and organization of the museum. It’s not free, like museums in London are, and this is ironic for a museum run by a communist party, but these ironies aside, it’s one of the more informative and delightful Chinese history museums in the world.

Shanghai’s history doesn’t date that far back itself, it was a small fishing village until the foreign powers thought it was a decent logistically vantage point, but the city has collected history, culture and art from around the country and continues to impress with it’s dedication to culture.

Shanghai is a party city, but it’s also full of luxury and opportunities for relaxation. That’s exactly what the doctor has ordered. Every day you work hard to look your best while carrying a load of troubles and responsibilities. You have to take care of your home, your offspring, your spouse or lover, you have a job, and on top of it all you feel guilty for never having time for your gals. Not so, put it all on someone else’s plate and slip into your sexy boots for a night of fun in Shanghai. You deserve it.

Meet the gals at Hayas, one of the city’s best and most affordable group Mediterranean lunches. You’ll enjoy delightful hummus, appetizers of all varieties and tea, and it’s all low fat but filling. You feel healthy after dining at this little gem. And that’s exactly the feeling you want because after this head across the street to one of the dozens of massage parlors. The prices are competitive and the service is excellent. You’ll find that the hour-long option is about right for a group of ladies, and some of the parlors have group rooms so you can continue to catch up with the ladies while you get your massage.

Right outside you’ll find a few nail salons, why not hit one up with your crew and get matching nails? Nothing flashes you back to the fun and carefree days of early teenhood as a few matching manicures.

It should be about cocktail hour, and Laris is beckoning. The dedicated martini bar at Laris is exactly where this sexy, relaxed and well-fed group of ladies needs to head for a fun night out. Slip into something sexy and climb up on a few stools to chat with your gals. You’ll be hounded by men in no time, a reminder of just how beautiful you all are. And when the music is right, why not slip into the dance floor with your temporary man and show off your curves and moves. You have a wonderful body, why not show it off and have some fun!

Laris was just the warm up, take your cat pack over to Bar Rouge a few minutes walk north and watch as the rich men ogle you from afar. That’s right, your beautiful ladies group now owns the bar. Stomp in like that’s true and take over a small table. You’ll soon be showered in drinks from adoring fans. If the mood is right, hit up the dance floor and you’ll be shaking it with diplomats, artists and the creme de la crem of the Pearl of the Orient.

You work so hard, now get out there and party hard. You deserve a massage, a nice lunch with friends, a manicure that isn’t done hurriedly over your sink while the dishes wait, and you deserve to be eyed by good looking men. Get out there and enjoy Shanghai for a night like a party animal with your gals and remember that what happens in Shanghai, stays in Shanghai.

For starters, Pudong (literally, “east of the river)” is new, and as such was primed for the inclusion of great eateries. But with high real estate costs and rivals Puxi being the dominant foodies, the risk to any potential restauranteur was too high. Alas, Pudong remains relatively lax in terms of good offerings for high quality cuisine.

That leaves the many districts of Puxi (“west of the river”) to compete for best foodie neighborhood. And since Pudong is out of the picture that is a much more sizable chunk of land for the avid eater to scour. The area along the Bund is as clean, refined and beautiful as it gets, with excellent views of the Huangpu River as the skyscrapers of Pudong glisten off the murky waters. Laris, owned by a famous chef who specializes in lunch brunches and delighting women with a chocolate fountain and dedicated martini bar, is one of the city’s best stops for food. Located right on the Bund, it’s also beautifully situated. Meander down the row and you’ll find M on the Bund offering some of the finest cuisine this side of Paris. These two foodie delights set The Bund apart as a prime neighborhood for high-end cuisine.

For a range of cuisines from around the globe, though, you’ll have to head to the old French Concession. Here you’ll find such lovely treats as Anadolu, serving up excellent Turkish grub, and next door to a Papa Murpheys, should your American taste buds start to tingle. You’ll find the colonial-style British grub at Sasha’s delightful, and the chocolate at Whisk simply to die for. This neighborhood has it all, too. A delicious Thai joint is nestled next to an Irish bar, which is itself nestled next to a French Crepe stall. To walk around the French Concession is a stroll through the most select cuisines from ever culture on the globe, and as such is the best neighborhood for the foodie in Shanghai.

Coming into the Shanghai Pudong International Airport is a breeze. Signs in multiple languages help you make the transition easily. However, once outside the kindness stops. You have two options, get in a cab and get ripped off (so likely it’s considered an inevitability) or take the maglev. The maglev is a high-speed tram that will whisk you into the heart of Pudong, where you can nab a cab or take the attached subway anywhere in the city. This is the best option as you’ll get to experience a super cool tram, great views, hassle free and then arrive in Pudong without suffering your first scam. The subways are easy to use and intuitive, and the maps will show you how to get anywhere in the city fast. Considering that there is a river dividing the city in half, the subway is much faster than the cabs who have to wait (sometimes for hours) to cross the two bridges or  make their way through the overcrowded and ill ventilated tunnels.

Winter in Shanghai isn’t harsh, but it is still cold and you’ll find it rains quite a bit. Don’t be fooled by it’s seemingly southern location, the weather is more akin to Washington DC than South Carolina, and in winter you’ll need a few layers and a bulky jacket to be comfortable outdoors. It’s nothing like the tundra of Beijing, but pack warmly.

If you want to find a way to celebrate, head to the city’s major western bars. Malone’s is an American pub and eatery where you’ll find a bit of the Christmas spirit, and possibly a bit more. It’s also an establishment in the city and the folks there will know all the best Christmas and New Year’s parties in town. You can also check out the city’s expat magazines, which are available at all the international restaurants, Malone’s included.

Local Massage Parlors:

These offer a chance to get high-end massages without paying hotel prices. Many of the larger brand-name massage parlors have affordable prices without compromising the integrity of the services offered. You’ll still find trained professionals (many of them qualified to work at the hotels if the opportunity arises) and even more than the hotels, you’ll find they have a bit more of a Chinese nature to them. So you’ll get a more authentic, local experience. The massage halls are clean and well-equipped, and the service can be just as noteworthy as at hotels. One stand-out in the field is the Dragongfly, a chain of massage parlors across China where expats, tourists and locals all gather to relax.

Private Cars:

Its easy to get a car and driver in Shanghai if that’s more your style than cabbing it everywhere. You can ask at your hotel if they can help arrange a driver. Even if there isn’t a driving company associated with the hotel, most hotels have a driver or someone in mind for high-end clients or picky shoppers. This isn’t something that should cost a fortune. For less then RMB600 (USD$100) you should be able to get a driver for the entire day.

Elite Drinking:

Head to any of the high-class bars along the Bund for an amazing night of drinking. Unlike many Western countries, you’ll find that the hottest, most elite, and celebrity-filled venues in China attract people of all professions and backgrounds. You’ll be able to talk with fashion designers, politicians, big business folk, and of course everyone from the financial district of Pudong. You’ll meet people from every level of society at the Bund bars, especially Bar Rouge, M on the Bund, and others in that area.

With five-star treatment, services, and facilities like this, its no wonder so many people love living in Shanghai!

First, you can head to any of the city’s best parks. Well-maintained and full of life, these trees offer clean air, an escape from the city’s raunchy heat and smells, and most importantly–shade. You’ll find it a tad cooler in most parks because of the water features. Even the tiny Century Park on Century Boulevard near the base of the Pearl TV Tower has a pool that catches cool breezes and provides for relied in the hot summer heat. There are many great parks in the city, since Chinese people enjoy working out very early in the morning most people have at least a small park near their homes for morning tai chi. No matter where your hotel is there is a park within walking distance where you can picnic with your morning meal, or else soak in a few drops of early dew before the heat sets in. The parks are also great places early on to watch the elderly perform their morning rituals of health and mental stability and are great photography sessions.

The parks are not the only place for a chill moment. You will also find many of the bigger hotels have swimming pools and spas where you’ll get some relief from the heat without breaking the piggy bank. And if all else fails, one way to escape the heat is to get out in the wind. Located near the ocean, Shanghai can sometimes be very windy. If you get up high (or out on the Bund even) you might catch a stray breeze.