Shanghai

• Best use: Choose the skyline for a first visit, Wukang Road for architecture and a slower afternoon, Yu Garden for a short daytime visit, or Shanghai Museum East for an indoor art outing. Pick one; these are separate parts of the city.
• Go out tonight: If you are already central, have working payments and can protect the return, choose a short Bund walk. Eat first if the restaurant will close before you reach it. The skyline walk does not require a garden ticket.
• Wait until tomorrow: If you are tired or facing a long journey from your accommodation, subtract both journeys, station walks and waiting from your available time. If that leaves little time to eat and enjoy the stop, rest and take the daytime garden plan instead.
• What to skip: A promised late-night garden visit without a ticket for that exact session, a cross-city restaurant queue, or shopping added just because the mall is nearby.

Getting back before pickup

Set your accommodation as the start and end of the outing. Check both journeys, waiting and any connections before leaving. Set a leave-by alarm that gets you back with time for rest and preparation before your required crew pickup. Cut the extra stop if the return becomes uncertain.

• Metro: Excellent for central movement, but security and transfers add time.
• Didi: Useful late or with bags; save Chinese place names.
• Payment setup: Before travel, register Alipay with your mobile number, then use Me → Bank Cards to add an eligible international card. Support depends on your card network and issuer. WeChat provides a second option under Me → Services → Wallet → Bank Cards. Follow any verification prompts; installing an app alone does not mean payment is ready.
• Maps: Search the Chinese names in your working local map, such as Amap/Gaode or Baidu. The guide’s map actions use Chinese place names; save an address screenshot as a separate fallback. Do not rely on Google Maps loading after arrival.

City journeys and payment

Check that your payment method is available, save the destination and return address in Chinese, and save a route screenshot. Keep RMB cash as a separate fallback; do not assume every counter takes your foreign card. Official payment setup guide.