A visit to Yu Garden and Market in Shanghai, China

Yu Garden is located in Shanghai's Huangpu District in the Old City. You can reach it via metro to Yuyuann Garden Station, although we mainly travelled around Shanghai using a taxi as we found it much more convenient and often cheaper for us as a family of four. The gardens are open during the daytime, closed on Mondays, and there is a small entrance fee.

Yu Garden was constructed during the Ming Dynasty, starting in 1559, by Pan Yunduan to act as a comfort for his father in his old age. The name itself 'Yu Yuan' means 'pleasing and satisfying to one's parents'. The gardens cover five acres and occupy a peaceful spot next to the busy Yuyuan Bazaar shopping area just outside.

The gardens are a bit of a maze, especially when it's busy which I think it probably is most of the time. Although people were respectful, there were large crowds which made navigating some of the narrow paths a bit difficult at times. But there were quieter areas too, where you could stop for a few minutes to watch fish and turtles in the water.

The garden is divided into six general areas which are separated walls and connected by corridors. It's definitely worth taking a quick photo of the map at the entrance to make sure that you don't miss anything!

I loved the traditional architecture and the beautiful greenery everywhere. You could just stand and stare, taking it all in and finding something new in each view. It's a lovely, traditional place to visit in the heart of the busy and chaotic city of Shanghai.

Just outside Yu Garden you will find the very busy Yuyuan Bazaar with lots of shops filled with both traditional crafts and more modern offerings. It's a great place to pick up those tourist gifts and souvenirs - if you don't mind being approached every time you show an interest in anything! I would have bought more if I had been left alone to browse. The shops are also definitely a place to haggle, which I'm terrible at! 

It's worth stopping for a look around this area too, just because it's such a unique and interesting shopping experience and such a contrast to the gardens! Both are definitely somewhere to add to your list if you are planning a visit to Shanghai.

A journey on the Shanghai Maglev train from Shanghai Airport to the city centre

The Shanghai Maglev runs between Pudong International Airport and Longyang Road Station in Shanghai city centre. Completed in 2002, it wasn't built to solve a transport need but rather to showcase the advanced technology and boost Shanghai's international profile. It's the only high-speed maglev line in commercial service. 

Although capable of running up to 431km/h, the typical operational speed is around 300km/h, a speed which is only maintained for about 50 seconds due to the short route. The distance between the two stations is approximately 30km, and the journey lasts between 7 and 8 minutes. There are plenty of other ways to travel from the airport to Shanghai city centre, but if you want to have a unique experience then the Shanghai Maglev is definitely the way to go! 

What is a maglev train?

A maglev train is a train which levitates above the tracks using magnets instead of wheels, which means that it can travel very fast with little friction. However both the trains and tracks are expensive to build, and there are only a very few short commercial lines worldwide. It's a technology which has a lot of potential for high speed long distance travel, but because of the significantly higher costs involved and greater energy consumption it hasn't yet realised its potential. 

Practicalities for travelling on the Shanghai Maglev train

The train travels between Pudong International Airport and Longyang Road Station, and trains run every 15-20 minutes throughout the day from around 7am to 9.40pm. You can check the exact timetable online. From Longyang Road Station you can transfer to Metro lines 2, 7, 16 or 18 to reach downtown Shanghai, although we chose to travel by taxi to and from our hotel as we had several large suitcases.

The journey takes between 7 and 8 minutes, and even though you'll only be travelling at top speed for less than a minute, it still feels super fast! There's a display board in the carriage showing your current speed which is fascinating to watch.

You can buy your tickets when you arrive from ticket counters and self-service machines at the stations. We bought a round-trip ticket which is valid for return within 7 days using one of the ticket machines, the current price for this ticket is 80 yuan. We used Alipay to buy the tickets from the machine, which we had already installed on our phones before travelling to Shanghai. This was our first time attempting payment in China so it did take a little while to get it working, and if you are planning to visit China from another country you definitely need to do some research into payment methods so you are all set up before you arrive.

When you've bought the tickets you then use them to enter the gates which take you to a waiting area and there is also a security screening area. In the airport waiting area there is a model of the train along with some information boards.

At the station, when the train is close to arriving you are directed by staff down to the platform. There is a marked out queuing area, and then it's easy to board once the train arrives. It was a lot less chaotic than our experiences of using the Shanghai Metro, and it wasn't busy on either of our journeys. The seats have plenty of space around them for suitcases, or else there are large luggage storage areas at the ends of the carriages. 

There are no stops on the way, it's just a direct train between the stations. There are some great views along the way, and you can definitely feel the speed that you are travelling! It's something that you can't experience in many places around the world, so if you are visiting Shanghai I would definitely recommend it.

A visit to Shanghai Zoo, China to see pandas

When we were planning our trip to Shanghai this summer we knew that one thing we really wanted to see was giant pandas. We discovered that in Shanghai there are two options to see them - Shanghai Zoo and the Shanghai Wild Animal Park which both have giant pandas as well as a range of other animals. In the end we settled on Shanghai Zoo because we were more interested in some of the other animals that they have there - in particular the monkeys as we really enjoy seeing monkeys and other primates!

We travelled to Shanghai Zoo by taxi from our hotel in central Shanghai, as we found that booking taxis in Shanghai using the Didi app (which is very similar to Uber) was really easy and the rides were very reasonably priced. But if you prefer to use public transport then the Metro Line 10 stops at Shanghai Zoo Station which is right outside. We used Alipay to buy our tickets on the gate.

We arrived at the zoo as soon as it opened, around 8am, which meant that as well as avoiding the summer crowds we could also make the most of the very slightly cooler temperatures. Because the pandas were the main attraction for us we headed straight to their enclosure which was a really good move. There were only a couple of other people there, and the two pandas were out and about. 

We were able to see both pandas really close up and moving around in their outdoor enclosures, and we stayed for quite a while watching them.

Another draw for us was the penguins which were near the entrance, so we made our way back through the zoo stopping at various exhibits along the way. The zoo is very large and we found it quite difficult to navigate - and be prepared for a lot of walking! It's a good idea to take a photo of one of the maps to help you find your way around. There are a few places to buy snacks or water, and also some vending machines.

We found the penguins, and also enjoyed seeing the golden snub nosed monkeys, the lions and tigers, and the elephants.

The zoo was clean and tidy, and not at all crowded when we visited on a weekday in mid July. It was very hot which meant that we didn't feel up to spending the whole day there, but we comfortably saw everything that we wanted to in a couple of hours. Something to note about the toilets - almost all of the toilets were squat toilets which as Western visitors we aren't used to. If you need or prefer a pedestal toilet then look for the disabled toilet, we found one in every toilet block.

There is a lovely Swan Lake which features other water birds as well as swans, and overall the zoo was really open and pleasant to walk around, with plenty of green and scenic areas.

I found the design of the zoo a little old-fashioned and quite charming. Many of the enclosures had gorgeous hand painted signs showing the animals inside, inside which I loved. 

Almost all of the signage around the enclosures was entirely in Chinese, so if you don't speak Chinese you will need to make sure that you have a translation app on your phone - I like to use the Google Translate app. You can't use Google products easily in China, but I made sure to download the Chinese dictionary ahead of time and it worked really well. 

One thing that I had read before we visited the zoo was that the living conditions for the animals aren't perhaps quite as high as you might be used to seeing in other zoos around the world, and there is possibly some truth in that. We found that we saw every single animal, and often when you visit a zoo there are some animals that you never see because they are out of sight. 

So although the animal enclosures were a good size and clean, I think they are built so that they don't have many areas where the animals can hide out of view. Although this makes for a great visitor experience, it may not be so good for the animals. Otherwise though the enclosures were clean, and the animals appeared healthy.

You can find more information about the zoo on the Shanghai Zoo official website (the website can be translated to English!)

The Shanghai Greenhouse Garden at Expo Culture Park

Shanghai Greenhouse Garden opened very recently in September 2024, in the centre of the Shanghai World Expo Culture Park in Pudong New Area. Situated in glass domes somewhat similar to the Eden Project in the UK or Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, there are three themed glass pavilions - Sand Mirage (tropical and arid), Cloud Forest (tropical wet shade) and Cloud Canyons (tropical wet sun).

We found it easiest to travel to the Shanghai Greenhouse by taxi as it was a little way from where we were staying. The website states that advance booking is required - we didn't realise this, however we were easily able to purchase tickets on arrival. 

When we visited Shanghai in July it was very hot, and although the greenhouses were still warm insdie it was a perfect escape from the sun, and would also make a great place to visit on a rainy day. We visited on a weekday morning and it wasn't at all busy. It was a really pleasant way to escape the noise and bustle of the city centre on our final day.

The gardens are beautifully laid out, lovely, clean and relaxing. Unusually for some of the other tourist spots in Shanghai there were excellent English translations throughout, it definitely felt like a modern attraction. If you can't quite read the sign below it says 'Civilised garden do not littering' which I loved.

Your route takes you through the three domes in turn, which are linked by underwater corridors and walkways. You can also wander about at your leisure, and there are places to sit for a while and enjoy your surroundings. Although there are quite a few steps, it's reasonably suitable for wheelchairs and buggies. There is a marked accessible route, and there are plenty of toilets.

 

There are several suspended walkways which give you lovely views across the gardens. It was so peaceful with the sound of running water from the waterfall and the streams.

I loved walking slowly around the gardens, enjoying the peace, and taking it all in.

I have a newly developed interest in gardening, and so I loved admiring all the beautiful plants. I'm always drawn to flowers, and I particularly loved the tall pillars which were packed with orchids in the Clouds Canyon zone. There are lots of great locations for taking beautiful photographs.

At the base of the orchid pillars is a long shallow pool where small children are allowed to paddle, which I thought was lovely. I can imagine locals coming here to entertain small children away from the heat and crowds. 

I felt that being so new, the Greenhouse Gardens are a little bit off the tourist radar when it comes to places to visit in Shanghai. Although the greenhouses feel set up to deal with larger crowds, it was very quiet when we visited and there was none of the hectic bustle that we found elsewhere in Shanghai. If you are looking for somewhere pleasant to spend a few hours away from the crowds, or if you are travelling with young children that would enjoy a paddle, I would really recommend a visit.

Furthermore, there is also plenty to see in the surrounding park areas. It was a little too hot when we visited to explore outside, but at a cooler time of year I think you could easily spend a day here. In fact you might find that the free outdoor areas are just as lovely as the greenhouses!

A typical adult entry fee to the greenhouses is ¥98-128, and opening hours are 9am to 5pm with last entry at 4.30pm. The greenhouse is closed on Mondays except for Chinese statutory holidays. Tickets can be booked in advance using WeChat. You can find more details and visitor information here - Buying tickets to Expo Park Greenhouse. 

Our fantastic summer holiday to Helsinki, Tallinn, Seoul and Shanghai!

We have just got back from our summer holiday, and it was a very exciting one for us! We travelled to Helsinki in Finland, took a day trip to Tallinn in Estonia, then spent a week in Seoul in South Korea followed by a week in Shanghai in China.

The itinerary came about for several reasons. Firstly, the trip was booked using Avios Air Miles. We wanted to visit Seoul, and because you can't fly directly from London to Seoul with British Airways we began the trip with a short stop in Helsinki. 

Secondly, we were able to easily travel to China without a visa by taking advantage of their 240 hour visa free transit policy. You just need to arrive from one country and depart to another within 10 days, with proof of your onward travel. So we took a short flight with Korean Air from Seoul to Shanghai, then used Avios points again for our return to the UK from Shanghai. 

Why did we choose those destinations? Seoul was inspired by our 14 year old daughter's love for everything K-pop and Shanghai was an opportunity to visit Shanghai Disneyland. I'll be sharing lots more about these places over the next few weeks!

We had to change our plans slightly at the very beginning after our outbound airline FinnAir announced strikes on the day we were due to leave. We decided not to take a chance and to fly to Helsinki a day early, giving us an extra day on the itinerary. We didn't have much planned for Helsinki, so we made the great decision to take a ferry over to Tallinn in Estonia for the day (an option we only knew about after investigating alternative options if our flight to Helsinki was cancelled!) It's not that we didn't like Helsinki, but it was a great opportunity to visit a city which we'd heard things about and were unlikely to visit separately.

Tallinn was lovely and I felt that it had much more of a heart to it than Helsinki. We visited on a weekend when there was a Song and Dance celebration taking place with a huge parade through the city centre and lots of people dressed in traditional costumes. Unfortunately it did rain quite heavily all day, but we stuck with it and carried out our sightseeing under umbrellas!

After a second rainy day in Helsinki we were ready for some warmth and sunshine, and fortunately that's what the rest of the holiday delivered in abundance! We landed in Seoul and my daughter was in K-pop heaven - shops, billboards, posters, merchandise and music everywhere you looked. 

We did a lot of shopping in Seoul. Everything was incredibly cheap, it was a friendly and pleasant city, easy to get around and we also took two excellent organised tours.

The first tour was to watch a recording of 'The Show' - a weekly K-pop show featuring idols galore performing live on stage - an incredible experience for a K-pop fan. The second tour took us to the DMZ (demilitarized zone) border between South Korea and North Korea which was fantastic. We covered a number of stops including a visit to the observation deck where you can peek out across North Korea, a tunnel dug from North Korea that is now a tourist attraction, and a drive through the land mined area that separates the two countries. I'll be sharing more about this tour because it was truly excellent, but for now here is a picture of the toll gate to North Korea, now no longer in use.

Then we travelled on to Shanghai which I must admit was quite a change after Seoul. It was even hotter, very busy, and although we knew in advance that most of the familiar apps wouldn't work on our phones it was a bit of a shock to actually encounter the Great Firewall of China! Fortunately we had purchased e-Sim cards which allowed us to access most things through our data, and a bit of pre-planning and downloading of Chinese apps meant that we were able to cope. 

We stayed in a hotel with an amazing view across the Huangpu river towards The Bund area. 

Shanghai Disneyland was definitely an experience. Although the tickets for entry were reasonably priced, we ended up paying extra for early entry and to get on two of the rides as it was just so busy and too hot to be waiting around for long. We enjoyed the rides that were different from the ones that we are used to and we had a couple of fun days there.

We also visited temples and gardens in Shanghai and spent some time in the shopping malls to escape the heat, although the prices on the high end goods weren't any better than at home. We struggled a bit for food as we aren't adventurous eaters, but towards the end we found a fantastic Italian restaurant opposite the the hotel that kept us filled up! 

We had an amazing holiday and saw some many interesting and unique things, I think I'm still processing it all and I'm definitely still recovering from the jet lag!