Shanghai for One

Perhaps daunting at first, solo travel is a fabulous way to immerse yourself entirely in a destination. Here’s where to go and what to do on your own in Shanghai.

Gourmand go-to UnTour offers five mouth-watering street-eat adventures, away from the overdone touristy markets. Designed to appeal to anyone who wants to explore the city via the leisurely gratification of their appetite, UnTour’s savvy docents favour local-only haunts, having built up special relationships with vendors. Early birds can start the day with some light grazing on the ‘Street Eats Breakfast’ jaunt, slurping everything from freshly-made soy milk to steaming soup dumplings; or sociable types might find the ‘Beer & Bites’ caper an easy way to make new friends.

It takes confidence to boss a table-for-one in a fancy restaurant, so why not melt into the mob at round-the-clock noodle shop Henan Lamian? Past the unassuming facade, this rowdy, friendly, no-frills diner is family-run (staffed by young cousins from Henan province) and ladles out the absolute bee’s knees of hand-pulled noodles. Sit back and observe the regulars and colourful local characters, as well as legions of clubbers in the wee hours.

With no nagging companion to hurry you along, the lovely tree-lined Former French Concession is the ideal area to explore, eat, shop, and take your sweet time. Bustling artery Changle Lu is host to some of the city’s best indie and bespoke shopping, from one of our fave outfitters Tony The Tailor (#590) and silk stores like Ming Qing Fushi Dian (#201) for gorgeous off-the-peg qipao, to cutting-edge urban gal-wear at Content (#234), Estune (#220), and restored villa Mian Hua Tian (#564). Sooth that shopper’s shoulder at no-frills massage parlour Dragonfly (#206).

You could lose a whole day in the West Bund Cultural Corridor, Xuhui’s industrial wasteland turned burgeoning artscape and riverside promenade. Kick off at the aeroplane hanger turned gallery, the Yuz Museum, which although closed for reno, is worth seeing for the staggering archi alone. Next, totter south along Yunjin Lu to small but innovatively formed Shanghai Centre of Photography (SCôP), the city’s first dedicated shutterbug gallery. There are various other art hubs to explore but China’s largest private art museum Long Museum West Bund, set inside a striking modern-minimalist riverside block, is undoubtedly up there with the must-sees.

UnTour / +86 137 0172 9642 / untourfoodtours.com

Henan Lamian / 607 Changle Lu / +86 21 5404 6727 / open 24hrs

Changle Lu / Former French Concession

Yuz Museum / 35 Fenggui Lu / +86 21 6426 1901 / 10am-9pm Tue-Sun / yuzmshanghai.org

SCôP / 2555-1 Longteng Dajie / +86 21 6428 9516 / 10.30am-5.30pm Tue-Sun 

Long Museum / 3398 Longteng Dajie / +86 21 6422 7636 / 10am-6pm Tue-Thu & Sun, 10am-9pm Fri-Sat