With so many millennials taking pictures of their brunches and seemingly everyone having an Insta account these days (yes, your cat absolutely needs a separate one), thieving your fellow social media addicts’ attention has never been more difficult. Whether it’s a clichéd sunset, a popular tourist spot, or a medium cappuccino on a wooden coffee table (#yawn), Instagrammers in Shanghai have mostly been there, done that. But fear not, for here is a shortlist of the top Instagram-worthy spots in the city that are sure to up your creative game and get you those life-affirming double taps.
1933 Old Millfun
#unique
An edgy British-built slaughterhouse-turned-deserted-shopping mall,
1933 Old Millfun is filled with spiralling staircases, concrete walls and probably the ghosts of many a troubled swine, it doesn’t get much more eerie (or aesthetic) than this.
611 Liyang Lu, near Haining Lu.
Flair
#cosmopolitan
If you can’t pass up a skyline photo, then
Flair bar on the 58th floor of Pudong’s Ritz-Carlton is a great place to get that fancy Pearl Tower backdrop. With the bar’s sleek outdoor couches and beautiful clientele, you could spend an entire night snatching photos of this booze palace in the clouds.
58th Floor, Ritz-Carlton Pudong, 8 Century Dadao, near Lujiazui Ring Road.
West Bund
#artsy
It’s impossible to avoid Shanghai’s youngest art district, and you wouldn’t want to anyways. Home to art world big guns like Long Museum, Yuz Museum, West Bund Museum, the list goes on... The combination of art and the area itself – right on the Huangpu River – makes this well worth a few snaps. Longteng Dadao, near Longlan Lu.
Thames Town
#surreal
There are few places in this world that will make you scratch your head and doubt the entire premise of your existence, but Thames Town is one of them. A semi-ghost city designed entirely to look and feel like a British town, Thames Town boasts that Insta-worthy trifecta of a cathedral, neatly trimmed bushes and couples on their wedding shoots. Wencheng Lu, near Yuhua Lu.
Paradise Dynasty
#foodie
There are lots of incredible places in the city to get a great shot of Shanghai’s signature soup dumpling, the xiaolongbao, but when it comes to next level looks you can’t go wrong with the rainbow wrappers at Paradise Dynasty. Sixth Floor, IAPM, 999 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Xiangyang Nan Lu. Multiple locations.
Nanchang Lu
#oldxuhui
Meandering between Shanghai thoroughfare Fuxing Lu and glitzy shopping street Huaihai Lu, Nanchang Lu easily flies under the radar – but it’s got a whole lot going for it. Offering some light relief from all the megacity bustle, the sleepy, tree-lined street (that turns vibrant hues of red and orange every autumn as leaves start to turn) is lined with cafés designed with social feeds in mind and more trendy boutiques than you can shake your purse at.
Ars & Delecto
#lanelife
Shanghai’s lanes are in no short supply of great facades. Even better? The excellent cocktails and neighbourhood vibes behind this one at
Ars & Delecto.
222 Jinxian Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu.
Chenshan Botanical Gardens
#floralover
Sure, it’s been done before, and you don’t mean to brag, but at
Chenshan Botanical Garden you’ve got all sorts of tropical plants and your close-up flower pictures are just a little bit better than everyone else’s.
3888 Chenhua Lu, near Jiasong Lu.
Nanjing Dong Lu
#touristy
It’s over-crowded, overrated and some guy on the street will definitely try and sell you a watch, but you can’t deny that seeing the flashing neon lights of Shanghai’s main street at night doesn’t make you beam like a small child.
Zhujiajiao
#daytrippers
Shanghai’s got its fair share of water towns only an hour or so from downtown, but Qingpu district’s Zhujiajiao has a little bit of everything. As well as a pretty mix of bridges, canals, wood-panelled buildings and narrow lanes, there’s also plenty of streets to wander and escape the crowds in search of that perfect shot.
