Things to See in Shanghai

In a city of dubious contemporary architecture, the colossal Jinmao Tower stands out for its winning design, loosely inspired by a traditional Chinese subject, the pagoda. If you want to see Shanghai in a splendid nutshell, travel in the elevators (moving at 9.1m/second) to the 88th-floor observation deck, accessed from the separate podium building to the side of the main tower. Time your visit at dusk for both day and night views.

With its shaded alcoves, glittering pools churning with carp, pavilions, pines sprouting wistfully from rockeries, whispering bamboo, jasmine clumps, stony recesses and roving bands of Japanese tourists, the Yuyuan Gardens are one of Shanghai's top-notch sights. With over 1000 visitors daily, securing an early morning visit is advisable. The adjacent bazaar is great for a browse, if you can ignore the surrounding sales roar.

Rocked slightly from its jealously guarded throne by the 2006 unveiling of Bijng's tip-top Capital Museum, the monarch of China's museum world remains one of Shanghai's highlight sensations. Expect to spend half, if not most of, a day here. A primer of Chinese civilisation recounted via 120,000 exhibits, the intelligently designed museum guides you through the pages of Chinese history.

The Huangpu River offers staggering views of the Bund and riverfront activity. Most tour boats depart from the docks on the south end of the Bund, near East Jinling Rd, where tickets can be purchased; popular 30-minute cruises also depart hourly from the Pearl Dock (Míngzh Mtoú; 1 Century Ave) in Lùjizu.

Venue of the Shanghai Biennale, this excellent museum is particularly worth a visit for its location within the former British racecourse club building next to Renmin Park. Refreshingly cool in summer, the interior galleries - arranged over three floors - are perfectly suited to appreciating art, with well-illuminated alcoves and a voluminous sense of space.

Peruvian chef Eduardo Vargas specialises in hip fusion food featuring South American flavours. Rough-hewn stone seating and shimmery gold and violet décor set the scene at the downstairs tapas bar, Azul, where the Latin influence is at the fore thanks to the Peruvian beef tapas, cerviche, margaritas and pitchers of sangria. Upstairs, Viva shares the same menu and is more of a restaurant, despite the couches. Try the seafood. Reserve.

Bonomi is an Italian chain that has cleverly set up shop in some of Shanghai's best locations. This one's on the Bund, hidden in the Whitehall-like corridors of the former building of the HSBC. Take a rousing espresso onto the superb terrace and pick from an array of Italian drinks, sandwiches and cakes.

There was a time, back at the turn of the 21st century, when M was Shanghai's only gourmet restaurant. That's no longer true, but its intimate Art Deco dining room is still a fine place to eat, while the 7th-floor terrace offers fantastic Bund views. The menu is less radical and original than at some of the other high-end Bund restaurants, but the chefs know their stuff and the atmosphere is pleasant. Finish off with drinks in the Glamour Bar.

More of an after-hours place than a genuine club, this is a good spot to head to when you really don't want the night to end. It's free to get in most of the time and drinks start at around 50.

Set in Renmin Park beside a minilake, Barbarossa is about escapism. Forget Shanghai, this brash and flash concept bar is like Morocco as imagined by Hollywood set designers. Ascend to the roof terrace via the ground floor dining area and the cushion-strewn second floor, where the hordes puff on fruit-flavoured hookahs. Happy hour is from 17:00 to 20:00, when all drinks are half price. There's a strong music policy and tasty, if expensive, food.

Enter through the fake spaceship port into this huge hangar, with laser light shows, tribal and techno beats and a writhing dance floor. It packs in up to 1500 happy ravers at weekends. Cover charge includes a drink.