DESTINATION:
Shanghai
WHAT TO EAT, SEE AND DO WHEN VISITING FOR THE FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN CHINESE GRAND PRIX 2025
Located 35km north of downtown Shanghai, the circuit is easily accessible by the super-efficient metro system, meaning you can combine a weekend of thrilling track action with the bright lights - and delicious foods - of the nearby big city.
The food of Shanghai is a rich lesson in both history and tradition, alongside modern influences that make it one of the most exciting cuisines in the world. Typically known as ‘Hu cuisine’ – a style of cooking that combines both traditional (Benbang) and the more Western-influenced (Haipei) dishes.
At just 400 years old, Benbang cuisine is considered one of the youngest in China and was originally thought of as peasant food, but it slowly became more complex as the city of Shanghai developed as a major trading port.
What makes Benbang cuisine so distinctive is the pinch of sugar added to practically every dish, from braised pork belly to the city’s most famous dish, Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). The second half of Hu cuisine is Haipei, which literally means ‘all-embracing cuisine’ and refers to Shanghai’s rise to cosmopolitan culture in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when elements of Western cuisine were absorbed into Chinese dishes to create a unique flavour.
The food of Shanghai is a rich lesson in both history and tradition, alongside modern influences that make it one of the most exciting cuisines in the world.
No visitor to Shanghai should pass up the opportunity to try what is arguably the city’s most well known and popular dish, Xiaolongbao
As city skylines go, there are few that can rival the dazzling sight that is Shanghai’s. Central Shanghai is divided by the Huangpu River and the most spectacular views of the dramatic cityscape are best enjoyed from the Western bank of the river on the iconic Bund – a mile-long waterfront promenade which has been one of the most recognisable symbols of Shanghai for a century.
Exploring the Bund by day is a very different experience to night, and in the relative quiet of the early mornings visitors can observe locals gathering to practice tai chi and fly kites before the city wakes up. Daytime is also the best time to admire the 52 historical buildings of various architectural styles that stretch along the waterfront, documenting the colonial history of the city of the 1800s.
No visitor to Shanghai should pass up the opportunity to try what is arguably the city’s most well known and popular dish, Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). These delicious morsels are to be found all over the city, with long queues indicating the more popular establishments.
Filled with pork and pork gelatine, these small buns are cooked by steaming them, and the heat melts the gelatine inside and the ‘soup’ is created. A word of warning though: many an unsuspecting diner has burned their mouth on the molten liquid inside after taking an enthusiastic bite so it would be wise to exercise caution!
If you’re downtown in the very heart of Shanghai, then there is no better way to quench your thirst after a day of sightseeing – and take in the incredible illuminated skyline at the same time – than with a drink at one of the many rooftop bars.
When night falls the buildings on the Bund fall quiet, and it’s the turn of the neon skyline across the Huangpu River in Pudong to take centre stage. Widely regarded as the modern symbol of Shanghai, the Oriental Pearl Tower dominates the panorama and at 468 metres high and with several observation decks, is one of the best ways to see the city laid out below.
As city skylines go, there are few that can rival the dazzling sight that is Shanghai’s.
The Nanjing Road has been the bustling heart of Shanghai since 1845, and with its mix of high-end fashion stores and traditional merchants selling silk goods and jade, and local food vendors, it’s a must visit destination for visitors who want to experience a sense of the old city but with a big dose of modern consumerism on one of the busiest shopping streets in the world.
As the sun sets, flashing neon signs illuminate the buildings and provide the perfect backdrop for open-air bars and street performers.
To be in Shanghai is to have one foot in the past and the other foot firmly in the future – whilst it is undoubtedly a fast and frantic city in some respects, there is an underlying sense of history and tradition dating back hundreds of years that permeates the city.
And despite the frenetic glitz and the glamour of Pudong, you can still find pockets of quiet calm here and there, whether that be in the early morning on the Bund watching Tai Chi being mindfully performed, or in one of the many beautiful gardens where you can imagine gardeners of old tending the plants under the centuries-old pagodas.
In its 1920s and 30s heyday, Shanghai was nicknamed ‘the pearl of the orient’ and it’s not hard to see why.
FUN FACT
Running between Pudong International Airport and Longyang Road Station, the Shanghai maglev train (SMT) – also known as the Shanghai Transrapid – is the world’s fastest commercial electric train. Reaching a top speed of 430km/h, the 30km journey takes just eight minutes and 10 seconds, meaning your trip is over almost as soon as it’s begun!
