Shanghai Solo Trip & Winter Adventures: A Detailed Review (18.02.25 - 23.02.25)
Taking the plunge and going to Shanghai alone during the cold season? Here's my super-detailed review for all you brave souls! It's a long one, but worth it!
✈️ Flights: 5,800,000 VND Round Trip
- Booked 10 days in advance on Traveloka.
- Air China direct flight to Pudong Airport (PVG).
- Included: 5kg carry-on, 23kg checked baggage.
- Perfect Flight Times: HAN – PVG (6:15 PM – 10:15 PM), PVG – HAN (2:10 PM – 4:40 PM).
- Delicious in-flight meals: rice, salad, pastries, and juice.
- Excellent flight experience! No complaints about the plane or friendly staff.
- Pro Tip: Check-in online! I forgot on the return flight and got stuck at the back. Use Airchina.us instead of the Chinese site, which requires a Chinese phone number.
🏨 Hotel: Booked via Trip.com
- Home Inn (Shanghai the North Bund Dalian Road Metro Station) - 如家酒店·neo(上海北外滩大连路地铁站店)
- Address: No.255 Changyang Road, Hongkou District
- New hotel, friendly staff (though limited English), next to a hospital and Ego convenience store.
- Heads Up: Rooms are small with no fridge or closet. Two suitcases felt cramped. However, I was out exploring all day, so it didn't bother me much.
- Super Convenient! Only a 3-minute walk to Dalian Road metro station. Close to Raffles City shopping mall.
- Great value for the price! Definitely satisfied.
✅ Entry & Exit: No Problems!
Worried about customs? I was too! Almost booked a tour, but decided to challenge myself with a solo adventure.
- Prepared everything: passport copies, return flight tickets, hotel booking confirmation, detailed itinerary in English and Chinese.
- Good news! No questions from customs in Vietnam or China. They just stamped my passport. (I've been to Thailand before.)
- After immigration, a Vietnamese group was held back for inspection. I accidentally lined up with them, but the officer just said, "Why have you been standing here? You can go!" =)))
💰💰 Spending: 100% Alipay - No Cash!
- I've had an Alipay account for years from ordering on Taobao. Verified with my passport and it worked perfectly.
- Exchanged 3600 RMB into my Alipay at home (rate: 3575). Didn't even spend it all – brought back 950 RMB!
- Need a place to exchange money? DM me (not a scammer, I promise!).
- Live on the edge like me: No cash needed! Or, exchange 100-200 RMB for emergencies.
🚇🚇 Getting Around:
- Airport to Hotel: Flight delayed! Arrived after 11 PM, cleared customs after midnight. Two options: Airport bus to The Bund + taxi, or taxi directly. I chose a taxi for safety. Followed signs to E-hailing area, went to P2-T2, and booked a DiDi (Chinese Uber) on Alipay. It automatically located me! Double-checked the location. I had two people, two large suitcases, and two big carry-ons, but booked a 4-seater. Cost: 140 RMB (around 500,000 VND). Booked DiDi without a Chinese phone number! Messaged the driver in Chinese: "I'm a foreigner, no phone number, waiting at the pick-up point wearing..." and sent a photo of myself. He waved me down!
- Shanghai: ONLY used the MRT (subway)! Download the "Metroman" app for directions. Enter your starting and ending stations for detailed instructions, line transfers, and the number of stops. Everything is in English, easy to understand after one ride! Activate a metro card on Alipay (Transportation section) for a QR code. Scan it at the entrance and exit gates, and the app automatically deducts the fare. So convenient!
- Hello Bike: Mini app on Alipay for bike rentals! Great for a chill ride. Watch out for "no bike" signs. Scan the QR code to unlock, park where other bikes are parked, and tap "Return" on the app. Alipay calculates the fare (1.5 RMB/30 minutes). Too cold for me, stuck with the warm MRT! 🥶
- Map Apps: Gaode + Baidu. Used Baidu Maps mostly for directions (Chinese interface, but you get used to it). Gaode for restaurant addresses and menus. Super smart apps, 360-degree views, but too lazy to explore all the features. Also used Apple Maps - accurate, familiar interface, and in my native language! Never got lost! 😀😀
- Hotel to Pudong Airport: MRT for only 6 RMB! Super cheap! Checked out at 10:30 AM, arrived at the airport in an hour, went through security, and arrived at the boarding gate an hour before my flight! Everything went smoothly! 🙌
🐯🐱 DISNEYLAND: The Main Attraction!
- Tickets: Bought Early Bird tickets 10 days in advance on Klook. Combo ticket for 2 adults. Used a discount code from TikTok (Ansapsaigon) for additional savings. Total: 2,400,000 VND for 2 tickets => 1,200,000 VND/ticket! Amazing!
- Date: Thursday, 20.02.25
- Transportation: MRT (subway) – about an hour.
- Slept in! Left around 9 AM. Arrived at 10:30 AM. No line! Went straight to the check-in gate. Thought I'd be waiting 2 hours! Maybe it's because it's cold. Not too crowded! Longest wait was 50 minutes. Rode 8 rides! Here's the list and wait times:
- Pirates of the Caribbean (10')
- Zootopia (40')
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (50')
- TRON Lightcycle Power Run (30')
- Peter Pan's Flight (20')
- Voyage To The Crystal Grotto (5' squeezed in before the parade)
- Soaring Over The Horizon (50')
- Honney Pot Spin (20')
- Woody's Roundup (10')
- Dumbo Flying Elephant (10')
- Food: Brought snacks, sausages, and cookies. Food inside is pricey. Had a giant turkey leg (85 RMB). There's a fast food place like KFC in the Tron area, but expensive with limited options. Free water refill stations, so bring a water bottle! You can bring outside food, but some items are prohibited (instant noodles, self-heating hot pot/rice, alcohol, glass bottles).
- Getting Back: Watched the fireworks, took some pictures, and left immediately to catch the MRT. No crowds! Probably not peak season.
🌞⛅️ Weather:
Shanghai was around 10 degrees Celsius during the day, dropping to 5-7 degrees in the evening. Very windy, much colder than back home. Bring heat packs! I bought 20 on Shopee but only used 10. Scarf, hat, gloves, puffer jacket – bring everything! People from Sapa might be okay, but I was freezing! 🥶
🌮🥙 Food:
Tried lots of Shanghai dishes but didn't take many pictures. I'll add details to the images below. Use the Meituan app to order food to your hotel. Delivery is late (11:30 PM). My SIM card number worked for the app, and I messaged the shipper my room number. They brought it right up.
Shanghai itself is a bit boring, so I took a day trip to Zhujiajiao, an ancient water town near Shanghai. The pictures online looked amazing, but it wasn't what I expected. A little disappointing. You can hire a rickshaw driver for a tour. Negotiate the price! I was too lazy to walk the 1km from the entrance to the town, so I took a rickshaw. They wanted 40 RMB for 2 people, but I refused. They dropped to 30, then "a sư wu, a léng cưa." Still no. Finally, 20 RMB for 2 léng cưa! Happy! 😄
For souvenirs, I went to Walmart – great selection! Many locations in Shanghai. I went to the one near Guilin Park MRT station. No plastic bags, so bring your own or buy a cloth bag for 5 RMB. Also bought some Horsh yogurt cakes at Hot Max (near the dinner spot). This chain sells close-to-expiration-date items, so the prices are very cheap! Consider carefully if you are buying things to eat right away.
My unforgettable 6-day, 5-night trip to Shanghai kicked off 2025! I feel so much more independent! Figuring things out on my own, experiencing new places, meeting new people, and experiencing a new culture! It was amazing! My total trip cost was 16,100,000 VND (including 1,800,000 VND for gifts). 💰💰💰
DM me if you want my detailed itinerary! ❤️
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