Staying In The City This Summer?

HOT TIPS FOR Summer fun

The mercury is rising and the summer holidays are finally upon us. If you are staying in Shanghai this summer, make the most of the sunshine with your friends and family. We have selected some of the best activities around, to see you through the hot summer days and nights.

Channel Dr. Doolittle

You too can walk and talk with the animals (though we can’t promise they’ll talk back) at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park, which is located 35 kilometres from the city, in Nanhui District.

The 153-hectare park boasts more than 200 species of animals from around the world and is split into a penned area you are free to explore on foot – the walking section includes a giant panda hall, golden monkey hall, parrot house, white lion area, white tiger area, ostrich zone, kangaroo zoo and crocodile island – and an open park for the carnivores and other big game, which must be viewed from the seat of a tour bus. Adult tickets are RMB 130, with children below 1.3 metres entering for free.

 

Open daily. Hours: March – November, 8am-5pm; December – February, 8:30am – 4:30pm. 178 Nan Liu Gong Lu (S 6th Highway), near Xiayan Gong Lu. Tel: 6118 0000. Web: www.shwzoo.com

 

Picnic outdoors

Xuhui Riverside Public Open Space is 8.5-kilometre stretch of no-man’s-land and was erected south of Expo grounds to remind the population about the momentous event in 2010, but the promenade is actually worth several return visits. Pack up a wicker basket full of treats and spend an afternoon strolling the length of the space before laying out a blanket and chowing down.

In addition to the charming views of barges heading for the deep sea port, there’s a bouldering wall, basketball courts, skateboard park, ruddy monuments to modern construction and fake antique trains grown over by weeds – for authenticity, we suppose.

 

Xuhui Riverside Public Open Space. Dongan Lu, near Longteng Dadao

Poolside Fun

The Mandarine City resort-style outdoor pool is situated in a quiet compound in Hongqiao, though it does get its fair share of people crowding in when the mercury rises and all of Shanghai is seeking a place to cool off. 

The pool area is grand in size, and features a wading area perfect for young kids. There’s also a swim up bar for the bigger kids and good food at reasonable prices.

 

Mandarine City. 788 Hongxu Lu, near Huaguang Lu. Price: RMB 100 (for adults. RMB 60 (for children under 1.3 metres). Hours: 7:00am-8pm

Cruise Down The Huangpu In Style

Cruising the Huangpu River in a private yacht is undoubtedly the best, and most extravagant, way to appreciate both the celebrated Lujiazui skyline and the Art Deco buildings that make up the Bund. You can witness the juxtaposition of both old and new Shanghai whilst hosting a stylish lunch or cocktail reception.

The Peninsula Shanghai’s Princess 54, a luxurious yacht worth RMB 15 million, can be hired for scenic private cruises along the Huangpu River. Decorated in the livery of The Peninsula Shanghai, the 16.5-metre long Princess 54 enables up to ten guests to set sail for a unique waterborne perspective of The Bund and the spectacular Pudong skyline.

 

We have even heard that you can take one of the hotel’s highly trained masseur or masseuses along for the ride.

 

The Peninsula Shanghai. 32 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Beijing Dong Lu. Tel: 2327 2888 ext. 6525. Email: [email protected]. Web: shanghai.peninsula.com

Brunch At M On The Bund

During the summer months, brunching on the seventh floor terrace of this restaurant is the place to see, and be seen. Offering one of the best Bund-side views, and exquisite cuisine to match, this Shanghai institution offers the glitz and the glam that Shanghai’s elite has become accustomed to.

Opened in 1999, in the historic, colonial Nissin Shipping Building, the restaurant offers classical European food with Middle Eastern twists.

 

M On The Bund. 7/F. 20 Guangdong Lu, near Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu. Tel: 6350 9988. Web: www.m-restaurantgroup.com

Amuse Yourself
Happy Valley is Shanghai’s favourite amusement park and features rides (including China’s first wooden rollercoaster) for adults and children of all ages. Within the park are seven sub-sections: Happy Times, Typhoon Bay, Sunshine Beach, Ant Kingdom, Gold Mine Town, Shanghai Beach and Shangri-la Woods. Ant Kingdom is best for younger kids.

As it to be expected In China, when the weekend weather is nice, the crowds descend, so be prepared for a decent chunk of your day to be spent queuing. Prices are RMB 200 for adults and RMB 100 for kids shorter than 1.2 metres.