Shanghai is the easiest Chinese city to like quickly, and the hardest to like properly. Give it two days and do not try to see everything. Pick a couple of neighbourhoods and walk them until your feet complain, because the whole charm of the place lives in the streets between the sights.

I spent my first visit here chasing the skyline and came away slightly cold. The second time I did almost no sightseeing at all, and it was one of the best city weekends I have had anywhere. So treat the plan below as a skeleton, not a schedule. If a side street looks interesting, that is the plan.

Day one, morning: the Bund, on the west side

Start on the Bund early, before nine if you can. The promenade along the Huangpu river looks across to the Pudong skyline, and the Pudong side is genuinely spectacular, but the real reason to come early is to see the old colonial-era buildings on your own side in decent light without a thousand phones in front of them.

Then turn inland. Walk up Nanjing Road for a couple of blocks, then escape west into the side streets toward the Bund area's Art Deco lanes. A block off the main drag the crowds vanish and you are among old bank buildings and the grand hotels that still serve afternoon tea.

Day one, afternoon: the former French Concession

Taxi or metro to the area around Anfu Road and Wukang Road. This is the Shanghai people mean when they say why they moved here. Plane trees arch over the pavements, low villas hide behind garden walls, and the cafes are the kind you sit in for two hours.

What to actually do there

• Walk Wukang Road from end to end, then loop back via Anfu Road. The whole thing is about 40 minutes at a strolling pace.
• Stop for coffee. Shanghai takes coffee seriously, and the standard is higher than in most of Europe.
• Visit the former residence of Sun Yat-sen or the small art deco architecture museum if you need an indoor break.

Do not plan this neighbourhood too tightly. The pleasure is in wandering, and every time I have tried to follow a route here I have ended up somewhere better by accident.

Day two, morning: a garden and a canal

Yu Garden in the old town is the classic stop, and it is crowded by ten. Get there at opening. The classical rockeries and pavilions are worth an hour, and the surrounding market is a reasonable place for soup dumplings, the Shanghainese standard, though I would look for a small shop rather than the biggest restaurant.

In the afternoon, head to Zhujiajiao water town if you want the canal-and-bridges experience without a long trip. It is about an hour out by metro and bus, and it is touristy, but the canals are real and the boat ride is pleasant. If you would rather stay in the city, the Shanghai Museum in People's Square is excellent and free.

Day two, evening: get high up

Finish with a rooftop. The view over the river at dusk, with Pudong lighting up across the water, is the memory most people take home. Options range from the observation decks in Lujiazui, which are the most dramatic, to a bar in the Bund area, which is more atmospheric. Reserve ahead, because the good tables go days in advance.

Practical notes

The metro is fast, cheap and in English. Cash is nearly useless; set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you arrive and link a card. Tipping is not expected anywhere. Two days is enough for the highlights, and if you have a third, use it for a day trip to Suzhou, which is 25 minutes away by high-speed train.

Originally published on 71Asia Tours blog.