Decide how long to stay
A short stay and a city chapter need different plans. As an editorial starting point, allow three full city days if you want time for a waterfront visit, neighbourhoods and a museum or personal interest. Count arrival and departure separately.
If you have only a brief stop, choose one area and a meal rather than planning a full day around a connection. Your arrival airport, luggage and onward journey determine what is practical.
Give each day a purpose
Use one part of the stay for the waterfront and another for neighbourhood streets, food or shopping. Give a museum or another major indoor visit its own space. Compare the walking involved with how much time you would like to spend seated, browsing or taking photographs.
The advantage of a private plan is being able to remove a stop and spend longer on the one that interests you. Share that preference before a tightly scheduled day is proposed.
Choose a useful hotel base
Compare a hotel near your chosen waterfront or central-city activities with the quieter neighbourhood stay you might prefer. Ask about the room, breakfast, access from the road and the daily journey from the hotel. Check the exact property instead of assuming that every hotel in the same district offers the same experience.
Check your arrival airport
Shanghai has Pudong and Hongqiao airports. Match the airport, terminal and arrival time to the proposed journey into the city. Public transport and a separately agreed private transfer have different luggage and connection considerations; choose after the arrival details are clear.
Make room for excursions
Before adding Suzhou, Hangzhou or a water-town visit, compare the complete return journey with the city time it replaces. An extra place can be worthwhile, but it is also another day's decision. Check transport, opening arrangements and pickup details for your dates.
Choose the next stop
Compare a longer Shanghai stay with a next chapter in Beijing or Yunnan. Use the Shanghai destination page for local places and articles, then share the parts you would like included in your own route.