I was really drawn to visit Shanghai after finding out how easy it is to get halal food there—something that made travelling a lot more comfortable. Of course, another big reason was to finally visit Shanghai Disneyland and experience the famous Tron ride. It definitely lived up to the hype and added a fun highlight to the trip.

Yaoxue Ice and Snow World

Snowboarding has always been on my bucket list, and being in Shanghai made it the perfect opportunity to finally give it a try. We stayed at the Vignette Collection Shanghai Snow World Hotel, which came with the perk of one hour of early entry to Snow World.

While we were getting geared up, one of the instructors approached us and asked if we’d like a lesson. Since neither of us had any snowboarding experience, we said yes without hesitation. The lesson cost about $150 per person and lasted for an hour.

The only downside was that the instructor spoke only Chinese, so my friend had to translate for me throughout the session. Even so, it was an amazing experience. One hour was definitely not enough, and I’d love to continue learning and improve my snowboarding skills in the future.

Disneyland

The atmosphere at Shanghai Disneyland felt much more relaxed compared to Tokyo Disneyland. To make the most of our day, we purchased Premier Passes for most of the major attractions, which allowed us to skip the long queues and spend more time enjoying the park.

Thanks to that, we managed to experience most of the rides. My absolute favorites were TRON Lightcycle Power Run and Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure. Both attractions were incredibly immersive and exceeded my expectations. If I ever visit again, those would definitely be the first rides on my list.

Yu Garden

Huangpu River Cruise / The Bund

Shanghai Tower

Tianzifang

Nanjing Road

Shanghai Romance Park

If you’re visiting Shanghai, I highly recommend Shanghai Romance Park. The performances were incredibly impressive, with stunning visuals, elaborate costumes, and well-executed stage effects. The production quality exceeded my expectations and kept me engaged throughout the show. It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip and an experience I would recommend to anyone looking for a unique cultural attraction in Shanghai. PS: You do need a Chinese speaker with you to help with the translation.

Weekend trip to Nantong (Sendi Tribe Treehouse)

We took the train from Shanghai to Nantong, which was about a 1.5-hour journey. One thing that caught us by surprise was the security screening. I had purchased quite a few mini perfume bottles from HARMAY, and although the total volume probably didn’t exceed 200 ml, the staff seemed more concerned about the number of bottles rather than the combined volume.

For a moment, I thought I would have to arrange for my purchases to be shipped elsewhere or sent directly to the airport. Thankfully, after some discussion, they eventually allowed us to pass through with the items.

After that experience, we decided to hire a car for the journey back to Shanghai instead. It was definitely more convenient and cost us around $160 per car. 

Yang SPACE Hot Spring Life

We spent our last night at YANG SPACE Spa to unwind and relax before heading home. I definitely experienced a bit of culture shock when we were told to change in the ladies’ locker room. Everyone was completely naked, and to be honest, we felt quite uncomfortable at first—definitely not something we’re used to, lol.

Despite the initial awkwardness, it was an interesting experience and gave us a glimpse into a different spa culture. Would I do it again? Maybe not, but it certainly made for a memorable story from the trip!