My friend spent a week in Shanghai's Former French Concession and refused to leave.

ChinaTravelMemo

My friend from Portugal visited Shanghai. Everyone told her: 'See the Bund. Go to Pudong. Visit Disneyland.'

She spent 5 days in the Former French Concession and ignored everything else.

What is the Former French Concession?

It's a neighborhood in central Shanghai. Tree-lined streets. 1920s architecture. Coffee shops in old villas. Boutiques in lane houses. It's where Shanghai's expats and creative class actually live.

Not the Bund (that's for tourists). Not Lujiazui (that's for finance bros). The French Concession is where Shanghai feels like a real city.

Her daily routine:

Morning: Coffee at a café on Wukang Road. Sit outside. Watch old men walk their birds in cages.

Late morning: Wander down Anfu Road. Browse independent bookstores. Buy nothing. Just look.

Lunch: Vietnamese pho at a restaurant in a converted lane house. ¥45.

Afternoon: Sit in Fuxing Park. Watch people dance, play cards, practice tai chi. An old man tried to teach her mahjong. She didn't understand. They both laughed.

Evening: Dinner at a local restaurant on Yongkang Road. Then drinks at a speakeasy hidden behind a bookshelf.

Night: Walk home under the plane trees. The streetlights are warm yellow. The city is quiet.

The specific streets she loved:

Wukang Road (武康路): Famous for historic architecture. The Normandie Apartments. Former residences of celebrities. Touristy but beautiful.

Anfu Road (安福路): Coffee culture, vintage shops, trendy restaurants. Where Shanghai's cool kids hang out.

Yongkang Road (永康路): Former bar street, now more café-focused. Still lively in the evenings.

Fuxing Road (复兴路): Long, tree-lined, full of surprises. Old shops next to new boutiques.

Xingguo Road (兴国路): Quiet. Residential. Feels like a village in the middle of the city.

The reality check:

The French Concession is expensive. Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: ¥10,000-20,000/month. Coffee: ¥35-50. Dinner: ¥150-300.

But walking around is free. And it's the most walkable neighborhood in Shanghai.

How to get there:

• Metro Line 1/7/10: Changshu Road station
• Metro Line 10: Shanghai Library station
• Metro Line 1/10/12: South Shaanxi Road station

All three are on the edge of the French Concession. From there, just walk.

My friend's verdict:

"I came to Shanghai to see China. Instead I found a neighborhood that feels like Europe and Asia had a beautiful, chaotic baby. I want to live here."

Anyone else fallen in love with a specific Shanghai neighborhood?