I just want to share some few tips that you should know about as a foreigner in Shanghai. These tips are relevant not only for tourists, but also for expats coming to Shanghai for a long term stay.
How to get around in Shanghai
The first thing you should know is that taxi drivers in Shanghai do not speak English! I have tried to communicate with about 20 different taxi drivers and no one spoke English. I discussed this issue with someone local, and he had yet to find a taxi driver who spoke English. I gave up in the end, where I just sat and pointed where I was going.
If you want to track down the most famous places in Shanghai, I would advise you to either use a guidebook (Lonely Planet has a great one) or to ask the staff in your hotel (your landlord if you rent an apartment in Shanghai) to write down the places in Chinese. The taxi drivers will not understand Western written language, which might make the travelling a bit difficult.
Things to do in Shanghai as an expat
A trip up in a tall building is a nice place to start. Take a walk along the famous river in both daylight and at night. The big shopping centers have European prices and they do not contain any other clothing than what you can find in any big European city. The custom-made suits are often in high quality, but the cut is not as good. It fits well on the body, but it still seems a bit strange.
