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Where to Stay in Shanghai (2026): The Best Areas, 12 Hotels and the 6% VAT

By Casey, Gently Yonder editor

Six Shanghai areas from the Bund to Hongqiao, 12 hotels, the 6% VAT and the service charge on the bill, and airport fares by maglev, metro and taxi, checked.

Last updated · 15 min read

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In this guide14 sections
  1. The short answer
  2. What a Shanghai hotel bill adds
  3. Getting in from the airports, and around
  4. Checking in, and paying
  5. People’s Square and Nanjing Road: the first-trip base
  6. The Bund: the riverfront and the old banks
  7. The Former French Concession: historic streets
  8. Jing’an: a park, a temple and shopping
  9. Lujiazui: the skyline
  10. Hongqiao: the airport and the fast trains
  11. How to book Shanghai
  12. All 12 at a glance
  13. Before you go
  14. Frequently asked questions

Shanghai’s hotel bill has no tourist tax that we could find, but it has two lines worth checking before you book: 6% VAT, and at some hotels a service charge on top. Whether a rate already includes them differs from one hotel to the next, so the same ¥1,000 room can end up costing ¥1,000 or ¥1,166. Where you stay decides the rest: the city is big, and the metro is what joins its areas.

This guide covers six areas, from the Bund to Hongqiao, 12 hotels, the airport links and the bill. The hotels are researched picks, chosen for location, what each property publishes and consistent guest feedback, and each was checked as operating in October 2026. No hotel pays to appear here.

The short answer

If you want… Stay in Why
a first trip, with the metro at the door People’s Square and Nanjing Road Metro lines 1, 2 and 8 meet here, and Nanjing Road runs east to the Bund
the riverfront and the old banks The Bund A 1.5 km protected waterfront, with 52 historic buildings facing the river
historic streets and shops The Former French Concession Xuhui’s Hengshan Road and Huaihai Road, on metro line 1
a park, a temple and shopping Jing’an Jing’an Park, Jing’an Temple and West Nanjing Road’s flagship stores
the skyline Lujiazui Pudong’s financial district, directly across the river from the Bund
a flight or a fast train Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2, the railway station and metro lines 2 and 10 together

Not sure which area? Rank these areas for your trip: pick what matters and see the reasons.

A dusk street corner under a road sign for Waibaidu Bridge and Nanjing Road (E), with a tall tower and skyscrapers rising beyond a row of shopfronts
The Pudong skyline from a corner on the Bund, by the road sign for Waibaidu Bridge. Photo: Andy Du / Pexels

What a Shanghai hotel bill adds

Three things can change the total, and none of them is a per-night tourist tax:

Line What we found
VAT on the room 6%. China’s VAT Law, in force since 1 January 2026, taxes services at 6% unless they are listed at 13%, 9% or zero, and hotel rooms are not on those lists
Whether VAT is in the price The law treats VAT as separate from the sales amount, shown on its own on the invoice, but the implementing rules also allow a price that already includes it, so check each rate
Service charge Charged by some hotels, not set by the city. HUALUXE Shanghai Twelve at Hengshan, for one, shows its rate as excluding a 10% service charge
Tourist tax We found no separate per-night tax in the Shanghai government and tax authority pages we read

Hotel pages are not consistent about this. On the day we looked, the Holiday Inn Shanghai Nanjing Road marked its price as including taxes and fees, and the InterContinental Shanghai Pudong marked its price as excluding them. Read the line under the rate.

Here is our arithmetic for a room quoted at ¥1,000, assuming VAT applies to the room and any service charge together; a hotel may calculate it differently, so ask:

If the quoted rate… You pay
already includes VAT and any service charge ¥1,000
includes VAT but excludes a 10% service charge ¥1,100
excludes both a 10% service charge and 6% VAT ¥1,166

A 15% service charge on the same room would add ¥150 instead of ¥100. We did not see one at any hotel in this guide.

Getting in from the airports, and around

Checking in, and paying

Hotels register foreign guests: you show your passport at check-in and fill in a form, and the hotel reports the registration to the police, within 24 hours. In 2024 the authorities said hotels must not turn away foreign guests on the grounds that they lack the capacity to process the paperwork. Entry rules vary by passport, so check the National Immigration Administration before you travel.

People’s Square and Nanjing Road: the first-trip base

Passengers waiting on a metro platform beneath a sign reading People's Square, with signs pointing to Shanghai Railway Station on line 1
A line 1 platform at People's Square station. Photo: 分 参 / Pexels

People’s Square is the middle of the map: lines 1, 2 and 8 meet at its station, People’s Park is beside it, and Nanjing Road, a major shopping street, runs east from here towards the Bund. If you want to reach most of the city without changing much, this is the base to choose.

Where to stay around People’s Square

How the hotel links work: a hotel’s name goes to its own website. “Check rates” opens it on Booking.com through our partner Stay22, which pays us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.

The Bund: the riverfront and the old banks

A row of floodlit stone buildings, one with a clock tower, beside a dark river at night, with high-rise towers behind
The Bund's riverfront buildings, floodlit at night. Photo: guo fengrui / Pexels

The Bund is a 1.5 km waterfront and a protected historical district on the west bank of the Huangpu River. The Shanghai government describes 52 buildings, once the homes of old Shanghai’s financial institutions and trading companies, facing the river. It is busy from the morning exercisers to the evening lights, and it is the place to wake up to a view of Pudong.

Where to stay on the Bund

The Former French Concession: historic streets

The Former French Concession is the Xuhui area around Hengshan Road and Huaihai Road, and metro line 1 runs through it. The two hotels below sit close to the line and to the shopping streets, and the older buildings that give the area its name are a walk away.

Where to stay in the Former French Concession

Jing’an: a park, a temple and shopping

Jing’an is the district around Jing’an Park and Jing’an Temple, with West Nanjing Road’s flagship stores, and metro lines 2, 7 and 14 serve it. It is a base for shops, a park and a temple, with the Bund a metro ride away.

Where to stay in Jing’an

Lujiazui: the skyline

A cluster of glass skyscrapers, one far taller than the rest, above a wide river with a barge in the foreground
Lujiazui's towers, from across the Huangpu River. Photo: yu wang / Pexels

Lujiazui lies directly across the river from the Bund, and Pudong’s government calls it the core of Shanghai’s international financial centre. It holds the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Shanghai International Convention Center and the Shanghai World Financial Center. Hotels here are mostly high-rise, with views to match; the old streets are on the other bank.

Where to stay in Lujiazui

Hongqiao: the airport and the fast trains

Hongqiao is in the west of the city, 13 km from the centre. It is the base for an early flight or a fast train, because the airport’s Terminal 2, the railway station and metro lines 2 and 10 are in one hub. It suits the night before a flight or a train more than a first stay.

Where to stay in Hongqiao

An almost empty metro platform with screen doors on the left and an overhead sign for the line 10 exit
A Shanghai metro platform with a sign for the line 10 exit. Photo: dongfang xiaowu / Pexels

How to book Shanghai

All 12 at a glance

Hotel Area Tier Best for Watch out for
Radisson Blu New World Hotel, Shanghai People’s Square Comfortable The metro and the park at the door No room sizes listed
Holiday Inn Shanghai Nanjing Road Nanjing Road Good value Space in the centre for less Price includes taxes and fees
Fairmont Peace Hotel The Bund Splurge The Bund’s best-known hotel Gold rooms face inside
Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund South Bund Comfortable The river and a pool About 1 km to the metro
Okura Garden Hotel Shanghai Former French Concession Comfortable A heritage hotel with a garden A large hotel, no room size listed
HUALUXE Shanghai Twelve at Hengshan Former French Concession Comfortable A boutique base on Hengshan Road 10% service charge extra
The PuLi Shanghai Jing’an Splurge Calm beside Jing’an Park No rates listed
Holiday Inn Express Shanghai Jing’an Temple Jing’an Good value A modern hotel on the metro Rooms from 20 sq m; no pool
Regent Shanghai Pudong Lujiazui Splurge The skyline from your room No rates listed
InterContinental Shanghai Pudong Lujiazui Comfortable Pudong with a pool and a spa Price excludes taxes and fees
Traders Hongqiao Airport, Shanghai Hongqiao Good value An early flight or train Airport-view rooms
Shangri-La Hongqiao Airport, Shanghai Hongqiao Splurge A larger room at the hub Far from the old streets

Before you go

Frequently asked questions

What is the best area to stay in Shanghai for a first trip?

People's Square and Nanjing Road: metro lines 1, 2 and 8 meet at People's Square, and Nanjing Road, a major shopping street, runs east from there towards the Bund. Choose the Bund for the riverfront, the Former French Concession for historic streets on metro line 1, Jing'an for a park and a temple, Lujiazui for the skyline and Hongqiao for an early flight or train.

Is there a tourist tax on Shanghai hotels?

We found no separate per-night tourist tax in the Shanghai government and tax authority pages we read. The extras on a hotel bill are 6% VAT, which a hotel may already include in its price, and at some hotels a service charge: HUALUXE Shanghai Twelve at Hengshan, for one, shows its rate as excluding a 10% service charge.

What is the VAT rate on a hotel room in China?

6%. China's VAT Law, in force from 1 January 2026, taxes services at 6% unless they are listed at 13%, 9% or zero, and a hotel room is not among the services the law lists at 13% or 9%. The law also allows a price that already includes VAT, so check each rate. On a room quoted at ¥1,000 that excludes both a 10% service charge and 6% VAT, our arithmetic gives ¥1,166.

How do you get from Pudong Airport to central Shanghai?

By maglev, metro or taxi. The maglev runs to Longyang Road station, where you change to metro line 2: ¥50 for a single, ¥40 with a same-day plane ticket or a public transport card, and about eight minutes by the operator's description. Metro line 2 is about ¥7 from Terminals 1 and 2 to People's Square and takes about an hour. A taxi to People's Square is around ¥180 and 50 minutes.

Do foreign guests have to register with the police at a Shanghai hotel?

The hotel does it for you. Under Shanghai's official guidance, foreign guests show a valid passport or residence permit and fill in a temporary accommodation form at check-in, and the hotel reports the registration to the local police within 24 hours. In 2024 the authorities said hotels must not turn away foreign guests on the grounds that they lack the capacity to process the paperwork.

Which Shanghai area is best for an early flight or train?

Hongqiao. Airport Terminal 2, the railway station and metro lines 2 and 10 are in one hub, and Traders Hongqiao Airport and the Shangri-La Hongqiao Airport are both connected to Terminal 2. It is 13 km from the centre, so it suits the night before a departure more than a first stay.

Sources & further reading

Prices, fares and hotel terms change. Every detail here was checked in October 2026; confirm rates, room types and cancellation terms with the hotel before booking. These are researched picks, not reviews. This article contains affiliate links: hotel rates on Booking.com and other booking sites through Stay22, and tours, transfers and eSIMs through our partners; if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. No hotel pays to be included.

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