Shanghai First-Day Checklist

Quick Take

Your first day in Shanghai does not need to be perfect. It just needs to be calm enough that you can get from the airport to your hotel, pay for food, find your way around, and sleep in the right place.

This checklist is for the unglamorous stuff that makes the trip work:

payment
mobile data
maps
airport transfer
hotel address
first meal
backup cash
phone battery

Do these before you fly, and Shanghai gets much easier.

If you only have time to prepare three things, start with payment, internet, and maps. They support almost everything else on this list.

Before You Fly

Payment

Install Alipay.
Add an international card.
Install WeChat and try to enable WeChat Pay.
Make sure your bank app works.
Tell your bank you are traveling if needed.
Bring one physical Visa or Mastercard.
Carry some RMB cash or plan where to get it.

For the full setup, use the Shanghai payment guide, then check the separate Alipay and WeChat Pay pages.

Internet

Choose roaming or a travel eSIM.
Install the eSIM or carrier app.
Check whether your phone can receive SMS abroad.
Download offline translation data if your app supports it.

See How to Get Internet in Shanghai as a Tourist if you are deciding between roaming, eSIM, local SIM, and hotel Wi-Fi.

Maps and addresses

Install AMap Global.
Save your hotel name in Chinese.
Save your hotel address in Chinese.
Save your hotel phone number.
Screenshot your airport-to-hotel route.
Screenshot your hotel-to-nearest-metro route.

For app choices, read Does Google Maps Work in Shanghai? and Best Apps for Traveling in Shanghai.

Documents

Passport.
Visa or visa-free transit documents if relevant.
Hotel booking.
Return or onward ticket.
Travel insurance details if you have it.
Passport photo or scan saved securely.

At the Airport

First 10 minutes

Turn on mobile data.
Check that AMap opens.
Check that Alipay and WeChat open.
Do not follow unofficial taxi offers.
Decide transport based on energy, luggage, and arrival time.

If you are tired

Take the direct route. Official taxi, app ride, or hotel transfer is fine.

This is not the moment to prove you can master Shanghai public transport. You can do that tomorrow.

If you use metro

Make sure it is still operating.
Check whether your hotel is near a station.
Expect long station walks.
Keep your luggage manageable.

If you use taxi or app ride

Show the hotel address in Chinese.
Use official taxi queues or official ride-hailing pickup areas.
Keep payment backup ready.
Be ready for the driver to call if using an app.

At Your Hotel

Before going out again:

Save the hotel address again.
Ask the front desk for a Chinese address card if possible.
Ask what the nearest metro station is.
Charge your phone.
Test one small payment nearby.
Mark the hotel on AMap.

First Payment Test

Do your first test somewhere easy:

convenience store
coffee chain
hotel desk
larger mall shop

Do not make your first test at a crowded restaurant, in a taxi, or at a tiny shop with a line behind you.

First Meal

Keep the first meal simple. You are not losing travel points by eating somewhere easy after a flight.

Good first-meal choices:

mall restaurant
hotel-adjacent restaurant
coffee chain plus snack
simple noodle or dumpling shop with pictures
convenience store if you are exhausted

Your first Shanghai food adventure can wait until your phone, payment, and brain are all working.

If you still have energy after checking in, keep the first outing simple: the Bund for the skyline, or Yu Garden if you want a more traditional-looking stop before evening.

What To Carry on Day One

Phone
Power bank
Passport or passport copy, depending on your plan
Alipay
WeChat Pay if available
Physical card
200-500 RMB cash
Hotel address in Chinese
Translation app
Tissues

If Something Fails

Payment fails

Try Alipay, WeChat Pay, another card, or cash. If you are stuck, move to a larger shop, hotel, mall, or station service desk.

Read the payment backup plan before the trip, not at the cashier.

Mobile data fails

Use airport or hotel Wi-Fi, open saved screenshots, and get to your hotel first.

The internet guide explains the pre-trip setup and what to do if your eSIM or roaming does not work.

Maps get confusing

Show your Chinese address screenshot to hotel staff, mall staff, or a metro service desk.

The map guide covers AMap, Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Chinese address screenshots.

Taxi pickup gets confusing

Move to a clearer pickup point: hotel entrance, mall gate, metro exit, official airport pickup zone.

Use the taxi and ride-hailing guide if driver calls, pickup points, or payment are the stressful part.

You are overwhelmed

Go to the hotel. The city will still be there after a shower.

Useful Chinese Phrases

Can I pay another way?
我可以用别的方式付款吗？

Can you help me find this address?
可以帮我找一下这个地址吗？

Please take me to this hotel.
请送我去这个酒店。

I do not speak Chinese. I am at the pickup point shown in the app.
我不会说中文。我在软件显示的上车点。

I do not have mobile data. Can you help me call a taxi to this hotel?
我没有手机网络。可以帮我叫车去这个酒店吗？

Related Guides

Use these guides when one checklist item needs more detail:

Sources and Verification Notes

This checklist summarizes the first 8 Shanghai Sorted practical guides. It should be updated whenever the payment, app, airport, or transport pages are updated.

Primary source families:

Shanghai Government English portal
China Government English portal
Alipay official traveler guidance
AMap Global app listings
Shanghai airport and transport information

Field Notes to Verify

Best airport pickup instructions for PVG and SHA.
Current English support at airport service desks.
Whether the first-payment test works reliably at common convenience stores.
Whether hotels are willing to provide Chinese address cards for foreign visitors.