Yuyuan Bazaar

Once a colorful, cacophonous warren of lane houses, Shanghai's old quarter has largely fallen victim to the wrecking ball. But the heart of it, the Yuyuan Bazaar, still remains largely intact.

This is your go-to place for Shanghai souvenirs – everything from jade bangles to dragon kites to ornamental chopsticks. It's also a convenient place to tick a few boxes on your "Must Eat" list. You can sample Shanghai's signature soup dumplings at Nanxiang Mantou 南翔馒头 or eat at Lv Bo Lang 绿波廊, where Shanghai's leaders treat foreign dignitaries like Bill Clinton to dinner. Of course, if that sounds too exotic, the place is dotted with familiar Western chains like Starbucks, KFC, and McDonald's as well. Be sure to take a stroll through the elegant Ming Dynasty-era garden in the center of the bazaar, it's one of the best five classical gardens of Shanghai that represents the brilliant arts and techniques in garden design and construction surviving from ancient China.