Travelling to Shanghai next for work via HK (10hr stopover)
I'll be in Shanghai for two weeks, with a couple of days off to explore on my own.
It's my first time in both HK and Shanghai, and wanting some tips on
Any advice/recommendations will be helpful!
TIA
Also flying business class with Cathay and wondering if I can use Qantas lounge? (My first time flying business)
I was surprised camera stuff isn't cheap there anymore,
I used to love buying electronic stuff when the rate was sitting AUD$1 to HKD$7-8 (around 2010ish!). I was so spoilt back then but it's just not the same anymore.
The exchange rate has something to do with it, but I suppose prices here have gotten pretty competitive.
Cables, power banks, PC parts…forget buying it from there.
Earlier in the year, I went to an outlet centre in Aberdeen. It costs more to buy Ralph Lauren there and save yourself bringing it back.
Dunno, it's been a while since I've been to either, but juxtaposed in a single trip Shanghai makes Honkers feel "regular" and boring - so I'd spend more time there. (In Shanghai).
Don't fall for the tea house scam in Shanghai/PRC.
Some old canal type towns just outside Shanghai which was a nice contrast to the modern side of the city.
Try the maglev train if you arrive at the "right" airport
Setup WeChat and link everything to it before you leave. There is a section there for Metro tickets and Didi rides. Everything is electronic there, but take 500RMB cash just in case. You either scan their QR code to pay or most likely they will scan your QR code to pay. Alipay is another system that's more popular for in person payments, their terminal is NFC and it's like our tap and pay here.
If you have someone who can read Chinese get the Gao De Di Tu app, it has live tracking of buses and can call Didi direct in the app.
Setup advanced VPN if you want to access blocked sites. NordVPN have a special connection to bypass the Great Wall firewall.
https://support.nord-help.net/hc/en-us/articles/203992431396…
If travelling by trains setup 12306 account.
https://www.12306.cn/index/
You can get a China Mobile sim with your passport, they have a 18RMB plan where you are charged 1RMB per GB used, data is reset at midnight everyday. Loaded it with 50RMB and after 2 weeks I had 12RMB left. 5G speeds throughout Shanghai, even in the underground metro lines. If not getting a cheap sim then turn off background data, it will be constantly pulling data even if the app is blocked and you will get slugged for it.
Cathay will most likely land in PVG, you can take the Maglev down to Line 2 and change to the metro to the hotel. Ride is very short and most of the time not as fast at the bullet trains. The ticket is more of a souvenir and you can say you been on a maglev train.
Places to visit:
Disneyworld, Shanghai Wildlife Zoo (野生动物园), Ocean Aquarium (水族馆), Guangfulin Relics Park (广富林遗址), Haichang Ocean Park (海昌海洋公园). The M&M Store in Nang Jing East Rd was pretty fun, skip the chocolate and get the gadgets, you can't buy them here. I got a few dispensers and some fans/keyrings/etc.
The only thing that was super cheap compared to buying it here was clothing and no brand toys. Anything with a brand its not worth buying over there and lugging it back. Chinese owned tech brands are cheap there there, epically during a sale, we bought a lot of Xiaomi stuff.
Many restaurants have deals/specials that can only be accessed via WeChat. First time registrations can sometimes get 50% off coupons. Don't be afraid of trying the small places in the morning, they make some of the tastiest breakfasts. If you like Xiao Long Bao the best one is still the one at Yu Gardens (Metro Line 10 I believe) but it's not cheap.
Are you in Shanghai and thinking of ducking over to HK for a bit, but could stay in Shanghai; or are you in HK anyway?
I've lived in HK and spent a lot of time in Shanghai. If you havent been to Shanghai before, I would suggest spending your extra time in Shanghai rather than HK - enough in the city for a few days (the Museum is excellent), wander around the French concession area eg Tianzifang and then days trips - Zhouzhuang Water Town and/or Suzhou in particular (the first is easiest via an organised tour of some kind). You will find plenty to do.
For 10 hours in HK, you can catch the train into the city. I probably wouldnt do anything other than the standard tourist things - wander through TST, go on the star ferry, if its not foggy/cloudy then head up the Peak. If you want a bit of a wander, from the Peak you can walk along the Bowen Road Fitness Trail (the total trail is about 4km each way, so probably dont walk the full length) which takes you along the back of Wan Chai and Happy Valley (the trail itself is paved and pretty much flat, so its not a big effort). However another option is to go up to the Peak, walk along the Bowen trail to Wan Chai Gap Road (which is quite steep), walk down that and through Wan Chai market area to the Wan Chai MTR station. Grab food somewhere (plenty of options). As others have said, shopping isnt that much cheaper and the main areas of HK (the island, TST) tend to be touristy or higher end shopping; you will have to head out to Sham Shui Po, Mongkok or maybe Causeway Bay to find the cheaper tech (but not necessarily actually cheap)
You can go lounge surfing if that's your thing. When you check-in, you'll be given your boarding pass and another pass for the lounge. The first Cathay lounge you go to will grab that pass, but you can still go to other lounges with just your boarding pass. Skip The Deck, The Wing and go straight to The Pier. Go to The Wing if you can get someone to guest you into the First lounge (lovely champers, I've gotten pretty tipsy once before coming home when QF was flying their A380 flying F, then proceed to digest even more champers there…)
MTR in HK doesn't need an Octopus card; it will happily accept Visa/Mastercard.
Set up your WeChat here and link up your credit card, as most places in the mainland prefer electronic payment. They're legally bound to accept cash but may struggle to give you the correct change.
You don't save all that much by buying things while over there. I was surprised camera stuff isn't cheap there anymore, especially with eBay codes and Amazon/Aliexpress now shipping overseas. Used Leica cameras and lenses in HK were tempting, though.