Jiading, an historic town about an hour NW of Shanghai by bus from Nanjing Xi Lu and Cheng Du Lu. The sights to see are Shanghai's F1 track, a Confucian garden, and a pagoda.
Shanghai F1 Circuit, special buses run from Shanghai Stadium metro stop and a few others around the city. They cost ¥50 return and leave every few minutes when they fill up. On Friday and Saturday it takes an hour or so each way so if you are staying somewhere in the centre of Shanghai budget 2 hours door to door, on Sunday it is significantly quicker. They also drop you as far away from the main stand as it is possible to get, so budget on another 20-30 minutes to get to your seats depending on where your seats are. On the way back, you are better off just to jump on any bus as they all take you back to a metro station and your door to door travel time should be about the same.
Qibao, a small ancient town about 15 km from Shanghai city - just in between the city and Minhang district - can be reached by Metro line 9. It is a smaller but just as crowded version of the more famous water town, Zhouzhuang.
Songjiang æ¾æ±, a county in Shanghai province, some 30 km southwest of Shanghai city. It is less crowded than Shanghai and is a good daytrip. It is also now much more accessible with the opening of the new Metro line 9.
Xitang, an historic town SW of Shanghai. The final scene from Mission Impossible 3 were filmed here. A picturesque canal town with old bridges and houses lining the canal lit up at night with red lanterns. You can even stay a night in one of the old houses and sleep in an old bed.
An historic town an hour by bus west of Shanghai. Another of those picturesque canal towns dating from the Ming dynasty 14th to 17th centuries. The first modern post office in China was established here. Some bars have opened recently, and the town is becoming increasingly bohemian. Worth a look in spite of the abundance of souvenir stores, although not overrun with tourists.
Nantong
north of Shanghai, a newly developing city. The city has a natural and open atmosphere. Nantong is a modern as well as historic city.
nearby cities
Several other major Chinese cities are near Shanghai and conveniently reachable on the new high speed over 200 km/hr trains. These are comfortable and reasonably priced and except at holidays, are not too crowded since other trains are cheaper. Look for the separate ticket windows with "CRH" on the signs.
Hangzhou æå·, 45 minutes away by CRH bullet train, is one of China's top domestic tourist attractions, featuring the famous Xihu Lake and Buddhist caves. The popular times of year to go are Spring and Fall. There is an information booth at the train platform exit that provides a useful booklet with maps. Take the Y2 bus Â¥3 into town, or even all the way around the lake - the second and fourth stops let you off at bicycle rental kiosks. Bicycling around the lake area is popular, and easily done by finding a red-bicycle kiosk along the city streets along the lake. Buy a rental card for Â¥200 and put Â¥100 credit on it the minimum. The bicycles themselves rent at very low rates: first hour free, then Â¥1, Â¥2, and a maximum of Â¥3 per hour after that. Bikes can be returned to any red-bike stand. The rental card can be returned for a full refund of the card's cost and all credit left. Be warned that the card-return kiosks close at 1700, and that not every automatic bike stand has a card kiosk.
Suzhou èå·, a historic town half an hour away from Shanghai by bullet train. The city has long been lauded by emperors, ancient poets, and scholars alike for its beauty and vitality. Due to its many canals and bridges, Suzhou has also sometimes been referred to as the "Venice of the East". Suzhou has many gardens and pagodas worth visiting. The "Venice of the East" parts of Suzhou have all been over run with aggressive beggars and pan handlers. The city may be suitable for those wanting to mix the metropolitan feel of Shanghai and small town-feel of Suzhou even though the population is quite sizeable. Reserve Suzhou if it can be combined with a tour of other historic areas.
Nanjing å京, about 1.5 hours away by bullet train, is a great place to escape the pace of city life. It's also a great place to get a Chinese history lesson. From the city walls to the Presidential Palace, it's a walkable, friendly place with a variety of hotels for all budgets. Well worth the effort. It is also home to the tombs of three prominent figures in Chinese history.
Shaoxing ç»å ´, about 1.5 hours away, is a traditional Chinese tourist attraction featuring the famous fish and rice hometown. The ancient quarry of Keyan is an incredible site. Be sure to take a trip on the local rowboat on the lake surrounding the rocky cliffs. The Jianhu Lake is another beautiful area. Lan Ting is a nice park with lots of stone monuments engraved with historical Chinese calligraphy. The Dayu Ling Tomb of the Great Yu is nice although it feels disappointingly unauthentic.
Wuzhen ä¹é is one of the water towns close to Shanghai, easy to reach on a day trip. Busses depart e.g. from Shanghai Stadium. Go and see how daily life was/is - weaving and coloring fabric, pottery, the Shadow Puppet Theatre is a great spectacle as well, with traditional Chinese stories and music played on traditional instruments. Well worth a visit, though it can be crowded at weekends. Wuzhen is on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and also around a net-work of other smaller canals and rivers. The town has numerous bridges, ancient harbors and waterside pavilions, and makes an excellent complementary side-trip for visitors staying in nearby Hangzhou. Buses ply the route from Hangzhou to Wuzhen.
Ningbo is two and a half to three hours away from Shanghai, across the 36-km long Hangzhou Bay Bridge.