Yu Garden

Yu Garden is a compact but exquisite classical Chinese garden laid out in the Ming dynasty, a maze of rockeries, koi ponds, zigzag bridges and latticed pavilions packed into two hectares in the heart of old Shanghai. It is one of the finest surviving examples of Jiangnan garden design.

The garden rewards slow wandering — every turn reveals a new framed view, and the famous Jade Rock, a weathered limestone boulder, is the centrepiece. Around it, the Yu Garden Bazaar and City God Temple area buzz with food stalls, tea houses and souvenir shops, which is a very different (and much busier) experience.

Visit the garden itself early to enjoy it in relative calm, then spill out into the bazaar for snacks and atmosphere.

Take Metro Line 10 to Yuyuan Garden station and follow signs; the garden is a five-minute walk. The surrounding streets are pedestrian-friendly but crowded — the metro is by far the easiest way in. Buses and taxis can drop you nearby but the last stretch is on foot.

Enter the garden and wander the rockeries and pavilions at your own pace (the circuit takes 45–90 minutes), making sure to find the Jade Rock. Exit into the bazaar, snack at the food stalls around the Nine-Turn Bridge, then walk ten minutes south to the City God Temple to round out old Shanghai.

The Old City area is atmospheric but noisy and expensive. Most visitors stay elsewhere and come for a few hours. The nearby People's Square or East Nanjing Road areas put you within a short metro ride, while the former French Concession offers a calmer, more residential base.

• Buy garden tickets at the entrance; the bazaar around it is free.
• Go before 10am to see the garden without tour groups.
• Try the soup dumplings (xiaolongbao) at the bazaar's famous stalls.
• Expect crowds at the Nine-Turn Bridge — it is a favourite photo spot.
• The garden is compact; it is a two-hour visit, not a full day.