What's a good 3-day itinerary for Shanghai?

Day 1 stays on the east bank of the Huangpu River in Huangpu district. Yu Garden opens at 8:30 AM. The first half-hour is the quietest window you will get. The rockeries and koi ponds date to 1559, built for the Pan family during the Ming dynasty. Walk the 2-hectare grounds in 45 minutes, then cross to Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant on the northwest corner of the bazaar. A steamer of 16 xiaolongbao costs 38 CNY, about $5.60. Bite a small hole in the wrapper, let the scalding pork broth cool for a few seconds, then dip in Chinkiang black vinegar. By 10:30, walk 1.5 km north along Henan Road to the Bund promenade. The waterfront faces 52 pre-1949 buildings, mostly Art Deco bank headquarters. Lunch at Lost Heaven near Yan'an Dong Lu. Their Yunnan crossing-the-bridge rice noodles run 68 CNY. Shanghai Museum on People's Square is free with a reservation booked on WeChat. The bronze gallery on the ground floor is the strongest room. Return to the Bund after 8 PM for the Pudong towers lit up across the water.

Day 2 moves west to the Former French Concession and Jing'an. Start on Wukang Road around 9:30 AM. The plane trees form a green tunnel overhead, and the pavement is still damp from the street-sweepers at that hour. Walk south to Jian Guo 328 on Jianguo Xi Lu for an early lunch at 11:30. Their hongshao rou, braised pork belly in sweet soy, is 58 CNY and might be the best version in the city. The meat pulls apart under chopsticks. Afternoon starts at the Propaganda Poster Art Centre off Huashan Road, a basement gallery with about 300 Mao-era originals for 30 CNY. Then drift through the side streets between Fuxing Road and Huaihai Road. You might find a lane house turned ceramics studio, or a 1930s villa turned coffee shop. Take Metro Line 2 to Jing'an Temple by 4 PM. The temple dates to 247 AD. It sits directly beneath the glass towers of Jing'an Kerry Centre, which tends to make the contrast more striking than the temple itself. Dinner at Jesse Restaurant on Caixi Bei Lu around 7:30. Order the scallion oil noodles (18 CNY) and the braised river shrimp.

Day 3 crosses the river to Pudong. Take the 2 CNY pedestrian ferry from the Bund for the approach view, or Metro Line 2 to Lujiazui. Shanghai Tower stands 632 metres tall. The observation deck on the 118th floor costs 180 CNY, about $26.60. The elevator takes 55 seconds. On a clear morning the visibility reaches past Chongming Island, 50 km north. By 11 AM, walk the elevated pedestrian ring past the Shanghai World Financial Center (opened 2008) and the Oriental Pearl Tower. The Shanghai Science and Technology Museum sits 3 Metro stops south on Line 2. The robotics hall and the earthquake simulation room take about 2 hours. Admission is 45 CNY. For a final dinner, take the Metro back to Puxi. Di Shui Dong on Maoming Nan Lu does Hunan-style cumin ribs in a layer of dried chili peppers, 78 CNY per plate. Day 3 is about 7 km of walking with the Metro covering the longer gaps.

Shanghai's Metro runs from about 5:30 AM to 10:30 PM. A single ride costs 3 to 9 CNY depending on distance. Google Maps, WhatsApp, and Instagram are blocked without a VPN. Download Amap before arrival. It works offline and reads every Metro exit number correctly. Tipping is not customary in Shanghai. June temperatures sit around 26 to 32°C with humidity above 80%, so pack cotton and a light rain shell. Total walking across the three days comes to about 25 km.