What should I pack for Shanghai?

A VPN is the single most important thing you'll pack for Shanghai, and it weighs nothing. China's Great Firewall blocks Google Maps, Gmail, WhatsApp, Instagram, and most Western apps you rely on for navigation and communication. The problem is timing. You cannot download a VPN once you're inside China because Apple and Google restrict VPN listings on their stores within the mainland. Install one on every device before your flight, and test it from your home WiFi. Without it, you'll be navigating a 25-million-person city with no English-language maps and no way to message anyone back home. Baidu Maps works as a backup, but the interface is entirely in Mandarin. To be fair, many hotel WiFi networks have slightly looser filtering, but coverage varies by property and can change without notice.

Shanghai's weather swings harder than most visitors expect. Summer runs June through September at 30-38°C with humidity that leaves your shirt clinging to your back within 10 minutes of stepping out of the metro. Three quick-dry shirts and one pair of convertible pants cover a week with laundry. Pack one light long-sleeve for the aggressive air conditioning. The Shanghai Museum on People's Square and most Nanjing Road malls sit at a steady 18°C inside. The plum rain season, called méiyǔ, hits mid-June to mid-July. Warm, sudden downpours soak the pavement and fill the gutters with the smell of wet plane tree leaves. They stop after 20 minutes. Winter, December through February, drops to 2-8°C with a penetrating damp cold that a hoodie won't handle. Thermal base layers, a wool or down coat, and a scarf for the wind coming off the Huangpu River at the Bund.

Closed-toe walking shoes. Not sandals. Not fashion sneakers. The Bund promenade along the Huangpu is smooth granite. Step one block into the Former French Concession near Wukang Road and you're on uneven flagstone buckled by plane tree roots. Yu Garden's interior paths turn slick on wet stone after the afternoon rain. Shanghai's metro covers most distances. Line 2 connects Pudong International Airport to Nanjing East Road for about 7 yuan, roughly 1 USD at current rates. You'll still log 12,000-15,000 steps on a full sightseeing day between station exits and actual attractions. The walk from Lujiazui station to the Oriental Pearl Tower alone is 600 meters across an elevated pedestrian bridge with zero shade cover in summer.

China runs on 220V with Type A and Type I outlets. Your US two-prong phone charger fits most Shanghai hotel sockets without an adapter, but the three-prong grounded laptop plug does not. A universal adapter costs about 35 yuan at any Family Mart. A portable charger, 10,000 mAh minimum, is the second most important item after the VPN. Google Translate's camera mode, WeChat for payments, and Baidu Maps for navigation all compete for battery through the VPN. A full charge drains by early afternoon. Pack a photocopy of your passport bio page. Police spot-checks happen around People's Square and the Bund. Showing a photocopy means you keep the original in the hotel safe. Prescription medications should travel in original packaging with the generic drug name written down. Shanghai pharmacies stock most common medicines, but staff at a typical Yifeng or Guoda branch won't recognize Western brand names.