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 杭州, 45 minutes away by CRH, is one of China's top domestic tourist attractions, featuring the famous Xihu Lake and Buddhist caves.

• Suzhou 苏州, a historic town under an hour away from Shanghai by express 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 南京, about two hours away, 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 绍兴, about three 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 乌镇 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 located 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.