Former French Concession: tickets, hours and how to visit
Plane trees, 1930s villas, Wukang Road and Anfu Road for coffee and shops.
Former French Concession at a glance
Plane trees, 1930s villas, Wukang Road and Anfu Road for coffee and shops. Plan on half a day on foot here, plus half an hour either side for entry, security and parking.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tickets | Free. Wukang Mansion viewing platform free but timed entry at weekends. |
| Opening hours | Neighbourhood open all day. Cafés from 08:00, bars until late. Best 15:00–18:00. |
| Time needed | Half a day on foot; 3 hours if you stop for coffee twice. |
| City | Shanghai, China |
What to see
Three things carry this sight. If you are short on time, do them in this order.
- Wukang Roadthe curved apartment block and the plane trees either side
- Anfu Roadsmall design shops and the coffee street locals actually use
- Fuxing ParkFrench-style layout, morning dancers, chess players
Tickets and booking
How the ticket works, and what foreigners usually get wrong.
Before you buy
- Price. Free. Wukang Mansion viewing platform free but timed entry at weekends.
- Booking. The area is 8 square kilometres and the interesting part is 1 — stay between Wukang Road and Ruijin Road, north of Zhaojiabang. Walking the whole concession looking for "the good bit" is how people spend three hours seeing villas behind walls.
- Payment. Most Chinese sights take WeChat Pay or Alipay only. Cash works at staffed windows but not at self-service machines; a licensed guide can pay on your behalf and settle with you at the end of the day.
Getting there and when to go
Metro Line 10 or 11 to Shanghai Library, exit 1. The whole area is walkable; cars are more hindrance than help because half the streets are one-way and tree-tunnelled.
Neighbourhood open all day. Cafés from 08:00, bars until late. Best 15:00–18:00.. The first hour after opening is the quietest — tour groups arrive around 09:30. Late afternoon gives better light but the main viewpoints start clearing people out, so shoot early if that is your priority.
Public transport reaches Former French Concession, but connections and waiting times add up. With luggage, older travellers, or two sights in one day, a car and driver removes the guesswork.
The one thing that goes wrong
Shanghai local note
- The area is 8 square kilometres and the interesting part is 1 — stay between Wukang Road and Ruijin Road, north of Zhaojiabang. Walking the whole concession looking for "the good bit" is how people spend three hours seeing villas behind walls.
Pairing Former French Concession with
These are usually on the same day or the same trip.
Former French Concession: questions travellers ask
Is there anything to actually do?
Where do locals eat here?
How booking works — three steps, itinerary before price
No deposit to get a plan, and nothing is locked in before you agree.
Send the brief
Dates, party size, how you arrive and what you want to see around Former French Concession.
Get a route and a price
We order the stops by location and traffic, then quote per car per day with fuel, tolls and the driver included.
Confirm and travel
Only after you accept the route and the price do we assign the car and guide.
