Where to stay in Shanghai: 10 hotel recommendations

This article first appeared on Skyscanner’s Where to stay in Shanghai: 10 hotel recommendations.

Shanghai is one of China's most dynamic and exciting cities to visit. It hums with energy and is packed with enough things to keep visitors busy for weeks.

Accommodation options run the full range from homely hostels and heritage hotels, to towering suites with staggering urban views. Skyscanner brings you our top 10 hotel options for a memorable holiday to this seductive and intoxicating city.

1. Le Tour Traveler's Rest - a quality hostel for budget travellers

Housed in a former factory built in the 1930's, the towels produced here were once among the most used and best-known household items in China. Things have changed since then and the most recent incarnation of the building sees it is as a youth hostel with a variety of rooms from single sex dorms to apartment rooms.

There is a pleasant garden area for catching rays during the day, and bike hire, cafe and bar as well as a reliable travel agency that can help with those tricky train ticket bookings to far flung parts of the country. The owners of the hotel have kept many of the factory's original features and fittings with much of the timber being re-purposed for the floors and furniture seen throughout the hostel.

Address: No. 36 Lane 319, Jiaozhou Road

Beds from: S$17 (RMB80)

Rooms from: S$64 (RMB300)

Getting there: Walk from Dongping Lu metro

Visit their website: Le Tour Traveler's Rest

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Le Tour's is a great place for backpackers to settle into their Shanghai experience. Photo credit: Le Tour Traveler's Rest

2. Train Inn - for a quirky, unique hotel stay

This hotel might not be for everyone but for children (or parents) with a thing for trains, a stay here could well be the best thing since the invention of the rice cooker.

Located in Pujiang in Minhang district, this hotel is comprised of a steam engine and 5 railway coaches that were made in East Germany and sold to China Railways before finding a happy retirement here in Shanghai. The carriages have been converted into a restaurant, bar and rooms with original retro fittings and there is also a beautiful glass-ceilinged lobby and landscaped plaza area to run around in.

You can catch occasional live music events here and movie buffs will enjoy making an outing to the Shanghai Film Park.

Address: 1500 Jiangyue Rd, Minhang

Rooms from: S$42 (RMB200)

Getting there: Walk from Pujiangzhang metro

Visit their website: Train Inn

Book rooms here

Enjoy a retro train experience at the Train Inn. Photo credit: Train Inn

3. The EIGHT Art Hotel on the Bund - for the artistically-inclined

Those with an artsy disposition will enjoy a stay in this modernist industrial-styled hotel with its beautifully designed rooms which are minimal and calming and a roof terrace offering soothing respite from the streets below.

Walls are adorned with art prints and the hotel features a number of quirky design features to keep your mind ticking. There are frequent artistic happenings here including movie screenings on the roof, talks, wine tastings and dining events in the attached restaurant.

The hotel is located a short walk from the Bund and the shopping delights of the central Puxi and offers good value in a great location.

Address: 7A Yan'an Dong Lu

Rooms from: S$92 (RMB430)

Getting there: Walk from Nanjing Dong Lu metro

Book rooms here

Sleek room at The Eight Art Hotel. Photo credit: Facebook

4. New Harbour Service Apartments - perfect for family holidays

Finding accommodation suitable for the whole family can be a bit painful so look no further than New Harbour Service Apartments. The Apartments are within walking distance of Yu Yuan Gardens and People's Square, have an indoor pool and staff with excellent language skills that can get their heads round the utterances of your four-year-old.

Families here can choose between 1, 2 or 3 bedroom apartments which are generously sized and have a kitchenette and TV with English channels to keep the little ones occupied. Don't expect super sleek contemporary decor but do expect a stress-free family holiday in the heart of the city at very reasonable prices.

Address: 88 Yongshou Lu

Two bedroom apartments from: S$186 (RMB879)

Getting there: Dashijie metro

Visit their website: New Harbour Service Apartments

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Enjoy tremendous city views from New Harbour. Photo credit: Nils and Araceli Jonsson Flickr

5. Astor House Hotel - for a stay steeped in history

Established in 1846, this grand old hotel was once named the Richards Hotel after the British man who built it, and was the first Western-style hotel in China.

For decades it was considered the premier hotel in the entire country and in its heyday welcomed guests such as Albert Einstein, Charlie Chaplin and Zhou Enlai during their stays in the city.

It was also the place where the first electric light and telephone were installed in China. Fast forward 170 years and you can soak in the history of the city here with comfortable rooms that send you zipping back through time. Einstein stayed in room 304 if you want to try and channel some of his genius.

Address: 15 Huangpu Lu

Rooms from: $188 (RMB885)

Getting there: Walk from Nanjing Dong Lu metro

Visit their website: Astor House Hotel

Book rooms here

Astor House Hotel is packed full of old world charm. Photo credit: Astor House Hotel

6. URBN Hotel - environmentally-conscious accommodation

This award-winning place gets double plaudits for being China's first carbon-neutral hotel and has an ethos geared towards maintaining the smallest carbon footprint possible. The hotel is situated in a former warehouse and much of the furniture comes from locally sourced and recycled materials.

With only 26 rooms, a stay here has intimate warmth and promises to offer a sanctuary from our busy contemporary lives. Wood features prominently in the rooms and the warmth of the material is brought out by the soothing natural tones of the decor and furnishings.

Jing'an Temple a short walk away is a good place for a bit of spiritual nourishment during the day and at night, Tongren Lu is renowned for its raucous nightlife. The hip French Concession and historical People's Square are also close by.

Address: 183 Jiaozhou Lu

Rooms from: S$205 (RMB965)

Getting there: Walk from Jingan Temple metro

Visit their website: URBN

Book rooms here

Green values and gorgeous design marry beautifully at URBN. Photo credit: URBN

7. The Mansion Hotel - charm within the French Concession

Nestled in the heart of the atmospheric French Concession, the Mansion Hotel is one of the city's most charming accommodation options. This villa was built in 1932 and beautifully restored to its former glory in 2007 as a 40-room boutique hotel.

The rooms feature monogrammed pillows, stunning floor tiles and pieces of authentic heritage furniture alongside modern touches such as flat-screen TVs, and bathrooms with tub and power shower.

The villa was the former base of renowned Shanghai gangster, Du Yuesheng. Nicknamed "Big-eared Du", he ran Shanghai's opium and vice operations from this villa, which was home to some seriously swinging parties, as the many photos on the wall testify.

After soaking up the roguish charms here, enjoy a bike ride around the shady streets of the French Concession and enjoy shopping in the many quirky boutiques or relaxing with a latte in a cosy cafe.

Address: 82 Xinle Road

Rooms from: S$220 (RMB1027)

Getting there: 400m from South Shanxi Road Metro

Visit their website: The Mansion Hotel

Book rooms here

Take a walk through Shanghai's glitzy and edgy past at the Mansion Hotel. Photo credit: The Mansion Hotel

8. The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai - amazing views of the Bund in Pudong

Shanghai is all about vertiginous views and for those who want to gaze down at the twinkling city lights from the calm of your bed, head to the Ritz Carlton.

Located in the International Finance Centre in Pudong, the hotel features an abundance of 1930s Shanghai style including shoeshine boys in specially designed uniforms and sleek Art Deco inspired rooms.

For night owls with a penchant for glam, the hotel's rooftop bar, Flair, is the highest bar in the city with stunning views of Puxi, and is without a doubt the most exclusive place in the city to be on Friday and Saturday nights.

Pop over to the Oriental Pearl TV Tower or hop on the charming ferry (S$0.40/RM2) over to the Bund and the shopping delights of Nanjing Road for daytime diversions.

Address: IFC, 8 Century Avenue, Lujiazui

Rooms from: S$412 (RMB1935)

Getting there: Walk from Lujiazui metro

Visit their website: Ritz-Carlton Shanghai

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The view from a room at the Ritz-Carlton is staggering. Photo credit: Ritz-Carlton Shanghai

9. Andaz Xintiandi - high-tech comfort in the upmarket part of town

Xintiandi means "New Heaven and Earth" and the area certainly lives up to its new moniker as this upmarket part of town is made up of modern versions of traditional Shanghainese 19th century shikumen (stone gate) houses which are now used as trendy cafes, bookstores and places to lounge with the beautiful people on weekends.

If that floats your boat then check into Andaz Xintiandi, a new and intimate offering from the Hyatt group with stylish rooms featuring LED lighting that can be customised to suit your mood and an iPad guest solution system where you can control most functions in your room.

You can even order room service with a finger prod or two to the provided iPad Mini! Rooms on higher floors have great views, and all guests are entitled complimentary soft drinks and snacks all day. If you are a glamorous type with a thing for technology, then this is the place for you.

Address: 88 Songshan Lu

Rooms from: S$420 (RMB1980)

Getting there: Walk from Xintiandi metro station

Visit their website: Andaz Xintiandi

Book rooms here

The Andaz is a technophile's delight. Photo credit: Andaz Xintiandi

10. The Peninsula Shanghai - luxury just minutes from the Bund

The multi-award winning Peninsula offers its guests opulence and elegance on an unrivalled scale along the Bund with stunning views over the Huangpu River to Pudong.

In keeping with the 1920's Bund ambience, the 235 rooms are heavily accented with sensual Art Deco touches such as gorgeous curved glass features and materials used in the twenties including lacquered wood and polished chrome.

If you can bear to drag yourself out of your room, you won't need to step too far for champagne and chandeliers at Salon De Ning, a 1930's speakeasy-style bar named after a famed Shanghainese socialite.

For something more contemporary, head to the rooftop terrace bar to drink in the amazing evening views. During the day, have a wander around the Bund and don't forget to take a peek into the old HSBC Bank to check out the beautiful interior design.

Address: 32 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu

Rooms from: S$510 (RMB2400)

Getting there: Short walk from Nanjing East Road metro

Visit their website: The Peninsula Shanghai

Book rooms here

Eccentric and opulent Art Deco glamour can be found in abundance at the Peninsula. Photo credit: The Peninsula Shanghai

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