Shanghai in January 2026 – is it worth going? Weather and reviews, air temperature, how to dress, prices for air tickets and hotels for the New Year and later. What to do and see in Shanghai during January, where to go in the surrounding area and, in principle, in China – says Eurotraveler.
We won’t lie here when we say that January is the best month of the year to travel to Shanghai. Not at all, the middle of winter in a Chinese metropolis is expected cold enough and does not provoke people to walk around in summer (and in most cases even autumn) clothes.
However, local January cannot be called the worst time to travel. Because all the basic things for which tourists actually go to distant countries and cities can be easily accomplished.
It will probably even be possible to “exceed the plan” and see more attractionsthan planned. Since few people will interfere with you in this matter, and the weather will create the minimum of inconvenience. Perhaps only one – you will have to monitor the forecast and select an outfit based on what “the coming day has in store for us.”
Ever considered traveling to China and especially Shanghai in January? Well, it’s never too late to start. Especially today, when the “Celestial Empire” begins to gradually open up to the world!
And travel to it have ceased to be perceived as something not just exotic, but also very difficult and even dangerous
Again, you can visit China in winter just on the way. In transit while traveling to other places!
After all, in Nha Trang the weather in January is suitable for a seaside holiday in the best possible way. We’re not even talking about Phuket and other resorts in Thailand, which look like ideal vacation spots in the middle of winter!
Weather in Shanghai in January
Judging by meteorological statistics – well, very good. From the point of view of a northerner, it’s absolutely gorgeous.
Well, what other epithet can you choose if the air temperature in Shanghai in early January fluctuates in the range +8-15 degrees Celsius? And in other years it reaches a level of +20 °C?
But statistics are one thing, and real sensations are another! The fact is that due to its proximity to the coast, in Shanghai there are almost always excessively damp. And such a feature, against the backdrop of even above-zero temperatures, makes you shiver and freeze.
With all this, you need to be prepared for temperatures down to +4-7 °C during the day. And only 0-+5 degrees Celsius at night
In the second half of January it gets colder in Shanghai. The average air temperature drops below +10 and sometimes even +8 °C, and frosts are possible at night.
Not every year, but at the end of January there are near-zero temperatures in Shanghai register during the day. However, not on a regular basis – in the following days, almost spring weather may set in, and the air will warm up to +12-15 °C.
Yes, all this looks extremely unstable. And it forces you to adapt. But if you stock up warm enough (and not exclusively demi-season) clothes, you are unlikely to freeze to the bone.
And having decided to go to Shanghai from Beijing, where in January it is a priori much colder, – you definitely won’t freeze. Because even before traveling to China, prepare for truly winter weather!
Precipitation
Humidity is high, but rain in Shanghai during January, as well as snowfall, is quite rare. Although cloudy rather than sunny days are a priority. Yes and with thick fog at least once during a short trip (3-4 days) you have every chance of encountering.
On January 1, the sun rises over Shanghai before 7 am. And the luminary sets below the horizon around 17:00. Over the course of a month, the boundaries of daylight hours expand slightly: the sun rises earlier and sets later.
Daylight hours thus last from 10 hours and approximately 12 minutes to 10 hours and 42 minutes, which for midwinter is very good indicator. Which allows tourists to flexibly manage their time and see all the most interesting things in Shanghai and nearby.
How to dress
But this is the key point. Underestimating the importance of warm and – even better – layers of clothing, can spoil impressions from the trip.
In this review, for example (very informative, by the way), you can read how hopes for warmth did not coincide with reality at all. As a result, tourists were “freezing like chickens” and tried to stay longer in the hotel in the morning.
Therefore, when you find yourself in Shanghai in January, it is better to dress in thick waterproof lined jackets and with hoods. Underneath it would be good to have a set of thermal underwear and a thicker sweatshirt/sweatshirt.
Sneakers will also work on your feet. But if after Shanghai you plan to go not to the southern resorts, but somewhere in central China (to the Huangshan Mountains, for example, or even to Zhangjiajie), then it’s better to take it with you insulated and comfortableon the leg, trekking boots.
And, of course, stock up on hats, scarves and gloves. They are there for you in January will definitely come in handy.
Sometimes an umbrella is also a useful accessory.
Prices
I would like to, but not yet can’t be called low. And the point is not only that air tickets for flights to Beijing during the New Year holidays are shamefully becoming more expensive, but also that they remain expensive even after the official holidays.
In any case, you will have to pay a significant amount for direct flights. To fly non-stop from Moscow to Shanghai after January 10 and return a week later will cost at least 60 thousand rubles (luggage included) or about 600 €.
Those who choose the transit “story” will save 15-18 thousand rubles, but literally exhausted on the road (from 17 hours one way). However, you can always invent a composite route and see Beijing in January, staying there for 4-5 days.
As for Shanghai hotels, on average they cost approximately the same as Beijing hotels. Well, maybe quite a bit cheaper.
So, staying near the city center, not far from the same famous Bund (Bund) embankment, will cost about 80-90 € for two per day in January
For our part, we recommend Holiday Inn Express Shanghai on The Bund, which looks downright “inexpensive” compared to its colleagues. Breakfast at the hotel is included in the price by default. Which actually saves a lot of time – you don’t have to rush in the morning looking for a place to eat.
- How much do tours and excursions in Shanghai cost?
Many tourists can afford and take part in a guided tour of Shanghai. Well, or take the cheapest “path” – take a river cruise.
A 2.5-3 hour walk around the city with a guide in winter costs no more than 30 € per person. For the Huangpu cruise (dress warmly – it will be dank and cold) you will need to pay from 20 €.
Things to do
It wasn’t us who said that you should see Shanghai and the surrounding area even in detail possible in 3, maximum 4, days. And if we easily agree with such a statement, then for our part we will advise adding a couple of days of time for a trip to deep China.
And, of course, it will take 4-5 days to explore Beijing – if you come from there. Or decide to go after Shanghai…
One way or another, you will have to plan your travel route ahead of time in order to have time to see it in Shanghai in January all interesting places.
Some people head out of town first, but traditional routes usually start with a hike to the Bund. Where you should spend several hours admiring the buildings of European architecture and taking many pictures of Shanghai’s business district, Pudong, on the opposite bank of the river.
The skyscrapers there look especially atmospheric at dusk and in the dark in general – keep this point in mind
Every guidebook also advises going up to the panoramic platform to view the huge city (yep, immersed in fog) from above.
Those who love everything tall should take a swing at the Shanghai Tower, the second tallest building in the world after Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. But many tourists traditionally go to the photogenic city TV tower with a completely unpretentious name “Pearl of the East”.
Just wrong
don’t take a walk in Shanghai along Nanjing streeton New Year’s days shimmering like a New Year’s tree. This pedestrian street is home to probably the most expensive shops and boutiques in the city. And also restaurants where you can easily leave an impressive amount of money.
Must visit in January French Quarter of Shanghaiwhich has retained its purely Parisian chic to this day. Well, you will certainly find a much more authentic, distinctly Chinese, Tianzifang district. Abounding in souvenir shops with handicrafts, as well as Chinese restaurants.
Even in winter you will surely be captivated Shanghai Garden of JoyYuyuan. Planned according to all the canons of Feng Shui and clearly capable of ridding the visitor of at least some of the negative energy.
If you come to Shanghai with children, you will almost certainly spend a day in local Disneyland. Which, as they say, is somewhat inferior to its American progenitor in the abundance and quality of attractions. But it is still able to provide a child (and an adult) with many joyful experiences…
Where to go
We recommend two of the relatively nearby suburbs.
First – Zhouzhangthe famous “Shanghai Venice”. This village has lived for centuries in the middle of a network of canals and has retained a lot of original features.
Second – Suzhou gardens. There is even nothing to comment on here – this is one of the places protected by UNESCO, and according to everyone, one of the central attractions of China.
As for long-distance travel, a trip from Shanghai to Yellow Mountains, Huangshan. However, getting there will require transfers. First, by train to Hanshan Station (the old name of Tuanxi), and then by two buses (regular plus shuttle) to the lower cable car station.
An excellent review with a lot of photos on the topic of visiting the Huangshan Mountains can be read here – otzyv.ru/review/224282/
You can also from Shanghai get to Zhangjiajie (“Mountains of Avatar”). Travel time by direct train is from 7 hours, then at the city bus station you need to change to a regular bus to the village of Wulingyuan.
© Eurotraveler
