Shanghai Pub Crawls and Bar Tours

The Shanghai Nightlife Scene

Shanghai's most interesting bars are not on the Bund. The Bund rooftop views at Bar Rouge or Vue are expensive and unmistakably tourist-facing; they're worth one drink for the visual, then leave. The better drinking is in the French Concession, specifically along Yongkang Lu, Yongjia Lu, and the lanes off Wulumuqi Road. This is where the speakeasy format that Shanghai does better than anywhere in Asia lives: hidden entrances, no signs, excellent cocktails, mid-century interiors that are not themed but actual. Jing'an District around Changde Road has the craft beer bars. People's Square is the club zone.

What You'll Pay

Beer at a French Concession bar: ¥40–80. Cocktails at a quality speakeasy: ¥80–130. The Bund rooftops charge ¥100–180 per drink and sometimes add a minimum spend. Imported craft beer runs ¥50–90. A night in the Concession with four drinks and no club entry is ¥300–500 per person. Add a Bund drink at the start and you're at ¥500–700.

Best Nights

Friday and Saturday bring out the full scene. The French Concession bars are better on Thursday evenings — less packed, easier conversation at the bar, the regulars rather than the weekend crowd. Club nights at TAXX (under Club Fresh in Jing'an) and Arkham run Thursday and Friday with different music programming; their Instagram pages are the most reliable source of weekly schedules. Yongkang Lu on a Sunday afternoon runs a casual beer-on-the-street scene from 3pm that morphs into a proper bar crawl by 7pm.

Practical

Shanghai Metro closes around 10:30pm–11pm on most lines. DiDi is the primary transport option after that and works well with an international card. WeChat Pay and Alipay dominate; most bars in the French Concession also accept international cards. The speakeasy venues are not listed on Google Maps — find them through updated city guides or ask at your hotel bar. Some require reservations.