I think a guide can be usueful when travelling out of town or in small places. In a big city like Shanghai you can do it all yourself. Taxis are easy and cheap and the subway is very simple to use (and fasrter than taxis) and the instructions on the ticket vending machines are in english. The key attractions like the Shanghai Museum have "audio guides" in english.

I agree with drumbrake. It depends on your confidence, however, you can't really get lost as long as you have your acommodation address in Chinese as well as the places you want to visit. The taxi will get you there.

Hi since u have only 2 days in Shanghai a very short stay,i feel the place that u stay is very important.U may not need a tour guide so long as yr place of stay is very central n close to many tourist attractions.U will not be lost in this way.n u will have a good starting point.As long as u stay around Nanjing dong lu or peoples park or Huai hai zhong lu i think u need not have a tour guide if u have the places that u wish to go.The taxis run by meter n easily available if not most places r within walking distance if u stay in the ares mentioned like the bund,Museum,Urban Planning centre,Xintiandi,shopping,n a short ride to YuYuan.Other places to the Pudong like Pearl tower,Aquarium,Science centre,JinMao travel from near yr hotel by metro at Peoplesquare or Nanjingdonglu station to LUjiazui.if not by cab about 20 mins away n cost about 20 yuan.To Jade Buddha u need to go by cab.To Jingan temple by metro.

You definitely can DIY, even with language barrier. But before you go, print all your interested spot's Chinese name so the taxi driver would not be confused. Even you do not have prepared, your hotel front desk can definitely help.

Shanghai's major tourist spots are not as compact as cities like Rome, Venice, but it is not wild spread as LA as well. so you might need to take taxi 4-5 times a day and use subway or bus. Try to use the bus if you can, it is some kind of experience if you had never been really to east Asia.

Hi. One other option. The first time I went to Shanghai, I took an all day tour. It was $45 for a full day tour. It was a small minivan with the driver, guide, me and a couple from Ireland. What a busy and great day - from 8:30ish to 5PM - but amazing. We did the following: Yu Yuan Garden (tour of the gardens plus a bit of time in the shopping area), the Jade Buddah Temple, People's Square and the Shanghai Museum (spent about 2 hours here), lunch (was OK, not great), drive around Pudong (that's where we picked up the Irish couple), walk on the Bund and we finished at the French Concession. Our guide was excellent, very knowledgeable about all sights. Oh, we also went to a couple of 'tourist traps', but it was fun anyway. We went to a silk factory where they demonstrated how they get silk from the worm and then how to make a silk comforter - of course, they then tried to sell us a comforter. Plus we ended in a silk store that was very expensive. The second tourist trap was a tea house, where we were treated to a traditional tea ceremony and several different teas. It was fun, but at the end, they too tried to sell. I had a great day, all for $45. I am taking my family soon on a holiday to China, and I think I may use the tour again (now about $53). Something to consider if you want to see the city in a day.

Hi again if u so decide to have a personal guide english speaking i can recommend u :Lili li mobile:13770784134 or email her at:lizhuanlan@yahoo.com.cn or njlily1982@hotmail.com

My choice is to buy the DK Eyewitness Guide to Beijing & Shanghai (save it for your trip to Beijing) and then discover what YOU want to see, not what a guide wants to show you. Many people do not prefer the pre-packaged "tourist trail" and instead want to see other things of more particular interest to them.

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