Shanghai from Luoyang: Disneyland, the Bund and Wukang Road, 4 Days

Leave Luoyang in the morning and reach Hongqiao in the afternoon; take the metro into the city, drop the bags and go straight out. Start at Wukang Road, where the corner of the big block is a sharp wedge, the bow of a ship splitting two streets. Walk north and the plane trees cut the light into pieces across the pavement and the walls. Garden house walls are low enough to show balconies and ivy. At Anfu Road find a cafe and watch the street, then noodles somewhere nearby for dinner.

Attraction introduction: Wukang Road in Xuhui district was once Ferguson Road, and most of its villas date from the 1920s and 1930s, Spanish, English cottage and Art Deco standing on the same street. The Wukang building at the corner of Huaihai Middle Road is wedge-shaped in plan and the landmark of the area. Anfu Road now holds small theatres and coffee shops but is still a residential lane.

Tips: This is a lived-in neighbourhood, so do not aim a camera at windows and doorways. Guests generally find the light best after four in the afternoon, when tree shadows land on the walls. In practice, keep day one to arriving and walking, and save your legs for the park tomorrow.

Out at half past seven to be at the gate before opening. Through security and the turnstiles, then do not follow the crowd to the right; go left and clear Adventure Isle and Treasure Cove first, while the queues are shortest. When the park is fullest at midday, sit down in a show. In the afternoon work back through the headline rides. By dusk the lights are on and the park is a different place, people gathering in front of the castle. Fireworks usually come before closing, so take a spot forty minutes early and stand a little off-centre for the wider view.

Attraction introduction: Shanghai Disneyland sits in Chuansha, Pudong, divided into Mickey Avenue, Gardens of Imagination, Fantasyland, Adventure Isle, Treasure Cove and Tomorrowland, with the castle at its centre. The parade and the night fireworks are the two fixed set pieces of the day, timed by season and weather. Metro line 11 runs to the park gate.

Tips: A November weekday usually means shorter queues than summer, though the longest rides still deserve first place. Guests generally find park food expensive and slow, and unopened snacks and water are allowed in. In practice, the metro is packed the moment the fireworks end, so leave half an hour later if you are not in a rush.

At the Bund by half past six. Mist sits on the river and the far bank shows only its upper floors, and apart from runners the promenade is empty. Walk north along the water: stone columns, pediments, brass doors passing one facade at a time, worth stopping for. At Waibaidu Bridge the steel reads almost black in the morning light, tram rails set into the deck. Cross and turn into Yuanmingyuan Road, a quiet lane alternating red brick and pale rendered walls. Noodles nearby for lunch, then the Shanghai Museum in the afternoon, bronzes through to ceramics.

Attraction introduction: The Bund runs along the west bank of the Huangpu, a kilometre of early twentieth century banks, trading houses, hotels and consulates, neoclassical beside Gothic beside Art Deco. Waibaidu Bridge crosses the mouth of the Suzhou Creek and was the first all-steel riveted bridge in the country. Yuanmingyuan Road keeps a solid row of old buildings, now offices and galleries. The Shanghai Museum is best known for bronzes, ceramics and painting.

Tips: The museum is free but needs a booking in advance, closes on Mondays, and fills fast at popular hours. Guests generally find the Bund crowded by day and quiet at dawn. In practice, the riverside is windy, so add a layer in autumn.

No early start. Walk a section of Sinan Road, where the garden houses are quieter than yesterday and the walls older. At the far end is the former residence of Sun Yat-sen, a small courtyard with plain furnishings. Back to the hotel for the bags, then a Shanghainese lunch nearby: prawns flash-fried in oil, braised pork intestine, a plate of clover. In the afternoon the train from Hongqiao, four hours or so, good for a sleep.

Attraction introduction: Sinan Road was once Massenet Road, lined with garden villas mostly built in the 1920s, brick walls, arched verandas and iron balconies still largely intact. The Sun Yat-sen residence on Xiangshan Road is a two-storey house restored to its period furnishings. Local cooking is known for dark sauces and heavy oil, with flash-fried prawns and braised dishes the usual orders.

Tips: House museums generally need a booking and close on Mondays, so confirm before going. Guests generally find local dishes on the sweet side, and the kitchen will adjust if asked. In practice, leave the last day loose and give Hongqiao two hours, since security queues.