nan jing road

A lot of travel guides suggest visiting nan jing road. I’ve been there dozens of times and my personal recommendation is that it’s a good example of an over-hyped high end shopping district. There is little visible history there despite the many famous events that took place on or nearby. It’s a mix of ultra high end luxury goods stores (the real stuff) with numerous back alleys where you can buy the knock-off goods. I always have found it a bit ironic. Other than shopping and seeing lots of neon lights and hoards of people, it’s really nothing notable. I believe (don’t quote me) that it ranked on CNN’s top 10 most disappointing tourist spots globally in the recent past. I’d have to agree with their assessment. But, if you have money to burn and want to pay too much for high end luxury goods, this is the place you want to visit in Shanghai. A note on the back alley fake markets along nan jing road – it may be intimidating to wander into a dark alley and into a dark, small “store” (complete with fake doors to take you deeper into fake market bliss) but not to worry, Shanghai is a very safe city aside from petty crime (watch your wallet). I’ve never had any problems there using common sense. My assessment is to skip nan jing road altogether and spend your time doing more interesting things during your stay in Shanghai. If you want fake goods, try the Shanghai Science and Technology Center metro station. It’s literally inside the metro stop for the Science and Technology Museum on the green line (#2).