FRENCH CONCESSION

Overview: One of the nice things about Shanghai, aside from the city lights that replace the sun at night, is that you can find R & R in the greenery of the French Concession. The French Concession harkens back to the colonial days of the, well, French concession area designated for the French in the 1800's. The streets have worn out, brick sidewalks. Scores of trees march along the sidewalks. The French Concession's old world charm lies especially in the colonial, historic and art deco buildings.

The R & R in the French Concession will end at night time, however. This is because the French Concession does have quite a thriving nightlife. This is, after all, expat territory.

The heart of the old French Concession is Fuxing Lu and the French Concession area itself is in the Luwan district. The French Concession/Luwan District starts at Huai Hai Lu and Xizang as the north point and reaches all the way down to Julu Lu.

Huai Hai is a retail district with tons of western and Chinese shops from international brands to botiques. Nightlife, bars and restaurants here abound.

Fuxing Lu has a smattering of restaurants and shops and beautiful lanes.

Julu Lu has a lot of bars and Changsu Lu is just around the western corner of Julu Lu where a significant expat presence is felt. Also, many bars on this street.

Cost: Free, depends on you

Accessibility: The French Concession streets south of Huai Hai Lu are much calmer than Huangpu District. You can wheel on the sidewalks or you can wheel on the streets. The sidewalks typically have worn out bricks. They aren't big and won't give you any trouble but it'd be hard, again, to carry a cup of coffee on your lap.

The challenge in the French Concession area is probably pretty obvious: the buildings are often difficult to access since they are old. Many have multiple steps.

Getting There: If you are staying near Huai Hai Lu in the Huangpu District, then, it's worth taking a walk. Otherwise, cab it.