Former French Concession

The Former French Concession is Shanghai's most charming and atmospheric district, a leafy quarter of plane-tree-lined streets, low-rise lane houses (shikumen), Art Deco villas, and converted heritage buildings that feel a world away from the city's skyscrapers. Once the foreign concession governed by France, it's now home to boutiques, indie cafés, bars, restaurants, and design shops, especially around hubs like Tianzifang (a maze of arts-and-crafts lanes) and Xintiandi (a polished restored shikumen dining and shopping enclave).

There's no single sight here, the pleasure is wandering the shaded streets, peeking into lane neighbourhoods, and stopping for coffee or cocktails. It's where Shanghai feels most relaxed and stylish, and a wonderful contrast to the Bund and Pudong. Come on foot, get a little lost, and soak up the genteel, tree-shaded calm.

Niet missen

• Plane-tree-lined streets and Art Deco villas
• Tianzifang's arts-and-crafts lane maze
• Xintiandi's restored shikumen dining enclave
• Independent boutiques, cafés, and bars
• Atmospheric shikumen lane neighbourhoods

Tickets & tours

Manieren om Former French Concession te bezoeken

Geschikt voor

Hoe reizigers het beoordelen

Bereikbaarheid

Goed om te weten

• It's a district to wander, not a single sight, get pleasantly lost in the lanes.
• Tianzifang (crafts lanes) and Xintiandi (restored dining enclave) are the main hubs.
• Spring and autumn are loveliest under the plane trees.
• It's a calm, stylish contrast to the Bund and Pudong, go on foot.

Een stukje geschiedenis

The French Concession was a foreign-administered area of Shanghai from 1849 until 1943, developing into a fashionable residential and commercial district with European architecture and tree-lined avenues. Though the concession ended, the area's distinctive character and buildings survive, now gentrified and beloved.