Liesel, I'm no expert, but here's a suggestion based on a few days hoofing it around the city. You'll need a city map - we bought a laminated "Shanghai by Night" map at the English Language Bookstore, but your hotel should have something suitable.

From the Peace Hotel walk west on Nanjing Dong Lu to Renmin Park. Street signs are in both Chinese and Roman alphabet (pinyin). Hint for deciphering street names: dong = east, xi = west, bei = north, nan = south, zhong = central and lu = road.

On the west side of the park the fine Shanghai Arts Museum is well worth a visit. You can then head south until you hit Huaihai Zhong Lu. This road more or less borders the old French Concession area, which is characterised by fine old European-style houses and plane tree-shaded streets. It's a very good area for shopaholics; don't forget to bargain.

Just south of Huaihai Lu, near the corner of Madang Lu and Taicang Lu, is an area with western-style cafes and a Starbucks. I wouldn't normally patronise Starbucks, who IMO charge way too much for self-service coffee in a cardboard cup, but even a halfway good coffee, not to mention clean toilets, aren't to be sneezed at in China.

A little further in a SE direction is a small but fascinating museum at the site of the first national congress of the Chinese Communist Party - interesting memorabilia from the city's turbulent and often terrible past. If you really have an appetite for that sort of thing, in a SW direction and west of Chongging Nan Lu are the former houses of Dr Sun Yatsen and Zhou Enlai, but they'd make for a bigger walk.

East of the aforesaid CCP museum is Old Town, which covers a substantial area. Before you get there, make sure to walk through the Dongtailu "antiques" market in the vicinity of Liuhekou Lu. Bargain hard here.

Then head in the direction of the Yuyuan Gardens, which are at the northern end of Old Town. You'll pass through an area of tarted-up mock-old buildings and very overpriced tourist shops.

After leaving Old Town at its NE corner you'll be on a road that borders the Huangpu River and becomes the famous Bund. Take the time to look inside a couple of the impressive old European commercial buildings as you pass them. Eventually you'll hit the corner of Nanjing Lu - turn left and you're back home.

Now this is a pretty serious walk, but we did most of it in one day and neither of us are what you'd call fit.

I'm not the best person to ask about nightlife, but if you buy the map I mentioned it has some suggestions for pubs & clubs, as will any guidebook. Don't miss the Jazz Bar at the Peace Hotel, though.

- Neil

I don't remember how I did it but I got to know the busses quite quickly and I too am a walker but anytime a bus came past if it was a helpful number I'd hop on it for a while then I;d get off to change to anew bus or keep walking if the traffic was slow.

In shanghai though the traffic does flow more easily than other places during the day time. Busses are really cheap and I found that doiung this was less frustrating than cabs.

have fun, go mad. thats what I say.