I am booked to travel to Shanghai this Thursday (18th Oct) but the friend I was meant to be travelling with has pulled out. Is Shanghai safe to visit as a female travelling alone ? Also there is an APEC conference there this weekend with George Bush and 21 other world leaders attending, so do you think the extreme security will make it better or worse to be there ? I would love to hear from anyone who is currently in China or who has recently been, or who can help !
thanks
Shanghai
Re: Shanghai
Hi Fionaj,
I was in Shanghai 2 years ago on the Great China Adventure Imtrav tour, and had a female fellow traveller (yes, we were only with 2 people on that tour!). We spend a day at our own, and she had no problems whatsoever being on her own in Shanghai. It also didn't strike me as unsafe for women.
China in general is quite safe for women travelling alone, you should not be more worried than in any Western country to my opinion. The only thing will probably be that a lot of people will come up to you and try to sell you something, but if you firmly refuse, there shouldn't be a problem.
I can't comment on how the world top in Shanghai will affect your visit, but Shanghai is a big city and it is unlikely that the major sites to see are closed, or that major parts of the city are blocked. Tourism is a very important source of income now for China, and I'm sure the Chinese don't want to frustrate tourists!
Hope you have a good time in Shanghai, I surely did!
Robert.