Katie Wright spends a whirlwind 72 hours in Shanghai

I'm trying to cross a busy main road but even super-sized traffic lights, a green man and a zebra crossing hold no sway against drivers who seem to see pedestrians as an annoyance best ignored.

I make it across unscathed (just) and head for the Jing'An Park, a leafy haven where pensioners are huddled around Mahjong boards and a bunch of teens are attempting to get a drone camera into the air.

It's 20 years since I've been to China - I lived in the southern city of Guangzhou for a year when I was 10 years old - and boy is it clear things have changed.

In those days, my blond siblings and I were gawped at like we were aliens wherever we went, but in modern day Shanghai, westerners (or "guilos" in Mandarin) are 10 a penny and not an eyelid is batted as I walk around.

The number of foreigners visiting the world's largest city (currently home to 24 million) has grown significantly since short-term visa restrictions were relaxed in 2013.

You can now stay in China for up to 72 hours without a visa, making it more attractive to travellers already in South East Asia or on route to Australia.

So how do you maximise a three-day stay in this vast metropolis?

While I could happily gawp at the stunning view from my 17th floor room at the Puli Hotel all day, I'm keen to explore old-school Shanghai.

The view from the 17th floor at the Puli, Shanghai

So after my stroll I make a beeline for Tian Zi Fang, where the narrow criss-crossing streets are lined with low rise 'Lane' houses, built in the 1930s.

The area now has a market feel, with former residential homes mostly transformed into shops selling silk clothing, loose leaf tea, cartoonish trinkets and other tourist-friendly goods.

I haven't retained much Mandarin in two decades (and bartering is made all the more difficult because the Chinese have a system of hand symbols for numbers that's more complicated than our one to 10 fingers) but with the help of my iPhone calculator, I manage to haggle down the price of some silver jewellery and a traditional silk Cheongsam dress.

Ready for a breather, I make my way over to the picturesque Yu Garden to watch koi carp and turtles paddling in jade green ponds, as I walk across the Zigzag Bridge to reach Huxinting Teahouse and a refreshing jasmine brew.

Later that night, I head out in search of the one sight I'm most excited about.

Ever since I learned that Shanghai's space-age skyscrapers were used to represent futuristic Los Angeles in the Spike Jonze film Her, I've been dying to experience the vertiginous views myself.

The best place to do so? It's got to be the Bund, the wide riverside boulevard opposite the iconic Pudong skyline that is to Shanghai what the Southbank is to London.

I stroll happily along the riverfront as the sun is setting, and by the time I've finished my first mojito at the seventh floor POP terrace bar at the top of Three On The Bund, Pudong is lit up in all its neon glory.

After dinner downstairs at Mercato - home to the best Italian food I've found east of Italy - I take a taxi (they're cheap as long as you make sure the driver puts the meter on) to glitzy club Myst for more cocktails. And dancing. And more cocktails.

Head pounding, I drag myself out of bed the next morning and remember I'm booked on a street food tour. Described accurately by American guide Jamie as "four hours of eating", it's just what the doctor ordered.

We wander through the avenues of the historic French Concession, stopping to sample all kinds of delicious hangover-busting dumplings, my favourite being the soft white steamed buns filled with sweet, sticky black sesame paste.

I spend the afternoon walking off my humongous lunch and perusing the works of local artists in the cool M50 art district, before heading back to the Bund for dinner and one last glimpse of that irresistible vista.

Not long before midnight, I watch the lights of Pudong go out one by one, but that doesn't mean this city is going to sleep.

Far from it. I've got 12 hours until my plane departs, and I intend to make the most of them...

WHERE TO STAY

Puli Hotel and Spa

Shooting up 23 stories, the Puli Hotel and Spa in Jing'An offers spectacular views across the city. Beyond rows of bamboo, the non-stop buzz of Shanghai subsides and the Long Bar and terrace attract locals in need of a cocktail after a hard day's shopping at one of the area's many malls.

The hotel spa is also open to visitors (but the pool and gym are reserved for guests), and the 90-minute aromatherapy massage will soothe even the weariest traveller's body and mind. Rooms from £478. Visit puli.com

WHERE TO EAT

If you want to taste authentic Shanghainese food but you don't want to end up with traveller's tummy, book yourself on a four-hour Untour street food sampler (www.untourshanghai.com). All dishes are included in the price (£57) and Mandarin-speaking American guides will, crucially, explain how to eat a piping hot juice-filled pork dumpling, without giving yourself third-degree burns.

For more upmarket dining, head to the Bund, where Michelin star supremo Jean-Georges Vongerichten oversees three of the five restaurants at Three On The Bund including Chi-Q (a Korean barbecue) and Mercato (refined but relaxed Italian). Visit threeonthebund.com 

WHERE TO PARTY

If you want to get dressed up to the nines, Shanghai provides ample opportunity. Start with an aperitif at a swanky rooftop bar on the Bund, like the POP terrace, then take a cab to one of the big name clubs like Muse, M2 or Myst (but only after midnight, of course). Visit museshanghai.com

Shanghai's drink du jour is Chivas Regal and green tea - but in the clubs, locals spend more time at the tables playing a game called Liar's Dice than on the dance floor.

For a more down and dirty flavour, head to a French Concession bar like The Shelter (a converted bomb shelter so cool it doesn't even have a website) or Perry's, a dive bar chain that's a hit with expats.

TRAVEL FACTS

Katie Wright was a guest of the Puli Hotel & Spa (thepuli.com). Rooms from £478 per night, including complimentary stocked mini bar, Wifi and unlimited use of Health Club, sauna, steam room and indoor infinity pool.

Air France (www.airfrance.co.uk) offers up to 14 flights a week to Shanghai in China via Paris, from 10 UK airports. Return fares start from £446, including all taxes and fees.