On the grounds of a former golf course, this is one of China's greenest and most pleasant zoos, and makes for a great day with the kids, especially if the sun's out. There’s a decent selection of animals – from woolly twin-humped Bactrian camels to spindly legged giraffes, lots of different monkeys and giant pandas – but some of their enclosures are a bit grim. Shànghǎi folk flock here for one of the city’s best-tended acreages of grass.
Picnic-goers dive onto the lawns for a spot of sun, while electric tour buggies whirr along shaded paths every 10 to 15 minutes. The whole menagerie is navigable on foot with a map from the information kiosk at the entrance or by following the signs.
Not far from the zoo, in the grounds of the Cypress Hotel, is the former Sassoon Mansion, now building 1. You can take a peek at the exterior, but there’s not much left to see.
