There are sprawling suburbs and industrial areas but no sense of the truly enormous city at the end of the drive. How big? Well, if you want to drive yourself crazy, try doing some research on the biggest Chinese city by population. Some sites say Shanghai, others Guangzhou and yet more say Chongqing. I've been to all three and they all seem ... well, big. If congestion is an indicator then Chongqing should take the title, but whatever the truth it's safe to say that Shanghai is up there in the top two or three with a population of somewhere between 25 and 35 million.

Accommodation

Choose carefully when selecting accommodation as some tour operators recommend hotels a long way from the city centre. For example don't just accept "the Radisson", make sure it's one of the Radisson Blu hotels in the city centre. If it's the Radisson Exhibition Center you'll find yourself 31 kilometres from central Shanghai. No matter how good the hotel is, and although there are good train and metro services, you will spend unnecessary time getting to and from where the main sights are. Try to stay somewhere near the Bund and you'll be able to walk to many of the attractions.

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/china/articles/the-best-hotels-in-the-bund-shanghai/

Central attractions

Sights that must be seen include People's Square, Yu Garden and the shopping mecca that is Nanjing Road, a five-kilometre-long mainly pedestrian walkway with more than 600 shops on both sides of the road. From the Bund you can travel through the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel in a pod or automated car, under the Huangpu River to the Pudong financial district.

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shanghai/nanjing_road.htm

French Concession

Farther afield is the former French Concession, a delightful area with gorgeous tree-lined avenues through which to stroll. There is a huge variety of trendy cafes and restaurants, bars, boutiques, art galleries, antique stores and other establishments.

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shanghai/former-french-concession.htm

Out and about

Shanghai has the ubiquitous hop on-hop off bus and it's handy for getting around and becoming broadly familiar with the city before focusing on your own areas of interest. Shanghai is clean and safe but watch out for the pesky shoe-shine men who won't leave you alone.  

Useful links

​https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/shanghai.htm