I'm going to be attending Shanghai Jiaotong Uni for a term, and could use some advice from some fellow Skritters..!

I'm told it's best to look for an apartment once I arrive. I'll be looking in Xuhui district, near the campus. I was thinking of spending 3-4 days in a hostel, which I think would give me enough time to find a place?

Is there a hostel there that's good to stay at? My googling hasn't been too successful. I was thinking Letour Shanghai, although that's not especially close (it's 280rmb/night for a private room, which is relatively standard for chinese hostels - that's bearable for a few nights).

I've lived in China before, although didn't have to find my own place then -- and never been to Shanghai. So any advice is welcome!

Cheers

Letour in Jingan district is awesome. I stayed there for about a week while scouting out apartments. If/when you arrive, ask for Stan (Luomin). He's the kindest guy you'll meet, and he can help you with just about anything, from buying a SIM card to visa processing.

In terms of Xuhui district, I'm not so familiar, as I lived in Jingan while I was there. Jiaotong has a beautiful campus, though. I'm sure you'll have a great time there. Are you doing a specific program, or taking courses directly through the university?

@Byzanti - I'm jealous, that sounds awesome!

Despite my avatar I have nothing to offer...
although what ever happened to the motel 168 chain? (168rmb/night) I never stayed at one though.

Byzanti when are you in Shanghai from/to?

@Ibid - ooooh you're from jingan, snob alert!!! ;)

Ibid: Good to hear! I'm doing a short term chinese study course which I applied directly to the university for. You say it took you a week to find a place. Is 3-4 days realistic? Did you have much trouble?

James: it is fair to say, I am quite looking forward to it ;p.

Neil: Late August to early February. You work or study there?

@Neil, Given that it's World Expo season, they should rename the chain to Motel 368 or Motel 468...

I worked there 2005-07, but I'm considering to head up for a week in late Oct or November. As far as paying more for hotels and queuing up for 3 hours to see a homage to a random foreign country (the Expo) - No thanks!!

Byzanti - any particular area of xuhui? I was right in the middle of zhongshan park which is not far away, 1900rmb/m old dump, it's good because it's lively and got everything but it's not a destination for the masses which keeps it under control. Xujiahui is gadget central and living there would just drive me up the wall, although the surrounding areas would be quieter. Where were you living in China before?

Byzanti: 3-4 days is cutting it short. You will be wanting to find/call a lot of agents (I found mine through Craigslist; you are more likely to find cheaper deals on Chinese websites). You'll then need to meet with the agents to look at the apartments; if you're staying at Letour in Jingan, you'll be needing to make a long trip just to get to Xuhui to look at the apartments.

I would say if you stay somewhere in Xuhui and prepare ahead of time (i.e call 6-8 agents before you arrive and schedule specific times to look at specific apartments) 3-4 days should be enough time.

Neil: I was thinking somewhere near to the university campus since I have to go there every day. How's that area for living in? More or less expensive, rundown or upmarket? Or is it worth going a little out?

Ibid: That's very good thinking there - thanks! I was just planning on turning up and looking around. If I stay at Letour, it'll be the other one, further away still. It's not just half an hour on the metro to get to between the two, though? I haven't quite got the scale of things.

Thanks guys

First things first, whats your budget?
Any area from zhongshan park to xujiahui will be ok, price depending on what sorta place you're looking at.

I rode line 3/4 from 中山公园 to 上海火车站 every day, no worries. I think the rule of thumb is 5 mins for every 2 stops? For living I would wanna be close to a subway line into town.

The real estate agents have postings in the window, you can still walk around at night looking for places to chase up the next day. But mine was found at a streetside hawker who only takes a cut at the beginning, and the contracts are all informal direct with the owner.

check city8.com for china streetview 法华镇路 新华路等等

Thanks - useful website! I was hoping to spend somewhere between 2500rmb-3000rmb/month. One bedroom, kitchen, living room. Not run down or claustrophobic. I know it's possible on this sort of budget, but it seems to be depend on the area, hence why I was asking so I had an idea where to look.

Oh, and before I lived in Xi'an. In the red light district too of all places, but the house the school gave us was actually pretty decent.

Booked the Le tour hostel for a few days. According to them it's 30-40mins from Xuhuiqu, so that's doable. Excited now!

looking at the map, catch a taxi 10 mins 20rmb max

Try this site for metro commute time. You can click and drag between 2 stations to check out the approximate commute time. It's pretty neat:
http://www.exploreshanghai.com/metro/

交通大学 aka "交大" at the xuhui campus （there's another campus in minhang which is very far from downtown） is in an area called xujiahui （徐家汇） which is very 热闹。The campus is 5 minutes from the main shopping center of 徐家汇 which has about 5 shopping malls and even a Best Buy. There's also all kinds of restaurant, Chinese and western food.

I think 30-40mins is a lot if you have to do it a few times per day, depending on how many apartments you visit and how the appointments are far apart. If it's not too late, I'd double check to see if there's any hostels around xujiahui. It's up to you.

@Byzanti looks like you might want to think about carefully timing any currency exchanges:

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100625-703226.html

frilla: Ah, thanks. Well, the thing is, I figure I'd much rather stay in a popular place with a good bar and lots of people than a standard Chinese hotel. Otherwise I'd risk being rather bored for the first few days. I don't see why I'd be popping back and forth too much anyway, so I think it'll be fine.

Thanks James -- as ever, such things are masked in secrecy, but it seems the Chinese aren't going to be too hastily changing it. 0.2% appreciation a month? When I arrived the first time in China, for a month or so I was very wealthy; and then the currency markets slid, and kept on sliding. The pound lost, what, almost a third of its value against the yuan? It hurt!