New

Sights

Liuli China Museum: A new museum dedicated to the art of glass sculpture, opened by Taiwanese artist Loretta Yang. It’s across from Tianzifang in the French Concession.
Beaugeste Superb contemporary Chinese photography gallery run by Jean Loh. Located in Tianzifang.

Hotels

Langham Xintiandi: 357 rooms all featuring huge floor-to-ceiling windows, plenty of space, and an attention to minute details (Japanese-style wooden tubs, heated bathroom floors).
Andaz Japanese interior designer Super Potato was brought in to lay out the rooms, and the result is a hip, modern space, with clean lines, natural materials (hardwood floors, granite bathrooms) and customizable LED lighting.
Kevin’s Old House Housed in a secluded 1927 French Concession villa, there are six lovingly designed suites here. See the website for the new location.

Looking for more tips on an upcoming trip to China? See here if you’ve got an iPad, iPhone or iTouch. And here if you’re on Android.

Eating

Spicy Joint If you only try one Sichuan joint in Shanghai, you might as well make it this one, where the blistering heat is matched only by its scorching popularity. You’ll need a mobile phone to secure a place on the waiting list. (辛香汇; 3rd fl, K Wah Center, 1028 Middle Huaihai Rd; 淮海中路1028号嘉华中心3楼; metro: South Shaanxi Rd)
Yin A throwback to the 1930s, Yin emanates soft, jazzy decadence with its antique furnishings, Song-dynasty-style tableware and Ella Fitzgerald on the stereo. (音; Tel: 5466 5070; 2nd fl, 4 Hengshan Rd; 衡山路4号2楼; metro: Hengshan Rd)
Dian Shi Zhai Xiao Yan Shanghai cuisine can be cloyingly sweet when improperly prepared, but this elegant restaurant hits the mark with its delicate flavours and a wonderful range of cold appetizers and seafood dishes. (点石斋小宴; Tel: 5465 0270; 320 Yongjia Rd; 永嘉路320号; metro: South Shaanxi Rd)
Kungfu Noodles No need to drop into a praying mantis stance to get into this funky little noodle shop, just make sure you get here before the lunch-hour rush. (武当功夫牛肉面; 100 North Xiangyang Rd; 襄阳北路100号; metro: South Shaanxi Rd)
Shoga Mustard yellow seating, bare concrete walls, filament bulbs and a funky electro soundtrack set the tone at this modern Japanese eatery, which dips into culinary traditions from across Asia. (姜; 30 Sinan Rd; 思南路30号; metro: South Shaanxi Rd; closed Wed)

Drinking

Bell Bar Perhaps the most discreet of Tianzifang’s drinking options, this dimly lit den is the perfect spot to chill for an hour or three. (Tianzifang, No 11 (back door), Lane 248, Taikang Rd; 泰康路248弄11号后门田子坊; open: 11am-2am; metro: Dapuqiao)
el Cóctel This artsy, retro cocktail lounge mixes up some damn fine drinks. Reserve. (2nd fl, 47 Yongfu Rd; 永福路47号; open: 5pm-3am; metro: Shanghai Library)
Kaiba This branch of the Kaiba beer specialists is one of Tianzifang’s most popular bars. (开巴; Tianzifang, 2nd fl, 169 Middle Jianguo Rd; 建国中路169号2楼田子坊; open: 11-2am; metro: Dapuqiao)
Apartment This trendy loft-style bar is designed to appeal to the full spectrum of 30-something professional. (3rd fl, 47 Yongfu Rd; 永福路47号; open: 11-2am; metro: Shanghai Library)

Entertainment

MAO Livehouse One of the city’s best live music venues. (3rd fl, 308 South Chongqing Rd; 重庆南路308号3楼; metro: Madang Rd)

Closed

Shopping

Ba Yan Ka La (Ferguson Lane branch)
Chaterhouse
Junmeizu
Liuligongfang (Xintiandi branch)
Shanghai Trio (Xintiandi branch)
Shirt Flag
Skylight
Spin (French Concession branch)
Springhead
The Thing (Xinle Rd branch)

Eating

Arugula
Azul/Viva (Dongping Rd branch)
Blue Frog (all branches)
Cheng Cheng’s Art Salon
Dongbei Ren
el Willy (French Concession branch)
Future Perfect
Indian Kitchen
Little Face
Mesa
Nam 1975
Quanjude
Sangu Niuwa
Tairyo
Uighur Restaurant
Vedas

Drinking

Anar Pomegranate Lounge
Boona Cafe
British Bulldog
Ginger
Little Face
LOgO
Manifesto
Velvet Lounge
Windows

Entertainment

Babyface
Dragon Club
Guandii
Lulu Massage
MAO
Shanghai Fantasia

Sleeping

Nine

New

Hotels

Peace Hotel: The Shanghai icon is finally back in business. Book a room, take a tour (through the Peace Gallery; Y100; open 10-7) or catch the jazz band at 7pm daily.
Waldorf Astoria More five-star luxury on the Bund.
Langham Yangtze Boutique Gorgeous boutique hotel in a 1930s building.
Les Suites Orient Upscale hotel with fantastic views in the standard rooms.
Mingtown Nanjing Road Youth Hostel The newest Mingtown hostel in Shanghai.
The Phoenix OK hostel off People’s Square, with hard beds.

Looking for more tips on an upcoming trip to China? See here if you’ve got an iPad, iPhone or iTouch. And here if you’re on Android.

Eating

Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant ( 南翔馒头店; 2nd fl, 666 Fuzhou Rd; 豫园商城福佑路666号2楼 ) Pleasant branch of Shanghai’s most famous dumpling chain, near People’s Square.
Yuxin Chuancai (渝信川菜 ; 5th fl, Huasheng Tower, 399 Jiujiang Rd; 九江路399号华盛大厦5楼 ) Regular contender for Shanghai’s best Sichuanese, off East Nanjing Road.
el Willy Scrumptious tapas from Willy Trullas, with a spectacular new home on the South Bund.
Ultraviolet China’s most conceptual dining experience, from Paul Pairet of Mr & Mrs Bund.
Shook! This new Malaysian restaurant is on the top floor of the former Palace Hotel. Great rooftop terrace, though the kitchen can be inconsistent.

Drinking

Peace Hotel Jazz Bar Shanghai’s most famous jazz band, every night at 7pm (Y100). Reserve.
Long Bar  Once the member’s only Shanghai Club, whose most spectacular accoutrement was a 34m-long wooden bar. It’s now part of the Waldorf Astoria.
Muse One of the longest-running clubs in the city, with a new Bund location.
Jiao Bar (1st fl, 68 East Jinlong Rd; 金陵东路68号1楼; [h]7pm-2am Tue-Sun ) Japanese shochu shots, a reggae soundtrack and the cheapest drinks off the Bund.

Closed

Captain Hostel (Yan’an Rd branch)
Y35 Youth Hostel
Xiao Nan Guo (Huanghe Rd)
Chinatown

Changes

River Cruises: (Y128 for 90 minute tour, Y100 for 40- or 60-minute tour) The cruises have considerably shortened in the past few years; it’s debatable whether or not this is worth it. Book the shorter tour if you can. They leave a short walk away from the Meteorological Signal Tower.

Choose a destination from the list below, and don’t forget the candles, some sort of musical instrument, and a blanket.

1. Pont des Arts: Spanning the Seine just downstream from Ile de la Cité, this footbridge offers an unbeatable vista of the city’s original core. Before you lies the graceful span of Pont Neuf and the spire of Ste-Chapelle poking above the rooftops, while the Louvre and the Institut de France face off from opposite sides of the river. It doesn’t get much better.

2. Sacré Coeur: It may veer towards the tacky and it’s always humming with crowds fresh off the tour bus, but who cares, everyone still loves Sacré Coeur. The sloping hill that tumbles down from the basilica parvis – one of Paris’ most extraordinary views – is taken over daily by picnickers of all ages, itinerant musicians, and performance artists looking for an audience. Grab some gourmet supplies down below on rue des Martyrs, huff up the hill until you find a patch of green and you’re all set for a fantastic meal.

3. Eiffel Tower: A best Paris picnic list would be nowhere without Paris’ most famous icon. Although the views are less dramatic when sprawled out on the grassy Champ de Mars, it’s still the perfect way to end – or begin – the obligatory visit up to the viewing platforms. The secret here is to take the stairs up instead of the elevator: you’ll work off the calories from that decadent strawberry tart much faster that way. Pick up your supplies at rue Cler, a fifteen-minute walk to the east.

4. Notre Dame: The food around Notre Dame may be mediocre, but the picnic spots sure aren’t. The backside of the cathedral has a few options for riverside lounging, including the eastern tip of the Ile de la Cité (Sq de l’Ile de France), which has the added bonus of being within earshot of the musicians on Pont St-Louis. Tree-shaded Sq Jean XXIII is just across the street, while Promenade Maurice Carême is less busy and particularly convenient: it’s just down the steps on the south side of Notre Dame – perfect for watching the boats pass by.

5. Jardin du Luxembourg: Quintessentially Paris, the Jardin du Luxembourg is the place to watch the city at play. Tennis courts, puppet shows (guignols), pony rides, toy sailboats, and lots of lawn and trees – this is hands down the most enjoyable park in the city. Even cold weather won’t stop Parisians from flocking here to enjoy their lunch break – be it a slice of homemade quiche or a baguette sandwich and buttery pastry from one of the legendary St-Germain bakeries. During the summer, look for the 19th-century orangerie (a greenhouse for growing oranges), which turns into a free art gallery.

Looking for more tips for your next Paris visit? Check out the Free & Frugal Paris app. See here if you have an iPad, iPhone or iTouch. And here if you’re on Android.

Trying to research possible destinations on your own can take days, if not weeks, and faced with such a daunting task, it’s tempting to simply connect the dots of the three or four places you already knew about ahead of time. If you see Beijing, the Terracotta Army and Shanghai, you can’t go wrong – right?

Well, you can do this and many people come away from such a trip satisfied. But it’s worth remembering that China is a land with an incredible amount of geographic and cultural diversity – you can still see the highlights of the country and plan a trip that caters to your specific interests.

And that’s where this app comes in. Its design allows for a quick overview of possible itineraries, using over 1,000 photographs and a few short, scene-setting videos. Not even the glossiest, photo-heavy book can match the image selection included here. Whether you want to focus on art, history, outdoor adventure, or family-friendly travel, all you need to do is select your category and let it inspire you.

For China Explorer in iTunes, click here.
For China Explorer on an Android device, click here.

–Robert Louis Stevenson

To learn more about the International Year of Forests, visit the United Nations dedicated website. If you liked the video, you also might want to check out the related book, Forests and People, which contains essays by Gisele Bündchen, Don Cheadle, and Wangari Maathai.

And don’t forget to turn off your lights  – and maybe even the basketball game – tomorrow (Saturday, March 26) at 8:30pm local time to mark Earth Hour.

But what does any of this have to do with the Musée des Arts et Métiers?

Well, for one, the book’s namesake – designed in 1851 to prove that the Earth does indeed spin on its axis – is on display at the museum. Additionally, much of Foucault’s Pendulum is narrated via flashback by a character who is hiding in the museum (inside an old periscope) after closing hours.

But of course, you don’t have to do any background reading to enjoy the Musée des Arts et Métiers. Dedicated to the history of technology and machines, you’ll find all manner of inventions here, from the first car prototype (an 18th-century steam-powered French invention known as a fardier), a propeller-powered land-vehicle (which reached speeds of 70km/hr but never took off with the public), a bat-shaped steam plane (also never got off the ground), and some 3,000 other objects, ranging from rare antiques to detailed scale models – including two of the Statue of Liberty.

It’s also a good museum for children (ages 6 and up), particularly budding physicists and engineers. Demonstrations of the famous pendulum are given twice a day at noon and 5pm.

Address: 60 rue Réaumur, 3rd arrondissement (Marais)
Hours: 10am-6pm, till 9:30pm Thu; closed Mon
Admission: €6.50
Free Admission: Everyone under 18, EU citizens under 26, Thu nights (6-9:30pm), 1st Sun of month

Looking for more tips on frugal Paris? See here if you have an iPhone, iTouch or iPad. And here if you’re on Android.

From the literary to the esoteric (for an intro to the alchemical symbolism in the cathedral’s architecture, see “The Notre Dame Equation” in this book) and the spiritual to the political (Charles de Gaulle was *nearly* assassinated inside in 1944), Notre Dame is one fascinating story after another. But one thing you won’t find here are many decent places to eat. The central islands may be gorgeous to walk around, but no self-respecting Parisian would come for lunch, right? Well, as it turns out, there are a few – a very few – local favorites that you can rely on.

Café Panis
Right across the Seine from Notre Dame, Café Panis is central Paris’s most reliable hangout. It’s distinguished but unpretentious, authentic but inexpensive – and, of course, it is incredibly convenient. What’s not to love? One clue that it’s a favorite with Parisians as much as everyone else is that the food, although simple, is actually respectable (croque monsieur, smoked salmon salad, steak with roquefort sauce). And there’s a decent wine and tea list.

Address: 21 quai Montebello, 5th arrondissement
Hours: 8am-midnight
Prices: Croque Monsieur €6.80, full meals from €10.60

Ma Salle à Manger
In warm weather, this tiny wine bar on the lovely place Dauphine (on Ile de la Cité) is a one-of-a-kind find. The sophisticated cuisine here doesn’t come cheap, but the chef also offers an in-the-know takeaway deal for under €10: pasta, salads, and sandwiches are all made to order. If you need a picnic spot, place Dauphine itself isn’t bad, but the Square du Vert Galant (beneath Pont Neuf on the western tip of the island) is even better. Stop in on Sunday nights (after 4pm) when the bar is the venue for a popular French card game known as belote.

Address: 26 place Dauphine, 1st arrondissement
Hours: 11:30am-10:30pm
Prices: Sandwiches from €5, pasta and salads €9.50

Looking for more tips on frugal Paris? See here if you have an iPhone, iTouch or iPad. And here if you’re on Android.

A note on the map – use this one and not the one on the BBC website, which is incorrect.

1) Come prepared: notebooks, drawing pads, crayons, pencils, matchbox cars, teenage mutant ninja turtles (yes, they’re named after Italian Renaissance artists) – whatever works. The museum stores that are located past the final entrance (ie, where you finally hand over your tickets) have some “treasure hunt” books (Mission Louvre and On the Trail of the Mona Lisa, €6.90), which are suitable for kids in the 7-14 age range.

2) Follow one of the museum’s Thematic Trails: These may not work so well for younger children, but they offer some good ideas, and with a little bit of preparation you can make them more fun. Watch out with the walking on some of these, though – they can go on for miles.

The mummy: A star attraction

3) Don’t try and do it all. This should be obvious, but it is so tempting to “just see one more thing” that you need to be reminded ahead of time that this is a bad idea. Stick to one or two main exhibits instead of trying to dash from one end of the palace to the other. The Egyptian wing is a good choice, as is the Near Eastern Antiquities collection. A bit of a surprise on our first family visit was the Italian Renaissance collection, which was apparently gory enough to provoke some interesting questions from my own kids.

4) Try out the Louvre’s iPhone app: If you have an iTouch or iPhone, you’re obviously aware that kids love to play with them. Using the museum app can be a good way for children to engage with the art ahead of time or decide what they’d like to see. Use the Artworks section to browse through the highlights, select one (not the Mona Lisa though – way too crowded), and you’re off on an adventure.

Leonardo da Vinci as a turtle - he's here to help

5) Know where the food is: Again, this sounds obvious, but once you’re in the museum you’ll realize that it’s not that obvious. If the kids (or adults) need to eat, the easiest solution is to exit the collections area and go to the Carrousel du Louvre. This is the underground shopping complex that’s past the main hall underneath the pyramid. Here you’ll find a food court (Restaurants du Monde) that should be able to handle the whims of most children, and, considering the location, is not outrageously expensive. If you bring your own snacks be forewarned that you’ll still need to exit the collections area (unless the kids are discreet eaters!), though it may be more pleasant to run around in the outdoor courtyard or Tuileries Gardens than heading to the food court.