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Shanghai is a very large city. And there are many attractions in Shanghai. If you are a first timer and don't have many days to spend in Shanghai, you probably would want to focus on the top attractions. Here I have listed some of Shanghai's best attractions, which are the most unique of Shanghai and definitely must-gos.
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The Bund would be recommended by a lot of people. There is no exception here. There are 52 well-preserved buildings along the Bund, featuring styles like Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque styles. Yes, these were mostly built by Europeans more than 100 years ago. In a Chinese city, they look adsurdly beautiful and impressive, also seems to be telling the complex history of Shanghai. Combined with the river view and the modern tall buildings at the other side of the river, they make a view which will be hard to forget.
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Just across the river from the Bund is Lu Jia Zui, the best part of Pu Dong (East side of Huang Pu River). There are quite a few attractions in this area, including several tallest buildings in all of Shanghai!
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The Oriental Pearl Tower is a TV tower that used to be the tallest building for quite a few years. The nearby Jin Mao Tower beats it on the height of its sightseeing platform, although its total height was less than the Oriental Pearl Tower. However, Shanghai World Financial Center, built in 2008 and right next to Jin Mao Tower, beats them both on the tallest building and the highest sightseeing plaform. But overall, the sightseeing platforms of all three buildings are high enough so it's easy to get a nice view of whole Shanghai in any of these 3 buildings, as long as it is a clear day, which sadly is not always there. Too much rain and pollution make clear days a little hard to come by.
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Tall buildings are not the only attractions in Lu Jia Zui. Bin Jiang Avenue could become quite attrative in the evening. It runs along Huang Pu River, with greens and restaurants at sides. Here you can have a very nice view of the Bund. In the evening when all the lights are on at the Bund and all the buildings get reflections in the river, the view from Bin Jiang Avenue can be amazing!
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Lu Jia Zui is also good if you have kids. Shanghai Ocean Aquarium is one of the largest aquarium in Asia. With the 14,000 rare creatures of more than 300 kinds, it cerntainly will give your kids several happy hours.
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Lu Jia Zui has a nice set of various attractions. It is more of a modern and newer side of Shanghai. What's nice is that all the attractions are quite close to each other. And there is a very large mall - Supre Brand Mall nearby, where you can find quite a few restaurants and also a theatre equipped with an IMAX screen. It is very easy to spend a day in Lu Jia Zui without feeling bored. Highly recommended!
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After the best of Pu Dong explored, there are quite a few more attractions in Pu Xi waiting for you. One that can not be missed is Yu Garden (Yu Yuan). Built more than 450 years ago, Yu Garden is all about Chinese traditional culture and art. There is no other place in Shanghai that has more Chinese elements. Unless you absolutely hate Chinese culture, I don't see any reasons why this attraction could be skipped!

Right next to Yu garden is The Temple of the City God, a Taoist temple that was even older than Yu Garden. Although it is not a very large temple or a top attraction, there are still many tourists coming here. Since it is so close to Yu Garden, you might as well see some more of Chinese culture - Taoism.
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Yu garden and the temple of city god are pretty much surrounded by Yu Yuan Mart, a very large market full of small shops selling all kinds of things. What's nice is that a lot of traditional Chinese stuffs can be found here. It is a perfect place for finding your gifts and souvenirs to take home!. At the rim of Yu Yuan Mart there is a Shanghai Old street, which looks like a Shanghai street 100 years ago, which would look totally different from most streets in Shanghai today. You can find some more shops or some restaurants here.
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With all these attractions, Yu Garden area could easily consume at least one day of your time. It simply is the best place to find out what traditional China looks like.
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Although Yu Garden offers so much to see about traditional Chinese culture, an important factor of it - Buddhism, is absent there. There are three good options for some buddhism in Shanghai. The first is Jade Buddha temple. As its name suggests, there are two precious Jade Buddha statues in the temple. They surely attracted a lot of believers and make the temple the hottest one in Shanghai.

The second option would be Long Hua temple, which has a history of more than 1700 years. Although not so large as Jade Buddha temple, Long Hua temple has a pagoda that is called the crown of pagodas in Shanghai. The two of them make a nice combo for seeing what ancient buddhism temples and pagodas look like. By the way, the vegetarian noodle in the temple is quite famous.
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Jing An Temple is not large, nor does it have a nice-looking pagoda. But it is located at the center of the city, which makes it a little easier to reach. It is quite popular and always crowded with believers.
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The last attraction that I am going to recommed is Xin Tian Di. There are quite a few restaurants and bars in this area, making it the perfect place for some decent and quality nightlife. Not only is the food here great, but also the decor of the restaurants and bars. So you will be able to enjoy good food in a nice atmosphere. But of course it is a little expensive.
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What I have recommended here will easily cover 3 to 4 days of your time. However, if you still have time or need to see something else, just check out the complete list of Shanghai attractions here!