Choose a route
See the story, areas, duration, pace and practical information.
LokBuddy City Decoding Walks · Starting in Shanghai
Look closer. Notice more.
Explore Shanghai through a private English-speaking City Decoding Walk. Follow one complete route story, take part in place-based tasks using purpose-designed physical materials, and explore with a matched Local Buddy by your side.
Live Like a Local.
LokBuddy Original
City Decoding Walks
Every route has its own soul and story.
What it isSee how City Decoding works +
City Decoding is LokBuddy’s original way to explore a city. Each walk connects real places, history and everyday life through one unfolding route story.
Along the way, purpose-designed physical materials guide you through playful on-site tasks—inviting you to observe, compare and make discoveries for yourself.
Your matched Local Buddy takes part with you, adding local context and spontaneous conversation. The experience stays relaxed: walk at your own pace, pause when you want and learn how to read the city as you move through it.
Decode the city
Connect places, history and everyday life into a clearer understanding.
Material-led tasks
Use purpose-designed physical materials to observe, compare and discover on site.
Explore with a Local Buddy
Take part in the tasks together and discover the city through real local conversation.
Not simply passing through the city—learning how to read it.
City routes
Start with a story worth following.
Each route connects its places and history through one story, with purpose-designed physical materials and on-site tasks created for that route. Before you book, you can see where it goes, what makes it worth following and the practical details that shape the day.
Who you walk with
Meet someone who lives the city.
LokBuddy prepares the route. Your Buddy brings the human connection.
Your Local BuddySee what a real local friend brings +
Local Buddies come from different walks of life. Your matched Buddy might be a university student, an architect, a designer, an office worker—or someone with another life and perspective rooted in the city.
They are not full-time tour guides. LokBuddy prepares them for the route, while they bring their own personality, curiosity and local experience.
A map can show you where to go. It cannot tell you what someone who lives here would really eat, choose or notice—or give you a person to ask when a small moment feels unfamiliar.
Your Buddy explores alongside you, talks naturally and shares one real local perspective rather than a rehearsed, universal answer.
You may begin as strangers. Sometimes, you leave as friends.
How a city route works
Clear before you go. Relaxed when you arrive.
You choose the route and practical details. We match the Buddy; specific Buddy selection is not part of the service.
Confirm your plan
Select a real available date and time, then add group details at least 48 hours ahead.
We match a Buddy
Matching begins 14 days before your experience, or after payment when you book within 14 days.
Meet and explore
Follow the story, ask what you want and explore at your own pace.
About LokBuddy
Why we made LokBuddy.
Read our story +
I’m Kane, a traveler who likes discovering new cities in my own way—planning my own days, staying longer where something catches my interest, trying local food and understanding how a place became what it is today.
But in an unfamiliar city, it can be hard to know what things should cost, what locals genuinely enjoy eating, which customs matter or which route is worth choosing when time is limited. Endless online recommendations do not always make those choices easier.
When I returned home to Shanghai, I wanted to create the kind of first step I had always looked for. I shared the idea with my friend Wynnejael, and that is how LokBuddy began.
We created City Decoding Walks. Every route connects places, history and everyday details through one story, giving you a clearer way to understand the city rather than simply passing through it.
Your matched Local Buddy explores alongside you as a real local friend, sharing honest conversations about food, customs, prices and everyday life.
We hope LokBuddy becomes your first step into an unfamiliar city—so you feel less lost, understand more and experience it in your own way.
Live Like a Local.
A separate free digital guide
Make the first days feel easier.
Create a free LokBuddy account first, then we will send the China Digital Survival Guide to your verified account email. It is separate from both the paid city-route experience and health appointment service.
Create your free account →
Verify your email, sign in, then return here. Already registered? Sign in.
A separate appointment service
Health Check-up Appointments in Shanghai
View health check-up options offered by partner medical institutions and submit an appointment request through LokBuddy.
Medical examinations, on-site services and reports are provided by the selected partner medical institution. LokBuddy provides appointment-booking support only.