Things to Do in Shanghai
Prices, opening hours, best times to visit and the stuff nobody tells you, everything you need for a first trip to Shanghai, China, plus one pigeon's opinions on all of it.
Right, Shanghai. Neon skyline, colonial waterfront on one side, glass towers on the other, China's financial capital, home to a riverside promenade lined with early 20th-century colonial architecture facing directly across the water at one of the most futuristic skylines anywhere. This is the proper, no-nonsense guide to things to do in Shanghai: what things actually cost, when to go, what to skip, and which bits are worth the walk. Three main stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site to see if you were paying attention.
The Bund
Shanghai's famous waterfront promenade, lined with colonial-era buildings, is known as the Bund, faces directly across the river toward the futuristic skyline of Pudong, a striking visual contrast, early 20th-century European-style banks and trading houses on one side of the Huangpu River, glass skyscrapers on the other, worth a proper walk along the promenade to take in both sides.
It's worth visiting both during the day, to appreciate the colonial architecture's detail, and after dark, when both sides of the river are dramatically illuminated, arguably the more striking version of the view.
Best time Evening for the illuminated skylines
Address The Bund, Shanghai
Shanghai's Port
Shanghai has grown to become one of the world's busiest container ports, by cargo volume, an enormous port, handling a staggering share of global container shipping, worth appreciating this scale as context for the city's modern economic significance, Shanghai's port has been the world's busiest by container volume for well over a decade, a huge part of why the city has developed so dramatically.
This isn't a specific tourist attraction in the traditional sense, though the sheer scale of shipping activity is visible from various points along the city's waterways, worth knowing as background to the wider economic story behind Shanghai's transformation.
The Oriental Pearl Tower
Shanghai's Pudong district skyline is home to the Oriental Pearl Tower, a distinctive tower with a spherical structure partway up, a pink-and-purple lattice tower with pearl-shaped spheres, one of the city's most recognisable landmarks, worth the entry fee for the observation decks, sweeping views over the Bund and the wider Pudong skyline.
The tower includes a glass-floor observation level for those who want a slightly more vertiginous experience, worth combining a visit here with a Bund walk given how directly the two views complement each other from opposite sides of the river.
Hours Daily, roughly 8am–9.30pm
Address Oriental Pearl Tower, Pudong, Shanghai
Best time to visit Shanghai
March through May and September through November give the most comfortable weather for the amount of walking this list involves, mild without summer's heat and humidity.
The Bund and Oriental Pearl Tower work well year-round, worth visiting even outside the shoulder seasons if the weather isn't your priority.
Getting around Shanghai
Shanghai's metro is extensive and covers the city well, including connections between the Bund and Pudong. Central areas are walkable, though the city's scale means the metro is well worth using for longer distances.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Shanghai worth visiting?
- Yes, easily, the Bund's contrast between colonial architecture and Pudong's futuristic skyline is one of the most striking urban views anywhere, and the Oriental Pearl Tower adds a proper vantage point over both.
- How many days do you need in Shanghai?
- Three days covers the Bund, the Oriental Pearl Tower, and the wider city comfortably.
- Is Shanghai expensive?
- Moderate, generally affordable for food and local transport, though upscale dining and shopping in central districts run considerably higher.
- What is Shanghai famous for?
- The Bund, its colonial-era waterfront promenade facing the Pudong skyline, being one of the world's busiest container ports, and the Oriental Pearl Tower, one of the city's most recognisable landmarks.
That's everything I've got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
