City guide · China
Shanghai’s visitor core spans both sides of the Huangpu River. The Bund, People’s Square and Nanjing Road anchor Puxi, while Lujiazui’s towers rise directly opp...
Photograph · King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0
Set your days, your pace and the hours you actually want to be out. The planner works around closing days and travel time, and leaves room to eat.
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Shanghai’s visitor core spans both sides of the Huangpu River. The Bund, People’s Square and Nanjing Road anchor Puxi, while Lujiazui’s towers rise directly opposite in Pudong. The former French Concession spreads southwest through tree-lined neighbourhoods, and older water towns or distant cultural sites require journeys beyond the central metro grid.
Checked 2026-08-26
September · September cools Shanghai to a 27.2°C mean high, although precipitation peaks at 156.0 mm over 12 days.
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
60 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
东方明珠广播电视塔
The Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower is a landmark television tower in Shanghai, China. Its local name is 东方明珠广播电视塔. The tower stands in the Lujiazui area of Pudong district, opposite the Bund across the Huangpu River.
玉佛禅寺
Jade Buddha Temple is one of the first ten publishable places in Shanghai’s current curated ranking. Its clearest visitor purpose is the active Buddhist temple complex and its devotional spaces.
龙华寺
Longhua Temple, known in Chinese as 龙华寺, is a Buddhist temple and historic religious complex at 2853 Longhua Road in Shanghai’s Xuhui District.
朱家角古镇旅游区
Zhujiajiao Ancient Town is a historic water town located in the Qingpu District of Shanghai municipality. The settlement dates to the Yuan dynasty period and developed as a trading hub along the Dianshan Lake watershed.
上海迪士尼乐园
Shanghai Disney Resort is a major theme park destination in Pudong, Shanghai, operated by a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and Shanghai Shendi Group.
People's Square is a major public plaza in central Shanghai, covering approximately 140,000 square metres in the Huangpu District. Originally the site of the Shanghai racecourse, the area was redeveloped in the 1990s into an open civic space.
Xintiandi is a pedestrianized entertainment and shopping district in central Shanghai. The area comprises restored traditional shikumen lane houses, a distinctive architectural form combining Western and Chinese elements that was prevalent in the city from the 1860s to the 1930s.
田子坊
Tianzifang is a distinctive lane neighbourhood in Shanghai’s Huangpu District, entered at Lane 210 on Taikang Road and known for its close-grained mix of pedestrian passages, creative businesses and older urban surroundings.
上海城市规划展示馆
Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center is a civic museum devoted to explaining how Shanghai has developed as a city.
上海市历史博物馆
Shanghai History Museum presents the city’s story through the objects, documents and civic history gathered under the identity 上海市历史博物馆. Its focus is Shanghai itself: how the settlement, port, streets, institutions and communities changed over time.
上海自然博物馆
Shanghai Natural History Museum is a science-focused museum at 510 West Beijing Road, inside Jing’an Sculpture Park in central Shanghai.
中华艺术宫
China Art Museum, known locally as 中华艺术宫, is a dedicated art-museum stop at 205 Shangnan Road in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area. Its visitor purpose is a focused encounter with Chinese art exhibitions rather than a brief landmark photograph.
上海当代艺术博物馆
The Power Station of Art is a contemporary art museum in Shanghai, China. Its local name is 上海当代艺术博物馆. The museum occupies a converted former power station building, representing an industrial heritage adaptive reuse project.
上海科技馆
Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is a major public science museum located in Shanghai, China. Its local name is 上海科技馆. The museum serves as a prominent cultural and educational institution within the city, dedicated to science popularization and technological exhibition.
上海犹太难民纪念馆
The Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum commemorates the approximately 20,000 Jewish refugees who found shelter in Shanghai during World War II, primarily in the Tilanqiao area of Hongkew.
上海宣传画艺术中心
The Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre is the English name used for Shanghai Yang Peiming Propaganda Poster Collection Art Museum (上海杨培明宣传画收藏艺术馆). Shanghai’s Changning District government identifies it as a private museum founded by Yang Peiming.
上海外滩美术馆
Rockbund Art Museum is a contemporary art institution located in Shanghai's historic Bund district.
浦东美术馆
The Museum of Art Pudong, known locally as 浦东美术馆, is a contemporary art museum located in Shanghai's Pudong district. Situated along the Huangpu River, the institution occupies a prominent position within the Lujiazui financial area.
上海天文馆
Shanghai Astronomy Museum is a dedicated astronomy and space museum in Shanghai, known locally as 上海天文馆. Its visit combines scientific storytelling with an architectural experience built around astronomical forms.
上海环球金融中心
Shanghai World Financial Center is a 492-metre, 101-storey skyscraper in Lujiazui, Pudong, completed in 2008 and designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.
金茂大厦
Jin Mao Tower is a landmark skyscraper in the Lujiazui financial district of Shanghai's Pudong area. The building stands among the tallest structures in the city and has become an identifiable element of the skyline.
上海海洋水族馆
Shanghai Ocean Aquarium is a major public aquarium located in Shanghai, China. Its local name is 上海海洋水族馆. The facility stands as one of the city's notable visitor attractions, recognized in broader assessments of Shanghai's tourism offerings.
上海邮政博物馆
The Shanghai Postal Museum occupies a historic building in the Hongkou district along the Suzhou Creek.
上海铁路博物馆
The Shanghai Railway Museum is a museum dedicated to the history of rail transport in Shanghai and China.
上海电影博物馆
The Shanghai Film Museum is a cultural institution dedicated to the history and art of Chinese cinema, with particular emphasis on Shanghai's foundational role in the nation's film industry.
Walk the Bund and Nanjing Road as one Puxi route, with People’s Square and its museums nearby. Cross by metro or ferry for Lujiazui rather than treating it as the same walking cluster. Yu Garden and the old city form another compact zone, while the former French Concession rewards a separate route through several neighbourhoods.
Checked 2026-08-26
The municipal guide describes the metro as an efficient way to cross Shanghai’s large urban area. Use it between Puxi, Pudong and the former French Concession, then walk locally. Single tickets, transport cards and supported contactless options are available under current rules. Ferries can make useful river crossings, while suburban water towns need additional rail or road planning.
Checked 2026-08-26
A fixed stay length is not recorded. Build the visit around the Bund, People’s Square, Lujiazui and the former French Concession, then add water towns and suburban districts only when the available time supports a separate journey.
Group places by district instead of crossing the city repeatedly. Start with the Bund, People’s Square, Lujiazui and the former French Concession; treat water towns and suburban districts as separate routes with their own travel allowance.
Use Walking, metro, bus and ferry. Walk within compact clusters and consult the linked official transport information before making longer transfers or relying on a particular route.
Only within individual neighbourhood clusters. The main visitor areas are separated by distances, waterways, major roads or regional approaches, so longer links normally need public transport or a licensed vehicle.
Plan water towns and suburban districts separately from the Bund, People’s Square, Lujiazui and the former French Concession. Check the current route, return connection and any access requirements on the official source before departure.
