Classic Shanghai Tourist Attractions Route Recommendation

Shanghai is not only an international metropolis, but also a city very suitable for tourism. There are many tourist attractions here. What are the places that are very characteristic of Shanghai? Here are some classic Shanghai tourist attractions and routes for your reference.

One, Travel Guide

Shanghai’s transportation is very convenient, especially the subway, which is very convenient. Generally, the first and last trains are from 5:30 to 23:00. It is recommended to travel independently. After arriving in Shanghai by plane, train, or self-driving, you can book a hotel within 15 kilometers of the Bund and near the subway station. Generally, you can take the subway of various lines and transfer to subway lines 8, 1, and 2 to get off at People’s Square Station. After exiting from exits 5, 6, and 19, walk directly through the underground passage to Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street.

After getting off at People’s Square Station, if you have enough time, you can take a tour of People’s Square. The north side of the square is the location of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, the west side is the Shanghai Grand Theatre, and the Shanghai Museum on the south side is free to visit. You can also go up to the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum on the 10th floor of New World City for a tour, the ticket price is 190 yuan per person.

There are many red sightseeing buses near the Bund, basically they are chartered by tourist groups, they will only stop at fixed attractions, and the freedom is not high. There is also the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel, the scenery is not very good at present, so it is not recommended.

Two, One-Day Travel Route

1: Visit Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street to the Nanjing Road subway station (1 hour)

2: Take subway line 10 from Nanjing Road subway station and get off at Yu Garden Station (just one stop) or walk to the City God Temple and Yu Garden (1 hour, the City God Temple ticket incense flower voucher is 10 yuan, the Yu Garden ticket is 30/40 yuan depending on the season)

3: Walk around the Bund to see the daytime scenery (1.5 hours)

4: Take the ferry from Jinling East Road on the Bund to Dongchang Wharf in Pudong and visit the Bund (1 hour)

5: The daytime scenery of Lujiazui Circular Interchange (30 minutes)

6: Daytime + Nighttime Observatory (2.5-3 hours, choose one of the Oriental Pearl Tower, the World Financial Center, and the Shanghai Tower, the ticket price ranges from 100 to 200 yuan)

7: The nighttime scenery of Lujiazui Circular Interchange (20 minutes)

8: Take the subway from under Lujiazui Circular Interchange back to Nanjing Road, visit the remaining part of Nanjing Road that you didn’t visit in the morning: Nanjing Road subway station to the Bund (20 minutes)

9: The nighttime scenery of the Bund (50 minutes)

10: Take a cruise ship for a night cruise on the Huangpu River (1 hour, choose from Jinling East Road on the Bund and Sixteen Ferry Wharf, the ticket price is around 100 yuan)

Three, Main Attractions

Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street

Nanjing Road has a history of more than 100 years. Its predecessor was “Pike Lane” and “Big Road”. In 1865, it was officially named Nanjing Road. In 1908, Nanjing Road opened tram lines and the road surface was paved with iron wood. Nanjing Road is currently one of the top ten commercial centers in Shanghai and is known as “China’s No. 1 Commercial Street”. It is home to various department stores, excellent buildings, and a blend of Eastern and Western cultures. It stretches from the Bund, namely Zhongshan East First Road in the east, to Xizang Middle Road in the west, with a total length of 1599 meters. In 2019, the entire Nanjing Road was converted into a pedestrian street.

Shanghai City God Temple

Most tourists come here for the food, lantern festival, and time travel. Legend has it that it was built by Sun Hao, the King of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, it was rebuilt as the City God Temple. The front hall worships the god of Jinshan, Han Dynasty General Bolu Hou Huo Guang, the main hall is dedicated to the god of the City God, Qin Yubo, a censor who was awarded the title of Fourth Rank Manifestation and Protection Baron, and the back hall is the bedroom. There is a memorial archway built in 1535 in front of the temple, and the theater was built in 1865. The architectural style of the Shanghai City God Temple is a large-scale southern style building, with red walls and clay tiles. The main buildings in the temple are composed of the temple square, the main hall, the Yuanchen Hall, the God of Wealth Hall, the Cihang Hall, the City God Hall, and the Empress Hall.

Yu Garden

It was originally a private garden built during the Ming Dynasty, dating back to the Ming Dynasty. As of 2021, it has a history of over four hundred years. Inside the Yu Garden, there are Suitang, Iron Lions, Kuai Building, Deyue Building, Yulinglong, Jiyu Water Corridor, Tingtao Pavilion, Hanbi Building, the inner garden Quiet Observation Hall, ancient theater, as well as pavilions, towers, pavilions, rockeries, ponds and other more than forty ancient buildings. Many brick carvings, stone carvings, clay sculptures, and wood carvings can be seen throughout the Yu Garden. The Yu Garden currently houses thousands of cultural relics, including paintings and calligraphy, furniture, and ceramics, and also hosts regular flower exhibitions, lantern festivals, and calligraphy exhibitions.

The Bund

It is a must-visit attraction for every tourist, especially the nighttime light show. All the buildings on the Bund are illuminated by lights, including the buildings on the opposite side of the Huangpu River, creating a magnificent and dazzling scene, outlining a beautiful and prosperous world.

The Bund is 1.5 kilometers long, stretching from Yan’an East Road in the south to the Waibaidu Bridge over the Suzhou River in the north, with the Huangpu River to the east and the former financial and foreign trade institutions of old Shanghai to the west. It later became the financial center of the country and even the Far East. There are 52 classical revival buildings with different styles standing on the Bund, which is known as the “Expo of World Architecture”. The main attractions on the Bund include Huangpu Park, large granite bas-reliefs, Waibaidu Bridge, Sixteen Ferry Wharf, urban sculpture groups, Chen Yi Square, Waterfall Clock, Lovers Wall (waterfront railing), Sightseeing Tunnel, etc.

Bund

The Bund on the opposite side of the Huangpu River is the Bund. From the Bund, you can get a glimpse of the Bund, a different scenery, equally breathtaking, the key is that there are far fewer people, so you can truly relax and take a leisurely stroll, enjoy the sea breeze, and look at the lights of the 52 buildings with different styles on the other side, feeling a sense of strength, grandeur, and elegance.

Lujiazui Circular Interchange

You can feel the towering buildings up close, bringing visual impact and shock. It will make you feel lost, not knowing where to go, it will make you amazed, with your jaw dropping, it will make you excited, you can leisurely stroll through the ocean of tall buildings, it will make you want to stay, staring blankly for a while, looking back as you walk.

Observatory, it is recommended to choose one of the Oriental Pearl Tower, the World Financial Center, and the Shanghai Tower, depending on your preferences and the viewing area you like. You should also check the weather conditions, it is best to plan between 4 pm and 7 pm so you can see different views of the day and night.

Bund Cruise

There are multiple boarding points, belonging to different companies. The ones I mentioned are all relatively convenient points. The ticket price is generally around 100 yuan, the tour time is 50-60 minutes, for reference:

No. 551 Wharf, Zhongshan East Second Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai, cruise route: Sixteen Ferry Wharf – Bund – Oriental Pearl Tower – International Convention Center – North Bund – Waibaidu Bridge – Bund Architectural Expo – Sixteen Ferry Wharf

No. 99, Waima Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai, there is a No. 3 Wharf at Sixteen Ferry Wharf nearby, cruise route: Wharf – Bund – Shangri-La – Oriental Pearl Tower – International Convention Center – Yangpu Bridge – Maritime Exchange – Seagull Hotel – Waibaidu Bridge – Bund World Architecture – Sixteen Ferry Wharf

Jinling East Road Wharf, the boarding point is at No. 141, Zhongshan East Second Road, Jinling East Road Ferry Wharf. This route: Jinling East Road Wharf – Sixteen Ferry Wharf – Old Wharf – Nanpu Bridge – World Expo Source – Bund – Dongchang Road Wharf – Jinling East Road Wharf. This wharf is a popular place for tourists.