The best attractions in Shanghai, China, are the Bund, Yu Garden, the Jade Buddha Temple, the Shanghai Museum, Longhua Temple, the Oriental Pearl Tower, Nanjing Road, People's Square, Tianzifang and Xujiahui Cathedral, spread along both banks of the Huangpu River and in a handful of older districts west of it. On the Puxi side you get the colonial skyline of the Bund, the Ming dynasty Yu Garden, the city's great temples and museums and the shikumen lanes of the former French Concession. Across the water in Pudong, the Lujiazui towers give you the view that sells postcards. This guide covers the top 10 attractions to visit in Shanghai, China, with the district, the closest metro station, the best time to go and the honest catch for each.
Shanghai is China's largest city by population and one of the easiest for a first visit: the metro is huge, signs are in English and Chinese, and most sights cluster within a few stops of People's Square. If China is part of a longer trip, read our China travel guide and our list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in China, then use this page to plan your days in the city itself.
How we chose these 10 places: We picked the sights that first-time visitors keep coming back to recommend, then balanced them so the list covers old Shanghai, the modern skyline, religious sites, museums and street life. Every place is reachable by metro, and we grouped them by district so you can link two or three into one day. Details were reviewed in October 2026; ticket prices and opening hours change often in Shanghai, so confirm them on the official channels before you go.
- Top attractions: 10
- River banks: 2
- Metro lines: 20+
- Days to see it all: 3–4
Shanghai attractions at a glance: quick comparison table
Every sight is listed with its district and the time it needs; the full entry follows below.
| # | Attraction | District | Nearest metro | Time needed | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Bund | Huangpu (Puxi riverfront) | East Nanjing Road (Lines 2, 10) | 1–2 hours | Free |
| 2 | Yu Garden | Old City, Huangpu | Yuyuan Garden (Lines 10, 14) | 2 hours | Ticketed |
| 3 | Jade Buddha Temple | Putuo / Jing'an border | Changshou Road (Lines 7, 13) | 1 hour | Ticketed |
| 4 | Shanghai Museum | People's Square | People's Square (Lines 1, 2, 8) | 2–3 hours | Free (walk-in with ID) |
| 5 | Longhua Temple and Pagoda | Xuhui | Longhua (Lines 11, 12) | 1 hour | Ticketed |
| 6 | Oriental Pearl Tower | Lujiazui, Pudong | Lujiazui (Line 2, 14) | 1.5–2 hours | Ticketed |
| 7 | Nanjing Road | Huangpu | East Nanjing Road (Lines 2, 10) | 1–2 hours | Free |
| 8 | People's Square | Huangpu | People's Square (Lines 1, 2, 8) | 1 hour | Free |
| 9 | Tianzifang | Former French Concession | Dapuqiao (Line 9) | 1.5 hours | Free |
| 10 | Xujiahui Cathedral and Sheshan Basilica | Xuhui and Songjiang | Xujiahui (Lines 1, 9, 11) / Sheshan (Line 9) | Half day | Free |
“Free (walk-in with ID)” means that individual visitors show a passport at the security check. According to the Shanghai city government, no advance reservation is needed for individuals at the Shanghai Museum, and the newer Shanghai Museum East in Pudong also switched to reservation-free entry for individual visitors in September 2024. Reservations can return on national holidays, so check the museum's official channels a day or two before visiting. Carry your passport to every museum and temple on this list, since it is also the ID used for online ticket bookings.
Top 10 best attractions to visit in Shanghai, China: full guide
The Bund, the 1.5 km riverfront on the west bank of the Huangpu River, is Shanghai's most visited sight and the first entry below. The other nine run from Yu Garden and the Jade Buddha Temple to the Oriental Pearl Tower in Pudong, each with its district, nearest metro station, best time to go and catch.
The Bund (Waitan)
No first visit is complete without the Bund, the 1.5 km riverfront stretch of Zhongshan East 1st Road that runs along the west bank of the Huangpu River, lined with banks, trading houses and hotels built between the late 1800s and the 1930s. Walk the raised promenade from Waibaidu Bridge in the north to the Meteorological Signal Tower in the south and you pass neoclassical, Art Deco and Gothic Revival facades that once housed HSBC, the Customs House and the Cathay Hotel, now the Fairmont Peace Hotel.
The real show is the view across the water. Lujiazui's towers, from the Oriental Pearl Tower to the Shanghai Tower, light up after dark and the river fills with lit tour boats. Come twice if you can: once at around 7 am, when locals do tai chi and the promenade is almost empty, and again after sunset. Several of the old buildings have rooftop bars and restaurants that look straight across the river.
The walk itself costs nothing, and a Huangpu River cruise from the Shiliupu or Bund piers adds a different angle in about 40 to 60 minutes.
- Area: Zhongshan East 1st Road, Huangpu District
- Best time: Early morning for photos, after dark for the lit skyline
- How to get there: Metro to East Nanjing Road (Lines 2 and 10), then walk 10 minutes east
- Price: Free; river cruises and rooftop bars cost extra
Save it for your first evening in the city, and avoid national holidays such as the October Golden Week, when crowd control closes parts of the promenade.
Yu Garden (Yuyuan)
Yu Garden is a classical Chinese garden in the Old City, started in 1559 by Pan Yunduan, a Ming dynasty official, as a retreat for his parents. Inside the walls you find rockeries, carp ponds, covered walkways, carved halls and the Exquisite Jade Rock, a porous stone that was meant for the imperial court. The Inner Garden in the south-east corner is quieter and often overlooked.
Outside the garden gate, the Yuyuan bazaar has been rebuilt in a Ming and Qing style, with tiled roofs, souvenir shops and snack stalls. The zigzag Nine Turn Bridge leads to the Huxinting Teahouse in the middle of the pond, one of the oldest teahouses in the city. Nanxiang steamed buns (xiaolongbao) are the local snack to try here, though the queues for the famous shop by the pond can be long.
During Chinese New Year the garden hosts a large lantern festival, which is spectacular and extremely crowded.
- Area: Anren Street, Old City, Huangpu District
- Best time: Weekday mornings right after opening
- How to get there: Yuyuan Garden station (Lines 10 and 14)
- Price: Ticketed garden; the bazaar outside is free to walk
Lovers of traditional architecture should go early: by late morning tour groups fill the narrow paths and photos get difficult.
Jade Buddha Temple (Yufo Si)
Quieter than most big-city sights, the Jade Buddha Temple is an active Buddhist monastery in Putuo District, built to house two white jade Buddha statues that the monk Huigen brought back from Burma in 1882. The seated Buddha, almost 2 metres tall and inlaid with jewels, sits in its own upstairs hall. The smaller reclining Buddha shows Shakyamuni entering nirvana.
The temple buildings you see date mostly from the early twentieth century, when the monastery was rebuilt on its current site. Monks still live and study here, and the main Hall of the Heavenly Kings and the Grand Hall are in daily use, so expect incense, chanting and worshippers alongside visitors. The vegetarian restaurant attached to the temple is a good, inexpensive lunch stop.
Photography is not allowed in the Jade Buddha hall itself, and the separate ticket for that hall is easy to miss at the entrance.
- Area: Anyuan Road, Putuo District
- Best time: Weekday mornings; very busy at Chinese New Year
- How to get there: Changshou Road (Lines 7 and 13), then a 10 to 15 minute walk
- Price: Small entry fee, plus a separate fee for the Jade Buddha hall
Give it a calm hour away from the crowds. Dress modestly and keep voices low in the halls.
Shanghai Museum
Free to enter and ideal on a rainy day, the Shanghai Museum on People's Square holds one of China's best collections of ancient art: bronzes, ceramics, calligraphy, painting, jade, coins and furniture. The building itself, opened in 1996, is shaped like an ancient bronze ding cooking vessel, with a round top and square base based on the old Chinese idea of a round sky over a square earth.
The bronze gallery on the ground floor is the highlight for most visitors, with ritual vessels more than 3,000 years old. The ceramics gallery traces Chinese pottery from the Neolithic period to Qing porcelain. Audio guides in English are available. In 2024 the museum opened a second, much larger site, Shanghai Museum East, in Pudong, and much of the permanent collection, including many of the bronzes and ceramics, is now displayed there. The People's Square building has been closing galleries in phases for renovation, so check which halls are open before you go.
Entry to the permanent galleries is free. Since 1 September 2025 individual visitors to the People's Square site no longer need to book: walk in and show your passport at the gate (as of October 2026). Groups of 20 or more still reserve ahead.
- Area: People's Avenue, People's Square, Huangpu District
- Best time: Weekday mornings, soon after opening
- How to get there: People's Square (Lines 1, 2 and 8), exit 1
- Price: Free for individuals with a passport; some special exhibitions charge
Culture lovers should allow at least two hours for the bronze and ceramics halls alone.
Longhua Temple and Pagoda
In Xuhui District, Longhua Temple is the largest and oldest Buddhist temple complex in Shanghai, known for its pagoda and spring temple fair. Tradition dates its founding to the third century, and the seven-storey brick and wood Longhua Pagoda across the road was rebuilt in 977 under the Song dynasty. The temple is laid out in the classic Song style, with five main halls in a straight line, a bell tower and a drum tower.
The bell tower is famous for the New Year's Eve bell-ringing, when the bronze bell is struck 108 times to clear away worries for the coming year. In spring, when the peach trees bloom, the Longhua Temple Fair brings stalls, performances and food to the grounds. The adjoining Longhua Martyrs' Cemetery is a large memorial park with gardens that make a pleasant walk.
The pagoda is a protected monument, so you photograph it from outside; you cannot climb it.
- Area: Longhua Road, Xuhui District
- Best time: Spring for the peach blossom and temple fair
- How to get there: Longhua station (Lines 11 and 12), then a 5 to 10 minute walk
- Price: Small entry fee
Come here if you want an active temple with fewer foreign tourists than Jade Buddha. Combine it with the West Bund art museums nearby.
Oriental Pearl Tower
Pudong's skyline icon, the Oriental Pearl Tower is the 468-metre TV tower in Lujiazui, completed in 1994 and instantly recognisable by its pink spheres strung on three columns. It was the first big symbol of the new Pudong, and it still frames every photo from the Bund. Observation levels sit in the upper spheres, including a glass-floored walkway that makes some visitors weak at the knees.
In the base, the Shanghai History Museum section shows the city's growth through dioramas of old streets and shops, which works well with children. If you want the highest view in the city instead, the Shanghai Tower next door has one of the world's highest observation decks, and the Shanghai World Financial Center (the "bottle opener") has a skywalk too. Pick one tower; the views overlap.
Clear days are the key. On hazy afternoons the view from the top shows little more than grey, so check the air quality and visibility before you buy tickets.
- Area: Century Avenue, Lujiazui, Pudong New Area
- Best time: Late afternoon into sunset on a clear day
- How to get there: Lujiazui station (Line 2), or the ferry from the Bund
- Price: Ticketed; prices depend on how many levels you visit
Families and first-time visitors get the most out of it. Cross the river on the public ferry from the Bund for a cheap, short ride with great views.
Nanjing Road
Neon, department stores and a long pedestrian section define Nanjing Road, Shanghai's best-known shopping street, running about 5 km from the Bund west to Jing'an Temple. The East Nanjing Road pedestrian section, roughly 1.2 km from People's Square to the Bund, is the busy, neon-lit stretch most visitors walk, lined with historic department stores such as the Shanghai No. 1 Department Store and food halls selling local sweets and snacks.
West Nanjing Road, beyond People's Square, changes character: luxury malls such as Plaza 66 and Jing'an Kerry Centre, international brands and office towers. The walk east to the Bund at dusk is the classic route, ending at the river just as the lights of Pudong come on. A small tourist tram runs along the pedestrian section if your feet give out.
Be wary of friendly strangers who invite you to a tea ceremony or an art show along this street. The tea house scam, where tourists are presented with a very large bill, is well known in this area.
- Area: From the Bund to Jing'an Temple, Huangpu and Jing'an districts
- Best time: Evening, when the signs light up
- How to get there: East Nanjing Road (Lines 2, 10) or People's Square (Lines 1, 2, 8)
- Price: Free to walk
Treat it as an evening stroll that ends at the Bund, and politely decline approaches from strangers offering tea or art galleries.
People's Square and People's Park
People's Square is the civic heart of Shanghai, a large open plaza and green space in the city centre, built on the site of the old racecourse. Around it stand the Shanghai Museum, the Shanghai Grand Theatre, the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center and the city government buildings. The metro interchange underneath, served by Lines 1, 2 and 8, makes it a natural starting point for any day.
The Urban Planning Exhibition Center is worth an hour for its huge scale model of the city, which helps you understand how Puxi and Pudong fit together. Next door, People's Park has lotus ponds, old trees and, on weekend afternoons, the famous marriage market, where parents post their adult children's details (age, height, job, salary) on umbrellas in the hope of finding a match. Watch respectfully; photographing individual parents close up is not welcome.
The area is easy to combine with the Shanghai Museum and Nanjing Road on the same day.
- Area: People's Avenue, Huangpu District
- Best time: Weekend afternoons for the marriage market
- How to get there: People's Square (Lines 1, 2 and 8)
- Price: Square and park free; Urban Planning Center ticketed
It makes a sensible base for your first day. The underground passages are confusing, so note your exit number before you surface.
Tianzifang
Lane life, cafés and crafts fill Tianzifang, a maze of narrow lanes (longtang) off Taikang Road, in the former French Concession, packed with shikumen houses: the stone-gated terraced homes typical of 1920s and 1930s Shanghai. Since the late 1990s artists and designers moved into old factories here, and the lanes now hold small boutiques, craft studios, bars and cafés, while some residents still live upstairs.
It is commercial, and some shops sell the same souvenirs you see everywhere, but the architecture and the alleys are the reason to come. Look up at the carved stone door frames and the laundry poles. For a calmer taste of the same building style, walk on to Xintiandi, a few metro stops away, which is more polished, or stroll the plane-tree streets of the former French Concession around Wukang Road.
Weekends after lunch are the busiest time, and the narrowest lanes become shoulder to shoulder.
- Area: Taikang Road, Huangpu District (former French Concession)
- Best time: Weekday mornings or early evening
- How to get there: Dapuqiao station (Line 9), exit 1
- Price: Free to walk
Photographers and casual shoppers will be happiest here. Remember that people still live in some houses, so keep out of private doorways.
Xujiahui Cathedral and Sheshan Basilica
Catholic Shanghai has two landmarks worth a half-day trip. St Ignatius Cathedral in Xujiahui is Shanghai's largest Catholic church, a red-brick Gothic Revival building completed in 1910 with twin bell towers about 56 metres high. Xujiahui takes its name from Xu Guangqi, the Ming dynasty scholar who worked with the Jesuit Matteo Ricci and whose family land became a centre of Catholic learning. The nearby Xujiahui Library and the Xu Guangqi memorial park continue the story.
Sheshan Basilica (the National Shrine and Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Sheshan) sits on top of Sheshan hill in Songjiang District, about 35 km south-west of the centre. Finished in 1935, it is the most important pilgrimage church in China, especially in May. The walk up the hill passes the Stations of the Cross, and the old Sheshan Observatory stands next door.
Pair the two for a half day: Xujiahui is in the city, Sheshan is a longer ride on Line 9 followed by a taxi or bus to the hill.
- Area: Puxi Road, Xuhui District; Sheshan, Songjiang District
- Best time: Weekend afternoons for Xujiahui; May for Sheshan pilgrimages
- How to get there: Xujiahui (Lines 1, 9, 11); Sheshan station (Line 9) then taxi
- Price: Free; check opening times, as visiting hours are limited around services
Architecture fans looking for a quieter half day should check visiting hours in advance, as both churches close to visitors during services.
Best time to visit Shanghai
Shanghai has four distinct seasons, and the difference between them shapes how comfortable a day on the Bund or in the Yu Garden will be. Autumn is usually the most reliable season: days are sunny and dry, and the heat of summer has gone. Spring is pleasant but changeable, with frequent showers. Summer is hot and humid, with average highs of about 33°C in July and around three weeks a year at 35°C or more, and winter is cold and damp, with January highs of about 9°C.
| Season | Weather | Sightseeing notes |
|---|---|---|
| March to May | Mild, changeable, often showery | Good for gardens and walking tours; pack a light rain jacket |
| June to early July | Plum rain season (meiyu); June is the wettest month | Long spells of drizzle and heavy showers; plan museum and indoor days |
| July to August | Hot and humid; typhoon risk into early autumn | Sightsee early and late; evenings on the Bund are at their liveliest |
| September to November | Mostly sunny and dry, comfortable temperatures | The best overall period; avoid the National Day Golden Week, 1 to 7 October |
| December to February | Cold, grey and damp; buildings are often lightly heated | Fewest visitors; Spring Festival brings lanterns to Yu Garden but closes some small shops |
Public holidays matter as much as weather. During the Golden Week around National Day in early October, and during Spring Festival travel, the Bund, Nanjing Road and the water towns near Shanghai become extremely crowded, and trains and hotels sell out. Typhoons occasionally hit the city between July and September; when a warning is issued, ferries and some attractions close, so keep a flexible day in the plan.
How to plan your Shanghai sightseeing by district
The simplest way to see the top 10 attractions in Shanghai is to group them by area. Day one can cover People's Square, the Shanghai Museum, Nanjing Road and the Bund at night, all on foot or one metro stop apart. Day two works well for the Old City and the former French Concession: Yu Garden in the morning, then Tianzifang and Xintiandi for the afternoon. Day three crosses to Pudong for the towers, with Longhua Temple, Xujiahui and the West Bund on the way back.
If you have a fourth day, add a water town such as Zhujiajiao (reachable by Line 17) or the Sheshan hills. For a longer China trip, Shanghai links to Suzhou in about 30 minutes by high-speed train, and to Hangzhou in about an hour, which makes the city a good base for the Yangtze Delta.
Metro Line 2 ties the plan together: it runs from Jing'an Temple through People's Square and East Nanjing Road, under the river to Lujiazui, and on towards Longyang Road.
Where to stay in Shanghai for sightseeing
Stay near a Line 2 station between People's Square and Lujiazui, and almost every attraction on this list is a short ride away. The Bund and East Nanjing Road give you the classic views and walking access to the old buildings; the historic Fairmont Peace Hotel and The Peninsula Shanghai sit right on the waterfront. Lujiazui in Pudong has the high-floor towers, such as the Park Hyatt in the Shanghai World Financial Center, with dramatic views but a more business-like street life.
Jing'an and the former French Concession suit travellers who want cafés, restaurants and tree-lined streets, with many mid-range and boutique hotels near Line 2, 7 and 10 stations. Budget travellers find hostels around People's Square and East Nanjing Road. Browse hotels in Shanghai and compare by the nearest metro station, which matters more than the star rating here.
Line 2 also reaches Hongqiao Railway Station in the west and Pudong Airport in the east, so a hotel near it keeps arrival and departure days simple.
Shanghai travel tips for first-time visitors
Before a first trip to Shanghai, check whether your passport qualifies for China's visa-free entry or 240-hour visa-free transit, because the lists change often. Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card and test them before you fly, since most shops and taxis prefer mobile payment, and carry some cash as a backup.
- Check entry rules early. As of October 2026 China offers visa-free entry and a 240-hour visa-free transit scheme to many passports, but the lists change often. Check the National Immigration Administration and your nearest Chinese embassy for your passport before booking. See our visa services if you need help.
- Set up mobile payments. Most shops and taxis prefer Alipay or WeChat Pay. Both now accept many foreign cards; set them up and test them before you fly, and carry some cash as a backup.
- Use the Maglev or metro from Pudong Airport. The Maglev runs from Pudong International Airport to Longyang Road in about 8 minutes, where you change to Line 2 or 7. Line 2 also runs directly from the airport into the city.
- Book timed tickets. Some temples, towers and special exhibitions sell timed tickets linked to your passport number. Book a few days ahead for weekends and public holidays.
- Pick your season. Spring (April to May) and autumn (late September to November) are the most comfortable. Summers are hot and humid, with a rainy "plum rain" season around June.
- Download offline maps and a translator. Google services are blocked in mainland China. Download offline maps (Apple Maps or a Chinese app such as Amap) and a translation app before arrival.
Planning a trip to Shanghai? Read our Shanghai travel guide, compare hotels in Shanghai or search flights.
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