Pudong New Area 浦东新区

Lujiazui is the financial heart of Shanghai and one of the most iconic skylines on Earth. What was, until 1990, farmland and low-rise factories across the Huangpu River from the Bund has been transformed into a forest of supertall skyscrapers housing some of the world's most important financial institutions. Today, Lujiazui's skyline — dominated by the Oriental Pearl Tower, Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, and the Shanghai Tower — is the definitive image of modern China, appearing on countless postcards, films, and news broadcasts.

The district offers several ways to experience its grandeur. The Lujiazui Central Green (陆家嘴中心绿地) is an open park at the base of the towers, offering unobstructed upward views of the surrounding giants. The riverside promenade along Binjiang Avenue (滨江大道) runs parallel to the Huangpu River, providing the reverse perspective — stunning views of the Bund and old Shanghai. For the best photographs, position yourself on the promenade at dusk when both banks light up simultaneously. The area is also home to high-end shopping malls (IFC Mall, Super Brand Mall, L+ Mall), international restaurants, and the Lujiazui pedestrian tunnels connecting to the Bund.

Lujiazui is accessible via Lujiazui Station (Line 2) or Dongchang Road Station (Line 2). Walking the entire district takes about 2 hours, but most visitors concentrate on the three tower observation decks, the riverside promenade, and the nearby Shanghai Ocean Aquarium. At night, the illuminated skyline creates one of the world's great urban spectacles. Free to explore on foot; observation decks charge ¥120–220. The contrast between the futuristic towers above and the traditional waterfront below captures the essence of 21st-century Shanghai.

The Shanghai Tower is China's tallest building and the third-tallest in the world, rising 632 meters (2,073 feet) with 128 floors above ground. Designed by American architecture firm Gensler, its distinctive twisting form — the tower spirals 120 degrees from base to crown — was inspired by traditional Chinese architecture and serves a practical purpose: reducing wind loads by 24 percent, critical for a building in Shanghai's typhoon-prone climate. Completed in 2015 after seven years of construction, the tower houses offices, a luxury hotel (J Hotel, occupying floors 84–105), retail spaces, cultural facilities, and the world's highest observation deck at 562 meters.

The Shanghai Tower Observatory (上海中心大厦上海之巅观光厅) offers the highest public vantage point in Shanghai. Visitors ascend via one of the world's fastest elevators — traveling at 20.5 meters per second (74 km/h) — reaching the observation deck in just 55 seconds. The deck features floor-to-ceiling windows providing 360-degree views stretching over 100 kilometers on clear days. The experience includes multimedia exhibits about the tower's design and construction, and for thrill-seekers, a glass-floor section where you can look straight down 562 meters. The outdoor observation terrace on the 118th floor provides an open-air experience (weather permitting) that's particularly breathtaking at sunset.

Tickets cost ¥180 for the standard deck (118th floor) and ¥220 for the top deck (125th–126th floor). Advance booking via the official WeChat account is recommended, especially on weekends and holidays. The tower also contains the Guan Fu Museum (观复博物馆) on the 37th floor, showcasing Chinese antiquities in an exquisite setting. The ground-level Lujiazui area surrounding the tower offers numerous dining and shopping options. For photographers, the tower's silhouette — visible from the Bund, the North Bund, and the West Bund — is Shanghai's most photographed architectural form.

Shanghai Disneyland, opened in June 2016, is mainland China's first Disney theme park and widely considered the most technologically advanced and visually spectacular of all Disney parks worldwide. Spanning 963 acres in the Chuansha area of southeastern Pudong, the park features seven themed lands: Mickey Avenue, Adventure Isle, Treasure Cove, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Toy Story Land, and the Gardens of Imagination. Each land immerses visitors in elaborately themed environments with rides, shows, dining, and character encounters.

The park's signature attraction is Enchanted Storybook Castle (奇幻童话城堡), the tallest and largest Disney castle ever built, which serves as the park's visual centerpiece and houses attractions including a "Once Upon a Time" adventure, a Royal Banquet Hall restaurant, and a Voyage to the Crystal Grotto boat ride. Other standout attractions include TRON Lightcycle Power Run (one of Disney's fastest roller coasters), Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure (featuring cutting-edge animatronics and water effects), the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Peter Pan's Flight. Seasonal events — Halloween, Christmas, and the Chinese New Year — transform the park with themed decorations and exclusive entertainment.

Practical planning is essential. Tickets cost ¥475 for standard days and ¥599 for peak days (weekends and holidays); children and seniors receive discounts. The park averages 50,000–80,000 daily visitors, so arriving at opening time (8:30–9:00 AM) is crucial for minimizing wait times. The official Shanghai Disneyland app provides real-time wait times, mobile food ordering, and a digital map. Premium passes (¥800–2,000) allow priority access to popular attractions. The adjacent Disneytown (迪士尼小镇) shopping and dining district is free to enter and worth visiting even without a park ticket. Disney Resort hotels (Toy Story Hotel, Shanghai Disneyland Hotel) offer early park access for guests.

Century Park is Pudong's largest and most popular urban park, a 140-hectare green oasis that provides a crucial counterbalance to the district's concrete towers. Opened in 2000 as part of Pudong's master plan, the park's design blends Chinese garden traditions with Western landscape architecture, creating a space that feels both carefully designed and naturally serene. The park features large lawns, a 12.5-hectare lake, themed gardens (including an English-style garden, a Chinese garden, and a Dutch-style garden), jogging paths, and cycling routes.

The park's lake is its most appealing feature — visitors can rent pedal boats (¥30–50/hour) and explore islands connected by ornamental bridges. Cherry trees bloom spectacularly in late March and early April, transforming the park's eastern section into a pink wonderland. The bird-watching area attracts over 60 species, including egrets, herons, and kingfishers. On weekends, the park fills with families picnicking on the lawns, couples strolling along the lake, and fitness enthusiasts jogging the 5-kilometer perimeter path. The park also hosts seasonal events: a tulip festival in spring, a lotus festival in summer, and chrysanthemum displays in autumn.

Century Park is accessible via Century Park Station (Line 2) or Century Avenue Station (Lines 2, 4, 6, and 9). At ¥10 admission, it's one of Shanghai's best-value attractions. The park's vast size means it rarely feels crowded, even on weekends. Bicycles and electric scooters are available for rental. For a leisurely visit, plan 2–3 hours. The park connects to the surrounding business district and Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, making it easy to combine with other Pudong attractions. It's an ideal spot for a morning jog, a sunset picnic, or simply escaping the city's intensity.

The Museum of Art Pudong (MAP), opened in 2021, is Shanghai's most exciting new art institution and a stunning architectural addition to the Lujiazui waterfront. Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel (the firm behind the Louvre Abu Dhabi), the building's most dramatic feature is its location — it sits at the tip of Lujiazui, jutting into the Huangpu River like a ship's prow, offering panoramic views of both the Bund and the Pudong skyline from its floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The museum's 13 exhibition halls span over 40,000 square meters, making it one of Asia's largest art spaces.

MAP's programming focuses on major international exhibitions that have included Tate Modern collaborations, works by contemporary artists like Xu Bing and Cai Guo-Qiang, photography retrospectives, and design showcases. The museum's opening exhibition, "Light and Shadow," drew over 100,000 visitors in its first month. The interior spaces are designed for maximum flexibility, with movable walls, controlled natural lighting, and state-of-the-art conservation facilities. The building also features a rooftop terrace, a sculpture garden, a bookstore, and a café with Bund views.

MAP is located a 5-minute walk from Lujiazui Station (Line 2), making it easy to combine with a Lujiazui walking tour. Tickets cost ¥100–200 depending on the exhibition; advance booking via the official WeChat mini-program (浦东美术馆) is recommended. Even if you're not an art enthusiast, the building itself — and especially the views from inside — justify the visit. Allow 1.5 to 2.5 hours for a thorough visit. The museum's evening hours (open until 21:00 on weekends) offer a unique opportunity to see the illuminated Bund from the Pudong side.

The Shanghai Museum East, opened in February 2024, is the newest and most ambitious expansion of China's premier museum. Located in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, the building dramatically triples the exhibition space of the original People's Square museum, adding 113,000 square meters of galleries, public spaces, and educational facilities. The architecture — designed by a team led by Chinese architect Xing Tonghe — features a distinctive faceted facade inspired by ancient bronze vessels, creating a dialogue between China's archaeological past and its contemporary present.

The East Branch introduces 20 new galleries organized thematically rather than by medium, reflecting a modern approach to museum curation. Highlights include the comprehensive "Essence of Chinese Civilization" exhibition spanning 5,000 years, a dedicated gallery for the museum's world-renowned jade collection, expanded calligraphy and painting galleries with rotating displays to protect light-sensitive works, and a groundbreaking gallery of underwater archaeology. The museum also features the "Star Gallery" for blockbuster temporary exhibitions, a performing arts theater, and extensive educational workshops for children and families.

Like the original museum, admission is free but advance reservation is essential via the official WeChat mini-program (上海博物馆). The East Branch is accessible via Shanghai Science and Technology Museum Station (Lines 2, 7, and 16) or Century Avenue Station (multiple lines). Allow 3 to 4 hours for a thorough visit — the building is enormous and rewards patient exploration. Audio guides are available in multiple languages. The museum's location in the heart of Pudong's cultural corridor makes it easy to combine with nearby Century Park, the Science and Technology Museum, and the Shanghai Library East.

The Shanghai Ocean Aquarium is one of Asia's largest and most impressive aquariums, located directly beneath the Lujiazui skyline. The facility houses over 450 species of marine life in more than 300 exhibition tanks, with a total water volume exceeding 3,000 tons. Its most famous feature is the 155-meter underwater tunnel — one of the longest in the world — where visitors walk on a moving walkway through a transparent acrylic tunnel while sharks, rays, sea turtles, and thousands of fish swim overhead.

The aquarium is organized into thematic zones representing different marine environments: the China Zone showcases endemic Chinese species including Chinese sturgeon and giant salamander; the Antarctica Zone features penguins in a temperature-controlled habitat; the Australia Zone presents species from the Great Barrier Reef; and the Deep Sea Zone explores the mysteries of the ocean's darkest depths. The aquarium's collection of rare species is particularly notable: it houses one of the world's few successful breeding programs for Chinese sturgeon, a critically endangered species native to the Yangtze River basin.

The aquarium is located at 1388 Lujiazui Ring Road, adjacent to the Oriental Pearl Tower and Lujiazui Station (Line 2). Tickets cost ¥220 for adults, with discounts for children and seniors. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for a visit. The aquarium is especially popular with families and makes an excellent combination with the Oriental Pearl Tower and the nearby Lujiazui riverside walk. Weekday mornings offer the most relaxed experience. For a more budget-friendly alternative, the nearby Shanghai Natural History Museum (across the river in Jing'an) offers an equally impressive but cheaper natural science experience.