0:28Shanghai
Shanghai skyline at night
A wide night-time view across the Huangpu River and Pudong skyline.
Read the Shanghai guide ↗Shanghai travel guide ↗
City life
The Pudong Skyline
Shanghai’s modern towers around Lujiazui, viewed from the riverfront or from a chosen observation deck.
Include this in my private trip ↗
About this place
Why visit
Pudong’s skyline is easiest to understand with the river in view. At street level, the scale of the buildings can be overwhelming; from the waterfront, their different shapes become legible together. A promenade walk is a different experience from a tower observation deck, so decide which matters more to you.
Details worth noticing
- Distinctive tower profiles
- Riverfront public space
- The historic bank opposite
Watch before you go
Watch the place and its surroundings
See the scenery and setting, then use the visitor guide to plan your visit.
0:28
0:37Shanghai
Pudong’s illuminated towers
A portrait-format view of the Oriental Pearl Tower and Pudong at night.
Read the Shanghai guide ↗Before you go
Plan your visit
Choose a ground-level Lujiazui visit or a specific tower experience. An observation deck has its own admission and visibility considerations; keep a riverside alternative when the upper views would be disappointing.
An observation deck involves its own admission, visibility and weather decisions. Keep a ground-level river walk as an alternative rather than relying on a clear-sky panorama.
Nearby visits and onward travel
The Bund makes a strong comparison across the river; keep the crossing and final hotel location in the route.
Getting there & around Shanghai ↗A flexible day idea
A suggested day
Use this day plan as a guide. We can adjust the walking, transport and breaks for your group.
- Start
Riverfront perspective
Begin on the Lujiazui waterfront, where the towers can be seen together. Look across to the Bund to understand how the two banks relate.
- Explore
Your chosen viewpoint
Visit the reserved observation attraction if it matches your interests and the conditions. Otherwise continue with a short urban walk and a relaxed indoor break.
- Finish
Dinner or a crossing
Stay on the east bank for dinner, or make one planned crossing to the Bund. Avoid repeated back-and-forth river moves within the same evening.
Longer itinerary ideas
Plan a longer trip
Explore day-by-day routes that include Shanghai and its wider region, then adapt one with us.
1 day
Garden lanes and a skyline
One full city day joining the Old City with Shanghai’s historic riverfront.
See the day-by-day idea ↗3 daysShanghai in three different moods
Combine the Old City and river with modern Pudong, museum time and leafy neighborhood streets.
See the day-by-day idea ↗7 daysShanghai and Suzhou
Combine three Shanghai sightseeing themes with Suzhou’s gardens and canals. The route starts in Shanghai and ends in Suzhou.
See the day-by-day idea ↗10 daysShanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou
A Jiangnan journey through a big-city waterfront, classical gardens and West Lake, finishing in Hangzhou.
See the day-by-day idea ↗