The Four Towers: Vertical Shanghai
Stand at the corner of Century Avenue in Lujiazui and look up. Four supertall buildings pierce the sky in rapid succession—a visual manifesto of Shanghai's transformation from farmland to financial capital in three decades. Each offers a different vantage point on the city spreading below you and the Huangpu River cutting through it.
Start with the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the 11 pink spheres that have become Shanghai's global symbol. For ¥100 and up, you can step onto the glass floor of the outdoor viewing platform at 259 m, where your feet hang above the river and Pudong spreads beneath transparent ground. The hotel sphere at 230 m gives you a permanent room with a view. The tower also houses Space City at 90 m if you want something lighter.
If you want lunch with the same panorama at a fraction of the vertigo, head to Cucina on the 55th floor of the Jin Mao Tower. The Italian restaurant overlooks the Bund and old Shanghai from inside the building's famous 31-story atrium that rises like a space station from the 57th floor. A gourmet pizza lunch costs about as much as tower admission (¥50 for adults). The 88th floor restaurant reaches China's second-highest public viewing platform, and the Grand Hyatt's bars throughout the building give you liquor and light with your view.
Shanghai Tower, at 632 m, is China's tallest building and reaches the second floor of the world's heights. The elevator accelerates to 18 m/s on its way to the observation deck at 552 m on the 118th and 119th floors. You can see in all directions from that height. There is a small cafe and free wifi. Adult admission is ¥180.
Shanghai World Financial Center, next door, lets you look down on the three taller neighbors from its three viewing levels on floors 94, 97, and 100. At ¥150, it is cheaper than Shanghai Tower and offers a different angle. The hotel bars and restaurants on or near the 98th floor give you the view without paying observation-deck prices.
Museums and Art: Shanghai's Modern Memory
Pudong's museums collect the art and history that Shanghai's rapid growth has both created and displaced. The China Art Museum Shanghai occupies the former pavilion from the 2010 World Expo and tells the story of Chinese modern and contemporary art from the top down—literally, you start in the galleries at the highest floors and descend through the collection. The permanent exhibitions focus on celebrated Chinese painters, the arc of Chinese modern art, and Shanghai's own cultural identity. On the top floor, a 110-meter interactive 3D animated remake of the ancient scroll painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival lets you walk through the original composition remade as a digital landscape. Admission is free except for special exhibitions. Multilingual audio guides and English-speaking volunteer guides are available.
Shanghai Museum East, which opened in February 2024, specializes in ancient art—bronzeware, jade, ceramics, calligraphy—and occupies a building opposite the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Entry is free, though you must book in advance as daily visitor numbers are capped at 8,000. Chinese-language audio guides are ¥20; foreign-language guides are ¥40.
The Long Museum Pudong branch, about 1.4 km east of Huamu Road Station on Metro line 7, houses the collection of wealthy collectors Liu Yiqian and his wife Wang Wei—a private museum focused on contemporary and classical Chinese art. It is open 10:00–17:30, closed Mondays. Admission is ¥100, which includes a tour guide. Groups of 26 or more must book at least two days ahead.
Parks and Open Air: Breathing Room in the City
Century Park is Shanghai's largest park, and though much of it remains under development or features concrete and paved roads rather than wild greenery, it still offers genuine respite from the surrounding density. Bike rental is available if you want to explore more than walking allows, though it is expensive at ¥40 per hour. Entry is ¥10.
Shanghai Expo Park occupies two sites—the larger portion in Pudong and a smaller section across the river in Puxi. The 2010 World Expo, held here, attracted more visitors than any previous World Expo in the event's history. The Chinese Pavilion remains in operation, and various other sights and installations are scattered across the grounds. The Pudong portion is accessible via Metro line 8, Yaohua Road Station.
Science, Nature, and Living Things
Shanghai Ocean Aquarium, near Lujiazui Station (exit 1, head toward the Pearl TV Tower and look right), fills two floors with glass tunnels that let you move through shark tanks and other marine environments. The exhibition is well-maintained and entertaining for visitors of any age. It is open 09:00–18:00, extending to 21:00 in summer. Admission is ¥120, with discounts for children.
Shanghai Science and Technology Museum focuses on Western science and draws families and students for its educational displays and impressive building. It is located at the Science and Tech Museum Station on Metro line 2.
The Maglev Museum, on the first floor of Maglev Longyang Road station, occupies 1,250 m² and traces the history and technology of the maglev train through sections on its birth, Shanghai's maglev line, the underlying technology, its advantages, and its future prospects. Open 09:00–17:30. The station itself is served by Metro lines 2, 7, and 16.
Cultural Landmarks and Quieter Corners
The Pudong Mosque, at No. 375 Yuanshen Road (walk north from Yuanshen Stadium Station on line 6), was initially built in 1935, expanded in 1984, and rebuilt to its current form in 1995. It stands as a reminder that Pudong's transformation happened in layers, and that older Shanghai coexists beneath the new towers.
The Shanghai International Finance Center (IFC) is a complex of two towers around 250 m tall with an 85 m building between them. It houses the IFC Mall shopping complex, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, and a pedestrian tunnel to Lujiazui Station—useful to know if you are navigating the district on foot.
New York University Shanghai, a joint venture between the American university and East China Normal University, teaches most courses in English and serves about 1,200 undergraduate students. While not a tourist attraction, it reflects Pudong's role as a hub for global education and exchange.
Pudong's skyline and museums reward both the visitor who wants to climb high and look out, and the one who wants to sit, absorb art and history, and understand how Shanghai remade itself. Plan a full day to move between the towers and museums, or split your time across two visits—one for vertical thrills, one for art and slower looking.