Historic waterfront
The Bund
Begin at Shanghai’s most cinematic promenade: colonial-era façades on one side, Pudong’s future-facing skyline across the Huangpu on the other…
About this experience
Begin at Shanghai’s most cinematic promenade: colonial-era façades on one side, Pudong’s future-facing skyline across the Huangpu on the other. Come near sunset, then stay for the lights; pair it with Nanjing East Road or a river cruise.
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A closer look at The Bund
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Read more about The Bund
The Bund at Night Is the Postcard — Here's How to See It Right
Shanghai's signature view is the Bund promenade looking across the Huangpu to Pudong's towers. The night version — lit up, reflected on the water, from a cruise — is the one worth planning for.
Read the guide →Shanghai's Rooftop Music Season Is the Easiest Free Night Out on the Bund
Every weekend through 30 August, BFC's riverside rooftop turns into an open-air music stage with the Pudong skyline as the backdrop. It is free, it is booked through a simple mini-program, and it might be the best low-effort evening in the city this summer.
Read the guide →Huangpu's New Digital City Roam Turns the Bund, Yu Garden and Nanjing Road into One Walk
Through 15 August, Huangpu has wired its classic landmarks — the Bund, Yu Garden and Nanjing Road — into a single phone-led roam with AR photo spots and digital stamps. It is a neat, low-cost way to string the old city and the shopping street into one afternoon.
Read the guide →Shanghai Haichang's 'Orca Wave Festival' Is the City's Biggest Summer Splash
Through 31 August, Haichang Ocean Park in Lingang runs night sessions, water parties, drone and fireworks shows, and an orca starlight performance. It is the freshest family day-trip option near Shanghai this summer — and a world away from the crowded city center.
Read the guide →The 'Goldfish Theater' at BFC Turns the Bund Into a Thousand-Year Water Dream
Opened 6 August at BFC Bund Finance Center, 'Goldfish Theater' is a national-style immersive exhibition that folds a thousand years of Chinese goldfish culture into light, water and live fish. It is the most talked-about new indoor escape on the riverfront this summer — cool, calm and very photogenic.
Read the guide →Escape the Heat at the World's Largest Indoor Snow World, an Hour from Shanghai
Yaoxue Ice & Snow World in Lingang is billed as the world's largest indoor snow venue — sub-zero all summer, with ski slopes, penguin meet-and-greets and play snow. When Shanghai hits 38°C, it is the city's most refreshing day-trip contradiction.
Read the guide →The West Bund Wander Line: A Free Riverside Route Just Opened
Xuhui's West Bund has rolled out a free pilot shuttle that stitches its museums, riverfront and cafes into one slow afternoon. Here is how to ride it and what to stop for.
Read the guide →Nanjing Road's 10-Day Digital Carnival: Esports, Short-Drama and Street Sport
Century Square on Nanjing Road East has become a 10-day youth-culture playground — esports stages, short-drama tie-ins and open street sport. Here is how to fold it into a Shanghai evening.
Read the guide →Shanghai Book Fair 2026: A Cool, City-Wide Reading Carnival (Aug 12-18)
The 2026 Shanghai Book Fair opens today with 1,420 events across two main venues and dozens of city-wide spaces. Here is how an international visitor can make a calm, cultural day of it.
Read the guide →Lujiazui's Anime Takeover: The 'Goods' Carnival at Super Brand Mall
The financial district's Super Brand Mall has become a cosplay and anime-goods playground this summer. A different, playful side of Lujiazui — and an easy add-on to a skyline day.
Read the guide →WorldSkills 2026 in Shanghai: 29 Themed Routes to See the City
As the 48th WorldSkills competition arrives, Shanghai has launched 29 themed tourist routes built around the event. A neat frame for visitors who want the city beyond the usual stops.
Read the guide →Shanghai Just Entered 'Lu Xun Time' — A Citywide Literature Week You Can Actually Join
From 25 August, Shanghai hosts the Lu Xun Literature Week: a Bund poetry night, the opening of the new Shanghai Literature Museum, book markets and the Lu Xun Literature Prize ceremony. Here is how to ride the city's literary wave.
Read the guide →A Venice Carnival in Glass Just Landed on the Bund — GLASSTRESS Opens in Shanghai
GLASSTRESS: Carnival of Venice brings 700-year-old Murano glass and 19 countries' contemporary artists to the Bund's Jiushi Art Museum (through 18 Oct). Here is what to see and how to pair it with a Bund afternoon.
Read the guide →A Rock Musical About a Tragic Crown Prince Is Shanghai's Surprise Hit — 'SHADOW' in Chinese
SHADOW, a rock musical retelling the real history of Crown Prince Sado, opened its first overseas (Chinese-language) version at the China Grand Theatre (through 13 Sep). Here is the story, the staging, and how to pair it with a Nanjing Road evening.
Read the guide →Shanghai's 10 Most Luxurious Experiences
Ten private, access-only ways to experience Shanghai at the very top — from cloud-level champagne at Shanghai Tower to after-hours museum viewings and a private boat through Zhujiajiao's canals.
Read the guide →Shanghai International Light Festival 2026: Seeing the City in Light, the Private Way
The 3rd Shanghai International Light Festival (Sep 17–Oct 16, 2026) turns the whole city into a canvas of building projections, water-screen shows and art installations. Here is how to see it from the best vantage points — with a private car, a riverfront terrace and zero queues.
Read the guide →Mid-Autumn Festival in Shanghai 2026: Celebrating the Moon, the Private Way
Search interest for Mid-Autumn in Shanghai is up 48% this year. Here is how to spend the festival (Sep 25, 2026) in style — a private lantern evening at Yu Garden, moon-viewing tea in the French Concession, and a rooftop banquet over the Bund.
Read the guide →Shanghai's Autumn Theatre Season 2026: From Phantom's Farewell to Broadway Queens
Shanghai's autumn 2026 stage is exceptional: The Phantom of the Opera 40th-anniversary farewell, a Broadway Queens gala in Pudong, and the dance drama Gui Zi on the West Bund. Here is how to see the season from the best seats — with a private box and concierge booking.
Read the guide →Shanghai's Michelin-Starred Chinese Restaurants: A Connoisseur's Roundup
Beyond French and Italian temples of fine dining, Shanghai's real culinary crown is its Michelin-starred Chinese cuisine — Cantonese, Shanghainese, Huaiyang and Sichuan elevated to art. Here is the definitive roundup for the discerning table.
Read the guide →Shanghai After Dark, Done Right: Private Yachts and Skyline Decks
Skip the crowded public riverboats. Shanghai's most refined nights happen on a private yacht, a rooftop above the Bund, or a skyline deck — with a car and guide handling every detail.
Read the guide →The Americas, in Shanghai: A Blockbuster Civilization Show at the People's Square Museum
Shanghai's most talked-about exhibition of the year is 'At the Summit of the World Tree: Ancient American Civilizations' at the People's Square Museum — nearly 3,000 treasures from Maya, Inca and Aztec worlds, through November 2027.
Read the guide →High Jewelry by the River: Hermès at the West Bund Dome
For a short window this September, the West Bund Dome becomes a quiet stage for a Hermès high jewelry showcase — an intimate, by-appointment kind of luxury, best paired with the French Concession's boutiques and a private car between them.
Read the guide →Design by the Waterfront: MAISON SHANGHAI at the Expo Centre
Each September, MAISON SHANGHAI (Modern Shanghai Design Week) turns the Pudong Expo Centre into a calm, curated stage for furniture, lighting and the art of living well — a traveller's window into how the city actually designs.
Read the guide →The Art of the Atelier: CHANEL le19M at Museum of Art Pudong
From 25 September to 15 November 2026, the Museum of Art Pudong becomes a quiet stage for CHANEL's le19M — a celebration of the house's haute couture métiers. An intimate, craft-led kind of luxury, best paired with the Lujiazui waterfront and a private car between them.
Read the guide →Centre Court, Privately: The Rolex Shanghai Masters 2026
From 5 to 18 October 2026, the Rolex Shanghai Masters turns Qizhong into Asia's finest tennis address. Seen from a Sky Box with a private car between the arena and your Bund suite, it becomes less a match and more a composed autumn escape.
Read the guide →Riverside Autumn: Qiantan's Light, Flowers, and Jazz
From 20 September to 1 November 2026, Shanghai's Qiantan waterfront becomes an autumn salon of flower fields, architectural light and open-air jazz. Seen from a riverside suite with a private car between the installations and the Bund, it reads as a composed season rather than a crowded festival.
Read the guide →The Scent of Autumn: Shanghai's Osmanthus Season
From late September, Shanghai fills with the scent of osmanthus — tiny gold and amber blossoms that turn lane-house gardens, the Bund's riverside and the old water towns fragrant. Taken slowly, with a heritage teahouse and a private car between stops, it becomes the city's most quietly luxurious season.
Read the guide →Shanghai Just Turned Its Riverfront Into a Free Olympics-Grade Skate Park
For four days this October, the West Bund becomes an open-air arena for the world's best BMX, skate, breakdance and roller athletes — free to watch, no walls, right on the Huangpu. Here is how to spend a day there.
Read the guide →Shanghai's Art Week: Collecting, Galleries, and the Giacometti Moment
From 10 to 15 November 2026, Shanghai becomes a single, city-wide gallery. The eighth International Artwork Trading Week gathers the West Bund Art & Design Fair, ART021 and Christie's Shanghai sale beneath one roof of opportunity — best approached the way a collector would: by appointment, from a riverside suite, with a private car between the fairs.
Read the guide →For Six Weeks This Autumn, Shanghai Is a City-Sized Stage
The 25th China Shanghai International Arts Festival opens on 17 October 2026 and runs through late November, and a good share of it is free and outdoors — open-air jazz at Qiantan, international dance on the city's stages, and pop-up performances along the riverbanks. Here is how to fold the best of it into an autumn visit.
Read the guide →Shanghai Just Turned October Into One Long Outdoor Food Market
From a taco festival to three burger debuts and a 200-stall bakery market, the city's 'Global Taste in Shanghai' series turns the next three weeks into a roam-at-will feast. Here is the map, and how to eat your way through it.
Read the guide →This Week the Bund Turned One of Its Oldest Streets Into a Free Music District
For seven days the Bund Origin — Shanghai's cluster of century-old stone facades along Yuanmingyuan Road — becomes an open-air music quarter. Three stages, free outdoor sets, and a citywide bread week folded in. Here is how to spend an evening there.
Read the guide →The 1884 Tower on the Bund You Have Been Walking Past Just Opened Its Doors
The Bund Signal Tower — built in 1884 to warn ships of weather on the river — has been quietly refreshed into a free, open heritage stop with a small museum and a coffee terrace overlooking the waterfront. Here is why it is worth the few minutes it takes to step inside.
Read the guide →Shanghai in Winter: Heritage Tea, Clear Nights, and Riverside Ice
From November to February, Shanghai trades its humidity for crisp, clear air and an unhurried elegance. The Bund's skyline snaps into focus on cold nights, heritage hotels pour champagne afternoon tea by the fire, and open-air ice rinks open along the river. Taken from a five-star suite with a private car between stops, winter here is the city at its most composed.
Read the guide →Shanghai's Streets Throw a Halloween Party — and the Door Is Open to Everyone
Halloween is not a native festival here, but Shanghai has taken it and made it its own — as a free, walkable, open-air street habit rather than a ticketed party. On the evening of October 31, stretches of the city simply fill with people in costume. Here is where to find it and how to join in without a plan.
Read the guide →Shanghai's Holiday Season: Festive Windows, Personal Shopping, and the City's Christmas Trees
From late November the city turns gently festive. The landmark hotels raise their trees, the department stores light their windows along Nanjing Road, and the luxury malls open their salons. Best taken as a composed holiday — a riverside suite, a private car between the windows, and a concierge who knows the personal shoppers.
Read the guide →Shanghai by Night in the Festive Season: The River Cruise, Rooftop Lounges, and the Lit Skyline
When the holiday lights come on, Shanghai keeps its finest hour for the dark. The Bund's facades glow, the Huangpu turns to a moving mirror of the skyline, and the rooftop lounges open their windows to both banks. Best taken as one composed evening — a riverside suite, a private car between the pier and the rooftop, and a concierge who holds the table.
Read the guide →A Warm Friday Afternoon in Shanghai: The Walking Tour That Brings Travellers Together
The best trips begin with a welcome, not a check-in. Each Friday afternoon a local English-speaking guide leads a relaxed 1.9 km, three-hour riverside walk from Bund No. 1 (外滩一号) to North Bund — a chance to hear the stories of Shanghai's modern history and to meet fellow travellers from around the world over a cup of Chinese coffee. It is the human way to arrive.
Read the guide →Shanghai Quietly Mapped the City Into 19 Walks — and Built a Game Around Them
The city's tourism board just packaged Shanghai into 19 curated walking routes — heritage lanes, riverfronts, and literary corners — with licensed guides, a sticker-collecting game, and merchant coupons. Here is how a visitor plays along.
Read the guide →For Eight Days, Saudi Arabia Sets Up Shop Beneath the Pearl Tower — Free of Charge
A 1,000-square-metre slice of Saudi Arabia has landed at the foot of the Oriental Pearl Tower — oasis walks, dates and cardamom coffee, oud music, and a quiet invitation to plan the trip after. It is free, it is drop-in, and it is only here until November 15.
Read the guide →A Century-Old Shanghai Shipyard Reopened This Week — and the Riverside Is the Art
On November 2, a former Shanghai shipyard on the Yangpu riverfront opened its doors as MEET178 — ByteDance's new riverside center. Behind the office tower, every public space is free to wander: a red-brick hall built from the old workshops, a rusted shipway square, and a riverside park where the Pudong skyline looks back at you. It is the city's industrial past, handed over to the public.
Read the guide →Getting From Shanghai's Airport to the City: A Calm Arrival, by Taxi, Metro, or Private Car
The trip begins the moment you land. From Pudong International, three routes reach the city — a taxi, the metro, or a private car with a driver who meets your flight. Each has its place; the difference is how the first hour of your stay feels. Here is the honest comparison, written for travellers who would rather arrive than scramble.
Read the guide →A 1932 Art Deco Museum in the Bund Just Made Its New Season Free
The Rockbund Art Museum — housed in a 1932 Royal Asiatic Society building — has opened its autumn season with a twist: two entrances, three sound-themed shows, and no ticket. Here is how to fold it into a Bund源 afternoon.
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