Shanghai Skyline and Observation Decks, plus China's Other Modern Landmarks

The best view of the Shanghai skyline costs nothing: stand on the Bund (外滩, Wàitān), the old riverfront promenade on the west bank, and look across the Huangpu River at the towers of Lujiazui (陆家嘴, Lùjiāzuǐ). The Bund is an open street with no ticket and no closing time. If you also want to go up, pick one observation deck in Lujiazui, not all four. Shanghai Tower's Top of Shanghai deck on floors 118 and 119 is the highest you can reach, and the adult ticket is 180 yuan. Jin Mao's 88th-floor deck is the cheaper option at 120 yuan for adults. Plan the evening around the lights: the riverfront buildings are usually lit from about 18:00 to 22:00 in winter and about 19:00 to 23:00 in summer, with longer hours on holidays.

Shanghai comes first below, then Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Chongqing.

The short answer: how to see the Shanghai skyline

Shanghai's skyline is two places facing each other across the river. On the west bank (Puxi, 浦西, "west of the river") is the Bund, a row of early 20th-century stone banks and hotels. On the east bank (Pudong, 浦东, "east of the river") is Lujiazui, the financial district with the tall towers. The famous photo is taken from the Bund looking east at Lujiazui. The view from the top of a Lujiazui tower looks the other way, down onto the river and the Bund.

So there are two different things to do, and most visitors should do both on the same day:

• The Bund at street level, free. The Bund runs along Zhongshan East 1st Road from Yan'an East Road in the south to the Waibaidu Bridge in the north, and the nearest metro stop is East Nanjing Road on Lines 2 and 10. Walk the raised riverside promenade; the whole stretch takes about half an hour at an easy pace.
• One observation deck in Lujiazui, paid. Shanghai Tower, Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC) stand next to each other, and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower is a few minutes' walk away by the river. Shanghai Tower is next to Lujiazui station on Metro Lines 2 and 14. The decks show you the same city from slightly different heights, so a second deck adds little.

Day or night? Daylight shows you the shape of the city: the river bend, the old Bund buildings and how far the towers stretch. Night shows the lights, which is what most people come for. The easiest way to get both is to go up a deck in the late afternoon, stay through sunset, then come down and cross to the Bund while the buildings are lit. Shanghai Tower's last entry is 21:00 and the deck closes at 22:00, so you have time, but the lights on the Bund side usually go off at about 22:00 in winter. Do the deck first and the Bund second.

If you only have one evening and no interest in heights, skip the deck. The Bund at night plus a 2-yuan public ferry across the river gives you the skyline from both banks and from the water for almost nothing. The ferry details are in the river section below.

Shanghai's four observation decks compared

All four towers are in Lujiazui, within walking distance of each other. The table below shows the official prices and opening hours for Shanghai Tower, Jin Mao and the Oriental Pearl; SWFC is covered in its own section.

Shanghai Tower: Top of Shanghai, floors 118 and 119

Shanghai Tower is the twisting glass tower, the tallest of the group. Its observation hall, Top of Shanghai (上海之巅, Shànghǎi zhī diān), is on floors 118 and 119. It is open every day from 8:30 to 22:00 with last entry at 21:00 and no fixed closing day. Adult tickets are 180 yuan, children 90 yuan and seniors 120 yuan, and there is a combined ticket with the Sky632 art space for 268 yuan. Some ticket sites show a later last entry than the official 21:00, so if you are cutting it close, confirm at the tower on the day.

Choose it if height matters to you. From up here you look down on the roof of Jin Mao and down at the top of SWFC, and on a clear day you can follow the river through the city. On a hazy day, which is common, the view shortens to the towers around you; the higher you are, the more haze sits between you and the ground.

Jin Mao Tower: 88th-floor deck

Jin Mao is the older, tiered tower that looks a little like a pagoda. The building is 420.5 metres tall and its 88th-floor deck sits at 340.1 metres. The deck is open daily from 8:00 to 22:00; no official last-entry time is published, so arrive well before closing. Tickets are 120 yuan for adults, 60 yuan for children 1 to 1.3 metres tall, 100 yuan for seniors 70 and over and 90 yuan for students up to undergraduate level, and children under 1 metre or aged 3 and under go free with an adult.

Choose it if you want the cheapest of the three decks with published prices, or if you want to see Shanghai Tower and SWFC up close rather than look down on them. From Jin Mao the two taller towers are right in front of you, and you cannot get that view from Shanghai Tower because you are standing inside it.

Oriental Pearl TV Tower

The Oriental Pearl is the pink-and-silver TV tower with the spheres, 468 metres tall and open since 1995. It is open from 8:00 to 22:00, with last entry at 21:00. The official prices published for it are package tickets: two spheres plus the toy museum for 259 yuan, two spheres plus the Oriental Pearl river cruise for 279 yuan, and the cruise alone in first class for 130 yuan; the price of a plain tower ticket, and child prices, are shown on the official "东方明珠" (Oriental Pearl) WeChat service account, so check there for today's options.

Choose it if you like the tower itself more than the view, or if you want a package with a boat ride. It stands by the river, apart from the other three, and it is the tower in most skyline photos. The downside is that from inside it you cannot see the Oriental Pearl itself, which is the building most people want in their pictures.

Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC)

SWFC is the tower with the open rectangle at the top, nicknamed "the bottle opener". Its 100th-floor observatory sets its own prices and hours, so check the observatory's official website or the ticket counter for today's prices and times before you go. In terms of the view, it sits between Jin Mao and Shanghai Tower in height, and you see the city from a similar angle to Shanghai Tower.

Which one to choose

• Highest view: Shanghai Tower.
• Lowest price, and the best view of the other towers: Jin Mao.
• A package with a river cruise: Oriental Pearl.
• Going with children or older parents: compare the child and senior prices in the table. Whether those reduced prices apply to foreign visitors is set by each attraction, and many Chinese sites limit concessions to Chinese citizens. Ask at the counter with your passport before you pay the reduced price online.

One deck is enough. The four towers are so close together that the view from each is a variation on the same scene, and from any of them you look across at the others. Most people get more out of one deck at sunset and a walk on the Bund than out of two decks in one afternoon.

If you want your ticket sorted before the day, deck tickets and combination tickets are also sold on Klook; compare the price there with the counter price in the table, and check which floor and time slot the ticket covers.

The Bund at night: lights, ferries and river cruises

Most people come for the night view. There are three ways to see it: from the Bund promenade, from a public ferry crossing the river, and from a sightseeing cruise. The table shows the light hours, ferry times and cruise fares.

When the lights are on

The lights along the Bund, the North Bund and the core of Lujiazui are controlled by the city. On a normal winter evening they usually come on at about 18:00 and go off at about 22:00; on a normal summer evening they usually run from about 19:00 to 23:00; on public holidays and during big events they are often extended to 23:00, and the city sometimes changes the hours at short notice, for example during heat waves. The practical rule: be on the Bund by 21:00 and you will not miss them. If you arrive at 22:15 in winter, you may find the towers mostly dark.

The light hours do not affect the Bund itself, which stays open all night. Late at night the promenade is quiet and the river is dark, so it is a pleasant walk, just not the famous view.

The public ferries: the cheapest way onto the river

Shanghai's commuter ferries (上海轮渡, Shànghǎi lúndù, "Shanghai ferry") cross the Huangpu all day, and a foot passenger pays 2 yuan. You pay at the pier gate; check there which payment methods are accepted on the day. The crossing is short, but you are in the middle of the river with the Bund on one side and Lujiazui on the other, which is the same view the cruise boats sell. Two lines matter to visitors:

• Dongfu line (东复线, Dongchang Road ↔ Fuxing East Road). This is the one to use for the night view. It runs from Dongchang Road pier in Pudong from 7:15 to 21:00 and from Fuxing Road pier in Puxi from 7:00 to 21:00.
• Dongjin line (东金线, Dongchang Road ↔ Jinling East Road). This lands closest to the south end of the Bund, but it runs in daytime only and carries foot passengers only, roughly 7:15 to 18:15 from the Pudong side and 7:15 to 18:30 from Jinling East Road, so it will not help you after dark.

Ferries can be suspended at short notice when crowds on the Bund are very large, for example on public holidays, so on those days check the "上海轮渡" (Shanghai Ferry) WeChat account for the latest times. The Shanghai government's English page on exploring Shanghai by boat lists the lines and fares.

The Huangpu River cruise

The main sightseeing cruise, Huangpu River Cruise (浦江游览, Pǔjiāng yóulǎn), leaves from Piers 1 and 2 at the Shiliupu Tourist Wharf on the Puxi side, heads towards the Yangpu Bridge and turns back. Fares change with the season. From 26 February to 25 November a day sailing is 120 yuan and a night sailing 150 yuan; from 26 November to 25 February a day sailing is 100 yuan and a night sailing 120 yuan; on public holidays the fare is 150 yuan. Children under 1.3 metres ride free, and children 1.3 to 1.5 metres and seniors 70 and over pay half price. Other boat companies, including the Oriental Pearl's own cruise, charge different prices. Buy at the ticket office at the Shiliupu wharf, or check sailing times and fares on the official "浦江游览" (Huangpu River Cruise) WeChat account, which publishes them.

Is the cruise worth it over the ferry? The cruise gives you a longer time on the water, a route that passes the whole Bund and the North Bund, and a seat. The ferry gives you a few minutes in the middle of the river for very little money. If you have a night sailing in your budget and are with family, the cruise is the more relaxed evening. If you just want the view from the water, the ferry does the job. Night cruise tickets can also be booked in advance on Trip.com, which helps on weekends and holidays when the evening sailings fill up.

A sample evening on the skyline

1. Late afternoon: take Metro Line 2 to Lujiazui station and go up one tower, ideally about an hour before sunset. Check the sunset time for your date in your weather app.
2. After sunset: come down, walk along the Lujiazui riverside path towards Dongchang Road pier, and take the Dongfu ferry across to Fuxing East Road before it stops at 21:00.
3. Evening: walk north along the Bund while the lights are on, ending near East Nanjing Road station for the metro home. If you would rather sit than walk, the Shiliupu cruise wharf is next to the Fuxing Road side, so you can swap the walk for a night sailing.

To plan the metro legs before you go, the WaysChina app is an offline metro and itinerary helper for 10 Chinese cities, Shanghai included. If you stay out late, the Shanghai metro last-train times page shows when each line stops. For more ideas on where this evening fits in a longer stay, see our Shanghai complete guide and the 3-day Shanghai itinerary; for paying at the gates, see our China metro guide.

Beijing: Bird's Nest, Water Cube and the CCTV buildings

Beijing's modern landmarks are a good evening after a day of palaces, not a reason to travel. The Olympic buildings are lit at night, and the main TV tower has a real observation deck.

Bird's Nest (鸟巢, Niǎocháo), the National Stadium. The steel-lattice stadium from the 2008 Olympics is open for visits from 10:00 to 22:00, with ticket checks stopping at 21:00, but on concert and event days it can close early, at 13:00 or 15:00. For the current tour ticket price, check at the stadium ticket office first; the visitor hotline is 400-600-2008. Hotlines starting with 400 are mainland Chinese numbers and may not connect from a foreign SIM, so the ticket window is the more reliable way to check. Seeing it from outside, lit up at night, costs nothing and is what most visitors remember.

Water Cube (水立方, Shuǐlìfāng), the National Aquatics Center. The bubble-covered building next to the Bird's Nest is on its off-season hours, 10:30 to 21:00, with ticket sales stopping at 19:50 and last entry at 20:00; the hotline is 400-620-2022. Since 7 September 2026 it runs a light show called "Light of Water" nine times a day, at 11:00, 12:30, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00, 18:00, 19:00 and 20:00. Shows are paused on event days, so check the Water Cube's official notices before you plan around one. Check the current ticket price at the ticket window.

China Central Radio and TV Tower (中央广播电视塔). This is the one with a real view. The tower is 405 metres tall and its outdoor ring deck is 238 metres above the ground. It is open from 8:30 to 21:30 and closes at 22:00, and it stands on the West Third Ring Road opposite Yuyuantan Park. Adult tickets are 90 yuan, children 1.2 to 1.4 metres 45 yuan, seniors 50 yuan, and children under 1.2 metres go free. The Beijing government's visitor page for the tower has the details in English.

CCTV Headquarters (中央电视台总部大楼), "the big pants". The looped building in the Guomao business district is an office building, not an attraction, so see it from outside, ideally at dusk, as part of a walk around the business district.

An easy way to see the Olympic buildings lit up without planning the transport yourself is the Qianmen–Bird's Nest–Water Cube night sightseeing bus run by the Beijing Tourism Distribution Center (北京旅游集散中心): a double-decker that leaves Qianmen at 19:00, covers a 30-kilometre route and costs 60 yuan including commentary, booked through the center's WeChat account. Night routes are seasonal and may not run in winter; check the center's WeChat account for your date. Our Beijing complete guide shows how to fit the Olympic Park into a longer stay, and the Beijing metro last-train times help if you stay late.

Guangzhou's Canton Tower and Shenzhen

Canton Tower (广州塔, Guǎngzhōu tǎ), Guangzhou. Guangzhou's TV tower is the city's skyline landmark and the one modern attraction there that needs planning. It is open from 9:30 to 22:30, and ticket sales and entry run from 9:30 to 22:00. Tickets are sold in six time slots a day: the first runs from 9:30 to 12:00, and the rest are two hours each. The top attractions, including the 450-metre tower top and the 488-metre outdoor deck, open at 10:00, but on Mondays they open at 12:00, and on the Monday of the last week of each month at 17:00. Ticket prices vary by package; check the ticket hall or the official channels for today's prices.

The real-name rule is the part foreign visitors need to know. Canton Tower requires each visitor to show their own Chinese ID card; if you do not have one, you enter your details at the self-service visitor ID registration machine in the ticket hall and use the printed receipt to buy your ticket and go up. Bring your passport, and allow a few extra minutes in the ticket hall; if the machine will not take your passport, ask the staff at the ticket hall. The tower is worth it if you like night views over a river city; Guangzhou's skyline is less famous than Shanghai's, so if you are short of time, Shanghai is the better choice.

Shenzhen. Shenzhen's best free skyline is along the bay. Shenzhen Bay Park runs along the Nanshan shore from the Futian Mangrove Nature Reserve to the Shenzhen–Hong Kong bridge, is about 129 hectares, and is open from 6:00 to 23:00. It is a long seafront walk with the towers of Nanshan behind you and Hong Kong across the water. The Ping An Finance Centre in Futian also has a high observation deck; check the building's official channels for current prices and hours before you go. If you are choosing between the two cities for one paid tower, Canton Tower is the easier pick because its rules are clearly posted; in Shenzhen the free bay walk gives you most of what a deck would. Our Guangzhou and Shenzhen guide covers both cities and how to move between them.

Hong Kong and Chongqing

Hong Kong. Victoria Harbour is the other great skyline in the region. A Symphony of Lights runs every night at 20:00, free and with no ticket; the best spots are the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront outside the Cultural Centre, the Avenue of Stars and the Golden Bauhinia Square promenade in Wan Chai, and the show is cancelled if a typhoon signal No. 3 or higher, or a red or black rainstorm warning, is issued at or after 15:00. The Star Ferry between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui is the cheap harbour crossing, HK$5 on the upper deck on weekdays. The Tourism Commission's Symphony of Lights page lists any cancellations, and our Hong Kong and Macau guide has the rest.

Chongqing. Chongqing's night view is a mountain city on two rivers, and Hongyadong, the stilted riverside complex, is its centre: its facade lights come on around dusk, roughly 18:30 to 20:00 depending on the season, and go off at 23:00; the Hongyadong WeChat account posts changes. The Yangtze River Cableway crossing costs 30 yuan one way or 50 yuan return. See our Chongqing complete guide for viewpoints and how to plan the night.

Practical notes: passports, weather and timing

Passports and real-name tickets. Canton Tower spells out its real-name rule: no Chinese ID card means registering at the machine in the ticket hall. The Shanghai towers do not publish a separate rule for foreign passports, so check the ticket page or counter if you buy online. Carry your original passport anyway; it is the ID you will be asked for if a counter checks names, and it is what you need to show for any concession price.

Weather and visibility. A deck ticket does not guarantee a clear view. On a hazy or rainy day the city can disappear below you. Check the forecast and look at the top of the towers from the street before you buy: if the top of Shanghai Tower is inside the cloud, choose a lower deck, or skip the deck and go to the Bund. Clear days after rain or wind are usually the best.

Sunset. Sunset is the best time on a deck because you see the city in daylight and with its lights on during one visit. Sunset comes much earlier in winter than in summer, so check the time for your date and arrive about an hour before.

Holidays and crowds. On national holidays, especially the October Golden Week, the Bund gets very crowded in the evening, ferries can be suspended and the river cruise charges its holiday fare. If your dates overlap a holiday, go up a deck in the morning instead and see our Golden Week survival guide. On ordinary weekdays, evenings are busy but manageable.

Do not try to do everything. One deck, one Bund walk and one river crossing is a complete Shanghai skyline evening, and our Shanghai skyline guide lays it out viewpoint by viewpoint. If you have more time in the city, a day out to a water town is a better use of it than a second deck; see our Shanghai day trips.

Frequently asked questions

Last updated: October 2026