Shanghai/Huangpu

The Bund (外滩 Wàitān) is Shanghai's stately street of old colonial-era buildings and the first port of call for many visitors. The Bund was part of the British and American concessions, the financial center of the Far East until the 1930s. It has been referred to as "a museum of buildings", as many different styles of European buildings can be found here.

The Bund extends along the West bank of the Huangpu River and offers an excellent view of Pudong's skyscrapers on the East side. Photos of that view are very common, perhaps the best-known image of Shanghai. We have one in the Pudong article. Shanghai's Old Town (南市 Nanshi) is located next to the southern part of the Bund. Nanjing Road, a major shopping street, heads west from the Bund's centerpoint at the Peace Hotel.

There are no Metro stations on the Bund. However, East Nanjing Road station (lines  2  and  10 ) is only a 5-10 minute walk west of the Bund and many bus lines including #20 (from Zhongshan Park, following W. Nanjing Road to People's Sq., then Jiujiang Road to the Bund) and #37 will get you here. There is also a ferry terminal at the southern end of the Bund (well-signposted) with one ferry every ten minutes to and from Pudong (Dongchang Road on line  2 ).

The area around the Bund, while touristy, is not traditionally a shopping area like nearby Nanjing Road. This has changed a bit in the early 2000s with the successive restoration and opening of No.3 and No.18 on the Bund. Each houses top-of-the-line couture houses, spas, expensive bars & restaurants and art spaces. They have become something of a destination in and by themselves, especially with the newly rich jetset. Dress well or expect curt service. See the buy section below for listings of some of these shops.

Nanjing Road (南京路 Nánjīnglù) is the most important commercial street in Shanghai, with hundreds of shops, many with a rich history. In the 1930s it was named one of the World's Seven Great Roads, and it is now making a comeback after decades of Maoist austerity. The road starts at the Bund, goes a long way West, and has upmarket shopping most of the way. It is the world's longest shopping district, around 6 km long, and attracts over a million visitors a day.

The road has two sections, Nanjing Road East (南京东路 Nanjing Donglu) — running from the Bund to People's Square, and fully pedestrianized — which we describe here and Nanjing Road West (南京西路 Nanjing Xilu) — from People's Park West through Jing'an District — which we describe in the Jing'an article. There are metro stops named Nanjing Road East (lines  2  and  10 ) and Nanjing Road West ( 2 ,  12  and  13 ), with the People's Square Station ( 1 ,  2  and  8 ) between them and Jing'an Temple Station ( 2 ,  7  and  14 ) to the west. At Nanjing Road West the lines are not connected with each other yet, so you may have to exit the paid area and re-enter to the other line; an additional ticket will be required unless you are travelling with either a metro card or a one or three day pass. For more details, see Nanjing Road,

Both parts of Nanjing Road are mostly upmarket, both have many international brands and high-end Chinese products like good silk, but the East part has more of the flavour of historic Shanghai while the West is more brash and modern, catering more to the status-conscious luxury shopper.

The Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street is a car-free section from the Bund to People's Park. Among other things, it is known for its stationery and book stores. One of the largest is the Shanghai Book City which is all Chinese language. The Foreign Book Store just down the street caters more to Western tastes, but the other foreign language bookstore on Fuzhou Road (parallel to Nanjing Road, a couple of blocks South of it) is more popular with local expatriates.

People's Square (人民广场 Rénmín Guǎngchǎng) is located in the heart of the city, and is in many ways the center of the city. A horse racing course in the colonial era and the place where one million Red Guards gathered in 1966, today's park is a comfortable place to spend an afternoon with many pigeons and lots of fresh air.

Underneath People's Square is a metro station that is one of the largest and busiest in Shanghai, where the most important North-South line, line  1 , intersects the main East-West line, line  2 . Line  8  comes to this station as well. Next to the station and directly connected to it is a fairly large underground shopping area, good for clothing and souvenirs. See Shanghai#Clothing for discussion of this area and other places with similar stuff.

Shanghai's first two metro lines were line  1  running north-south and line  2  east-west. They intersect at People's Square station in Huangpu, and line  8  now comes there as well; People's Square may be the busiest subway station on Earth. Line  10  also runs through the district and line  9  runs along its southern edge. See Shanghai#Get around for more on metro lines in Huangpu and nearby areas.

There are good roads into the area, notably Yan'an Elevated Road coming in from the west, a road running north-south along the river front — Zhongshan Road coming in from the south, a tunnel that runs under the central part of the Bund, and a bridge going into Hongkou at the north end — and a bridge going east to Pudong.

As a general rule, unless you have accommodation which includes parking it is not worth bringing a car into the area. If you have parking, park the vehicle and walk or take the metro for most trips. Driving in China is often difficult, though generally less so in Shanghai than in smaller cities. Also, Huangpu is the most central area in a city of well over 20 million; traffic jams are common and parking is nearly always very difficult.

• 🌍 Customs House (江海关). An eight-storey building on the Bund featuring a highly visible clocktower nicknamed "Big Ching". Built in 1927, it is seen as one of the symbols of the Bund. 
• 🌍 HSBC Building. The grandest building on the Bund is now home to the Pudong Development Bank. 
• 🌍 Huangpu Park (黄浦公园 Huángpǔ Gōngyuán). At the northern tip of the Bund, was the legendary home of the "No dogs or Chinese" sign — which in fact never existed, although Chinese not accompanied by foreigners were indeed banned until 1928. The Bund Historical Museum located here is also worth a quick visit. 
• 🌍 Shanghai Gallery of Art, No. 3, Zhong Shan Dong Yi Road (near Guang Dong Road; on the third floor of "3 on the Bund"). Daily 10:00-19:00. 

• 🌍 People's Park (人民公园 Rénmín Gōngyuán). Entry into People's Park on the north half of the square is free, but all attractions listed below are on the edges of the park, not inside. Free. 
• 🌍 Shanghai Grand Opera Palace (West side of People's Park). The Opera Palace is often listed as one of the ten best opera houses in the world. Performances are normally "classic" Western-style opera. 
• 🌍 Shanghai Museum (上海博物馆 Shànghǎi Bówùguǎn), 201 Renmin Dadao (South side of People's Square. Near Exit 1 of People's Square Station on Metro Line 1/2/8), ☏ +86 21 63723500. Daily 09:00-17:00, all year round (last admission at 16:00). The museum has a huge collection of ancient Chinese antiques, including bronze, ceramics, calligraphy works, painting, jades and sculptures. The Gallery of Ancient Bronze on the first floor is particularly impressive, containing some of the best antiques in China. The exterior evokes a bronze urn, which is appropriate since the museum holds the world's greatest collection of Chinese bronzes. The collection is well-presented and state-of-the-art. Directions and information are presented in Chinese and English, and the facilities are world-class. The multilingual audio guide, ¥40, is excellent, especially if you do not know much about Chinese art. Also, there are often volunteer tour guides providing free service. Some of them speak English. Free. 
• 🌍 Moca Shanghai, 231 W Nanjing Road, ☏ +86 21 63279900. An art gallery by the park. 
• 🌍 Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center (上海城市规划展示馆), 100 Renmin Dadao (North of People's Square, across from the Shanghai Museum.), ☏ +86 21 63184477. Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 (last entry at 16:00). More interesting than you'd expect given its name, this museum documents the history of Shanghai and attempts to chart its future, with changing exhibits on the first two floors and a permanent exhibition on the rest. Many historic pictures from the 19th century introduce still-existing historic places. There is a heavy focus on eco-friendly satellite cities with spacious public centres and loads of greenery. Particularly worthwhile is the massive scale model of what Shanghai should look like in 2020. Plan to spend two hours or more here. ¥30 for adults, ¥15 for students and children. 
• 🌍 Shanghai History Museum (Former club house of the Shanghai Race Club), 325 West Nanjing Road (Metro: Line 1, 2, 8 People's Square exit 11), ☏ +86-021-6323-2504. Tu-Su 09:00-17:00. The Race Club building (1934) has an imposing, 10-storey tall tower which was long a landmark of central Shanghai. The clubhouse's exterior has a neo-classical structure, with eclectic details. Read more on Wikipedia about the Shanghai Race Club. - The museum's large collections focus on the approximately a hundred years in the history of Shanghai from the opening of the port in 1843 to the communist take-over in 1949. The museum's oldest relics are from 6,000 years ago. It features a cannon used in the first Opium War, a sedan chair, and two bronze lions that used to "protect" the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp on the Bund. Other exhibits teach us about the history of art, culture and industrialization. Technical info: There are two buildings: east and west. The main block is the east building, entrance is below the tower (north). English audio guide, available for ¥20 (+¥200 deposit), covers only the east building. Free. (updated Apr 2018)

• Da Niang Shui Jiao (大娘水饺), East Nanjing Rd. (南京东路 "nanjing dong lu"). Part of a chain of dumpling (饺子 "jiaozi") restaurants around the country. Think of it like the McDonalds of Chinese dumplings. Some of the cheapest food on the Nanjing Rd. pedestrian mall, but be prepared with either a phrase book or a Chinese friend. Dumplings are ordered in "fen". "san fen" (三分) is three fen, a normal-sized plate. To order dumplings: number + "fen" + filling (pork, vegetable, etc.) Soup is also available. 

• Kebabs on the Grille, 479 Zhongshan Nan Lu, ☏ +86 15921803307. 11:30AM-10:30PM. Indian cuisine with a new concept of grille on the table. ¥100. 
• City Bull Steak House and Bar, 300 Nanjing Rd. at Henan Rd. 2nd floor. (right beside the largest Apple store), ☏ +86 3330 2339. Close to the Bund, great views of the Pearl Tower from the second floor location. Food is reasonably priced and caters to Western palates. 

• M on the Bund, 5 The Bund, ☏ +86 21-63509988. M-F 11:30AM-2:30PM, 6PM-10:30PM daily, Sa Su brunch 11:30AM-3PM, Su tea 3:30PM-5:30PM. Open for over a decade, Shanghai's original "new" western restaurant. Attention to detail is given to freshness, quality and presentation. There is an excellent selection of wines to complement your meal and the desserts are extremely tempting. Miele considers it one of the best restaurants in Asia. Also has magnificent views of Pudong from the 7th floor on the waterfront. Mains ¥180-300. 
• Huanghe Rd (黄河路, next to Park Hotel) has an assembly of good but fairly expensive seafood restaurants in the Chinese style, geared more for larger groups and featuring fish tanks, meters of red plush and golden dragons encrusted on all available surfaces.
• Roof 325 (K5), 325 Nanjing Xi (West) Road, 5th floor. The location is atop the colonial-era racetrack clubhouse. The racetrack has now become People's Park and the clubhouse has been restored as the Shanghai Art Museum. The menu offers gastronomical global cuisine with French influence. The views from the glass-encased rooftop and garden terrace are spectacular. 

All the major hotels do a large, high-quality, high-priced buffet breakfast which is available to anyone; you need not stay there to enjoy it.

• Captain Hostel, 37 Fuzhou Rd, ☏ +86 21-63235053, +86 21-53500353, fax: +86 21-63219940. Average rooms (which have seen better days), cheap dorms, unbeatable location. Rooms are not clean, some smoky. There is a fantastic rooftop bar directly facing the Bund and the river. You should be aware that while the Bund is swarming with tourists by day, affordable nightlife is sorely lacking in the surrounding area. A taxi ride to the more happening French Concession area is about ¥20. Dorms ¥70, twins/doubles ¥400. 
• Hiker Youth Hostel Shanghai, 450 Middle Jiangxi Rd 上海市黄浦区江西中路450号, ☏ +86 21-63298099. Another supurbly located hostel only moments from the Bund. Excellent beds, friendly staff (several with good English skills). Relaxed atmosphere, bar with free pool and DVDs. Three free internet terminals. Hot water is turned off noon-7PM. This hostel will also arrange train/aeroplane tickets. Airport pickup is possible. ¥50. 
• Hongkong Hotel, 31 Hongkong Jie, ☏ +86 21-63390183, +86 21-63390186. If all the youth hostels are fully booked, which happens frequently, this is the next cheapest option on the Bund. Singles from ¥130. 
• Jinjiang Inn "South Fujian", 33 Fujian Nanlu, ☏ +86 21 6326 0505. Near the Old City, about a 15 minute walk from People's square. The hotel is entirely renovated, and offers very clean rooms with TV and Internet connection. from ¥200 (single room) to ¥320 (family room) per night.. 
• Shanghai YMCA (near People's Park). Comfortable rooms at a good quality price. starting at US$15 for a dormitory and US$55 for a single room.. 

• Green Court Serviced Apartment (碧云花园服务公寓), 55 Beijing Xi Road, ☏ +86 21 2308-6666, fax: +86 21 2308-6688, enquiry.china@the-ascott.com. This apart'hotel is located in People's Square, close to the Shanghai Municipal Government Building, Huaihai Road shopping district and Shanghai Museum. Each apartment, ranging from studios to two-bedroom apartments has a kitchen, living room, fitted bathroom, and Wi-Fi access. Daily rates starts from ¥699. 
• Jin Jiang East Asia Hotel, 680 Nanjing E Rd, ☏ +86 21-63223223. Offers 164 refurbished rooms, all of which have air-conditioning, satellite TV, and high-speed Internet access. Some of its amenities include The Magnolia Hall that can accommodate up to 50 guests theater-style; business center that offers copy service, courier, fax, printing; and concierge that assists in airline, car rental, and tour inquiries. 
• Magnificent International Hotel, 381 Xizang S Rd. The hotel offers 182 rooms, of which 13 are suites, this hotel has of one of the best locations in the Huangpu District. It's a 15-min walk from the Huang Pi Road Subway Station, and is within proximity of business and conference venues, shopping districts, and cultural attractions such as The Bund and the Yuyuan Garden. From ¥300. 
• Metropole Hotel Jin Jiang, 180 Jiang Xi Rd (Middle) 上海市黄浦区江西中路180号. This splendid 1930 Art Deco hotel offers 137 rooms and has facilities such as a Chinese restaurant, a lobby bar, and number of conference and meeting facilities. Centrally located, just 0.5 km (0.3 mi) away from The Bund, and easily accessible from Shanghai International Convention Center. 
• Nanjing Hotel Shanghai Jin Jiang, 200 Shanxi S Rd, ☏ +86 21-63222888. It offers 165 air-conditioned guestrooms, all of which have mini-bar, cable TV, and room safe. Their restaurant called Shanghai Town serves Beijing and Shanghai cuisines. Best rates on official website start at ¥300. 
• Pacific Hotel, 108 W Nanjing Rd, ☏ +86 21-63276226. Offers air-conditioned rooms, all of which have room safe, telephone with voice mail, and high-speed Internet access. Some of its amenities include Jinmen Club (spa and beauty salon), badminton and swimming facilities, and free shuttle bus to and from Hongqiao Airport. 
• Shanghai Hundred Centuries Hotel, 1528 Nan Xizang Lu, ☏ +86 21-51503777. Offers 94 air-conditioned rooms with mini bar, television, telephone, and free high speed Internet access. ¥397.81. 
• Shanghai Yinbo Hotel (上海金波大酒店), 135 Tiantong Rd 上海市虹口区天潼路135号, ☏ +86 21-63256999, fax: +86 21-63257555. Typical nondescript mid range hotel located across the bridge on the north side of the Bund. Singles ¥338. 
• The Topsun on The Bund, 36 Huimin Rd, ☏ +86 21-65456999. Four-star hotel, situated north of the bustling business area where many of Shanghai’s largest financial establishments, businesses, and foreign consulates can be found. ¥267. 

• Astor House Hotel, 15 Huangpu Rd, ☏ +86 21-63246388, sales@astorhousehotel.com. A classy option, formerly known as Pujiang Fandian, placed right next to the Bund in a building full of history. Established in 1846, it was the first Parliament of China, had the first electric light in China and once housed Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin. The hotel has a wide range of prices, including a Youth Hostel in its 5th floor. In-room internet is ¥60 per day. Some 5th floor rooms have views and most have wood floors and 12' celling. ¥1,280-4,800. 
• Hyatt on the Bund, 199 Huangpu Rd (at the North end of the Bund), ☏ +86 21-63931234, info.shanghai@hyattintl.com. 5 star hotel opened in 2007 as part of the Grand Hyatt brand. Equipped with state of the art business and meeting facilities including 2 ballrooms and a glasshouse for special events. 
• Le Royal Méridien Shanghai, 789 Nanjing Road East, ☏ +86 21 3318-9999. The hotel is located on Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, surrounded by popular shopping malls and other business outlets with only a short walk away to the Bund. This 66-storey building offers 761 guest rooms with views of the Huangpu River, People’s Square, or the Shanghai skyline. The hotel is in modern French style and offers diverse cuisine choices from its 6 dining venues. 
• Les Suites Orient, Bund Shanghai, 1 East Jinling Road (south end of Bund), ☏ +86 21-63200088, info@lessuitesorient.com. Right on the Bund opposite the ferry terminal, the Les Suites Orient lives up to its name. The free breakfast is not to be missed. 
• New Harbour Service Apartments, 88 Yongshou Rd, ☏ +86 21-63551889. 4-star hotel located close to it are The Bund, Yu Garden, and Shanghai Great Theatre. 255 rooms, all of which have air-conditioning, satellite TV, and a mini-bar with refrigerator. Amenities include Chinese, Japanese and Western restaurants, health club, and internet room. Best rates on official website start at ¥464. 
• Pacific Hotel, 108 Xi Nanjing Lu. A convenient jump-off point for exploring Shanghai since it is located at the west end of Nanjing East Rd, near the Bund and several Shanghai landmarks. From ¥588. 
• 🌍 Park Hotel (国际饭店 Guoji Fandian), 170 Nanjing West Rd (Metro People's Park). Tel. 6327 5225. Another Art Deco masterpiece, the Park Hotel was once the tallest building in the Far East with 22 soaring stories, but in today's Shanghai it looks like a refugee from Gotham City among the surrounding glass and steel skyscrapers. Convenient location, but the rooms with good views facing Nanjing Xilu and the Park also have to deal with the road's traffic noise. Doubles around US$100. 
• 🌍 Peace Hotel (和平飯店; Hé​píng​ Fàn​diàn​), Nanjing E Rd (on the Bund at the start of Nanjing Road), ☏ +86 21-63216888. Shanghai's grand old hotel, in 1930s Art Deco style and ideally located on the Bund. Perhaps somewhat overpriced given the lacklustre facilities and the spotty service. It has, however, a great cafe where you can enjoy a cup of coffee, as well as some jazz music played by the famous "Old Men's Jazz Band" made up of old musicians who played in the same hotel in the 1930s. In 2007, the hotel closed for a 3 year renovation and the North Building reopened in 2010 as the Fairmont Peace Hotel Shanghai. The hotel offers 269 deluxe guestrooms and suites with a selection of eight restaurants and lounges. A low-rise extension has been added to the rear of the hotel, housing guestrooms as well as a sky-lit swimming pool and spa. The renovation also preserved many elements of its historical 1920s and 1930s past. 
• Radisson Shanghai New World, 88 Nanjing Rd (Next to New World and right on top of People's Square Stn). This hotel is connected to the New World department store and has easy access to most of Shanghai via the Metro. Rooms start at about ¥1100. 
• Salvo Hotel Shanghai, 339 Guangdong Road, ☏ +86 21-53524888. The first all-steel high-rise in the area covering The Bund, Huangpu River and Nanjing Road. This 5-star hotel features Spanish-style furnishings and diverse cuisines in each of its three restaurants. starting around ¥700. 
• Yun’s Paradise Hotel, 789 E Fuxing R (Junction of S Henan Rd), ☏ +86 21-63356666. Offers air-conditioned guestrooms, all of which have Philips LCD TV with satellite channels, premium beds draped in picasso cotton beddings, and free high-speed Internet access. Some of its amenities include Yun’s Paradise Health Center, Yun’s Paradise Porch (sells various Jiangnan products), and Harvest Festival Restaurant (serves Jiangnan and Ningbo cuisines. It also features a banquet hall and private room).