Why go
Start in Pudong to compare the Oriental Pearl, the World Financial Center exterior and the surrounding towers. Cross the Huangpu for the Bund, where the Shanghai Club, HSBC Building, Customs House, North China Daily News Building, Peace Hotel and Bank of China form an architectural sequence. Leave time for the river crossing and views from the promenade. A museum or Jade Buddha Temple visit needs a separate block of time and transit. For the museum, check the People’s Square temporary exhibition program; choose Shanghai Museum East in Pudong for permanent Chinese-art displays. The temple adds religious architecture to the waterfront history.
The route, stop by stop
World itinerary estimate: 540–900 min
Times are planning estimates. Unknown visit durations start at an editable 30 minutes; access is checked separately.
- 01
Optional · 30–60 min
Pudong New Area
Pudong makes Shanghai’s modern transformation visible through the Lujiazui skyline, with riverfront views and separate tower visits offering different ways to explore a large district.
Explore Walk · 91 min · Estimated
02Optional · 30–60 min
Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower
The Oriental Pearl combines city views with a distinctive sphere-stacked silhouette, making it a useful tower visit for travelers interested in both Shanghai’s skyline and its design.
ExploreWalk · 16 min · Estimated
03Optional · 30–60 min
Shanghai World Financial Center
The World Financial Center rewards an exterior architecture stop in Lujiazui, where its trapezoidal summit opening contrasts sharply with Jin Mao’s tiers and Shanghai Tower’s curved skin.
ExploreWalk · 24 min · Estimated
Walk · 5 min · Estimated
05Optional · 30–60 min
Shanghai Club Building
The former Shanghai Club adds social history to a Bund architecture walk, with a restored neoclassical facade and a hotel heritage setting at No. 2.
ExploreWalk · 5 min · Estimated
06Optional · 30–60 min
HSBC Building on the Bund
The former HSBC headquarters is a strong stop for classical architecture on the Bund, with a central dome and monumental granite facade beside the Customs House.
ExploreWalk · 4 min · Estimated
07Optional · 30–60 min
Shanghai Customs House
The Customs House gives the Bund its most recognizable clock tower, making it a useful architectural pause beside the former HSBC building rather than a routine interior tour.
ExploreWalk · 3 min · Estimated
08Optional · 30–60 min
North China Daily News Building
This former newspaper headquarters broadens a Bund walk beyond banks and hotels, with neo-Renaissance decoration and contrasting stone textures that reward a closer look at No. 17.
ExploreWalk · 6 min · Estimated
09Optional · 30–60 min
Fairmont Peace Hotel
The Peace Hotel offers a distinct Art Deco stop on the Bund, with the former Sassoon House anchoring the corner where Nanjing Road meets the historic waterfront.
ExploreWalk · 2 min · Estimated
10Optional · 30–60 min
Bank of China Building on the Bund
The historic Bank of China building adds Chinese architectural motifs to the Bund’s institutional facades, with a low pyramidal roof and longevity patterns at No. 23.
ExploreWalk · 31 min · Estimated
11Optional · 30–60 min
Shanghai Museum at People’s Square
The People’s Square museum combines a distinctive round-over-square building with major temporary exhibitions; check its program before choosing between this site and Shanghai Museum East.
ExploreWalk · 50 min · Estimated
12Optional · 30–60 min
Jade Buddha Temple
The Jade Buddha Temple pairs Buddhist worship with carved halls and distinctive statues, offering a religious interior visit away from Shanghai’s riverfront architecture and shopping streets.
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