Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (2025)

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (1)

    Shanghai Old City

    With its shaded alcoves, glittering pools churning with fish, plus pavilions, pines sprouting wistfully from rockeries, and roving packs of Japanese…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (2)

    Jade Buddha Temple

    Shanghai

    One of Shanghai’s few active Buddhist monasteries, this temple was built between 1918 and 1928. The highlight is a transcendent Buddha crafted from pure…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (3)

    Shanghai Tower

    Shanghai

    China’s tallest building dramatically twists skywards from its footing in Lujiazui. The 121-storey, 632m-tall, Gensler-designed Shanghai Tower topped out…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (4)

    M50

    Shanghai

    Shanghai may be known for its glitz and glamour, but it's got an edgy subculture too. The industrial M50 art complex is one prime example, where galleries…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (5)

    Jing'an Temple

    Shanghai

    With the original temple dating back to AD 1216, the much-restored Jing'an Temple was here well before all the audacious skyscrapers and glitzy shopping…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (6)

    Oriental Pearl TV Tower

    Shanghai

    This 468m-tall globe-on-a-tripod tower is the most iconic contemporary building in the city, and its image is omnipresent around town – from postcards to…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (7)

    Shanghai Natural History Museum

    Shanghai

    It's not quite on the same scale as Washington, DC's Smithsonian, but this sleek space is nevertheless as comprehensive as it is entertaining and…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (8)

    Aurora Museum

    Shanghai

    Designed by renowned Japanese architect Ando Tadao, the Aurora Museum is set over six floors of the Aurora building and houses a stunning collection of…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (9)

    Shanghai Disneyland

    Shanghai

    Disney has magicked-up a spectacular theme park in Shanghai, offering a subtly Chinese take on Mickey and Co. Six themed areas encircle Disney’s biggest…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (10)

    island6

    Shanghai

    One of the M50 art precinct's most creative, thought-provoking, interactive and engaging galleries is island6. Artist Liu Dao showcases his work and that…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (11)

    Qībǎo

    Shanghai

    If you tire of Shanghai's incessant quest for modernity, this tiny town is only a hop, skip and metro ride away. An ancient settlement that prospered…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (12)

    Shanghai World Financial Center

    Shanghai

    Although trumped by the adjacent Shanghai Tower as the city’s most stratospheric building, the awe-inspiring 492m-high Shanghai World Financial Center is…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (13)

    Shanghai

    Shanghai's oldest and largest monastery is named after the pipal tree (lónghuá) under which Buddha achieved enlightenment. Trees are decorated with red…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (14)

    Shanghai Exhibition Centre

    Shanghai

    The hulking monolith of the Shanghai Exhibition Centre was built in 1955 as the Sino-Soviet Friendship Mansion – a friendship that soon turned sour and…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (15)

    Jing'an Sculpture Park

    Shanghai

    The attractive Jing'an Sculpture Park contains a mix of permanent and temporary pieces created by mainly international artists. The sculptures are…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (16)

    Yuz Museum

    Shanghai

    A huge development for Shanghai's contemporary art scene, this enormous gallery is housed in the former hangar of Longhua Airport and sprawls over 9000 sq…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (17)

    Shanghai Botanical Gardens

    Shanghai

    The spacious 200 acres of gardens here offer an escape from Shanghai’s synthetic cityscape. The floral displays are truly impressive, especially during…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (18)

    Jinmao Tower

    Shanghai

    Resembling an art deco take on a pagoda, this crystalline edifice is a beauty. It’s essentially an office block with the high-altitude Grand Hyatt renting…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (19)

    Liu Haisu Art Museum

    Shanghai

    The impressive Liu Haisu gallery exhibits works of the eponymous painter (one of China's earliest modern artists) and displays international contemporary…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (20)

    Guangfulini Ancient Relics Park

    Shanghai

    This enormous archaeological park is built around the ancient relics of Songjiang and spans nearly three miles. You'll need a day to properly experience…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (21)

    Chenxiangge Monastery

    Shanghai Old City

    Sheltering a community of dark-brown-clothed monks from the Chenhai (Sea of Dust) – what Buddhists call the mortal world, but which could equally refer to…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (22)

    Temple of the Town God

    Shanghai Old City

    Chinese towns traditionally had a Taoist temple of the town god, but many fell victim to periodic upheaval. Originally dating from the early 15th century,…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (23)

    Sheshan Basilica

    Shanghai

    A very pleasant walk up through the trees of Sheshan National Forest Park, this cruciform red-brick and granite church is the highlight of the West Hill…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (24)

    China Art Museum

    Shanghai

    Set on the former site of the World Expo China Pavilion, this 160,000-sq-metre, five-floor, modern-art museum hosts some excellent international…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (25)

    Legoland Discovery Centre

    Shanghai

    Plans are in the works for Shanghai's own Legoland to open in 2022, but until then the Discovery Centre is more than enough to keep Lego fans happy. It…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (26)

    Starbucks Reserve Roastery

    Shanghai

    Until 2019, this was the largest Starbucks store on the planet, with 30,000ft of space built in the shape of a giant coffee bean. The Tokyo store…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (27)

    St Ignatius Cathedral

    Shanghai

    The dignified twin-spired St Ignatius Cathedral (1904) is a major Xujiahui landmark. Its nave is a long span of Gothic arches, while the exterior is…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (28)

    World Expo Museum

    Shanghai Old City

    Located at the former site of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, this museum showcases the history of world expositions. Using old video footage, interactive…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (29)

    Fazangjiang Temple

    Shanghai Old City

    This simple but very active temple is curiously accessed from the west, rather than the south, where the entrance to Buddhist temples usually lies. The…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (30)

    Long Museum

    Shanghai

    This sister museum to the Pudong venue of the same name is an important part of the movement to create a world-class art hub along the West Bund. The four…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (31)

    Shanghai Film Museum

    Shanghai

    There's no shortage of entertainment value here, beginning from the moment you enter the exhibits via a 'red carpet' corridor of simulated applause and…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (32)

    Former Residence of Mao Zedong

    Shanghai

    The Great Helmsman Mao Zedong lived here in the latter half of 1924 with his second wife, Yang Kaihui, and their two children at the time, Anying and…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (33)

    Shanghai

    This park marks the site of an old Kuomintang prison, where 800 communists, intellectuals and political agitators were executed between 1928 and 1937. A…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (34)

    West Bund Art Center

    Shanghai

    This arts centre features over 100 leading galleries from around the world showing contemporary art to Asian fine arts. The enormous gallery spaces here…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (35)

    Shanghai Ocean Aquarium

    Shanghai

    Education meets entertainment in this slick and intelligently designed aquarium that children will love. Join them on a tour through the aquatic…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (36)

    Jiaotong University

    Shanghai

    Founded in 1896, Jiaotong University (literally 'Transport University') has a lovely, leafy campus, with well-kept lawns a short walk beyond the main gate…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (37)

    Shanghai Sculpture Park

    Shanghai

    This lovely sculpture park fills 87 hectares with over 70 art works, which are curated across the vast green lawns. A mountainous backdrop and the Yue Hu …

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (38)

    Sheshan National Forest Park

    Shanghai

    The Sheshan National Forest Park consists of some pleasant bamboo-lined paths climbing the park's low-lying hills and is located west of Sheshan's centre…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (39)

    Minsheng Art Museum

    Shanghai

    Although sponsored mainly by the Minsheng Bank, this edgy art space also counts the Tate, Centre Pompidou, MoMA and Guggenheim among its partners, so it…

  • Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (40)

    Riverside Promenade

    Shanghai

    Hands down the best stroll in Pudong. The sections of promenade alongside Riverside Ave on the eastern bank of the Huangpu River offer splendid dusk and…

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Must-see attractions Shanghai, China - Lonely Planet (2025)
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