DISTANCE: 2.5km (1.5 miles), plus taxis
TIME: A full day
START: Oriental Pearl Tower, Lujiazui Road
END: Shanghai World Financial Centre, Century Boulevard
POINTS TO NOTE: Take the metro to Lujiazui station, the Bund Tourist Tunnel or a taxi to the Pearl Tower. This is a great route for families.
Pudong is Future Shanghai. Anchored by the rocket-like Oriental Pearl Tower, this zone east of the Huangpu River with its forest of skyscrapers (not one was built before 1990) looks like the set of a space-age film. Much of Shanghai’s fast-forward progress since 1990 has been crammed into this 350 sq km (135 sq mile) area.
Shanghai’s icon
The most intriguing way to travel between the Bund and Pudong is via the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel: train cars are accompanied by flashing lights, waving ‘people’ on the tracks and scenes projected onto the tunnel walls. Entrance is near the Chen Yi statue on the Bund.
Pudong’s staggering skyline
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Begin your tour of 21st-century Shanghai with its iconic leitmotif, the Oriental Pearl Tower 1 [map] (Dongfang Mingzhu Guangbo Dianshi Ta; 2 Lujiazui Road; daily 8am–9.30pm; charge). The 468m (1,535ft) television tower – China’s tallest building from 1994 to 2007, when it was usurped by the neighbouring World Financial Centre – has a series of silver- and cranberry-coloured ‘pearls’ along its length, three of which are open to visitors. Buy the RMB 85 ticket and zip up to the observation deck on the second accessible bauble, at 263m (862ft). The 360-degree view of the city is an excellent way to orient yourself, provided it’s a clear day. A mediocre revolving restaurant serving Chinese cuisine is at 267m (876ft) and above that is the third sphere (aka the ‘Space Capsule’) at 350m (1,092ft), but it’s almost too high for good views.
Your ticket also allows you entry into the Shanghai Municipal History Museum (Shanghai Shi Lishi Bowuguan; basement of the Oriental Pearl Tower; daily 9am–9pm; charge). The two-storey museum takes you through Shanghai’s history, with a Chinese perspective on the imperial invaders.
Family-friendly sights
If you have kids with you, head west from the Pearl Tower on Fenghe Road to the Shanghai Natural Wild Insect Kingdom (Shanghai Daziran Yesheng Kunchong Guan; 1 Fenghe Road; daily 9am–5pm; charge). Scorpions and spiders are among the creepy-crawlies, and on weekends there are interactive insect shows.
From here, it’s only a few steps to Riverside Avenue (Binjiang Dadao), a 2.5km (1.5-mile) walkway that offers great views of the Bund. Linger at the Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo, see 1, for gourmet pizza.
Cleaning the windows in full scuba gear at the Shanghai Aquarium
Ryan Pyle/Apa Publications
Stroll eastwards along the promenade to the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium 2 [map] (Shanghai Haiyang Shuizuguan; 158 Yin Cheng Road North; www.sh-soa.com; daily 9am–6pm; charge), an impressive facility with a focus on Chinese sea creatures, including the endangered Yangzi alligator. The 155m (509ft) marine tunnel, with sharp-toothed sharks and giant rays swimming lazily overhead, never ceases to amaze.
Looking down the Grand Hyatt Atrium
Ryan Pyle/Apa Publications
One of the ‘pearls’ on the Jinmao Tower
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Jinmao Tower
Exit the aquarium and head southwest on Yin Cheng Road, then southwards down Century Avenue. A sky walkway allows you to avoid the wide streets as you travel between Pudong’s tower blocks – it also affords great photo ops. Head past Super Brand Mall (Zhen Da Guangchang) at 168 Lujiazui Road, filled with a lively mix of mid-range bars, restaurants, shops and cinemas. Beyond the glittering IFC mall with its upscale brand names and excellent basement supermarket, enter the Jinmao Tower 3 [map] (Jin Mao Dasha; 88 Century Avenue; daily 8.30am–9.30pm; charge), designed by architect Adrian Smith, who wanted to evoke a pagoda with influences of Art Deco. The Grand Hyatt Shanghai’s 56th-floor atrium affords a breathtaking view of the building’s core, rising in a concentric spiral to the 88th floor.
Science and Technology Museum
From here, take a short taxi ride southeast down Century Avenue to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum 4 [map] (Shanghai Kejiguan; 2000 Century Avenue; www.sstm.org.cn; Tue–Sun 9am–5pm; charge). The theme of the vast museum is ‘man, nature, science and technology’. Five interactive halls feature everything from an exploding volcano to a mock-up of a rainforest with over 300 types of plants.
Century Boulevard and Park
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
Century Park
Exit the museum and head south, across Jinxiu Road, to neighbouring Century Park (Shiji Gongyuan; 1001 Jinxiu Road; daily 6am–6pm), for a stroll through Pudong’s green lung. Grand Theatre architect Jean-Marie Charpentier designed this beautifully landscaped 140-hectare (350-acre) eco-park, which is anchored by a huge lake.
Oriental Arts Centre
Exit the park on Jinxiu Road and follow the signs northwest to the adjacent Oriental Arts Centre (Shanghai Dongfang Yishu Zhongxin; 425 Dingxiang Road; www.shoac.com.cn). Pudong’s answer to the Grand Theatre has three theatres and an exhibition hall. Viewed from above, the 23,000 sq m (247,572 sq ft) building is in the shape of a magnolia, Shanghai’s city flower.
Qinci Yangdian Temple
Hail a taxi on Yanggao Road to the Qinci Yangdian Temple 5 [map] (Qinci Yangdian Daoguan; 476 Yuanshen Road; daily 8am–4pm; charge). The traditional Chinese roof and ochre walls of Pudong’s most important temple look out of place in the midst of all this modernity. The temple was first built during the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220–80) and its most powerful deity is Yan Wang, the god of hell.
China Art Palace
The striking red China Art Palace (Zhonghua Yishu Gong; World Expo Park, 161 Shangnan Road; Tue–Sun 9am–5pm; free) charts the development of modern art in China, from the Qing Dynasty to today. Its large-format artworks housed in cavernous galleries are almost as impressive as the building itself – which was the China Pavilion of the 2010 World Expo, and resembles a huge red-lacquered crown made of interlocking pieces.
Nearby, another World Expo legacy icon is the oyster-shell shaped Mercedes-Benz Arena (1200 Expo Avenue; tel: 400 181 6688; www.mercedes-benzarena.com). The six-level, 18,000-seat arena hosts concerts by Chinese and international popstars, large-scale shows and sporting events. It also boasts Shanghai’s largest ice rink, a cinema and nightclub.
Shanghai World Financial Centre
From here, head back to Century Avenue to the Shanghai World Financial Centre (Shanghai Huanqiu Jinrong Zhongxin; 100 Century Avenue; observatory daily 8am–11pm, last ticket 10pm; charge), currently the world’s fourth-tallest building at 492m (1,614ft). Enter on the western side and go to Basement 1 to purchase tickets to the observatory. SWFC’s distinctive design features a trapezoidal opening at the apex, which has given the building its local nickname, ‘the bottle opener’. There are sightseeing platforms on the 94th, 97th and 100th floors, with the latter’s transparent floor offering the surreal experience of walking above the Pearl Tower. Finish up with dinner at Park Hyatt’s 91st-floor restaurant (for more information, click here).
Food and Drink
1 Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo
2967 Riverside Avenue; tel: 5054 1265; www.ystable.com; daily 11am–2.30pm, 6–10pm; $$$$
Fine dining with a spectacular view: chef Salvatore Cuomo is known for his gourmet pizzas and a classic Italian menu, but what sets this restaurant apart is its setting in the shadow of the Oriental Pearl Tower. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls give every seat in the house a spectacular view.