SHANGHAI TOWER, "The Tallest Building in China and 2nd in the World!"

Shanghai Tower is a touristy stop and a prominent structure of the city's amazing skyline. If you're looking for a place to see Shanghai from above, a visit to the Shanghai Tower Observatory should be included in your itinerary. That is why, when we were planning our Shanghai Itinerary, we made sure that a visit to the Shanghai Tower's Observatory should not be missed.

Located in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in China. That alone is an enough reason for us to include it in our itinerary. Why not?! There’s no better place to see the city of Shanghai from a bird’s eye view than to see it from the China’s tallest skyscraper.


Also called the "Top of Shanghai," it holds the record of being the world’s 2nd tallest building (next to Dubai’s Burj Khalifa). Shanghai Tower stands at 632-meters high (2,073 ft) with 127 floors above the ground and 5 floors below.

Here, you can also find one of the worlds’s fastest elevators that will bring you to the tower’s observatory. This elevator travels at an amazing speed of 18 meters per second and will bring visitors from the basement floor 2 to the 118th floor in less than one minute. Amazing right?


At the 118th floor is the Shanghai Tower’s Observatory with a height of 546 meters above the ground. It offers a spectacular 360-degrees view of the city. You can enjoy the fantastic views from here, no matter which way you look. To have a closer look of the building and structures outside, you can also use the coin-operated binoculars which costs 2RMB for every 2 minutes. Don't miss the stunning view of Huangpu River, the historic buildings with different architectural styles along The Bund, the Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, Jin Mao Tower and many other landmarks of the city.

Occasionally, the 119th floor is also opened to the public, especially when there are so many guests. Luckily, during our visit, the 119th floor is opened. This floor has a coffee shop and a lot of sitting areas where you can enjoy a good cup of coffee while marveling at the amazing views outside.

The highest floor opened to the public is the 125th floor which can be accessed for an additional fee of 40 RMB. Called "The Summit," you could see here the building's damper. You can also enjoy here the Eye of Shanghai art installation and the 4D music. Since we are on budget, we opted not to go up to the 125th floor.

Ticket Prices

The ticket to the observatory costs ₱ 1,221 per person. Since we already bought our tickets online in advance via the Klook App, we don't need to line up at the ticketing booths. We just proceeded to the basement floor 1 where we exchanged our Klook voucher to a physical ticket.

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS HERE!

How to get to Shanghai Tower?

To get there, you may take a taxi or take the Dongjin Line or Dongfu Line ferry from The Bund for 2 Yuan. Upon arrival at the Dongchang Ferry Terminal, just walk for about 5 minutes to the Shanghai Tower. If you want to take the subway, the nearest subway station is Lujiazui Station on Metro Line 2. Take exit 6 and walk for about 500 meters to the south.

By bus, you may take bus numbers 583, 799, 939, or Lujiazui Financial City Line 2 and get off at Huayuan Shiqiaolu Dongtailu Station. You may also take City Sightseeing Bus Line 2 and get off at Jin Mao Tower.

To get to the Observatory, take the main entrance located near the corner of Huayuan Shiqiao Lu and Yincheng Zhong Lu Roads.

Other options: Views from the Skyscrapers

The other skyscrapers in Shanghai situated in Pudong District that also have an observation deck are the Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, and Jin Mao Tower. You may also consider visiting these when traveling to Shanghai along with Shanghai Tower and take in the picturesque panoramas of the cityscape from these skyscrapers in Shanghai.

• Oriental Pearl Tower
• Shanghai World Financial Center
• Jin Mao Tower

ALSO READ: Top Things to Do at Shanghai Disneyland + Travel Tips

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