Key takeaways
- It is a pick-one-deck decision — the view from any high deck in Lujiazui is broadly the same city below.
- Shanghai Tower (632 m, fl. 118, ~¥180) is the highest, technically best deck and the world’s 2nd-tallest building.
- Oriental Pearl (468 m, ~¥160) is the retro icon with a glass skywalk — and the tower you can photograph with the Bund.
- The best free view is from the Bund across the river — for many visitors the higher-value option.
- Go on a clear day, late afternoon — daylight, sunset and city lights in one visit. Metro Line 2 to Lujiazui.
The decision: which deck?
The most useful thing to know before going to Lujiazui: the view from any high observation deck there is broadly the same — the same city, the same river, the same Bund across the water. So this is a pick-one decision, not a checklist.
- Shanghai Tower (上海中心大厦) — 632 m, the tallest building in China and the second-tallest in the world. Its observation deck (floor 118, around 546 m) is the highest view in the city, reached by some of the fastest elevators in the world. Ticket around ¥180. Choose this for the highest, most impressive deck.
- Oriental Pearl Tower (东方明珠) — 468 m, a 1990s broadcast tower with its distinctive spheres. Shorter, but it is the icon of the Shanghai skyline, and it has a glass-floor skywalk. Ticket around ¥160. Choose this for the retro-icon experience and the skywalk — and note that the Oriental Pearl is the tower you can include in a Bund photo, which the Shanghai Tower is not (you cannot photograph the skyline while standing on it).
A few concrete differences. Shanghai Tower’s elevators reach floor 118 in under a minute — among the fastest in the world — and the deck is fully enclosed and climate-controlled, which matters in summer heat and winter wind. The Oriental Pearl’s glass skywalk is a ring around its upper sphere with a transparent floor, the tower’s signature thrill; a combined ticket covers several sphere levels. The two are genuinely different experiences — one is the highest, cleanest modern view, the other is the older icon you photograph the rest of the skyline against.
The Shanghai World Financial Center (the “bottle opener”, 492 m, glass-floor deck near the top) and the Jin Mao Tower (421 m, with the dramatic Grand Hyatt atrium inside) are alternatives in the same band — not additions. The view does not change enough to justify going up two.
The four towers at a glance
Four towers make up the cluster. Height, the observation level, a ballpark ticket and the one-line case for each:
| Tower | Height | Deck | Ticket | The pitch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Tower上海中心大厦highest | 632 m | Fl. 118 (~546 m) | ~¥180 | Highest deck, fastest elevators — the choice for the top view. World's 2nd-tallest building. |
| Shanghai World Financial Center上海环球金融中心 | 492 m | Fl. ~100 (glass floor) | ~¥160–180 | The "bottle opener"; glass-floor deck near the very top — an alternative, not an addition. |
| Oriental Pearl Tower东方明珠the icon | 468 m | Spheres + skywalk | ~¥160 | The skyline icon, with a glass skywalk — and the tower you can photograph WITH the Bund. |
| Jin Mao Tower金茂大厦 | 421 m | Deck + Hyatt atrium | ~¥160–180 | Deck plus the dramatic Grand Hyatt atrium inside its upper floors. Lowest of the four. |
Deck tickets run roughly ¥160–180 depending on tower, package and season; buying ahead online (including via Trip.com) can be cheaper and skips a queue. Confirm current pricing when you book.
Decided by what you want
- Highest possible view → Shanghai Tower, floor 118.
- The icon experience + a glass skywalk → Oriental Pearl Tower.
- You would rather not go up at all → the free view of the towers from the Bund across the river is the iconic Shanghai shot, and it costs nothing. For many visitors this is the higher-value option.
Why the free view often wins: from a deck you are inside the skyline, so the towers themselves — the thing most people came to see — are no longer in your photo. From the Bund you get the whole cluster, the river and the lights in one frame. The reverse view (the city spread out below you) is the deck’s payoff, and it is worth doing once on a clear day; it is not a substitute for the across-the-river shot. If the weather is hazy, skip the deck and keep the Bund walk.
Tickets — buy ahead, skip the queue
Deck tickets are sold at the tower base, but on weekends and Chinese public holidays the elevator queues are long. A pre-booked, timed ticket bought online is usually the same price or cheaper than the door, and it lets you walk past the ticket line. For most visitors the live decision is just which one tower to book.
Book an observation-deck ticketNASDAQ: TCOM
Skip the queue with a timed ticket for the Shanghai Tower (fl. 118) or the Oriental Pearl skywalk. Trip.com lists the Lujiazui decks with transparent pricing — compare the towers and book in English on a foreign card.
Affiliate links — booking via Trip.com costs you nothing extra and helps fund our independent research. How we’re funded.
Getting to Lujiazui
Take Metro Line 2 to Lujiazui station — the towers cluster immediately around the station exits, a short walk apart, linked by elevated pedestrian walkways so you never deal with traffic. Lujiazui is one Line 2 stop across the river from the Bund side (Nanjing East Road); a public ferry also crosses the Huangpu.
The standard pairing is the towers in Lujiazui and the Bund across the water — one Line 2 stop apart, and best done as one outing into the evening. For the full set of picks and a three-day plan, see things to do in Shanghai.
When to go
Two things decide whether a deck visit pays off — weather and time of day:
| Factor | What to do |
|---|---|
| Weather | Shanghai haze can flatten the view to grey. Check the forecast and air quality, and keep your timing flexible — a clear day is worth waiting for. On a hazy or rainy day the payoff drops sharply. |
| Time of day | Late afternoon into early evening is the sweet spot: daylight, sunset and the city lights coming on in a single visit. |
| Crowds | Weekends and Chinese public holidays mean long elevator queues. A weekday helps; a pre-booked timed ticket helps more. |
Where to stay nearby
Lujiazui / Pudong is the skyline-view hotel area — rooms here look across the Huangpu at the Bund, and the towers are at your doorstep. For a first China trip the sensible call is a home-grown mid-range chain in the Pudong riverside; the international five-stars built into the towers themselves are listed for those who want a skyline-view room.
Where to book these: China’s home-grown chains — 全季 (JI) and 亚朵 (Atour) — are listed most completely on Trip.com, with English checkout and foreign-card payment. It’s the main booking platform for mainland hotels; Western sites like Booking and Agoda carry only a fraction of their branches.
Best value — mid-range in Lujiazui / Pudong (recommended)
For the skyline at your doorstep, base in Lujiazui or the wider Pudong riverside — walking distance to the tower cluster and one Metro Line 2 stop from the Bund. Most foreign visitors do best in a home-grown mid-range chain like 全季 (JI) or 亚朵 (Atour): reliable, English-app booking, and a fraction of the five-star rate, with the towers a short walk away.
- In the Lujiazui / Pudong riverside area — walk to the tower cluster, ~1 Line 2 stop to the Bund.China's most popular home-grown mid-range chain — modern, spotless, easy English-app booking, roughly a third the price of the five-stars.
- In Pudong near Lujiazui — short walk to the towers, easy Line 2 access to the Bund and Nanjing Road.Design-led mid-range chain that foreign guests rate highly — comfortable, well-run, and far better value than the luxury towers.
International luxury (skyline-view, closest two)
Full-service international five-stars built into the tower cluster itself, with rooms that look out over the Huangpu and the Bund — listed if you want them, but the mid-range picks above are the better value for most first trips.
- Occupies the upper floors of the Jin Mao Tower in Lujiazui — inside the skyline, with the dramatic atrium and high-floor river views.
- On the upper floors of the Shanghai World Financial Center (the "bottle opener") — among the highest hotel rooms in the city.
Frequently asked questions
Shanghai Tower or Oriental Pearl — which observation deck should I visit?
Pick one, not both — the view from any high deck in Lujiazui is broadly the same city laid out below. Shanghai Tower (632 m, the world's second-tallest building, deck around ¥180) is the technically superior choice: it is the highest deck, with the fastest elevators. Oriental Pearl Tower (468 m, around ¥160) is shorter, but the tower itself is the icon of the Shanghai skyline — and the practical point is that you can photograph the Bund with the Oriental Pearl in the shot, whereas you cannot photograph the skyline with the Shanghai Tower if you are standing on it. Choose Shanghai Tower for the highest view; choose Oriental Pearl if the retro-icon experience and its glass skywalk appeal more.
How high is each Pudong tower?
Shanghai Tower is 632 m — the tallest building in China and (as of 2026) the second-tallest in the world; its observation deck on floor 118 is around 546 m up. The Shanghai World Financial Center (the 'bottle opener') is 492 m with a deck near the top. The Jin Mao Tower is 421 m. The Oriental Pearl Tower is 468 m — it is a broadcast tower rather than an occupied skyscraper, with several spheres and viewing levels including a glass-floor skywalk.
How much do the observation decks cost?
Approximately: Shanghai Tower around ¥180 for the floor-118 deck; Oriental Pearl around ¥160 for a combined-spheres ticket including the glass skywalk; the Shanghai World Financial Center deck and Jin Mao Tower deck are in a similar range. Prices vary by package and season, and buying ahead online (including through Trip.com) can be cheaper and lets you skip a queue. Treat these as ballpark figures and confirm current pricing when you book.
How do I get to Lujiazui and the towers?
Take Metro Line 2 to Lujiazui station — the towers are clustered immediately around the station exits, a short walk apart from each other. Lujiazui is one stop across the river from the Bund side (Nanjing East Road) on Line 2. There is also a public ferry across the Huangpu, and elevated pedestrian walkways connect the tower bases so you can move between them without dealing with traffic.
Is an observation deck worth it, or is the view from the ground enough?
The best free view of the Pudong towers is from the Bund, looking across the river — that is the iconic shot and it costs nothing. An observation deck gives you the reverse: the city spread out below you from inside the skyline. It is worth doing once if you enjoy high views and the weather is clear; on a hazy or rainy day the payoff drops sharply. If your budget or time is tight, the free Bund view is the higher-value option.
When is the best time to go up a Pudong tower?
Go on a clear day — Shanghai haze can flatten the view, so check the forecast and air quality, and be ready to flex your timing. Late afternoon into early evening is the sweet spot: you get daylight, sunset, and the city lights coming on, all from one visit. Weekends and Chinese public holidays bring long elevator queues; a weekday helps, and a pre-booked timed ticket helps more.
What about the Shanghai World Financial Center and Jin Mao Tower?
Both have observation decks and both are worth knowing about, but for most visitors the decision is still 'pick one'. The Shanghai World Financial Center (the 'bottle opener', 492 m) has a deck with glass floors near the very top. The Jin Mao Tower (421 m) has a deck and a dramatic atrium inside the Grand Hyatt hotel that occupies its upper floors. If you are choosing purely on height, Shanghai Tower wins; the others are alternatives, not additions — the view does not change enough to justify two.
Related Shanghai guides
- Shanghai city guide — the full hub: things to do, getting around, where to stay, what to eat, and practical essentials.
- The Bund — the free view of these towers, from across the river.
- Things to do in Shanghai — the 11 curated picks with a 3-day timeline.
- Where to stay in Shanghai — Pudong / Lujiazui is the skyline-view hotel area.
Verification scope
Editorial, Path-2 aggregated: this guide is compiled by an editorial team based in Chongqing — the editor lives in mainland China but is not a Shanghai resident. It draws on Lujiazui and Pudong-waterfront visits (2023–2026) and aggregated 2024–2026 r/shanghai reports, with a disclosed knowledge boundary (see the about page).
Not independently re-verified: current observation-deck ticket prices and packages — these change by tower, package and season, so confirm them with the booking platform when you book. Tower heights and deck floors are from the operators’ published figures. Corrections from recent visitors are welcome via the about page.