Shanghai Skyline

The Shanghai Tower, completed in 2015, stands at 632 meters (2,073 feet), making it the tallest building in Shanghai and the third-tallest in the world as of 2024. Its spiraling, twisted form was specifically engineered to reduce wind loads on the superstructure.

Standing on the Bund, you look directly across the Huangpu River at the Pudong financial district, with unobstructed views of the Shanghai Tower, the Oriental Pearl Tower (completed in 1994), and the Jin Mao Tower. Behind you stands a row of colonial-era buildings from the early 1900s, creating a stark visual contrast between old and new.

Evening is widely considered the best time, as the Pudong skyline is illuminated nightly with coordinated light shows typically running until around 10 or 11 PM. The Shanghai Tower, Oriental Pearl Tower, and surrounding skyscrapers participate in synchronized LED displays visible from the Bund.

Metro Line 2 crosses beneath the river in about five minutes connecting the Bund area (Nanjing East Road station) to Lujiazui on the Pudong side. Alternatives include the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel—an automated ride-through light show—or a Huangpu River cruise, which offers skyline views from the water.