The Bund & Lujiazui Skyline 外滩与陆家嘴Wàitān yǔ Lùjiāzuǐ

Why go to The Bund & Lujiazui Skyline

The Bund is Shanghai's riverside promenade, lined with granite banks, trading houses and grand hotels from the city's 1920s and '30s heyday. Across the Huangpu River, Lujiazui answers with the bulbous Oriental Pearl Tower and the twisting Shanghai Tower. Stand on the waterfront at dusk and you see a century of the city in a single glance.

The story

'Bund' is an Anglo-Indian word for an embankment, brought here by British traders in the 1800s. Lujiazui, now a forest of towers, was mostly docks, warehouses and low houses until the early 1990s; the Oriental Pearl Tower, completed in 1994, set the tone for everything that followed.

What to see at The Bund & Lujiazui Skyline

• Zhongshan East 1st Road waterfront 中山东一路: The riverside promenade on a raised embankment, widened when the Bund roadway was rebuilt before it reopened in March 2010, with dozens of European-style banks and trading houses on the other side of the road.
• Historic bank and trading-house façades 外滩万国建筑: Granite buildings in Neoclassical, Art Deco and Renaissance styles; a few echo Liverpool's waterfront.
• Peace Hotel 和平饭店: The Art Deco north building, finished in 1929 as Sassoon House, stands at the corner of East Nanjing Road.
• Bund Financial Square bull 外滩金融广场铜牛: A bronze bull on the Bund waterfront near the Bund Financial Square, a popular photo spot.
• Waibaidu Bridge 外白渡桥: A steel camelback truss bridge over Suzhou Creek, opened in 1908, marking the northern end of the Bund.

How to visit The Bund & Lujiazui Skyline

Walk from East Nanjing Road station down to the promenade, then stroll south past the old bank façades, or north to the Peace Hotel and Waibaidu Bridge. Do the buildings by day, when you can step into some lobbies, and return after dark for the view across to Lujiazui. A half-day covers the walk and the area's side streets; stay for the evening lights.

How to get to The Bund & Lujiazui Skyline

Take Metro Line 2 or 10 to East Nanjing Road and walk about ten minutes east to the river. Line 2 continues under the Huangpu to Lujiazui station on the Pudong side.

Where to stay

East Nanjing Road and the Bund itself put you within a few minutes of the waterfront; People's Square is another good base.

What to eat

• Xiaolongbao 小笼包: Thin-skinned steamed pork buns filled with hot soup, a Shanghai staple sold in stalls and restaurants across the city.
• Shengjianbao 生煎包: Pan-fried pork buns with a crisp base and juicy filling, eaten hot from the pan.
• Scallion oil noodles 葱油拌面: Noodles tossed in oil flavoured with slowly fried spring onions, a simple local favourite.

Tips for visiting The Bund & Lujiazui Skyline

• Arrive just before dusk and stay until the lights come on; the skyline illuminations switch off fairly early in the evening.
• The public ferry across the Huangpu gives much the same view as a cruise for a fraction of the cost.
• For the view from above, Shanghai Tower's observation deck is the city's highest; book ahead on public holidays.

Nearby

• Lujiazui 陆家嘴 under 10 km
  Shanghai's skyline in a loop of river: spheres, a twisting tower and the Bund opposite
• Yu Garden & City God Temple 豫园与城隍庙 under 10 km
  A Ming-dynasty garden of rockeries and dragon walls beside a Taoist city temple
• Shanghai Museum 上海博物馆 under 10 km
  Ancient Chinese bronzes, ceramics, painting and jade, now shown at Shanghai Museum East
• Former French Concession 原法租界 under 10 km
  Plane-tree streets, garden villas and shikumen lanes for Shanghai's best city walk
• Shanghai Disney Resort 上海迪士尼度假区 20 km
  Mainland China's first Disney theme park, with a castle, rides and nightly shows
• Zhouzhuang 周庄古镇 60 km
  Jiangnan's most famous water town, famed for its Twin Bridges and merchant halls

Also within 30 km: Shanghai Ocean Aquarium 上海海洋水族馆 (under 10 km), Jin Mao Tower 88th-Floor Observation Deck 金茂大厦88层观光厅 (under 10 km), Top of Shanghai Observatory, Shanghai Tower 上海之巅观光厅 (under 10 km), North Bund International Cruise Terminal 北外滩国客中心 (under 10 km), Holy Trinity Church 圣三一堂 (under 10 km), Shanghai General Post Office 上海邮政总局 (under 10 km).

Trips with The Bund & Lujiazui Skyline

• China in 10 days on a first visit: Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai and Suzhou 10 days · Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and Suzhou
• Two weeks in China: Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guilin and Shanghai 14 days · Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Leshan, Guilin and Shanghai
• Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Huangshan in eight days 8 days · Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Huangshan City

On the map

Open The Bund & Lujiazui Skyline on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Wikipedia (Chinese)