Shanghai Tower — The Highest View in the World

You will see Shanghai Tower long before you reach it. From the Bund, from the airport expressway, from halfway across the city, the 632-metre twisting glass spire dominates Pudong's skyline the way a lighthouse dominates a coastline. Completed in 2015, it is the tallest building in China, the second tallest in the world, and home to the highest observation deck on the planet. The glass-and-steel structure rises in nine stacked cylindrical sections, each one rotated and tapered — a design that cuts wind load by nearly a quarter and gives the tower its unmistakable corkscrew silhouette.

For visitors, one number matters: 546 metres. That is the height of the main observation deck on the 118th floor, where you stand above every other building in Shanghai and, on a clear day, can see the curve of the horizon. It is the definitive Shanghai skyline experience — the moment every first-time visitor photographs — and it is worth planning properly rather than turning up casually.

Getting to Shanghai Tower

The tower stands in the heart of the Lujiazui financial district on the east bank of the Huangpu River, surrounded by the Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center. The nearest Metro station is Lujiazui (Line 2), Exit 6 — from the exit, the tower's three-pronged base is an unmissable 10-minute walk. A taxi or Didi from central Shanghai costs roughly RMB 30–50 and takes 20–30 minutes; from the Bund, walk across via the East Nanjing Road–Lujiazui tunnel or just cross on Line 2 (one stop).

The visitor entrance is at the base of the tower on the south side, clearly signed "Shanghai Tower 上海中心" with ticket offices and a security check. You will enter through a dramatic double-height atrium before the lift lobby — a moment of architecture that previews the main event.

The ride up

The tower's observation elevators are the fastest in the world, travelling at up to 20 metres per second. The ascent from ground to the 118th floor takes about 55 seconds. You feel the acceleration in your stomach, your ears pop, and the digital display in the lift counts up the floors as the skyline recedes below the glass. It is itself worth the ticket price — one of the few elevators you will remember years later. Chew gum or swallow during the ascent to equalise the pressure change, and be ready with your camera: the doors open onto a full 360-degree panorama.

What you see from the 118th floor

The deck wraps the entire floor in floor-to-ceiling glass, and the layout is intuitive — you simply walk the circle, and every direction delivers. To the north you look down on the Jin Mao Tower and the World Financial Center (their rooftops now far below), and across to the Bund, whose colonial buildings shrink to dollhouse scale. To the west the entire city stretches to the horizon, and on clear days you can pick out the French Concession's green canopy and the dark curve of the Huangpu. To the south, the city rolls on past the airport direction. Telescopes at the windows zoom in on landmarks, and English signage identifies what you are looking at.

Two practical details make the deck dramatically better. First, go on a clear day — check the sky before you buy; hazy or rainy days mean a grey void at 546 metres. Second, timing: late afternoon lets you watch the city transition from daylight to its neon-lit night form from a single vantage point, which is the tower's greatest trick.

Ticket options and prices

There are two main options at the ticket office:

• 118th-floor observation deck: RMB 180 for adults. This is the main deck with the full 360-degree views — the standard choice.
• 126th-floor 'Top of Shanghai' combo: RMB 220 total, adding the uppermost viewing level and the tuned mass damper — a 1,000-tonne steel pendulum that stabilises the building in high winds and is visible from above. Engineering nerds love it.

Children under a certain height, students, and seniors get discounts with valid ID. The official booking channels are the WeChat mini-program and trusted online platforms; booking ahead avoids the queue and guarantees your time slot, which matters on weekends and during holidays.

Best time to visit

Rank your priorities: clear air favours morning; the skyline-at-night effect favours late afternoon. The ideal compromise is a clear weekday between 4:00 and 6:00 PM — you get daylight views, the sunset, and the lights coming on, all in one visit, with relatively short queues. Weekends, especially sunny weekend afternoons, are the busiest: expect 30–60 minutes for the lift.

Seasons shift the schedule — in summer the lights come on around 7:00 PM, in winter closer to 5:00 PM, so adjust accordingly. If the forecast shows rain or heavy haze, consider postponing; visibility is the entire product here, and a clear sky at the wrong hour beats a cloudy sky at the perfect one.

Combining it with the rest of Pudong

Lujiazui is a half-day district, and the tower is its centrepiece. A sensible plan: cross the river in the late afternoon, ride the tower for the golden-hour-and-lights sequence, then walk out into Lujiazui's illuminated canyons for a riverside dinner with the Bund glowing across the water. The Huangpu River cruise piers at Shiliupu are a short Metro ride away if you want the water-level view afterward — the tower from the river at night is the pairing that fills camera rolls.

Practical notes

The tower has a baggage security check at the entrance (no liquids in glass bottles; small bags fine). There are toilets, a gift shop, and a cafe on the observation level — the cafe's coffee is overpriced but the window seat is arguably the best in China. Dress for the season; the deck is climate-controlled year-round, but the walk outside to the tower entrance is exposed. Allow 1.5–2 hours total including the queue, the ride, and a full circuit of the deck. When you are done, the classic continuation is back across the river to the Bund for the reverse view — the tower lit against the night sky, with the colonial facades in the foreground.