Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai

Oriental Pearl Tower tickets and prices

The standard two-sphere ticket costs ¥199. It covers the 263 m enclosed deck, the 259 m glass-floor walkway, the 90 m outdoor ring, a 78 m 360° projection show and the city history museum in the base. Two recent travel guides and the tower's own 2024 price list agree on this, but the official site blocks automated access, so we mark it unofficial.

Adding the 351 m Space Capsule costs more — ¥220 in current guides, ¥299 on the 2024 list, probably because a new attraction was added up there. Check what's included before you pay. Under 1 m tall goes free, 1–1.4 m pays half; one guide says over-65s get half price at the ground-floor ticket windows with a passport.

Bundles add a 45-minute Huangpu cruise (around ¥279) or a meal in the revolving restaurant. During city festivals the tower sometimes sells these at half price.

Paying as a foreigner: the easiest route is an e-ticket on Trip.com or Klook, which take Visa and Mastercard. The tower's official WeChat mini-program needs WeChat Pay. On site, expect Alipay or WeChat Pay (both accept linked foreign cards) or cash yuan — unofficial; card terminals may not take foreign cards.

Opening hours and the best time to go

Unofficially the tower is open daily 9:00–21:00. Last entry is 20:30 according to one guide and 20:00 according to a reseller, so aim to be at the lifts by 20:00. The base museum keeps the same hours.

The sweet spot is about an hour before sunset. You get daylight views, the sunset over the Bund and the moment the city lights come on, without queuing twice. Weekends, public holidays and summer evenings can mean waits of an hour or more; weekday mornings are calmest.

Is the Oriental Pearl Tower worth it?

Yes, if it's your first time in Shanghai and you want the landmark itself: the glass floor at 259 m, the river bend below and the history museum make it more than a viewing deck. With children it's the best of the Pudong towers, because there's plenty to do inside.

Not if all you want is height. Shanghai Tower next door goes almost twice as high, and from the Pearl you can't see the Pearl — the most photogenic part of the skyline. Weekends bring the longest queues in Lujiazui; if time is tight, go on a weekday or take the restaurant bundle with its separate entrance.

What to see inside

• The 259 m glass floor — a fully transparent walkway around the upper sphere, with Lujiazui's streets beneath your feet. Reached by stairs from the 263 m deck.
• The 263 m deck — enclosed, with windows all round: the Bund's early 20th-century facades across the river and Pudong's three supertall towers beside you.
• The 351 m Space Capsule — the top level, by separate ticket and lift.
• The 90 m outdoor ring — open air on the lower sphere, plus a paid VR roller coaster.
• The 78 m show — a 360° projection about the city, about 10 minutes.
• The city history museum in the base — around 10,000 m² across several halls on how Shanghai changed in modern times. Don't walk past it, especially on a rainy day.
• The lights — the spheres change colour after dark; best seen from the Bund.

The revolving restaurant

The revolving buffet restaurant sits at 267 m in the upper sphere, turning slowly so the whole city passes your table. A lunch bundle with two-sphere access costs about ¥368; dinner is more — one guide quotes from ¥428.

Unofficially, lunch runs in two sittings (11:00–12:30 and 12:30–14:00) and dinner from 17:00. Unofficially, the bundle also comes with a separate entrance that skips the main lift queue. Dinner tables go fast in high season, so book a week or more ahead. YesGo's take: come for the view and the shortcut, not the food.

Oriental Pearl vs Shanghai Tower vs SWFC vs Jin Mao

All prices are unofficial. For the highest view, Shanghai Tower. For the icon itself and the most to do inside, the Oriental Pearl — and it will still be in your photos from the Bund.

A short history

The foundation was laid on 30 July 1991, the tower was completed in November 1994, and the observation levels opened to the public on 1 May 1995. At 468 m it was China's tallest structure until 2007, when the Shanghai World Financial Center overtook it.

Three concrete columns carry the spheres; the lower one is 50 m across. The designers say the idea of "big and small pearls falling on a jade plate" came from Bai Juyi's Tang-dynasty poem Pipa Xing — hence the name.

Shanghai's viewpoints compared

Every Shanghai viewpoint rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Nearby and on your route

48

Lujiazui

Shanghai, China

45 min · Free · 7 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Lujiazui

39

Huangpu River cruise

Shanghai, China

1 h · ≈ ¥120–150; ferry ¥2 · 7 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Huangpu River cruise

40

Bund Sightseeing Tunnel

Shanghai, China

20 min · ≈ ¥50 one way, ¥70 return · 9 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Bund Sightseeing Tunnel

48

Jin Mao Tower

Shanghai, China

1 h · ¥120; Skywalk from ¥288 · 14 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Jin Mao Tower

How to do it right

• The best photo of the tower is from the Bund after dark, not from the tower itself.
• Ease onto the glass floor slowly — 259 m of nothing under your feet unsettles more people than you'd expect.
• Skip the 351 m capsule on hazy days — the extra height only pays off in clear air.
• On weekends the restaurant bundle earns its price by skipping the lift queue.
• Save half an hour at the end for the base museum.
• Children are measured at the gate: under 1 m free, up to 1.4 m half price.

Questions