# Shanghai World Financial Center > The 492 m “bottle opener” in Pudong has viewing levels on floors 94, 97 and 100, topped by a glass-floored walkway at 474 m. The observatory opens seasonally, usually summer to late November: daily 10:00–22:00, last entry 21:30. A full ticket was CNY 180 in the last confirmed season. Allow 1–1.5 hours. Web page: https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-world-financial-center - City: [Shanghai](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai), China - YesGo score: 50/100 (Yes, go) - Time on site: 1 h 15 min - Entry: CNY 180, seasonal - With kids: Fine with kids - Observatory: Floors 94, 97 and 100; the 474 m top level has a glass-floored walkway - Season: Opens in seasons, usually summer to late November; closed the rest of the year - Hours in season: 10:00–22:00, last entry 21:30 - Adult ticket: CNY 180 for all three levels (last confirmed season) - Students and seniors: CNY 120 - Children: CNY 90; under 1 m free - Where to buy: The observatory's official WeChat account or Trip.com-style platforms; tickets are name-linked to your passport - Entrance: West entrance on Dongtai Road; ticket desk and lifts on B1, facing Jin Mao Tower - Metro: Lines 2 and 14, Lujiazui station, Exit 8, 5–10 min on foot - Address: 100 Century Avenue, Lujiazui, Pudong - Coordinates: 31.23667, 121.50278 - Facts checked: 03.11.2026 ## Key facts - **492 m** — roof height, 101 floors above ground (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **474 m** — the 100th-floor Sky Walk with its glass floor (source: English Wikipedia; Travel China Guide) - **2008** — the tower opened on 28 August, the observatory on 30 August (source: English Wikipedia; Chinanews, 2008) - **1997** — foundation stone laid; work stalled after the Asian financial crisis and resumed in 2003 (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **46 m** — the original circular opening, swapped for a trapezoid in 2005 (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Kohn Pedersen Fox** — the New York architects (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Mori Building** — the Japanese developer (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **94 / 97 / 100** — observatory floors at 423, 439 and 474 m (source: English Wikipedia; Travel China Guide) - **3 supertalls** — side by side: Jin Mao (420.5 m), SWFC (492 m) and Shanghai Tower (632 m) (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **No spire** — architect and developer refused to add one just to chase a height record (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) > **Is the SWFC observation deck open?** Only in season. It sat closed for about three years and since 2025 has reopened for summer-to-autumn seasons, usually ending in late November. Out of season you can't go up, though the shops at the base stay open. Check that tickets are on sale before you cross the river — if not, head next door to [Shanghai Tower](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-tower). ## Shanghai World Financial Center tickets and opening hours The observatory has three levels: a hall on the **94th floor** (423 m), the **97th floor** (439 m) right beneath the opening, and the **100th-floor Sky Walk** (474 m) with glass panels in the floor. In season it opens daily 10:00–22:00, last entry 21:30. In the last season with officially announced fares, an adult ticket for all three levels was **CNY 180**; students and seniors paid 120; children, military and disabled visitors 90. During themed seasons, Chinese ticket platforms sell cheaper bundles from CNY 99 — unofficial, so check what the ticket includes before paying. Tickets are real-name: you enter your passport details when buying. Sales run through the observatory's official WeChat account and Chinese ticket platforms. As a foreign visitor, link your Visa or Mastercard to Alipay or WeChat Pay before the trip — that is how almost everything is paid in Shanghai. Carry some cash yuan as a backup, and check whether an on-site ticket desk is running this season. ## Why is it called the bottle opener? The Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC) is a 492 m tower in Lujiazui, Pudong's financial district on the east bank of the Huangpu. It holds offices, a mall, a hotel on the upper floors and the observatory at the top. The trapezoid-shaped hole through the crown makes it look like a giant bottle opener — and that is what everyone calls it. The first design had a **46 m circular opening** to ease wind loads. Critics in China said it looked like the rising sun on the Japanese flag, and in 2005 the architects switched to a trapezoid, which was also cheaper and simpler to build. ## How to get to the Shanghai World Financial Center 1. From the Bund, walk back along pedestrian Nanjing Road to **East Nanjing Road** metro (lines 2 and 10) — about 10 minutes. 2. Take **Line 2** towards Pudong one stop under the river to **Lujiazui** — 2–3 minutes. Contactless foreign Visa and Mastercard cards work at the gates. 3. Leave by **Exit 8** and walk east along Century Avenue past Jin Mao Tower — 5–10 minutes. 4. Look for the **west entrance on Dongtai Road**, facing Jin Mao; the observatory ticket desk and lifts are on B1. 5. Or take a taxi or DiDi (book it in Alipay) from the Bund — 10–15 minutes without traffic — or ride the [Bund Sightseeing Tunnel](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/bund-sightseeing-tunnel) and walk about 15 minutes from its Pudong exit. ## What to see from the top - **The glass floor on the 100th floor** — a walkway of about 55 m right under the roof, with Lujiazui's streets beneath your feet. Not keen on heights? Keep to the edge. - **Jin Mao from above** — at 474 m you look down on its 420.5 m crown, while Shanghai Tower rises alongside. - **The Huangpu and the Bund** — the bend in the river, the old waterfront across the water and the [Oriental Pearl Tower](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/oriental-pearl-tower) below. - **The 97th floor** — right under the opening, where you see how the bottle opener is put together. - **Sunset and city lights** — the operator says the express lift reaches the top in 66 seconds; go up an hour before sunset to catch daylight and the lights. ## SWFC vs Shanghai Tower vs Jin Mao: which observation deck? | | World Financial Center | Shanghai Tower | Jin Mao Tower | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Building height | 492 m | 632 m | 420.5 m | | Viewing level | Floors 94, 97, 100, up to 474 m | 118th floor, 546 m | 88th floor | | Best for | Glass floor, views of both neighbours | The highest point in Shanghai | Looking down into the hotel atrium | | When open | Seasonal | See its page | See its page | If SWFC is open and you want the glass floor, go here. If it is closed, or you want the highest view in town, pick Shanghai Tower. Two decks in one day mostly repeat each other. ## Is the Shanghai World Financial Center worth it? When it is open, yes — especially at sunset. It is lower than Shanghai Tower, but that is the point: from here you see both neighbours properly, Jin Mao below and Shanghai Tower beside you, plus the Huangpu bend and the Bund. The glass-floored walkway is the one thing the other decks don't do in quite the same way. Skip it on hazy or low-cloud days, when the view shrinks to grey, and skip it if you have already been up Shanghai Tower the same day. If you are short on time, the skyline from the Bund at night is free and arguably the better picture. ## A short history The foundation stone went down on **27 August 1997**, but the Asian financial crisis stalled the project, and work only restarted in 2003 on the existing foundations. Japan's **Mori Building** developed the tower to a design by New York firm **Kohn Pedersen Fox**. It topped out in September 2007 and opened on 28 August 2008. A spire was discussed to push it past rival towers, but the architect and developer refused, so the roof stays flat at 492 m. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] The observatory is in season and tickets are on sale - [ ] Ticket booked in my name, passport in my bag - [ ] Alipay or WeChat Pay set up with my card, plus some cash - [ ] I'll be there before the 21:30 last entry - [ ] Checked the forecast for haze and low cloud - [ ] Allowed 1–1.5 hours at the top ## Shanghai's viewpoints compared Every place in Shanghai with a view from above, rated by YesGo. - [The Bund](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/the-bund) — YesGo score 59/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free - [Shanghai Tower](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-tower) — YesGo score 58/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ¥180; students and 60+ ¥120 - [Shanghai World Financial Center](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-world-financial-center) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 15 min · CNY 180, seasonal - [Oriental Pearl Tower](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/oriental-pearl-tower) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ¥199 — two spheres - [Lujiazui](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/lujiazui) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Jin Mao Tower](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/jin-mao-tower) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ¥120; Skywalk from ¥288 - [Shanghai Maglev](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-maglev) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ¥50, ¥40 with a same-day flight - [Huangpu River cruise](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/huangpu-river-cruise) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ ¥120–150; ferry ¥2 ## The Bund and Lujiazui in half a day The Bund's old waterfront by day, the tunnel under the river, a walk among the towers and sunset from 474 m. YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [The Bund](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/the-bund) — YesGo score 59/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free 2. [Bund Sightseeing Tunnel](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/bund-sightseeing-tunnel) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · ≈ ¥50 one way, ¥70 return 3. [Lujiazui](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/lujiazui) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free 4. [Shanghai World Financial Center](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-world-financial-center) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 15 min · CNY 180, seasonal > **Photograph the bottle opener from below and across the river** From the Bund all three towers line up and the SWFC opening reads best at sunset. Right underneath, shoot upwards from Century Avenue for a vertical frame with sky through the hole. ## Don't confuse The Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC, 上海环球金融中心) is not Shanghai Tower, the tallest of the three, and not Shanghai IFC, the mall and office towers by Lujiazui station. Show the Chinese name to taxi drivers. ## Tips - Go up an hour before sunset for daylight views and then the lights coming on along the Bund. - Observatory closed? Shanghai Tower next door is higher anyway. - Save the Chinese name and address for taxis: 上海环球金融中心, 世纪大道100号. - Haze and low cloud wipe out the view — check the forecast and be ready to switch days. - One deck per day is enough; see the towers lit up from [the Bund](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/the-bund) in the evening. - Nervous about heights? You can walk the edge of the 100th-floor walkway and skip the glass. ## Questions ### Is the Shanghai World Financial Center observation deck open? Seasonally. After about three years closed it reopens for summer-to-autumn seasons, usually ending in late November. Check that tickets are on sale before you go. ### How much is the SWFC observation deck ticket? In the last confirmed season, CNY 180 for adults (all three levels), 120 for students and seniors, 90 for children. Themed seasons sometimes bring cheaper bundles. ### What are the SWFC observatory opening hours? In season, daily 10:00–22:00, last entry 21:30. ### Which floors is the observatory on? Floors 94 (423 m), 97 (439 m) and 100 (474 m). The 100th floor is the Sky Walk with the glass floor. ### How do I get to the Shanghai World Financial Center? Metro Line 2 or 14 to Lujiazui, Exit 8, then 5–10 minutes on foot east along Century Avenue to the west entrance on Dongtai Road. ### Is SWFC or Shanghai Tower better? SWFC for the glass floor and views of its two neighbours, when it is open. Shanghai Tower for the highest view in the city. ### Why is it called the bottle opener? Because of the trapezoid-shaped hole through the top of the tower, which makes its outline look like a bottle opener. ### How tall is the Shanghai World Financial Center? 492 m to the roof, with 101 floors above ground. It opened in 2008. ### How long do you need at the SWFC observatory? 1–1.5 hours for the three levels and photos; up to two hours if you wait for sunset. ## How we checked The observatory's own website does not load and the building website gives only the address, so the season, hours and fares are marked “verifying”. The 2025 season details (hours, entrance, fares, WeChat sales) come from a city tourism press release as carried by Sina and from the Shanghai Bendibao city portal. Cheaper themed bundles are unofficial platform listings. English Wikipedia describes the deck as permanently closed, but later city reports describe seasonal reopening — we show the seasonal pattern. Marketing calls the glass walkway “a hundred metres”; other sources say about 55 m, which we use. History and figures are checked against at least two sources. ## Sources - Shanghai World Financial Center official building website — address and access - Sina News citing the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism — 2025 observatory season, hours, entrance - Shanghai Bendibao (sh.bendibao.com) — 2025 season, fares, Dongtai Road entrance, metro - Travel China Guide — observatory floors, glass walkway, B1 entrance - Chinanews, 2008 — observatory opening and glass floor - English and Russian Wikipedia: Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai Tower, Jin Mao Tower; Wikidata Q80852 - Qunar — themed observatory tickets (unofficial) - City payment guides for foreign visitors — Alipay and WeChat Pay with foreign cards; contactless cards on the metro (unofficial) --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.