Bund Sightseeing Tunnel
Shanghai, China
The Bund, Shanghai
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Photo: Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Free — an open public promenade, no tickets or gates
- Hours
- 24 hours, every day
- Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 1 h
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Light-up
- From dusk until about 22:00; extended by an hour or more on public holidays
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Length
- ≈ 1.5 km, from Waibaidu Bridge to Yan'an East Road
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Metro
- East Nanjing Road (Lines 2 and 10), then ≈ 10 min walk east
- Ferry to Pudong
- ¥2; Jinling East Rd–Dongchang Rd until 18:30, East Fuxing Rd–Dongchang Rd until 21:00
officiali
Confirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator. - Paying for transport
- Contactless Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay at metro gates, or Alipay QR
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours for the walk, 2–3 hours with sunset and lights
Key facts
Freeopen 24 hours, no ticket
2 sourcesi
Travel China GuideChina Highlights≈ 1.5 kmalong the west bank of the Huangpu (English Wikipedia says 1.6 km)
3 sourcesi
Russian WikipediaTravel China GuideEnglish Wikipedia52 buildingsin a mix of architectural styles line the waterfront
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English and Russian Wikipedia1927the Customs House was completed; its clock and bell follow the design of Big Ben
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English and Russian Wikipedia1923the HSBC Building at No. 12 the Bund was completed, with mosaics under its dome
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English and Russian Wikipedia1929Sassoon House, now the Peace Hotel, was finished at the corner of Nanjing Road (Earnshaw gives 1930)
2 sourcesi
English WikipediaPatrick Earnshaw, SCMP“Outer bank”the meaning of 外滩 (Waitan); “bund” comes from a Hindustani word for an embankment
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English and Russian WikipediaOne foot lowerthe Bank of China tower — Victor Sassoon would not let a neighbour top his building
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English Wikipedia¥2the public ferry across the Huangpu from the piers by the Bund
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Shanghai Municipal Government (english.shanghai.gov.cn)Zhongshan Roadthe road along the Bund, named after Sun Yat-sen
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English WikipediaIs the Bund free, and when is it open?
Yes, it's free and it never closes. The Bund is a public promenade raised above Zhongshan East 1st Road, with no gates or tickets — you can walk it at 6 am or midnight. What does run to a schedule is the lighting: buildings on both banks light up at dusk, and on ordinary nights they go dark at around 22:00.
That 22:00 figure is unofficial. The city government only announces holiday extensions — for the May Day holiday it kept the Bund and Lujiazui lit until 23:00, “extended by one hour”. Guidebooks quote roughly 19:00–23:00 in summer and 18:00–22:00 in winter. Either way, don't leave it until late.
How to get to the Bund
Step-by-step directions are below; the map shows where you arrive.
Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
More tips
- Take the metro to East Nanjing Road (Lines 2 and 10) and follow signs for Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street or The Bund. Walk east along the pedestrian street for about 10 minutes — it ends right at the river by the Peace Hotel.
- Cross Zhongshan East 1st Road at the crossing and climb onto the promenade, which runs along the top of the flood wall.
- From Pudong Airport: the Maglev to Longyang Road (¥50, or ¥40 with a same-day boarding pass), then Line 2 towards Hongqiao to East Nanjing Road. The last Maglev leaves around 21:40.
- From Hongqiao Airport or Hongqiao Railway Station: Line 2 direct to East Nanjing Road, no changes.
- From Yu Garden and the Old City: about 1 km due north, a 15–20 minute walk; or Line 10 one stop from Yuyuan Garden to East Nanjing Road.
- From Pudong: Line 2 one stop from Lujiazui; by day the ferry from Dongchang Road to Jinling East Road (last from Pudong 18:15), in the evening Dongchang Road to East Fuxing Road until 21:00 — ¥2.
- Metro fares are ¥3–14 by distance. Gates take contactless Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay cards and Alipay QR codes.
What to see on the Bund
- Customs House (1927) — the clock tower, its clock and bell modelled on Big Ben. Still a working customs house.
- HSBC Building (No. 12, 1923) — the domed neighbour of the Customs House, now Shanghai Pudong Development Bank. The entrance hall's ceiling mosaics of the cities where HSBC traded were rediscovered in 1997 and restored. The bronze lions outside are replicas — the originals are in the Shanghai Museum.
- Peace Hotel (Sassoon House, 1929) — the green pyramid roof at the corner of Nanjing Road, where the pedestrian street meets the river.
- Bank of China — next door, Art Deco with Chinese details, deliberately one foot lower than Sassoon House.
- Chen Yi Square — with the statue of Chen Yi, the only bronze statue on the Bund, by the Nanjing Road junction.
- Huangpu Park and the Monument to the People's Heroes — at the northern tip, where Suzhou Creek joins the Huangpu.
- Waibaidu Bridge — the century-old steel bridge over Suzhou Creek; good at sunset.
- Gutzlaff Signal Tower — the slim old weather-signal tower near the southern end.
- Across the river — Shanghai Tower, the Oriental Pearl Tower and the rest of Lujiazui.
Is the Bund worth visiting?
Yes — it's the one place in Shanghai most first-time visitors should not skip. In a single walk you get the city's colonial-era architecture on one side and its 21st-century skyline on the other, and it costs nothing. If you only have one evening in Shanghai, spend it here.
Be realistic about crowds. On weekend evenings and especially during national holidays (the first week of May and October, New Year) the promenade is packed and police run one-way flows. On those days, come in the morning or switch to the quieter Pudong riverside.
The 52 buildings mostly date from the decades when Shanghai was a treaty port and the Bund its financial centre, which is why it's often called a museum of international architecture. The Chinese name, Waitan, means “outer bank” — as opposed to the inner bank by the walled Old City to the south.
Day or night: when to go
Late afternoon into evening is best. In daylight you can read the façades — the clock tower, the HSBC dome, the green roof of the Peace Hotel. After sunset Lujiazui lights up opposite and the Bund's own buildings glow gold.
Early morning, before 9:00, is the quietest time: locals do tai chi in Huangpu Park and you can photograph the buildings without people. Midday in summer is hot and hazy, with little shade on the promenade.
The Bund, the Lujiazui riverside or a river cruise
| The Bundyou are here | West (Puxi) | Pudong's skyscrapers | Free | 1–1.5 hours | Very heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lujiazui riverside | East (Pudong) | The Bund's historic buildings | Free | 45 min–1.5 hours | Lighter |
| Huangpu cruise | On the water | Both banks and the bridges | ≈ ¥120–150 (unofficial) | ≈ 45–60 min plus boarding | Depends on the sailing |
First evening: the Bund. Second: walk the Lujiazui riverside or take a Huangpu River cruise to see the Bund from the other side.
Before you go
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Shanghai's best views compared
Shanghai places with the best views, rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.
| The Bundyou are here | 59 | 1 h | Free | — |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Tower | 58 | 1 h 30 min | ¥180; students and 60+ ¥120 | 25 min walk |
| Shanghai World Financial Center | 50 | 1 h 15 min | CNY 180, seasonal | 28 min walk |
| Oriental Pearl Tower | 49 | 1 h 30 min | ¥199 — two spheres | 16 min walk |
| Lujiazui | 48 | 45 min | Free | 18 min walk |
| Jin Mao Tower | 48 | 1 h | ¥120; Skywalk from ¥288 | 25 min walk |
| Shanghai Maglev | 46 | 30 min | ¥50, ¥40 with a same-day flight | 7.8 km |
| Huangpu River cruise | 39 | 1 h | ≈ ¥120–150; ferry ¥2 | 9 min walk |
Yu Garden to the Bund and over to Pudong
The garden and Old City in the afternoon, sunset on the Bund, across the river and the Bund's lights from the other bank. YesGo fits in the timing and transfers.
- Yu Garden1 h 15 min · ¥30–40 by season
- 17 min walk from the previous stopThe Bundyou are here1 h · Free
- 18 min walk from the previous stopLujiazui45 min · Free
- 12 min walk from the previous stopHuangpu River cruise1 h · ≈ ¥120–150; ferry ¥2
4 places · about 4 h 47 min with walks · 47 min on foot in total
Nearby and on your route
How to do it right
- The classic Pudong shot is from the middle of the promenade, opposite the Customs House and the HSBC Building.
- To see the whole Bund in one frame, cross to the Lujiazui riverside.
- Before 9:00 the promenade is nearly empty — ideal for façade photos and watching tai chi in Huangpu Park.
- Huangpu cruise piers are at the southern end of the Bund — an easy add-on after sunset.
- The fastest way to Pudong is one stop on Line 2 from East Nanjing Road.
- On 1 October and New Year's Eve, come during the day — evenings are extremely crowded.
Questions
Is the Bund free to visit?
Yes. It's a public riverside promenade with no ticket, open 24 hours a day.
What time do the Bund lights turn on and off?
They come on at dusk and on ordinary nights go off around 22:00. On public holidays the city keeps them on an hour or more longer. Times are unofficial.
Which metro station is closest to the Bund?
East Nanjing Road on Lines 2 and 10, then about 10 minutes' walk east along pedestrian Nanjing Road.
How long should I spend at the Bund?
1–1.5 hours to walk it end to end; 2–3 hours if you stay from late afternoon through sunset and the lights.
Is it better to visit the Bund during the day or at night?
Both, ideally in one visit: arrive an hour before sunset to see the buildings in daylight and stay for the lights.
What does “Bund” mean?
It's an Anglo-Indian word for an embankment. The Chinese name, Waitan (外滩), means “outer bank”.
How do I get from the Bund to Lujiazui?
Line 2 one stop to Lujiazui, or the ¥2 ferry: Jinling East Road to Dongchang Road by day, East Fuxing Road to Dongchang Road until 21:00.
Can I go inside the Bund buildings?
Most are working banks, offices and hotels. Some host exhibitions or open for booked visits from time to time, but access isn't guaranteed — plan to enjoy the Bund from outside.
Is the Bund good for kids?
Yes — it's wide, car-free and flat. On holiday evenings keep children close: the crowds get very dense.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- English Wikipedia: The Bund; Custom House, Shanghai; HSBC Building, Shanghai; Peace Hotel; Bank of China Building, Shanghai
- Russian Wikipedia: Набережная Вайтань; Wikidata Q125474
- Shanghai Municipal Government (english.shanghai.gov.cn), 30.04.2025 — holiday light-up extension for the Bund and Lujiazui
- Shanghai Municipal Government (english.shanghai.gov.cn), Huangpu ferries, 10.09.2025 and 13.08.2026
- Travel China Guide: The Bund, updated 24.07.2026 — length, hours, seasonal lighting, metro, buses
- China Highlights: The Bund, updated 31.08.2026 — time needed, when to go, sunset times
- Patrick Earnshaw, South China Morning Post, 2001 — building dates
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