# The Bund, Shanghai > The Bund (Waitan) is a free, always-open riverside promenade: about 1.5 km of early 20th-century banks and hotels on the Huangpu's west bank, facing the Lujiazui skyline. Come an hour before sunset — on ordinary nights the lights go off around 22:00. Allow 1–1.5 hours; it's a 10-minute walk from East Nanjing Road metro. Web page: https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/the-bund - City: [Shanghai](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai), China - YesGo score: 59/100 (Yes, go) - Time on site: 1 h - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free — an open public promenade, no tickets or gates - Hours: 24 hours, every day - Light-up: From dusk until about 22:00; extended by an hour or more on public holidays - Length: ≈ 1.5 km, from Waibaidu Bridge to Yan'an East Road - 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 - Paying for transport: Contactless Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay at metro gates, or Alipay QR - Time needed: 1–1.5 hours for the walk, 2–3 hours with sunset and lights - Coordinates: 31.23803, 121.48614 - Facts checked: 04.11.2026 ## Key facts - **Free** — open 24 hours, no ticket (source: Travel China Guide; China Highlights) - **≈ 1.5 km** — along the west bank of the Huangpu (English Wikipedia says 1.6 km) (source: Russian Wikipedia; Travel China Guide; English Wikipedia) - **52 buildings** — in a mix of architectural styles line the waterfront (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1927** — the Customs House was completed; its clock and bell follow the design of Big Ben (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1923** — the HSBC Building at No. 12 the Bund was completed, with mosaics under its dome (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1929** — Sassoon House, now the Peace Hotel, was finished at the corner of Nanjing Road (Earnshaw gives 1930) (source: English Wikipedia; Patrick Earnshaw, SCMP) - **“Outer bank”** — the meaning of 外滩 (Waitan); “bund” comes from a Hindustani word for an embankment (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **One foot lower** — the Bank of China tower — Victor Sassoon would not let a neighbour top his building (source: English Wikipedia) - **¥2** — the public ferry across the Huangpu from the piers by the Bund (source: Shanghai Municipal Government (english.shanghai.gov.cn)) - **Zhongshan Road** — the road along the Bund, named after Sun Yat-sen (source: English Wikipedia) ## Is 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. > **Arrive an hour before sunset** You get the façades in daylight, the sunset behind them and the moment both banks switch on. Sunset is around 17:00 in winter and 19:00 in summer. The best window is from sunset to about 21:00 — after 22:00 you risk a dark skyline. ## How to get to the Bund 1. 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. 2. Cross Zhongshan East 1st Road at the crossing and climb onto the promenade, which runs along the top of the flood wall. 3. 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. 4. From Hongqiao Airport or Hongqiao Railway Station: Line 2 direct to East Nanjing Road, no changes. 5. From [Yu Garden](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/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. 6. 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. 7. 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](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-museum). - **Peace Hotel (Sassoon House, 1929)** — the green pyramid roof at the corner of [Nanjing Road](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/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](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-tower), the [Oriental Pearl Tower](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/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 Bund | Lujiazui riverside | Huangpu cruise | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Bank | West (Puxi) | East (Pudong) | On the water | | You look at | Pudong's skyscrapers | The Bund's historic buildings | Both banks and the bridges | | Cost | Free | Free | ≈ ¥120–150 (unofficial) | | Time | 1–1.5 hours | 45 min–1.5 hours | ≈ 45–60 min plus boarding | | Evening crowds | Very heavy | Lighter | Depends on the sailing | First evening: the Bund. Second: walk the [Lujiazui](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/lujiazui) riverside or take a [Huangpu River cruise](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/huangpu-river-cruise) to see the Bund from the other side. > **Watch out for “photographers” and tea invitations** Touts on the Bund offer to take your photo with the skyline and then demand a large fee. Friendly “students” who invite you for tea or an art show are a well-known scam that ends with a huge bill. Say no politely and keep walking. Keep your phone and wallet in a front pocket in the evening crowds. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Checked today's sunset and arriving an hour before - [ ] Planning to be there before 22:00 - [ ] Metro payment sorted: contactless card, Alipay or cash - [ ] Comfortable shoes — there and back is about 3 km - [ ] Not a public holiday — or ready for crowds - [ ] Checked the forecast: smog and rain blur the lights ## Shanghai's best views compared Shanghai places with the best views, 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 ## 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. 1. [Yu Garden](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/yu-garden) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ¥30–40 by season 2. [The Bund](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/the-bund) — YesGo score 59/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free 3. [Lujiazui](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/lujiazui) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free 4. [Huangpu River cruise](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/huangpu-river-cruise) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ ¥120–150; ferry ¥2 ## Not to be confused with The North Bund (Beiwaitan) continues the riverside beyond Waibaidu Bridge — newer and quieter. Bund Finance Center is a modern complex further south, near Yu Garden, not a historic building. Other Chinese cities have their own “bunds”, such as Hankou in Wuhan. And the [Bund Sightseeing Tunnel](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/bund-sightseeing-tunnel) is a paid light-show ride under the river, not part of the promenade. ## Tips - 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. ## How we checked Built from English search results and related questions (is it free, light-up times, nearest metro, how long, day or night, worth it). The length differs between sources (1.5 km in Travel China Guide and Russian Wikipedia, 1.6 km in English Wikipedia), so it is marked as checking. The ordinary lights-off time is not published officially: 22:00 is inferred from city announcements that extend it by one hour to 23:00 on holidays, and matches guidebooks. Building dates: HSBC 1923 per Wikipedia (Earnshaw says it opened in 1925); Sassoon House 1929 per Wikipedia (Earnshaw: 1930). The Shanghai Club's year (1909–1911) and the Bank of China's street number (22 or 23) disagree, so we leave them out. Ferry times and fares are official; metro payment and buses are unofficial. ## Sources - 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 --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.