From the ground, Shanghai‘s skyline is good. From the water? Makes a lot more sense.
A cruise down the Huangpu River give you the complete picture. The forest of towers in Pudong, the heritage facades of the Bund, and just far away enough to appreciate how big it all is. At some point or another, most visitor end up booking a cruise, often at night when everything is lit up.
However, deciding which cruise to go on are the tricky part. There is dozens of companies that operate boat up and down the river, ranging from simple 30-minute loops to a overpriced and overhyped dinner cruise (with varying levels of food).
What to See on the Cruise
Huangpu River Shanghai
This is what you get when you board a boat here: Cruises leave from one of two side of the river: Shiliupu Wharf (near the Bund) in Puxi or one of the piers in Pudong across the water. Boats is typically double-decker, with an open top level and an enclosed bottom level. If the weather permit, book up top.
It will cost you a little more, but that’s kind of missing the point when you’re on a river cruise sitting behind glass.
Most of the tours takes the same path from Nanpu Bridge (on the south) to Yangpu Bridge (in the north), covering about a 12-kilometre circuit. A typical tour last 45 minutes to an hour. Dinner cruises lasts up to two hours, but they just extend your sail time without adding any new scenery.
The Pudong skyline dominate the east bank. The Shanghai Tower are the tallest, standing at 632 metres, with the Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center alongside it. Shorter but impossible to miss is the Oriental Pearl Tower.
Its sphere sections and constantly changing light pull your eye in, as they changes colours every few minutes. Other towers glides in and out of view as boat passes by. From the Bund, this appear as one long wall of buildings.
On the water, the buildings separate out into individual clusters.
Further north and south, it thin out slightly. The banks is lined with office blocks, apartment tower, and the odd boat moored up. The buildings change colour every now and then, a fair amount of blue and purple, some green.
It’s fine but gets a little repetitive after the main stretch. The lighting show have timers: catch a building halfway through and they can be dramatic or a little gaudy depending on taste.
What people come here to see, however, is the other side of the river: the west bank of the Bund. In a tidy row along the water is those early 20th-century buildings… Trading houses, banks, consulates, all with their stone detail picked out by warm lighting at night.
It’s European architecture in a decidedly Chinese location. Without the crowds lining the promenade and pressing up against the railing, you can take it all in from the river.
Further down, the river is spanned at intervals by bridges whose cables is hung with lights. At one end of the Bund, a stone obelisk, its colors warmed by light, stand beside the Monument to the People’s Heroes. It’s none of it subtle, but then this is Shanghai.
The cost vary depending on which operator you go with and what time of day it is. A basic cruise in the evenings costs from about 80-100 yuan, whereas dinner cruises (which tend to have buffets that is good enough but nothing special) are 300 yuan plus. It’s best to book a shorter sightseeing cruise and eat elsewhere first; that way you gets to see the city lit up at night without having to sit through a mediocre meal.
Lights are fully turned on between 7-9pm, so this is peak time. Book ahead if going on the weekend as it gets busy; doing so online will often save you some money too. taking a cruise down the Huangpu River isn’t going to change your life.
If you just want to see both side of the river, take some good photos, and see why everyone is talking about the Shanghai riverfront, a Huangpu River cruise would of do that for you. it runs for about 45 minutes to an hour so it doesn’t overstay its welcome either. Ever been on a Huangpu River cruise?
Are you thinking of taking one?
