China — Shanghai's Bund, Skyline & Old-World Glamour 🇨🇳
Shanghai's waterfront Bund: a mile of colonial-era grandeur facing off against the futuristic Pudong skyline across the Huangpu River. Hand-picked stays and must-book experiences — every link takes you straight to Trip.com to check live prices and book.
🏨 Where to Stay
- The Peninsula Shanghai ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — the first new building constructed on the Bund in 60 years, with Art Deco interiors evoking Shanghai's "Paris of the Orient" heyday, unobstructed river views and the Michelin-adjacent rooftop restaurant Sir Elly's.
- Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — the first Waldorf Astoria in Asia, built around the restored 1911 Shanghai Club, home to the legendary 110-foot Long Bar where the city's power brokers once held court.
- Les Suites Orient, Bund Shanghai ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — attainable pick — a discreet boutique hotel on the southern Bund with Art Deco-meets-Oriental interiors and complimentary evening drinks in the lounge — genuinely great Bund views without the flagship-hotel price tag.
- Bulgari Hotel Shanghai — romantic pick, ultra-luxury — an Italian-designed tower where Suzhou Creek meets the Huangpu River, with sweeping Bund and Pudong skyline views, a 2,000 sqm Bvlgari Spa and a 47th-floor Il Ristorante by chef Niko Romito.
- Mandarin Oriental Pudong Shanghai — family-friendly — set in the heart of the Lujiazui Financial Area overlooking the Huangpu River, steps from the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, with a private spa and skin-care rooms.
✈️ Flights
- Flights to Shanghai (PVG) — direct flights from Manchester with China Eastern, around 11-12 hours to Pudong Airport. UK passport holders should check current Chinese visa requirements before booking.
🎟️ Experiences
- The Bund — a mile-long riverside promenade lined with colonial-era buildings in French classical, Gothic and Art Deco styles, facing the futuristic Pudong skyline across the Huangpu River, especially striking after dark.
- Yu Garden — a 450-year-old Ming Dynasty classical garden of pavilions, zigzag bridges and koi ponds, praised by ancient scholars as the "crown of southeastern gardens," with a lantern-lit bazaar just outside.
- Huangpu River Night Cruise — an evening cruise along the river separating the Bund's historic architecture from Lujiazui's neon-lit skyscrapers, capturing Shanghai's old and new sides in a single view.
🚗 Car Hire & Transfers