Oriental Pearl Tower Entry Ticket Shanghai

The Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai's riverside landmark

Completed in 1994, the Oriental Pearl Tower rises 468 metres from the tip of Lujiazui, the bend of the Huangpu River where Pudong's financial district now stands. Its design stacks pink-red spheres of different sizes on three giant columns, a shape inspired by the old image of pearls falling onto a jade plate. When it opened it was the tallest structure in China, and it became the symbol of the new Pudong rising across the water from the historic Bund.

Taller skyscrapers now stand around it, yet the tower is still the view most people picture when they think of Shanghai. Is the Oriental Pearl Tower worth visiting? For most travellers, yes: one ticket combines high views, a glass floor, a multimedia show and a city museum, and the tower sits right beside the riverside promenade, so it fits easily into a day in Pudong.

The Space Capsule at 351 metres

The Space Capsule is the small top sphere of the tower and its highest viewing level, 351 metres above the river. It is included in the 3-sphere ticket, the default option on this page, and is reached by a separate lift from the main deck. The capsule is compact and calmer than the levels below, with windows that look straight down onto the towers of Lujiazui and far along the curves of the Huangpu.

Entry to this level is managed with two-hour time slots, which keeps it from becoming crowded. On a clear day you can follow the river towards the Yangtze estuary and pick out the stone façades of the Bund on the far bank. Allow about 20 to 30 minutes here before heading down to the other levels; the afternoon slots usually give the softest light for photos.

Main observation deck and the glass skywalk

The large upper sphere holds the main observation deck at 263 metres, a ring of floor-to-ceiling windows with 360-degree views. On one side the skyscrapers of Lujiazui stand close enough to see their details; on the other, the Bund's embankment and the clock tower of the old customs house line the far side of the Huangpu, with the older city stretching behind. Panels help you name the landmarks you see.

Just below, at 259 metres, the transparent glass skywalk runs around the outside of the sphere. Walking on the glass floor with the streets far beneath your feet is the moment most visitors remember, and it makes striking photos. It is completely safe but can feel intense if you dislike heights; you can simply stay near the inner edge. Plan around 40 minutes for both levels together.

The 90-metre outdoor corridor and the multimedia show

In the lower sphere, the outdoor observation corridor at 90 metres lets you step into the open air. Being lower, it gives a closer view of the river traffic, the ferries crossing to the Bund and the lawns of Lujiazui. Many visitors prefer it for photos because there is no glass between the camera and the skyline, and the breeze off the Huangpu is welcome in the hot months.

At 78 metres a dynamic multimedia show uses a ring of screens, sound and light to tell the story of Shanghai's growth from a river port into a global city. It lasts only a few minutes and makes a pleasant pause for children between the higher levels. Together, the corridor and the show take about half an hour, and both are included in every ticket option on this page.

Shanghai Urban History and Development Museum

At the foot of the tower, the Shanghai Urban History and Development Museum is included in every ticket and is often underrated. Life-size street scenes, shopfronts, carriages and figures recreate the city of the 19th and early 20th centuries: tea houses, river docks, tram lines and the stone-gate lane houses called shikumen that once filled whole districts.

It is the easiest way to understand how the Bund, the former foreign concessions and the old walled city grew together long before Pudong's towers appeared. The museum is indoors and air-conditioned, ideal on a hot or rainy day, and its detailed scenes are popular with children. Allow 45 minutes to an hour, ideally at the end of your visit when you have already seen the city from above.

Lujiazui, the riverside promenade and the Bund

How to get to the Oriental Pearl Tower: take metro Line 2 to Lujiazui station, then follow the elevated circular footbridge that links the district's towers for a few minutes. The tower stands at 1 Century Avenue, beside the Lujiazui riverside promenade, a green path along the Huangpu with some of the best ground-level views across to the Bund.

After your visit, continue along the promenade, then cross to the Bund by the public ferry to see the tower lit up from the other bank after dark. The best time to visit the Oriental Pearl Tower is a clear weekday morning or afternoon; haze and humidity are common in summer, while autumn often brings the clearest skies. Avoid the national holiday in early October, when queues are at their longest.