Shanghai Tower Guide 2025: Observation Deck Tickets, Tips & Which Tower to Choose

📖 What to Know

Shanghai Tower is the world's second tallest building at 632 metres, and its observation deck on floor 118 gives you a 360° view of the entire city. On a clear day you can see 70km — the entire Yangtze Delta sprawl laid out below you.

The building's double-skin spiral design reduces wind loads by 24% and is now one of the world's most studied examples of sustainable skyscraper design. The internal glass atrium — 9 separate "sky gardens" stacked between office floors — makes the interior as interesting as the view from the top.

There are three towers in Lujiazui competing for your observation deck business. Choose one. You don't need all three.

🏙 Which Tower Should You Choose?

Tower	Height	Ticket	Queue	Best For
Shanghai Tower ★	118F / 546m	¥180	20–40 min	Best all-round. Highest view, faster lifts, less crowded than Oriental Pearl.
Oriental Pearl	Sphere / 263m	¥199	45–90 min	Famous icon. But it's lower, more expensive, and the queue is brutal. The glass floor is the main draw.
Jin Mao Tower (88F)	88F / 340m	¥88	10–20 min	Best value. Dramatic hollow atrium looking down 26 floors. Less famous = shorter queue.
Dōuyún Books (52F)	52F	Free*	—	*Buy a coffee (¥60). Same Bund view as paid decks at 1/3 the price. Beautiful bookshop too.

Recommendation: Jin Mao Tower for best value (¥88, short queue, unique hollow atrium), Shanghai Tower for bragging rights (highest, most modern). Skip Oriental Pearl unless you specifically want the glass floor experience.

💡 Practical Tips

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Check the weather before buying tickets. Shanghai Tower on a smoggy or cloudy day shows you nothing. The visitor app or WeChat mini-program sometimes shows current visibility. AQI below 100 = good views.
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Sunset is the golden hour — arrive about 45 min before sunset, watch the sky change, then stay as the city lights up. Book the latest entry time you can.
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Buy tickets via WeChat mini-program (搜索"上海中心大厦") — avoids queue at ticket window, sometimes cheaper than on-site.
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Children under 1.2m: free entry. Seniors over 60 with ID: discounted.

🍜 What to Eat in Lujiazui

The restaurants immediately around the three towers (tourist-facing, Bund-view premium) are expensive. Go to the mall food courts below street level.

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IFC / Super Brand Mall Food Basements国金中心/正大广场B1-B2

Both malls have basement food courts with everything from Chinese noodles to Japanese ramen. Air-conditioned, fast, ¥25–50 per person. This is where the finance workers eat lunch every day — which means the quality is maintained by return customers, not tourists.

¥25–50

📍 IFC Mall (陆家嘴站B口) or Super Brand Mall (正大广场) — both underground

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Ferry + Eat in Puxi轮渡过去浦西吃

After the tower, take the ¥2 ferry from Dongchang Road Pier to Jinling East Road Pier on the Puxi side. Food in old city is dramatically cheaper — walk 5 min from the ferry dock to get real Shanghai cooking.

Ferry ¥2 · Food ¥20–40

📍 Dongchang Road Pier (东昌路渡口), 10-min walk from towers

🚇 Getting Here

Line 2
Lujiazui Station (陆家嘴站). Exit 1 puts you in Lujiazui circle. Shanghai Tower is a 10-min walk past the Oriental Pearl — follow the signs or the crowds.

🗺 Other Spots Nearby

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Add Lujiazui to Your Shanghai Itinerary

Combine with the Bund on the same day — ferry across for ¥2

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