The Bund: a visitor's guide

The short answer. The Bund (外滩, Wàitān) is the row of old bank, hotel and office buildings along the west bank of the Huangpu River, with a raised riverside promenade in front. Walking it costs nothing. Come in the late afternoon, walk one way along the inland pavement to see the buildings up close, come back along the promenade to see the whole row and the Pudong skyline, and stay until the lights come on. Allow two hours, more if you go inside. The nearest metro station is East Nanjing Road (Lines 2 and 10). Avoid the national holidays if you can, when police control the crowds.

Where does the Bund start and end?

The historic row runs from Waibaidu Bridge, where Suzhou Creek joins the Huangpu, south to the Gutzlaff Signal Tower, about 1.3 km on the map. North of the creek, Broadway Mansions, the Astor House Hotel and the General Post Office belong to the same story. South of the signal tower, the old walled city and Yu Garden are under a kilometre away.

How do I get there?

• Metro: East Nanjing Road station, Lines 2 and 10. Walk east along the East Nanjing Road pedestrian street to the river; you come out at the Peace Hotel, in the middle of the row.
• From Yu Garden: walk north-east to the signal tower and start from the south end.
• By taxi: show the driver the Chinese address on a place page, for example the Peace Hotel’s.

Which way should I walk?

Either way works; choose by where you come from.

• From East Nanjing Road: go north first, to the former British Consulate and Waibaidu Bridge, then turn round and walk the whole row south to the signal tower. Finish at Yu Garden or on the promenade.
• From the old city: start at the signal tower and walk north, ending at Waibaidu Bridge and East Nanjing Road.

Walk the inland pavement in one direction and the promenade in the other. On the pavement you are close enough to read doorways, carvings and foundation stones; from the promenade you see the row as one long front, which is how it was meant to be seen from the river.

What should I look at?

Each building has its own page with what to look for. From south to north, the ones not to miss:

1. Asia Building, No. 1. The first building of the row, now an art venue.
2. Shanghai Club, No. 2. The former British club, now the Waldorf Astoria; its long bar has been restored.
3. HSBC Building, No. 12. The widest building on the Bund, with a mosaic dome inside.
4. Customs House, No. 13. The clock tower that sounds the hours.
5. Peace Hotel and the Palace Hotel. The pair facing each other at the corner of Nanjing Road; the green pyramid roof is the Peace Hotel’s.
6. Bank of China Building, No. 23. A tower with a blue-tiled Chinese roof among the European facades.
7. Former British Consulate. The oldest surviving Western-style building on the Bund, set back in its garden at the north end.

For why the row looks the way it does, read How to read the Bund; for the streets behind it, Behind the Bund: the second facade.

Which buildings can I go inside?

Most of the row is offices and banks, which you see from the street. Those that let visitors in are mainly hotels, restaurants and cultural venues:

• Hotels and bars: the Peace Hotel, the Shanghai Club (Waldorf Astoria), Three on the Bund and Bund 18.
• Exhibitions: the Asia Building art museum, the history display in the Gutzlaff Signal Tower, and the securities museum in the Astor House Hotel.
• The post office: the General Post Office north of the creek is still a working post office, with a free postal museum upstairs, open on certain days of the week.

Opening hours are on each place page where an official source gives them. Bring your passport; museums may ask for it.

When are the lights on?

The facades and the Pudong towers across the river are lit every evening, but we have not found ordinary-day hours published in one official place, so arrive before dusk and you will see the change. On major holidays the city switches to a special lighting schedule. For the 2026 National Day holiday (30 September to 7 October), the core areas along the Huangpu were lit from 18:00 to 23:00, an hour later than the winter schedule (Shanghai Release, 29 September 2026). Lights can be changed for events or weather, so treat any time you read online as a guide.

How do I cross to Pudong?

• Metro: Line 2, one stop from East Nanjing Road to Lujiazui.
• Ferry: the Dongjin line runs between East Jinling Road pier on the Bund side and Dongchang Road pier in Pudong. It carries pedestrians only, and the pedestrian fare is 2 yuan. The government’s boat guide gives its hours as 7:15 to 18:30 from the Bund side and 7:15 to 18:15 from Pudong. For a crossing after dark, the Dongfu line from Fuxing Road pier, south of the Bund, runs until 21:00 (Exploring Shanghai by boat). The page tells travellers to check current times with the ferry operator.
• River cruises leave from piers along the waterfront. Prices and times vary by operator, so buy at the pier or from the operator, not from people approaching you on the street.

What about the holidays?

During the national holidays the Bund is one of the most crowded places in China. In the 2026 National Day holiday, police managed the crowds on Nanjing East Road, the waterfront road and the stairs to the promenade by stopping people, letting them through in waves and running one-way loops (The Paper, 30 September 2026). If you are in Shanghai then, go early in the morning, follow the police lines, and keep children close. See When to visit for the holiday dates.

Practical notes

• Scams: be wary of friendly strangers on Nanjing Road who suggest a tea house or a bar; see Common scams.
• Crossing the road: the waterfront road is wide and busy. Use the crossings and underpasses.
• Where to stay: the Bund area page compares staying here with other areas.