The Summit Shanghai Observation Deck is located inside the Shanghai Tower at No. 501 Yincheng Middle Road, Lujiazui Financial and Trade Zone, Pudong New Area, Shanghai. As a national 4A-level tourist attraction and the core observation area of the Shanghai Tower, it features ultra-high-altitude sightseeing experience, integrating functions such as sightseeing, cultural exhibition and leisure experience. The Shanghai Tower has a total height of 632 meters, making it the tallest building in China and the third tallest in the world, with a total construction area of approximately 578,000 square meters. The Summit Shanghai Observation Deck is mainly distributed on the 118th and 119th floors of the tower, covering a total sightseeing area of about 1,860 square meters. Equipped with ultra-high-speed elevators with a maximum speed of 18 meters per second, it only takes 55 seconds to reach the 118th floor directly from the 1st basement floor. Tourists can enjoy a 360-degree bird's-eye view of the entire Shanghai city, and feel the urban scenery of Lujiazui Financial District, both sides of the Huangpu River and the suburban areas. Its unique spiral architectural shape and ultra-high-altitude sightseeing perspective have become its core features.
History and Culture
The construction concept of the Shanghai Tower originated in the early 21st century. At that time, two super high-rise buildings, the Jinmao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center, had been built in Lujiazui. To improve the "three pillars standing side by side" urban skyline of Lujiazui, the planning and construction of the Shanghai Tower were put on the agenda. The project officially started construction on November 29, 2008. After years of meticulous construction, the main structure of the building was capped on March 12, 2016, and the Summit Shanghai Observation Deck was officially opened to the public on April 27 of the same year.
Culturally speaking, the Summit Shanghai Observation Deck is not only a model of modern architectural engineering, but also an epitome of Shanghai's urban development. Its architectural design integrates traditional Chinese culture with modern architectural concepts. The spiral rising shape of the building is inspired by the traditional Chinese dragon totem, which also conforms to the urban spirit of Shanghai as an international metropolis that keeps moving forward and innovating. The observation deck also hosts various cultural exhibitions and urban development themed displays on a regular basis, deeply integrating architectural sightseeing with Shanghai's urban culture, financial culture and Haipai culture, making it an important window to showcase the development context and cultural heritage of Shanghai.
Main Attractions
118th Floor Observation Deck
The 118th Floor Observation Deck is located at a height of 546 meters in the Shanghai Tower, which is the core tourist area of the Summit Shanghai Observation Deck. This floor adopts a floor-to-ceiling panoramic glass curtain wall design, and the curtain wall glass is made of special low-reflection and high-transparency materials, which can minimize the interference of light reflection. Tourists can enjoy an unobstructed view of the entire Shanghai from any position. To the east, you can overlook Pudong International Airport and the East China Sea direction; to the south, you can see the Expo Park and the winding trend of the Huangpu River; to the west, you can overlook the Bund International Architecture Exhibition and People's Square in the downtown area; to the north, you can see Baoshan, Jiading and other areas. The floor is also equipped with a number of interactive experience devices, such as high-altitude photo check-in spots and urban landmark voice explanation systems, as well as supporting facilities such as rest areas and cultural and creative product exhibition areas.
119th Floor Observation Deck
The 119th Floor Observation Deck is located at a height of 552 meters, which is a high-altitude expansion experience area of the Summit Shanghai Observation Deck. Compared with the 118th floor, this floor has a higher view and can provide a broader sightseeing perspective. This floor focuses on immersive sightseeing experience, and regularly launches themed sightseeing activities, such as high-altitude starry sky experience and urban light show viewing. It also sets up special experience projects such as high-altitude post office. Tourists can send postcards with the exclusive postmark of "The Summit Shanghai" here to leave a unique high-altitude memory.
High-Speed Elevator Experience Area
The ultra-high-speed elevators of the Summit Shanghai Observation Deck are an independent characteristic experience attraction. The elevator car adopts a fully transparent design. During operation, the LED screen in the car will display the elevator's ascending height and speed in real time, accompanied by dynamic urban landscape images, allowing tourists to experience a double impact of vision and body feeling during the 55-second extreme ascending process. Custom-developed by Mitsubishi Electric of Japan, this elevator is one of the fastest and most stable ultra-high-speed elevators for super high-rise buildings in the world, and its technical level represents the top level of vertical transportation for super high-rise buildings globally.
Tour Route
After entering the entrance of the observation deck on the 1st basement floor of the Shanghai Tower, tourists first pass through the security check channel, then go to the waiting area, where they can watch a 5-minute themed short film about the construction of the Shanghai Tower and urban development. Then take the ultra-high-speed elevator directly to the 118th floor observation deck. It is recommended to take a circular tour around the floor first, enjoy the urban scenery in the east, south, west and north directions in turn, focus on checking in the three landmark areas of the Bund, the Huangpu River and Lujiazui, and experience the interactive photo-taking devices. After visiting the 118th floor, you can take the internal elevator to the 119th floor observation deck, participate in special projects such as the high-altitude post office and themed experiences, and stay for about 20-30 minutes. If time permits, you can return to the cultural and creative area on the 118th floor to purchase souvenirs, or stay in the rest area for a while. Finally, take the elevator back to the exit on the 1st basement floor. The recommended total duration of the entire tour route is about 1.5-2 hours.
Travel Tips
- Best Time to Visit: It is recommended to go in the afternoon from 3 o'clock to dusk on a sunny day, so that you can enjoy the panoramic view of the city during the day and wait for the sunset and night scenes to light up, experiencing the scenery of Shanghai in different periods at one time. There are many tourists on holidays, so it is recommended to avoid the peak hours and enter the park at 9-10 o'clock in the morning or 2-3 o'clock in the afternoon on working days.
- Recommended Duration: It is recommended to reserve 1.5-2 hours. Among them, the core tour on the 118th floor takes about 40 minutes, the characteristic experience on the 119th floor takes about 30 minutes, and the rest of the time can be used for waiting for the elevator, resting and purchasing cultural and creative products.
- Photography Tips: Bring a wide-angle lens camera or use the wide-angle mode of your mobile phone. When taking panoramic photos, you can use the method of segmented shooting and then stitching. When taking photos at the glass curtain wall, you can prepare a lens cleaning cloth to wipe off the light reflection on the glass to avoid the over-dark face of characters when shooting against the light.
- Clothing Preparation: The temperature difference between indoor and outdoor at high altitudes is small, but the air conditioning temperature in the elevator operation and high-altitude areas is relatively low. It is recommended to bring a thin coat, especially for the elderly and children.
Notes
- Park Entrance Security Check: It is forbidden to carry flammable and explosive materials, controlled knives, drones and other dangerous goods. Drinks and food need to pass the security check, and some liquid food that is easy to spill may be restricted from being brought in.
- Safety Regulations: Climbing and leaning against the glass curtain wall area of the observation deck are prohibited, and it is not allowed to hit the glass with hard objects. The 118th and 119th floors are both high-altitude areas, so chasing and frolicking are prohibited, and accompanying children and the elderly should be taken good care of.
- Ticket Rules: Once the ticket is sold, it will not be refunded or exchanged except for special circumstances such as park closure. Discount tickets (such as student tickets and senior citizen tickets) need to be verified with valid documents, and those who use forged documents will be refused entry.
- Health Tips: Tourists with acrophobia, heart disease, hypertension and other conditions that are not suitable for high-altitude environments are advised to visit with caution. The air pressure in high-altitude areas changes slightly. If you feel dizzy, tinnitus and other discomfort, you can go to the rest area to rest or contact the staff.
- Equipment Use: Interactive experience devices should be operated in accordance with on-site guidelines. Forcible disassembly and damage to the equipment are prohibited, and compensation should be made according to the price for any damage. It is forbidden to use tripods, selfie sticks and other equipment for long-term shooting in crowded areas to avoid affecting other tourists.
Transportation
- Subway: Take Shanghai Metro Line 2 to Lujiazui Station, exit from Exit 6, and walk along Yincheng Middle Road for about 5 minutes to reach the entrance of the Summit Shanghai Observation Deck in the Shanghai Tower. Or take Shanghai Metro Line 14 to Lujiazui Station, and walk for about 3 minutes after exiting the station.
- Bus: Take bus routes such as No. 81, No. 82, No. 583, No. 791, No. 939, No. 961 and No. 985 to Lujiazui Ring Road Fenghe Road Station, and walk for about 2 minutes after getting off the bus.
- Self-Driving: Navigate to "Shanghai Tower Parking Lot", which is located on the 2nd to 4th basement floors of the building. The Lujiazui area is prone to traffic congestion during morning and evening rush hours on working days, so non-self-driving travel is recommended.
- Ferry: Take the Dongjin Line Ferry (Dongchang Road Ferry Terminal - Jinling East Road Ferry Terminal) to Dongchang Road Ferry Terminal, and walk for about 10 minutes to reach the Shanghai Tower.
Opening Hours
The regular opening hours are from 9:00 to 21:00 every day, among which the latest admission time is 20:00, clearance starts at 20:30, and the park officially closes at 21:00. The opening hours on legal holidays (such as Spring Festival, National Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, etc.) will be adjusted appropriately according to the number of tourists, usually opening at 8:30 in advance and closing at 21:30 later, and the latest admission time will be adjusted to 20:30 accordingly. The opening hours on special holidays may be adjusted.
Tickets
The ticket price is 180 yuan per person. You can search for the official WeChat account "上海中心SHTower" to get the latest updates or buy tickets online.
Online Booking
Click here to jump to the Trip.com ticketing platform for ticket purchase.