Huangpu River Cruise: Experience a Huangpu River Cruise Tour
The Huangpu River is the largest river in Shanghai. It is 113 kilometers long. The river divides Shanghai into Puxi and Pudong. Puxi has the famous Bund, with lots of European-style buildings. Pudong is full of tall buildings, like the Jinmao Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai Tower, and the Oriental Pearl Tower.
On the Huangpu River, there are cargo ships for transporting goods and also cruise ships for sightseeing. At Shiliupu Marina, you can choose from many different routes for a fun Huangpu River cruise.
Quick Facts About the Huangpu River Cruise
- Huangpu River Cruise Address (Boarding Pier): Shiliupu Marina near the Bund (531 Zhongshan East 2nd Rd)
- Regular Price: CNY120-150/person (for sightseeing only)
- Duration: about 1 hour
- Cruise Schedules: Daytime cruises are from 11:00 to 18:00, and night cruises are from 18:00 to 21:30.
- Regular Cruise Route: Shiliupu Pier (十六铺码头) near the Bund - Shanghai Tower - Shanghai World Financial Center - Jinmao Tower - Oriental Pearl TV Tower - Yangpu Bridge - Waibaidu Bridge - Monument to the People's Heroes - Peace Hotel - Customs House - back to Shiliupu Pier
Huangpu River Cruise Tour
There are several tours that you can sign up for, from a short, 30-minute cruise to a long, 210-minute cruise. All of the Huangpu River Cruises are round trips.
The 45-minute cruise passes the Bund, then proceeds northward to the area designated as the New Bund, and on to Binjiang Avenue of Pudong, a newly developed economic district, where the cruise boat reverses itself and proceeds back to its point of origin at Shiliupu Pier, south of the Bund.
The 1-hour excursion proceeds beyond Pudong as far as the Yangpu Bridge, while the 2-hour excursion ends at the Nanpu Bridge farther north, both graceful suspension bridges (a bridge reveals its beauty more readily when viewed from the side, which is the view provided by a Huangpu River Cruise).
The longest excursion lasts 210 minutes and ends at Wusongkou Harbor, not far from the mouth of the Huangpu, which empties into the great estuary where the Yangtze meets the East China Sea.
Best Time to Visit the Huangpu River
The best time to visit for a Huangpu River Cruise is arguably at night, specifically between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM, when you can witness the fantastic illuminated views of Shanghai’s skyline. This is when the modern skyscrapers of Pudong and the historical buildings of the Bund light up, providing a twinkling spectacle that beautifully reflects onto the river's surface.
In terms of seasons, spring (March-May) and autumn (September-November) provide the most comfortable climate for a river cruise. The weather during these periods is typically mild and pleasant, perfect for enjoying the cruise on the open deck.
However, bear in mind that cruises during national holidays, such as National Day (1st of October) and Labor Day (1st of May), may be crowded due to a high influx of tourists. Booking in advance during these times is strongly recommended.
Related Reading: Shanghai weather
Where to Take the Huangpu River Cruise
There are several docks along the Huangpu River where you can catch a cruise. Be sure to check your ticket or booking for specific details, as the departure point may vary depending on the cruise operator or type of cruise you select. Here are two popular points of departure.
Shiliupu Wharf (No.481, Zhongshan East Road)- Recommended
The main wharf for the Huangpu River Cruise. Modern vessels with multiple decks depart from here. This pier is just south of the Bund and is easily accessible.
- Operation Hours: 18:40 - 21:30. The cruise operation times may vary with different cruise operators. The timetable might be extended during peak travel seasons.
- Route: Shiliupu Wharf - The Bund - the Oriental Pearl Tower - Shanghai Tower - Yangpu Bridge - Nanpu Bridge
- Tickets: CNY120 for a daytime cruise; CNY150 for a night cruise
- Boarding Site: Cruises on daytime are at Dock No.1. Cruises at night are at Dock No.2.
- How to Get There: Take Line 10 or 14 to Yuyuan Garden Station, then exit from Exit 7. From there, it's a 10-minute walk eastward to Shiliupu Wharf. By Taxi or Didi (the Chinese equivalent of Uber): Tell the driver to take you to "Shiliupu Matou" (十六铺码头).
Jinling East Dock (No.141, Zhongshan East 2nd Road)
This is another popular boarding location for the cruise. It's particularly used for river-hop cruises and smaller boat cruises or sightseeing boats with buffet dinners.
- Operation Hours: 17:00 - 21:30. The cruise operation times may vary with different cruise operators. The timetable might be extended during peak travel seasons.
- Route: Jinling East Dock - The Bund - Lujiazui financial district - The Monument to the People's Heroes - Yangpu Bridge - Nanpu Bridge.
- Tickets: CNY100 for a daytime cruise; CNY120 for a night cruise
- How to Get There: Take Line 10 or 14 and get off at Yuyuan Garden Station, then exit from Exit 7. Walk eastward to reach the dock within 10-15 minutes; By Taxi or Didi (Chinese equivalent of Uber): Inform the driver to take you to "Jinling East Dock" or show them the Chinese name: "金陵东路码头".
Tips: Remember to arrive at least 30 minutes before your cruise departure time to allow for boarding procedures. Please note that wharf locations and cruise times might be subject to change, so it is always a good idea to confirm these details in advance.
Have Dinner on the Huangpu River Cruise
The Huangpu River cruise that offers a buffet dinner has a duration of 2 hours, and the cost is also higher than that of the regular sightseeing cruise. These cruises will board at Dock No. 3 of the Shiliupu Marina.
| Cruise Name | Boarding Time | Touring Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Cruise | 17:30 - 18:30 | 19:10 - 21:10 | CNY358 |
| Magic Merry Star | 17:00 - 18:30 | 18:40 - 20:40 | CNY518 |
| Crystal Princess Cruise | 17:30 - 18:30 | 19:00 - 21:00 | CNY438 |
How to Book Huangpu River Cruise Tickets
Tickets for the Huangpu River Cruise can be purchased in several ways:
On-Site Purchase: Tickets are available for purchase at the ticket office of the wharf, but availability may be limited during peak times.
Online Booking: Tickets can be booked on the official platform of Huangpu River Tour 黄埔游览官方票务平台 via the WeChat mini-program. Some of these offer instant confirmation, e-tickets, and payment in a variety of currencies.
Travel Agencies: China Travel can tailor-make the Huangpu River Cruise as part of your Shanghai tour.
What Can Be Seen Along the Cruise
When you take a cruise ride between the buildings on both sides of the Huangpu River, you can see that the buildings on the Puxi are in an old style, while the buildings on the Pudong are modern. The two completely different styles show a big difference and tell the story of how Shanghai has developed.
Old-Style Shanghai - the Bund
Besides offering a privileged view of the bridges that span the Huangpu, the cruise boats also offer an excellent view of the famous colonial-era buildings that make up the Bund, buildings such as the Peace Hotel with its unique pyramid roof in blazing green and the Customs House with its large clock tower, and though not to everyone's taste, behind the original Bund area now shoot up tall skyscrapers.
Those who defend the modern skyscraper background would claim that though the new buildings dwarf the colonial buildings of the "old" Bund, they do not compete with them - or even mar the view - but rather, they almost seem to highlight the older-period buildings as gentle, rounded "foothills" to the soaring, "jagged peaks" of the skyscraper background.
Modern Metropolis - the New Bund
On the east or Pudong, side of the river, one sees the towering skyscrapers of the New Bund area, which include Shanghai's justly famous Jin Mao Tower, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai Tower featuring twin glass domes, a number of Chinese and international hotels, the office buildings that serve as headquarters to a number of Chinese and international - or rather, multinational - enterprises, as well as malls, plazas, and bustling street life.
Some Hidden History along the Huangpu River
A Huangpu River Cruise is "history revisited" in the sense that it affords many glimpses of Shanghai's past during the period, the beginning of the 20th century through WWII. This corresponds to the period during which foreign powers had forced trade and territorial concessions upon China (the so-called Unequal Treaties, which also bequeathed Hong Kong to Britain).
Large swaths of the city of Shanghai had once become defaced colonies run by European and North American countries, as well as by Russia and Japan. The Bund is itself a testimony to this period since it belonged to the British settlement before it became a part of the so-called International Settlement, which was mainly a British-American "colony".
It also spans the period leading up to WWII in the Pacific theatre, as Japan had invaded China long before Hitler began to display the hegemonic tendencies in Europe that would culminate in WWII there. The outbreak of WWII in the Pacific theater that drew in the Americans and the Europeans (as well as most, if not all, of the rest of the Anglo-Saxon world) into direct conflict with Japan had its most dramatic and sobering.
Beginning in the city of Shanghai, this event was unforgettably captured in the Steven Spielberg film, Empire of the Sun, about an aristocratic boy who suddenly finds himself alone on the streets of Shanghai (his parents were rounded up by the Japanese invaders, but the boy managed to keep out of their clutches for a time), and ends up in a concentration camp of sorts surrounded by adults, and where the boy quickly learns the fine art of survival, 'by hook or by crook'.
Waibaidu Bridge
Suzhou Creek near Wusong on the northern outskirts of Shanghai is spanned by Waibaidu Bridge, which links the American concession north of the creek (present-day Hongkou District) with the British concession south of the creek.
During the Japanese occupation of the city, which occurred the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, or December 8, 1941 (the Japanese had their settlement in the city, but they decided to seize all of Shanghai in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor), the British and the Americans found themselves unwelcome and were rudely turned out by the Japanese.
While the Japanese maintained at least some degree of civility towards the Westerners at that early stage in the war, this "largesse" did not extend to the Chinese residents of the city, who were compelled to show obeisance to their Japanese occupiers, including obeisance to sentries who guarded the city's bridges. The Chinese residents, on foot or in rickshaws, had to beg and wheedle with their occupiers to even cross the bridge.
Yangshupu Water Plant
Yangpu Bridge spans the Huangpu just south of the small island, Fuxing Dao, which briefly divides the Huangpu into two channels (Fuxing Dao is located just beyond Yangpu, where the river turns due north). Beyond the Bridge lies a large castle-like edifice, the Yangshupu Water Plant.
The plant was built by the British in 1882 after the respective British and American Settlements in Shanghai had been conglomerated into a single settlement, the so-called International Settlement. Further north still, near the mouth of the Huangpu, lies Wusong Fort, which was attacked by British forces in 1842, at the close of the First Opium War (1839-1842).
On the return trip to Shiliupu Pier, as you pass the Shanghai International Cruise Ship Terminal near Pudong, you might wish to contemplate the fact that the cruise liners of many of China's former foes - including those of Japan (and quite possibly those of your own country) - regularly lay up here and that without their contribution to Shanghai's economy, the city would probably not be the oriental pearl that it is today.