The Bund (Waitan), Shanghai: 2026 Travel Guide, History & What to See

Last updated: July 2026. This post contains affiliate links — if you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Book Tours & Activities at The Bund

Hand-picked Bund & Huangpu River experiences you can book online — walking tours, night cruises and combined Shanghai day tours:

The Bund Half-Day Walking TourCheck price on Klook →Huangpu River Night Cruise + BuffetCheck price on Klook →Oriental Pearl Tower + Bund Night TourCheck price on Klook →

If Shanghai has one unmissable stretch of pavement, it’s this one. The Bund (外滩, Wàitān) is the 1.5 km riverside promenade that runs along the west bank of the Huangpu River in Huangpu District, facing the futuristic Pudong skyline across the water. On one side stand 52 grand stone buildings from the city’s treaty-port era – banks, trading houses and hotels built in Neoclassical, Beaux-Arts, Gothic and Art Deco styles. On the other side, Shanghai Tower, the Oriental Pearl Tower and Jin Mao Tower light up the night. There’s no ticket, no gate and no closing time – just walk, and the contrast does the rest.

Please read before you go: The Bund itself is a free, open-air public promenade with no admission and no fixed hours. The prices above are for optional add-ons nearby (river cruises, the pedestrian tunnel, and the Oriental Pearl Tower across the river) – always confirm the current price on the official site or the booking widgets on this page before you travel.

A Waterfront Built by Treaty: The History of the Bund

Until the 1840s, this stretch of the Huangpu River was little more than a muddy towpath outside Shanghai’s old walled city. That changed after China’s defeat in the First Opium War: the 1842 Treaty of Nanking forced the Qing government to open Shanghai as a treaty port, and the 1845 Shanghai Land Regulations handed a strip of land north of the old city to British merchants as a concession. The Americans settled Hongkou in 1848 and merged with the British area in 1863 to form the Shanghai International Settlement, while the French kept a separate concession to the southwest from 1849.

Foreign banks, trading houses (hongs) and shipping firms built their headquarters facing the river, and from 1854 to 1941 the Bund functioned as Shanghai’s financial nerve center – earning it the nickname the “Oriental Wall Street.” The 52 buildings recognized today as the historic Bund span Renaissance, Neoclassical, Beaux-Arts, Gothic, Romanesque, Baroque and Art Deco styles, which is why architecture writers often call the strip a “museum of world architecture” – a dense, walkable timeline of early-20th-century Western design transplanted onto a Chinese riverbank. After 1949 many buildings became government and state-bank offices; since the 1990s, as Pudong’s skyscraper skyline rose directly across the water, the Bund has kept its role as the visual anchor of old Shanghai facing the new.

Walking the Bund: What to See, South to North

The Bund proper runs along Zhongshan East 1st Road (中山东一路), from Yan’an Road in the south to Waibaidu Bridge in the north. Most visitors start at the southern end near Chen Yi Square and walk north along the raised riverside deck, working through this rough sequence:

• Chen Yi Square – the informal southern starting point, named for Shanghai’s first Communist-era mayor, with the best angle for wide skyline photos.
• HSBC Building (No. 12) – a domed 1923 Neoclassical landmark once called “the most luxurious building from the Suez Canal to the Bering Strait,” now the Pudong Development Bank.
• Customs House (No. 13) – next door, topped by “Big Ching,” a clock tower modeled on Big Ben that still chimes on the hour.
• Fairmont Peace Hotel (No. 20) – the green pyramid-roofed 1929 Art Deco icon, historically the Cathay Hotel, still hosting live jazz in its ground-floor bar.
• Bank of China Building (No. 23) – a 1937 blend of Art Deco massing and Chinese roof detailing, deliberately built to outshine its foreign neighbors.
• Waibaidu Bridge – the steel truss bridge (1908) marking the Bund’s northern end, where the Suzhou Creek meets the Huangpu River.

Budget 1.5–2 hours to walk the full length at an easy pace with photo stops; add another hour if you plan to cross into a building lobby, ride the sightseeing tunnel, or continue on to Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, which meets the Bund at its midpoint and runs west into the city’s main shopping district.

Best Time to Visit: Day vs Night

The Bund rewards a visit at both ends of the day, for different reasons:

• Early morning (6:00–8:00am) – the quietest window, popular with local residents doing tai chi along the promenade; softest light for photos of the colonial facades.
• Sunset (around 5:30–7:30pm) – golden light on the historic buildings, before the crowds peak.
• Night (roughly 6:30–10:00 or 10:30pm) – the signature Bund experience: the historic buildings are floodlit and the Pudong skyline’s towers run their light shows. Exact illumination hours shift seasonally and around holidays, so treat evening timing as approximate and check locally if you want to catch the very last lights.

Spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) bring the mildest weather for a long riverside walk; summer is hot and humid, and winter river winds are sharp, so dress in layers if you’re visiting December–February.

How to Get There

The Bund sits in central Huangpu District and is easiest to reach by metro – there is no dedicated Bund station, so visitors use one of the surrounding stops depending on which end of the promenade they want.

From East Nanjing Road Station, it’s about a 5–10 minute walk east down Nanjing Road to reach the river. Taxis and ride-hailing apps (see our DiDi guide) can drop off closer to Chen Yi Square, though weekend and holiday traffic near the river can be slow – the metro is usually faster.

Where to Stay Near The Bund

Two areas put you within easy walking distance of the promenade:

The Bund / Waitanyuan itself has a small cluster of luxury hotels inside former concession-era buildings – ideal if you want to step outside straight onto the riverfront, at a premium price.

Nanjing Road / People’s Square is a short walk or one metro stop away, with a much wider range of mid-range and budget options, plus easy access to shopping, restaurants and the metro interchange.

Klook.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Bund free to visit?
Yes – the promenade is a public, open-air walkway with no ticket and no fixed closing time. Paid extras nearby (river cruises, the sightseeing tunnel, the Oriental Pearl Tower) are optional.

How long do you need at the Bund?
1.5–2 hours to walk the full 1.5 km promenade with photo stops; longer if you add a river cruise or continue on to Nanjing Road.

Is the Bund better during the day or at night?
Both are worth it for different reasons – daytime shows off the colonial architecture in detail, while night brings the illuminated skyline on both banks. If you can only pick one, most first-time visitors choose evening.

What’s the closest metro station to the Bund?
East Nanjing Road Station (Line 2/10) is the most central option; Yuyuan Garden Station (Line 10/14) suits the southern end and Tiantong Road Station (Line 10/12) suits the northern end near Waibaidu Bridge.

Final Word

The Bund is Shanghai’s easiest great sight: free, open around the clock, and built to be walked slowly with the city’s two eras – treaty-port stone and 21st-century glass – facing off across the water. Time it for sunset into evening if you only get one visit, then let a Huangpu River cruise or a wander down Nanjing Road extend the night.

This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you. Prices and hours can change – always confirm on official sources before you visit.

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