
Yu Garden is Shanghai's most celebrated classical garden, begun in the Ming Jiajing era by Pan Yunduan, governor of Sichuan, to please his parents. Across roughly 2 hectares its pavilions, rockeries and ponds are arranged with great finesse, earning it the title "crown of Jiangnan gardens" and the status of a masterpiece of the Jiangnan garden art.




Quick Answer
Is Yu Garden (Yuyuan Garden) worth visiting?
A classical Ming garden in Shanghai first built in 1559 and counted among Jiangnan's four great gardens, covering about 2 hectares; tickets 30-40 yuan, open 8:30-17:30.
| Ticket | CNY 40 peak season, CNY 30 off season |
|---|---|
| Hours | 8:30-17:30 (off season); 8:30-18:00 (peak season) |
| Recommended duration | 1-2 hours |
| Best time to visit | Spring (April-May) and autumn (September-November) |
| How to get there | Metro Line 10 to Yuyuan Garden station, then a 10-minute walk; buses 11, 26, 64 and more |
| English signage | Yes |
| Wheelchair accessible | Partial |
| Area | About 2 hectares |
| Built | Ming Jiajing era (1559) |
| Status | One of Jiangnan's four great gardens |
| Style | Ming-era Jiangnan garden |
| Signature sights | Sansui Hall, Yangshan Hall, rockeries |
| Around it | City God Temple shopping district |
Yu Garden sits beside the City God Temple, and together they form a bustling commercial quarter. The surrounding Yuyuan Shopping Mall packs in time-honored brands and new names alike; after the garden, sample Shanghai snacks and pick up souvenirs. Come early in the morning to beat the crowds.
Metro Line 10 to Yuyuan Garden station, Exit 3, then about a 10-minute walk along Fuyou Road
They are adjacent — Yu Garden is the classical garden, the City God Temple is a temple and shopping district. See them together.
About 1-2 hours.
Not inside, but the surrounding streets are packed with snack shops.
Jing'an Temple
Shanghai's oldest and most famous temple, Jing'an Temple, founded in 247 in the Three Kingdoms era; the 50 yuan ticket includes three incense sticks, open 7:30-17:00.
Century Park
Century Park is Pudong's largest green space at 140 hectares — sweeping lawns, flower seasons and open-air music festivals; entry CNY 20.
City God Temple (Chenghuang Temple)
The spiritual heart of old Shanghai, anchoring the Yuyuan Garden bazaar and its sprawling small-commodities market. Temple entry CNY 10.
Sweet Love Road (Tian'ai Road)
Sweet Love Road (Tian'ai Road) is Shanghai's most romantic street — a 300 m tunnel of plane trees and a favorite photo stop.
French Concession
Shanghai's leafy plane-tree quarter, the French Concession of 1849-1943; free to wander, shops about 10:00-20:00, by Jiaotong University or Shanghai Library metro stations.
Jade Buddha Temple
Famous Shanghai Buddhist temple of 1918 with two Burmese jade Buddhas, seated 1.9 m and reclining 4.6 m; entry 30 yuan, 8:00-17:00, 10 minutes' walk from Jiangning Road station.
Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street
China's busiest shopping street in Shanghai, about 1.2 km long with over 100 years of history and roughly 1 million visitors a day; free, malls 10:00-22:00.
Oriental Pearl Tower
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People's Square
Shanghai's central square of about 140,000 sqm, free and open, ringed by the Shanghai Museum, the Grand Theatre and metro lines 1, 2 and 8.
Qibao Ancient Town
Thousand-year-old water town of Song-dynasty origin about 20 km from downtown Shanghai; free entry with a 30-yuan combo ticket, a 15-minute walk from Qibao metro station.
Shanghai Disneyland
The first Disney park on mainland China, open since June 2016 in Pudong, with the tallest Disney castle anywhere (~60 m) and rides you can't get elsewhere like TRON and the redesigned Pirates.
Shanghai Museum
China's top museum of ancient art, about 1.02 million objects in its 1995 People's Square home; free with reservation, 9:00-17:00, closed Mondays, star piece the Da Ke Ding bronze.
Shanghai Tower
Shanghai Tower is China's tallest building at 632 m — second tallest in the world, designed as a dragon-like spiraling form.
The Bund
Shanghai's signature waterfront: 52 historic buildings in every style — the 'Exhibition of World Architecture' — with the best night views in the city.
Shanghai World Financial Center
One of the three Lujiazui skyscrapers, nicknamed 'the bottle opener' for its trapezoid aperture, with an observation deck up on the 100th floor.
Xintiandi
Shikumen renovation district opened in 2001, now a Shanghai fashion landmark; free entry, shops about 10:00 to 02:00, a 5-minute walk from South Huangpi Road station on Metro Lines 1 and 10.
Zhujiajiao Ancient Water Town
Zhujiajiao is Shanghai's best-preserved water town, 1,700 years old, with 36 stone bridges and intact Ming-Qing architecture. Free entry (combo ticket CNY 40), 8:30-17:00.
M50 Art District
A converted 1930s wool-spinning mill on Moganshan Road now hosting 130+ artist studios and galleries; plan 2–3 hours for a real walk-through, not a quick photo stop.
China Art Museum
Modern and contemporary Chinese art in the striking former China Pavilion from Expo 2010. Free entry. Home of the animated digital "Along the River During the Qingming Festival.
China Maritime Museum
Maritime Silk Road, Zheng He's treasure ships, and a full-size Ming Dynasty junk replica inside a sail-shaped building near Dishui Lake. China's national maritime museum. ¥50.
HOW Art Museum
A private contemporary art museum in Pudong with about 3,000 sqm of exhibition space, walkable in 90 minutes if you skip the gift-shop vortex.
Long Museum (Pudong)
Two million RMB and eight years of collecting went into this private art museum in the Pudong riverfront — set aside about 2 hours and arrive before noon.
Long Museum West Bund
Shanghai's largest private art museum, built in a former coal warehouse on the West Bund — 33,000 sqm of modern and contemporary Chinese art including Wang Jianwei.
Power Station of Art
China's first state-run contemporary art museum, set inside a converted 1897 British-built coal-fired power plant on the Huangpu River — admission is free and 2-3 hours covers the main halls.
Rockbund Art Museum
Contemporary art in a striking 1933 Art Deco building on the Bund. ¥50. Rotating exhibitions by Chinese and international artists. The building rivals the art.
Shanghai History Museum
Shanghai's journey from fishing village to 1930s "Paris of the East" — told through artifacts, photographs, and immersive street scenes. Below the Oriental Pearl Tower. Free.
Shanghai Museum
China's best museum for ancient Chinese art — 5 floors of bronzes, jades, ceramics, calligraphy, paintings, coins and Ming-Qing furniture. Free, on People's Square.
Shanghai Natural History Museum
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Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre
Private collection of Mao-era propaganda posters in a basement gallery. ¥20. One of Shanghai's most distinctive small museums. A window into 20th-century Chinese political art.
Shanghai Propaganda Posters
Note: this slug is an alternate reference for the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre, the ¥20 basement museum of 5,000+ Mao-era posters — see that entry for tickets and hours.
Shanghai Science and Technology Museum
A family-oriented science museum with robot musicians, a walk-through animal world, and Shanghai's best hands-on physics exhibits — budget a full afternoon (4–5 hours). ¥60 adults, ¥30 students.
Shanghai Urban Planning Museum
A 5-floor museum inside Shanghai's municipal government building showing the city's past, present, and future urban planning — the highlight is a 1:500 scale model of Shanghai in 2035. ¥50.