The short version
The Bund is a mile-long waterfront walk in central Shanghai where a row of early-twentieth-century stone buildings faces the Pudong skyline across the Huangpu River. It costs nothing, it works at any hour, and it is the one walk in the city every visitor should do at least twice: once by day for the architecture, once after dark for the lights on both banks. I have walked it more times than I can count, and the part most guides skip is the river breeze and the ferry horn; the part they oversell is the word “colonial,” which sounds heavier than what you see, which is a very handsome, very photographed street of banks and clubs. Go on a weekday morning, walk it slowly, then cross on the ferry and look back.
This guide covers the walk itself, the buildings worth stopping for, the best times of day, how to get there, and the food before and after. For the eating, the Shanghai food guide is the companion piece; for the wider region, Nanjing and Qingdao are the right comparison stops.
What the Bund actually is
The Bund, Zhongshan Road in Chinese, runs about 1.5 kilometers along the west bank of the Huangpu, from Yan’an Road at the south end to the river confluence at the north, where the Waibaidu Bridge spans the water. The buildings date from the 1860s to the 1930s, when the riverfront was the concession-era business district: banks, trading houses, clubs, and newspaper offices. It was never a residential row, which is why the scale is big and the frontage is continuous; for about a kilometer there is nothing but stone facades and plane trees. The road was widened and the promenade rebuilt around Expo 2010, which is when the current wide riverside walk and the viewing platforms date from. Today it is a pedestrian promenade, free, open all hours, and patrolled by the odd security guard who tells you to get off the grass.
The buildings worth stopping for
Five stops make the list. The Peace Hotel on the corner of Nanjing Road is the famous one, the green pyramid roof from 1929, the old Cathay Hotel where Noël Coward and Charlie Chaplin stayed, with the jazz bar in the basement that still plays most evenings. The Customs House next door has the clock modeled on Big Ben and the chimes that play on the hour. The HSBC Building, now used by the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, is the domed one that was once called the most luxurious building between the Suez and the Bering Strait; you can usually walk into the lobby and look up at the mosaic ceiling. The Bank of China Building is the Art Deco one with the Chinese detailing mixed in, and at the north end the Waibaidu Bridge is the steel camelback span of 1908, the old Garden Bridge, worth the extra ten minutes.
| Building | Year | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Peace Hotel (Fairmont) | 1929 | Green pyramid roof, lobby, basement jazz bar |
| Customs House | 1927 | The clock and chimes, modeled on Big Ben |
| HSBC Building | 1923 | The dome and the lobby mosaic ceiling |
| Bank of China Building | 1937 | Art Deco with Chinese detailing |
| Waibaidu Bridge | 1908 | The steel camelback bridge at the north end |
Pudong and the view back
Across the river, Lujiazui has the Oriental Pearl Tower, the bottle-opener World Financial Center, the twisting Shanghai Tower, and the malls that light the whole bank at night. The view from the Bund is the skyline; the view of the Bund is from the Pudong promenade, which is where the postcard of the facades is actually taken. Take the ferry from the Jinling East Road terminal, a couple of yuan on a metro card, and the seven-minute crossing beats any tour boat for value. The river is working water: barges, tugs, and the container terminals downstream, and the ferry horn is part of the atmosphere rather than an interruption of it.
Two mistakes to avoid. The first is doing the Bund only at night: the facades are stone and the detail is lost in the dark, so the day walk is the architecture and the night walk is the show. The second is stopping at the Peace Hotel corner. The northern stretch, past the Customs House to the Waibaidu Bridge, is quieter and the buildings are just as good, and the river bend at the north end frames the whole skyline. The cruise terminal at the far north end belongs to the ships, not the walk, so save the extra kilometer for a return trip.
Best times of day
Morning, seven to nine, is the local hour: tai chi under the trees, wedding crews in white dresses on the steps, the facades in flat light. Midday is bright and hard for photos. The golden hour before sunset is the best compromise for both banks, and after dark the lights come on on both sides, usually until 11 pm. Weekends and holidays are a crush; the promenade fills and the wedding-photo crews multiply. The best time to visit China advice about avoiding the national holiday weeks applies here with full force, because the Bund is the first stop on every itinerary and the crowd is proportional to that fact.
Getting there and getting around
Metro Line 2 to East Nanjing Road puts you at the south end by the Peace Hotel; Line 10 to Nanjing East Road or Tiantong Road at the middle; Line 12 to International Cruise Terminal at the north. The public transport China system makes the walk easy from anywhere in the city, and the walk itself is the point: start at the Peace Hotel, walk north, cross on the ferry or double back on the same bank. A full length walk takes 30 to 45 minutes at photo pace; the whole loop with the Pudong promenade and the ferry is two hours.
Food around the Bund
The riverfront itself is not a food district; the restaurants in the Bund buildings are expensive and the view is what you pay for. Walk ten minutes inland for the real thing: the lanes around Yunnan South Road and Fujian Road for the old-school Shanghai breakfast, the shengjian bao stalls that hiss in the shop window, and the congee shops that open at six. The Shanghai food guide covers where to eat properly across the city, including the streets behind the Bund, where the classic soup dumpling and scallion-oil noodle shops still feed the office workers at lunch. A coffee in the Peace Hotel lobby is the splurge; a basket of shengjian bao on Yunnan South Road is the better value and the better breakfast.
Photography on the Bund
The promenade is a magnet for wedding crews with reflectors and for tripod-toting enthusiasts, and the guards sometimes ask tripods to be put away at the busiest hours. The photo etiquette rules apply: do not block the promenade, do not photograph people without a nod, and give the wedding crews space; they will return the favor. For the skyline, the north end near the Waibaidu Bridge is the classic angle, and the Pudong side gives you the Bund with the facades lit. Bring a lens with reach if you want building detail, and go early if you want the promenade to yourself.
Quick facts
- The Bund is about 1.5 km of riverfront promenade on the west bank of the Huangpu.
- It is free, open all hours, and best walked at dawn or after dark.
- Metro Line 2, East Nanjing Road, drops you at the Peace Hotel end.
- The ferry across to Pudong costs a couple of yuan on a metro card.
- The buildings date from the 1860s to the 1930s, banks and trading houses.
- The lights on both banks usually run until about 11 pm.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the walk take?
Thirty to 45 minutes at a photo pace for the full length; two hours with the Pudong promenade and the ferry loop.
Is the Bund worth it at night?
Yes, the lights on both banks are the point, and the river breeze helps in summer. If you only go once, go at sunset and stay for the lights.
Do I need a ticket?
No, the promenade is free. The Peace Hotel lobby and jazz bar are open to visitors, and the museums in the Bund buildings sometimes charge; the walk itself never does.
What is the best time of day for photos?
Early morning for the empty promenade and the facades, sunset for both banks at once. The breakfast streets inland make a good morning pairing before the light gets hard.
Can I see the Bund from Pudong?
That is the better skyline photo. The Pudong promenade faces the facades, and the ferry crossing is the cheapest way to do the round trip.
Is it crowded?
On weekends and holidays, very. Weekday mornings are quiet, and that is when the locals have the place back.
How does it compare to other waterfronts in China?
The Qingdao waterfront has the German-era buildings without the skyline, and Nanjing has the river and the old wall but a different scale. The Bund’s combination of continuous historic facades plus a modern skyline across the water is unique.
Planning a Shanghai route
The Bund is the anchor of a Shanghai walking route: start at the Peace Hotel end in the early morning, walk north to the bridge, cross on the ferry for the skyline view back, then eat inland on the streets the Shanghai food guide covers. Tell us how many mornings you have, whether you want the jazz bar or the shengjian bao, and how you feel about crowds, and we will set the route so the promenade is yours when you walk it. The buildings are fixed; the route is what we shape.
Written by the ChinaTravelFood editorial team.
