The Shanghai Tower observation deck is on the 118th floor, 546 m above Lujiazui, according to the tower’s official site. This guide covers Shanghai Tower tickets, opening hours, how a foreign visitor can buy a ticket and how to reach the entrance. Where sources disagree, we show the range and name them. The desk has not visited the tower, so nothing here is first-hand.
- Adult ticket
- CNY 180 (about USD 27)
- Deck
- 118th floor, 546 m (official site)
- Hours
- Most sources: 08:30–22:00, last entry 21:30. Official hours not found.
- Metro
- Lujiazui: Line 2 Exit 6, Line 14 Exit 9A
- Foreign visitors
- Passport accepted on Klook and Headout
Checked 8 Oct 2026 Shanghai Tower official site, Trip.com, Klook, Headout, Ctrip, EastChinaTrip, wanderinchina, nomadotravel, CTBUH. Prices converted at 1 USD = 6.7119 CNY (7 Oct 2026).
Is the Shanghai Tower observation deck worth it?
Go for height. At 546 m, the ticketed deck is above anything else in the city: the next tallest tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center, is 492 m in total, and the Oriental Pearl is 468 m. What you cannot get from up there is the Pudong skyline itself, because you are standing in it. For that view, the free Bund promenade across the river works better; see our Bund guide.
The tower has a long list of unconfirmed details, which we cover below. The main ones are the official opening hours, the real queue time and the height of the floor you actually stand on.
Shanghai Tower tickets and prices
We found no official price list. The figures below come from resellers and travel sites, and the adult price has reportedly been CNY 180 since April 2017.
| Ticket | CNY | USD | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | 180 | 26.82 | Trip.com UK (3 Feb 2026), Trip.com HK (Oct 2026), wanderinchina (5 Jun 2026) |
| Student or senior 60+ | 120 | 17.88 | Trip.com UK (Feb 2026), wanderinchina (Jun 2026), nomadotravel |
| Child | 90 | 13.41 | Height band differs: 1.01–1.4 m (Trip.com UK), 1.0–1.4 m (Ctrip), 1.2–1.4 m (wanderinchina) |
| Combo with damper show | 268 | 39.93 | EastChinaTrip (27 Oct 2025) |
| VIP | 298 | 44.40 | wanderinchina (5 Jun 2026) only; adds a guided tour and souvenir |
| Adult via Klook | about 184 | 27.39 | Klook listing; a second Klook product is USD 25.49 |
Children are free under 1.0 m according to Ctrip, Klook and Trip.com UK, but under 1.2 m according to wanderinchina. If your child is between the two heights, check the ticket page you are buying from.
No combo ticket with other Shanghai towers, and no peak-hour, evening or fast-pass price tiers. If you see one on a reseller page, it is not confirmed by the tower.
How to buy Shanghai Tower tickets as a foreign visitor
- <>Official site:<> lists Ctrip, Tongcheng, Lvmama, Meituan and Dianping as sales channels and tells visitors to carry an ID or passport.
- <>Klook:<> accepts a passport and offers free cancellation before you redeem the ticket.
- <>Headout:<> accepts photo ID or a passport.
- <>WeChat mini-program:<> needs a Chinese phone number (wanderinchina, 5 Jun 2026), so skip it without one.
- <>Ticket counter:<> Trip.com UK puts it on the ground floor, nomadotravel on B1. The operator has not confirmed either.
Shanghai Tower observation deck hours
| Source | Hours | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Trip.com UK | 08:30–22:00, last entry 21:30 | Feb 2026 |
| Trip.com HK | 08:30–22:00, last entry 21:30 | Oct 2026 |
| Ctrip | 08:30–22:00, last entry 21:30 | not stated |
| EastChinaTrip | 09:00–21:00 | 27 Oct 2025 |
| Klook | 08:30–20:30 | not stated |
| Trip.com US | Weekdays to 21:00, weekends 22:00–22:30 | not stated |
We could not find official hours. Plan around a 21:30 last entry at best, and check the hours on the ticket page on the day you buy.
Getting to the Shanghai Tower
The tower’s own transit page lists Lujiazui station on Line 2 (Exit 6) and Line 14 (Exit 9A). We did not cross-check the Line 14 exit with the metro operator. Arriving from Pudong airport, the maglev guide shows the fastest route into the city. If you are choosing a hotel for this side of the river, see where to stay in Shanghai.
Best time to visit the Shanghai Tower observation deck
wanderinchina suggests arriving between 17:00 and 20:00 to catch sunset and the city lights. The sunset times below are our own calculation for Shanghai (first of the month), not an official schedule.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | 06:53 | 17:02 |
| 1 Jun | 04:51 | 18:53 |
| 1 Oct | 05:48 | 17:40 |
| 1 Dec | 06:35 | 16:51 |
Queue reports conflict. wanderinchina (Jun 2026) mentions waits of up to 2 hours on peak weekends, while nomadotravel (2026) reports 30 to 45 minutes on peak evenings. For the season as a whole, see the best time to visit Shanghai.
The deck closed on 11 July 2026 during a typhoon, according to The Paper. We found no published rule on closures for wind, typhoons or haze, so check the ticket page and the forecast before you commit to an evening slot.
Rules and what to bring
- Bring your passport. The official site tells visitors to carry ID or a passport.
- Tripods: nomadotravel says they are banned; wanderinchina says small flexible ones are allowed. Leave a full-size tripod at the hotel.
- Large luggage is restricted (Headout).
What else is inside the Shanghai Tower
- <>B1:<> an exhibition area.
- <>119th floor:<> a café (Klook, Headout).
- <>120th floor:<> the Heavenly Jin restaurant at 556 m, open for lunch 11:30–14:00 and dinner 17:30–22:00. Book ahead; no minimum spend is listed (J Hotel, official).
- <>125th–126th floors:<> SKY632 Art Space, with a light show (official).
- <>52nd floor:<> Duoyun Books, free to enter. Window seats carry a CNY 40–50 minimum (wanderinchina, 5 Jun 2026).
The lift runs at 18 m/s and takes about 55 seconds, according to a Xinmin report from April 2017, which makes it old data. Deck height figures also differ: the official site says 546 m, CTBUH lists the observatory at 562.1 m and a 2015 Guinness entry says 561.3 m. We could not confirm which level the standard ticket reaches.
Shanghai Tower vs other observation decks
| Tower | Height | Deck | Price (CNY) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Tower | 632 m | 118th floor, 546 m | 180 |
| Oriental Pearl | 468 m | 263 m, 259 m skywalk, 351 m | 199–220 (wanderinchina, Jun 2026); top tier 399 (nomadotravel); from 175 on Ctrip |
| Shanghai World Financial Center | 492 m | 94th, 97th and 100th floors | 99 and open (EastChinaTrip, 22 Sep 2026; Ctrip reviews to 30 Sep 2026) or closed since 2023 (Wikipedia, nomadotravel) |
| Jin Mao Tower | 420.5 m | 88th floor, about 340 m or 374.5 m (Wikipedia) | 88 (Qunar, Sep 2026) or 120 (nomadotravel) |
If you want a plan that fits the deck into a wider trip, see our 3-day Shanghai itinerary and the full things to do in Shanghai.
Shanghai Tower quick answers
How tall is the Shanghai Tower?
632 m with 128 floors. CTBUH ranks it third tallest in the world, behind the Burj Khalifa (828 m) and Merdeka 118 (about 679 m), although the tower’s own site still calls it the second tallest.
Is the Shanghai Tower taller than the Burj Khalifa?
No. The Burj Khalifa is 828 m, about 196 m taller.
How much are Shanghai Tower tickets?
Adults pay CNY 180 (about USD 27) on most listings. Students and seniors pay CNY 120, children CNY 90.
Can I buy a ticket with a passport?
Yes on Klook and Headout, and the official site tells visitors to carry ID or a passport. The WeChat mini-program needs a Chinese phone number.
Is there a free way up?
We found no free route to the 118th-floor deck. Duoyun Books on the 52nd floor is free to enter, but it is not the observation deck.
We have not visited Shanghai; see how we check. Next in the Shanghai series: the Shanghai hub.