4 best museums in Shanghai

Museums in Shanghai

Museum · The Bund and People's Square

1.Shanghai Museum

The drum-shaped museum on People's Square holds one of China's finest collections of ancient bronzes, ceramics, calligraphy, jade and furniture, with clear English labelling.

Time needed

2–3 hours

Cost

Free

• History
• Art
• Free
• Rainy day

Museum · Jing'an

2.Shanghai Natural History Museum

Housed in a spiralling modern building in Jing'an Sculpture Park, the museum has dinosaur skeletons, a hall of African animals and hands-on displays on evolution and ecosystems.

Time needed

2–3 hours

Cost

Low cost

• Kids
• Rainy day
• Nature

Gallery · Huangpu riverside

3.Power Station of Art

China's first state-run contemporary art museum occupies a converted power plant on the 2010 Expo site, its 165-metre chimney still standing.

Time needed

1.5–2 hours

Cost

Low cost

• Art
• Architecture
• Rainy day
• Off the beaten path

Museum · North Bund and Hongkou

4.Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum

Set in the former Ohel Moshe Synagogue in Hongkou, the museum tells the story of about 20,000 Jewish refugees who fled Europe to Shanghai in the 1930s and 1940s, through photographs, documents and personal stories.

Time needed

1–1.5 hours

Cost

Low cost

• History
• Rainy day
• Off the beaten path

Grouped by area

Booking and timing

Of these 4, 1 free, 3 low cost. Book ahead for Shanghai Museum and Shanghai Natural History Museum. The longest visit is Shanghai Museum; group the rest by area to save travel time.

• Shanghai Museum: Entry is free but usually requires a timed reservation with your passport number; book a few days ahead for weekends.
• Shanghai Natural History Museum: Tickets are sold by timed slot and can sell out at weekends and in school holidays.

How to fit them into 3 half-days

Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.

• Half-day 1 (The Bund and People's Square): Shanghai Museum, at least 2 hours.
• Half-day 2 (Jing'an and Huangpu riverside): Shanghai Natural History Museum → Power Station of Art, at least 4 hours.
• Half-day 3 (North Bund and Hongkou): Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, at least 1 hour.

The quietest months for queues

• December: highs of 11°C (52°F), about 6 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cold and fairly dry; malls and hotels put up Christmas decorations and the skyline is often clearest.
• November: highs of 17°C (63°F), about 7 rainy days, moderate crowds. Crisp, often clear days and golden plane trees in the French Concession; a large trade fair can push up hotel prices.
• September: highs of 28°C (82°F), about 9 rainy days, moderate crowds. Heat eases through the month; late September is pleasant, and hairy crab season begins.

The neighbourhoods they are in

• The Bund and People's Square — Riverfront heritage buildings, Nanjing Road East and the main museums in Huangpu District
• Jing'an — Golden temple roofs, West Nanjing Road malls and serviced apartments
• North Bund and Hongkou — Older residential streets, Duolun Road and the former Jewish refugee quarter

More of Shanghai

All things to do in Shanghai · Where to stay · When to go.

Questions travellers ask