Shanghai: Hop-on Hop-off Bus Ticket and Optional Attractions

Shanghai reveals itself in layers: imperial gardens, old commercial streets, soaring glass towers, and the broad Huangpu River tying it all together. This double-decker bus gives you a quick way to connect those very different parts of the city without piecing together every stop on your own.

I like the three-route design, especially the Red Route through the Bund, Nanjing Road, Yuyuan Garden, and Xin Tian Di. I also like the choice of optional sights, since the Huangpu River cruise and Jin Mao Tower can turn a basic bus pass into a fuller one-day introduction to Shanghai.

The catch is timing. Buses come about every 30 minutes, and the Blue and Green routes finish earlier than the Red Route. Finding the correct stop and redeeming your voucher can also take patience, so this is not a tour for a tightly packed schedule with no room for waiting.

Key points to know before you book

• Three routes cover central Shanghai and Pudong, including the Bund, People’s Square, Jing’an Temple, Oriental Pearl Tower, and Jin Mao Tower.
• A 24 or 48-hour pass begins with first activation, giving you more control than a fixed sightseeing loop.
• The Red Route is the most useful starting point, with the longest operating window and several major city sights.
• Audio commentary is available in eight languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin.
• Optional attraction packages can add real value, but each included attraction ticket is for one entry on a specific day.
• Voucher redemption is required, even if you board at another stop. Use a sales kiosk at People’s Square, the Bund, or Oriental Pearl Tower.

What this Shanghai bus tour is really good for

At about $12 per person for the basic option, this is one of the cheaper ways to get a first look at a huge city. Shanghai’s sights are spread across a wide area, and the three routes help you understand how the older city center relates to the newer Pudong skyline.

I would use the bus in one of two ways. You can ride much of the network first, staying upstairs for the views, then return to the places that catch your eye. Or you can treat it as a practical connection between major stops, getting off at the Bund, Yuyuan Garden, Jing’an Temple, or Pudong towers.

The bus is especially useful if you have only one day, if rain makes long walks unpleasant, or if you want an easy orientation before exploring on foot. The upper deck gives you a broad view of Shanghai’s streets and towers, though conditions vary between buses. One bus may feel heavily air-conditioned, while another can feel warm, particularly upstairs.

The main limitation is that the tour does not remove all waiting. A 30-minute departure interval sounds reasonable, but a missed bus can cost you a large part of an afternoon. Some stops also involve longer pauses before the bus moves again. Build in spare time instead of planning each route down to the minute.

The Red Route links Shanghai’s essential sights

The Red Route, called the Shanghai City Tour, is the best place to begin. Buses operate roughly every 30 minutes from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the route connects many of the city’s most useful first stops.

People’s Square and People’s Park

People’s Square is a convenient central starting point and one of the three places where you can redeem your voucher. The area also puts you near People’s Park and the Shanghai Art Museum.

People’s Park offers a break from the traffic and towers. If you want to start with context, this is a sensible place to get off, walk around, and then continue toward the museum or Nanjing Road.

Remember that the correct meeting area is at the junction of Nanjing Road and Xizang Road. App maps can point you slightly away from the actual bus position, which has caused confusion for some passengers. Look for the designated sightseeing bus and confirm the operator before boarding.

Shanghai Art Museum and Nanjing Road

The Shanghai Art Museum is included on both the Red and Green routes, making it easy to reach from either circuit. Nanjing Road, Shanghai’s famous shopping avenue, gives you a strong sense of the city’s commercial energy and scale.

You do not need to stay on the bus for every stop. Get off if you want to walk part of Nanjing Road, then return to the route at a later stop. Since buses are not especially frequent, check the operating hours before leaving the bus and note the next departure time.

The Bund

The Bund is the essential stop on the Red and Blue routes. Here you face the Huangpu River and Pudong’s wall of modern towers across the water, while the historic waterfront buildings line your side of the promenade.

This is one of the best places to use the bus as an orientation tool. From the upper deck, you get the broad view. On foot, you can slow down and take in the contrast between the old riverfront architecture and the futuristic skyline opposite.

The Bund is also one of the three voucher redemption points. The stop is opposite the Peace Hotel. If your package includes an attraction ticket, redeem your voucher here, at People’s Square, or at the Oriental Pearl Tower before trying to enter the added attraction.

Yuyuan Garden

Yuyuan Garden brings you into a very different Shanghai. The route places this traditional garden district after the Bund, giving you an easy change from monumental waterfront views to older streets and garden architecture.

Allow enough time here if you want more than a quick photograph. The bus ticket is useful for reaching the area, but the garden and nearby streets deserve a slower pace. A 48-hour ticket makes this kind of stop easier because you are not forced to fit every sight into one circuit.

Xin Tian Di

Xin Tian Di is another useful contrast. It is included on the Red Route and offers a more polished urban district feel than the garden area. Use it as a final stop on the Red Route, or simply ride past it if your priority is the river and the major viewpoints.

The Blue Route crosses to Pudong’s towers

The Blue Route focuses on Pudong and operates about every 30 minutes from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It begins at the Bund, crosses toward the modern financial district, and includes several stops near Shanghai’s best-known skyscrapers.

Oriental Pearl Tower

The Oriental Pearl Tower is one of Shanghai’s most recognizable landmarks and a Blue Route stop. It is also a voucher redemption location, so this stop can serve two purposes: begin your Pudong sightseeing and collect any included attraction tickets.

The tower is a strong choice if you want the classic Shanghai skyline in your photographs. Check your selected package carefully, though. The basic bus ticket does not automatically include every attraction.

Shanghai World Financial Center and Jin Mao Tower

The Blue Route also serves the Shanghai World Financial Center and Jin Mao Tower. The towers are close enough in the financial district to make this a natural place to compare different styles of modern Shanghai architecture.

The Jin Mao package includes entry to the 88th-floor Observation Deck, depending on the option you select. That view gives you a high look across Pudong and toward the older central city. It is a useful addition if you want a defined observation deck rather than simply passing the towers by bus.

Cool Docks and Pier 16

Cool Docks gives the Blue Route a change of pace, while Pier 16 is used for the river cruise. The one-hour Huangpu River cruise, when included in your package, adds a view that the bus cannot provide.

From the water, the Bund and Pudong face each other directly. The cruise is most useful as a supplement to the bus, not a substitute for it. The bus helps you move between neighborhoods, while the boat gives you a compact hour of waterfront views.

The Green Route focuses on temples and central streets

The Green Route, or Temple Tour, runs every 30 minutes from about 9:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Its earlier finish makes it the route to plan first if you want to complete all three circuits in one day.

Nanjing Road and the Shanghai Museum

The route begins at Nanjing Road near New World City and continues to the Shanghai Museum. These stops work well together if you want both a busy central avenue and a major cultural sight.

The museum is also near the People’s Square area, so you can combine it with the Red Route. Allow for the possibility that you will need to choose between a full museum visit and riding the complete Green Route. The bus is good at showing you the city, but it cannot give every attraction a full visit in the same day.

Huaihai Road

Huaihai Road offers another view of central Shanghai and links the central sightseeing area with the temple stops. It is a good place to stay on the bus if you are trying to understand the city’s layout, or a possible break point if you want to explore the street independently.

Jing’an Temple and Nanjing West Road

Jing’an Temple is the Green Route’s main historical and religious stop. It sits on Nanjing West Road, where the route also passes the Portman Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

The temple gives the circuit its clearest change from modern commercial Shanghai. If you have limited time, I would prioritize Jing’an Temple over less distinctive bus stops, then continue toward the Shanghai Art Museum and People’s Square.

Optional attractions can change the value calculation

The basic ticket starts at roughly $12, but the final price depends on the option selected. Added packages may include one or more of these:

• Jin Mao Tower 88th-floor Observation Deck
• One-way Bund Sightseeing Tunnel ticket
• One-hour Huangpu River cruise
• Shanghai Tower ticket

The attraction choices are useful because Shanghai’s best-known sights can otherwise add up quickly. A 48-hour option paired with several attractions is particularly practical if you want to spread the city across two days.

The important detail is that attraction tickets are for single entry on a specific day. You cannot assume that one ticket lets you return later or use it on any day of your choice. Redeem your voucher at one of the three official sales kiosks first, then confirm the correct date and entry details.

The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel is convenient for crossing between the Bund and Pudong, but its value depends on your interests. The river cruise offers a fuller view of both sides of the waterfront. The observation decks are better for a high city panorama. If you only have room for one add-on, choose based on the kind of view you want rather than trying to collect every ticket.

Audio commentary is useful, but keep your eyes on the route

The bus provides free headphones and recorded commentary in English, Mandarin, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, and Korean. This is helpful when you want basic context without joining a group with a live guide.

The commentary can be informative, but it is not always perfectly synchronized with the bus position. Some English content may also be slightly out of date. I would use it as background information, not as a precise announcement that tells you exactly when to get off.

Bring or use the route map and keep track of your stop. On a large city tour, it is easy to listen to the narration and miss the place you intended to visit.

How to plan one day without wasting it

For a one-day ticket, start early. A practical plan is to begin at People’s Square, redeem your voucher, and take the Red Route toward the Bund. Get off at the sights that matter most to you, then continue to Yuyuan Garden or Xin Tian Di.

After lunch, use the Blue Route for Pudong. Focus on the Oriental Pearl Tower and the financial district, then take the Huangpu River cruise if your package includes it and the timing works.

The Green Route is harder to fit into the same day because it finishes earlier and includes several central stops that overlap with the Red Route. If completing all three routes matters to you, choose the 48-hour ticket.

With 48 hours, use the first day for the Red and Blue routes, including the Bund and Pudong. Use the second morning for Jing’an Temple, Huaihai Road, the Shanghai Museum, and any observation deck or cruise you did not manage on day one.

Do not assume you can make every connection immediately. The 30-minute intervals, longer pauses, traffic, and attraction entry times all add up. A plan with three major stops and one optional attraction is more realistic than trying to see everything.

Practical details that prevent confusion

You can board at any stop on the routes, but the GetYourGuide voucher must be redeemed at a sales kiosk at People’s Square, the Bund, or the Oriental Pearl Tower. You also need to redeem there before receiving entry tickets for the optional attractions.

At People’s Square, go to the junction of Nanjing Road and Xizang Road. At the Bund, the stop is opposite the Peace Hotel. At Oriental Pearl Tower, the kiosk is outside entrance gate number 2.

Look for the correct operator, sometimes identified as Bus Stop, rather than assuming every sightseeing bus uses the same ticket. Keep your voucher available and confirm the route color before boarding.

The ticket is valid for 24 or 48 hours from first activation, depending on your purchase. Attraction tickets are separate in practical use, even when included in the same package, so do not leave redemption until the last few minutes of the day.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the activity for a full refund, and reserve-now-pay-later booking is offered. Food and drinks are not included, so plan your own meal stops around the route.

Who should book this Shanghai tour?

I would recommend it to first-time visitors, short-stay visitors, families, and anyone who wants a broad view of Shanghai before choosing where to spend more time. It is also a sensible rainy-day option, since you can cover major districts without walking the whole city.

It suits you less if you dislike waiting or want detailed time inside each attraction. Shanghai’s metro and taxis may be faster for point-to-point movement, especially when traffic slows the bus.

The basic ticket is good value for orientation. The added packages become more attractive if you already plan to visit the Jin Mao Tower, take a Huangpu River cruise, or enter the Shanghai Tower. Check the exact inclusions before paying, since the cruise and attraction tickets depend on the option you select.

Should you book it?

Book this if you want an affordable first look at Shanghai and value the freedom to get off at the Bund, Yuyuan Garden, Jing’an Temple, or Pudong towers. The Red Route is the strongest part, while the Blue Route adds the skyline and river views.

Choose 48 hours if you want all three routes or several attractions. Choose 24 hours if you mainly need an overview and will spend the rest of your time exploring a small number of neighborhoods on foot. Just allow extra time for finding stops, redeeming the voucher, and waiting for the next bus.

FAQ

How long is the bus ticket valid?

The ticket is valid for 24 or 48 hours from the time you first activate it, depending on the option selected.

How many sightseeing routes are included?

Three routes are included: the Red Route for the Shanghai city center, the Blue Route for Pudong, and the Green Route for temples and central streets.

What languages are available for the audio commentary?

Audio commentary is available in English, Mandarin, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, and Korean.

Where can I redeem my voucher?

You can redeem it at a sales kiosk at People’s Square, the Bund, or the Oriental Pearl Tower.

Can I board at any stop?

Yes. You can board at any stop on the route, but you must redeem your voucher at one of the designated sales kiosks.

What time do the buses operate?

The Red Route runs approximately every 30 minutes from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Blue Route runs from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Green Route runs from 9:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Are attraction tickets included?

Attraction tickets are included only with the relevant option selected. Possible additions include the Jin Mao Tower 88th-floor Observation Deck, one-way Bund Sightseeing Tunnel, one-hour Huangpu River cruise, and Shanghai Tower.

Is food included?

No. Food and drinks are not included.