Pudong, Shanghai: neighborhood guide

Pudong means "east of the Huangpu". The river splits Shanghai: Puxi on the west bank holds the Bund, the old city and the French Concession; Pudong on the east was farmland and low-rise housing until about 1990, then became the city's financial district. The administrative Pudong New Area is far larger than the built-up core, stretching south toward the coast; this page covers the central, developed part.

The core is Lujiazui, a peninsula directly across the river from the Bund. It holds the skyline you have seen in photographs: the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Shanghai Tower, the World Financial Center and Jin Mao Tower, plus malls and office towers. Century Avenue is the main street, roughly 5 km long, running inland from Lujiazui to Century Park. Most sights sit on or near it.

The result is a district built for work and views rather than wandering. Streets are wide, blocks are large, and the interesting parts are linked by an elevated walkway and underground passages rather than by interesting ground-level streets. That is the trade-off: excellent transport and hotels, thin street life.

Choose Pudong for a short stop, a business trip, or a hotel with a river view. Lujiazui hotels are modern, quiet and often cheaper per star than equivalent Puxi addresses, and Line 2 puts you a few stops from the Bund and on a direct line to Pudong Airport. If you land late or fly out early, sleeping here removes a stressful cross-city transfer.

Choose Puxi instead if this is your first visit and you want to walk out of your door into the Shanghai people describe: lane houses, small restaurants, bars and markets. The French Concession, Jing'an and Huangpu all deliver that; Lujiazui does not. Many travellers compromise by staying in Puxi and spending one evening in Pudong for the skyline and a rooftop bar.

Families and anyone who values a large room, a pool and a quiet night do well here. Solo travellers looking for atmosphere usually do not.

Pudong's food is mostly inside malls and hotels: the IFC Mall and Super Brand Mall near Lujiazui carry everything from dumpling chains to international restaurants, and the towers hold skyline bars and high-floor restaurants where the view is part of the bill. Reserve for the famous rooms and expect city-view pricing.

For cheaper, more local eating, walk or ride a stop or two inland from Lujiazui, or head to the residential blocks around Century Avenue and Century Park, where small noodle shops, dumpling places and supermarkets serve office workers and residents. Quality is ordinary but prices are normal Shanghai levels.

If food is the point of your trip, base in Puxi. The French Concession, Huangpu and Jing'an have the density of small kitchens, cafes and late-night spots that Pudong lacks.

There is no pedestrian bridge across the Huangpu. From the Bund, your options are the metro, a taxi, the ferry near Yan'an Donglu (about ¥2, the cheapest crossing, 2026 estimate) or the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel, an underground people-mover at around ¥45 that is a novelty rather than transport.

Metro Line 2 is the workhorse: it runs east-west under Century Avenue, connects Puxi to Pudong and continues to Pudong Airport. Lines 4, 6 and 9 also serve the district, and Lines 7, 8, 11, 12 and 13 cross the river too. Century Avenue station is the main interchange. From Lujiazui station, an elevated walkway links the Oriental Pearl Tower, the World Financial Center, Super Brand Mall and the IFC Mall, which keeps you off the roads.

From Pudong Airport, take the Maglev to Longyang Rd (about 10 minutes, ¥50 single, ¥40 with a same-day flight ticket, 2026 estimate), Metro Line 2, or a taxi at roughly ¥150. The Maglev and metro both stop running in the evening, around 21:00–21:30, so a late landing means a taxi. By car, the Yan'an Tunnel is the main road link and queues badly at rush hour and on weekend evenings; the Renmin Lu Tunnel further south is often quicker.