Things to do in Shanghai with kids: best attractions and family tips

Shanghai splits neatly for kids: a Pudong cluster of indoor attractions on Metro Line 2, and a Puxi cluster of parks, the Bund and the old town. Pick one cluster per half-day rather than crossing the river twice.

The science museum in Pudong is the single best rainy-day answer: hands-on halls, robots and a children's discovery area, with the aquarium a short ride away at Lujiazui. For open air, Century Park in Pudong and Zhongshan Park in Puxi both have lawns, rides and space to run. The Bund is best at 8–10am before the crowds and heat, and the Huangpu ferry across to Pudong costs a couple of yuan and is a ride in itself.

Almost everything on this list sits on Metro Line 2: Pudong airport, Lujiazui (aquarium), People's Square (Shanghai Museum, Natural History Museum) and the science museum area. Buy a transit card or use the metro QR code in Alipay, which avoids queueing at machines with children in tow.

Taxis and ride-hailing are cheap by US or UK standards and worth it in the afternoon heat or with a stroller. Have your destination written in Chinese on your phone; many drivers speak no English. The Bund, Yu Garden and Nanjing Road are walkable from each other, but the walk is longer than it looks on a map — plan 20–30 minutes between stops.

Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly; it is the default way to pay for metro rides, taxis, snacks and tickets, and it is hard to fix at the airport. Carry tissues and hand gel — public toilets often have no paper — and expect squat toilets in parks and older streets.

Chinese restaurants serve family-style, so order two or three dishes and share; plain rice, noodles and steamed buns are reliable for picky eaters. Tap water is not for drinking, so buy sealed bottles or boil. Strollers are fine in malls and museums but awkward in the old town lanes and on Bund stairs; a light carrier helps.

Book timed-entry slots for the big museums and Disneyland in advance, especially on weekends and Chinese public holidays, when queues double. Keep one indoor attraction in reserve every day — summer thunderstorms and winter haze both arrive without much warning.

April–May and October–November give the best walking weather for parks, the Bund and the old town. July–August is hot, humid and wet, so weight the day towards indoor attractions and start early. December–February is cold and often grey, but museums, aquariums and Disneyland are quieter outside the Lunar New Year week.

Avoid the first week of October and the Lunar New Year holiday if you can: domestic crowds fill every family attraction. Weekday mornings are the calmest slot for the science museum, aquarium and Bund, and the cheapest time to move around by taxi.