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

Shanghai’s hop-on hop-off bus is most useful as a first look at a huge city. Three routes link the old center, Pudong’s skyscrapers, and the main temple district, so you can cover far more ground than you would on foot. The open upper deck gives you a clear view of the skyline, bridges, and streets.

I like the flexibility and the low starting price of $12. I also like the choice of add-ons, especially the Huangpu River cruise and observation decks, which turn a basic city circuit into a fuller sightseeing day. The main drawback is the wait: buses generally come every 30 minutes, and some stops can take longer than expected.

Key points to know before you board

• Three routes cover different sides of Shanghai: red for the central sights, blue for Pudong, and green for temples and western shopping streets.
• The upper deck is worth claiming: Shanghai’s tall buildings can block views from street level, so sit upstairs when weather allows.
• Audio comes in eight languages: English, Spanish, Mandarin, French, German, Russian, Japanese, and Korean.
• Redeem your voucher first: You can board at any stop, but you must exchange the voucher at People’s Square, the Bund, or Oriental Pearl Tower.
• The 48-hour choice gives you breathing room: A 24-hour ticket works for a brisk overview, while two days make the three routes and optional sights easier to combine.
• Attraction tickets depend on the package: Options may include Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai Tower, the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel, and a one-hour Huangpu River cruise.

Why this bus works well in a city this large

Shanghai is spread out, and its main sights are not arranged in one neat walking circuit. The bus helps you connect People’s Square, the Bund, Yuyuan Garden, Jing’an Temple, and Pudong without figuring out every transfer on the metro.

I see this as a city orientation tool first and transport second. A complete ride shows you where the main districts sit, then you can return to the places that deserve more time. It is especially handy if you have only a day, if rain makes long walks unpleasant, or if you want a simple way to reach the major photo stops.

The bus also gives you a useful change of pace. Shanghai’s skyline is best understood from a moving viewpoint. From the upper deck, you can compare the historic waterfront with the glass towers across the river, spot bridges and broad avenues, and get a sense of the city’s scale.

There are tradeoffs. The routes are fairly short, and buses run about every 30 minutes rather than constantly. If you hop off at every interesting stop, you may spend much of the day waiting. The audio can also fall slightly out of sync with the bus, and some English commentary may be out of date.

The red route links the classic central sights

The red Shanghai City Tour is the natural starting point. It runs through the city center and along the Bund, with stops at:

1. People’s Square
2. People’s Park
3. Shanghai Art Museum
4. Nanjing Road
5. The Bund
6. River Cruise, Pier 16
7. Yuyuan Garden
8. Xin Tian Di

People’s Square is the most practical place to begin because it is one of the voucher redemption points. The stop is at the junction of Nanjing Road and Xizang Road. Be careful with maps, since the exact bus position can be confusing around People’s Square and People’s Park.

People’s Park gives you a quick green break from the surrounding roads and towers. The Shanghai Art Museum is nearby, making this section useful if you want to mix sightseeing with indoor culture. You will need to plan your timing, though, because getting off for a museum visit can mean waiting for the next bus.

Nanjing Road is Shanghai’s famous shopping avenue, and the bus offers a quick way to see its scale. The Bund is the essential stop. Get off here if you want time to walk the waterfront and study the contrast between historic European-style buildings on one side of the Huangpu River and Pudong’s modern towers on the other.

Pier 16 is the key transfer point for the river cruise option. The cruise lasts one hour, giving you a different view of the same city. From the water, the Bund and Pudong skyline read as one grand panorama, rather than two separate districts. Check that your selected package includes the cruise, since it is not part of every ticket.

Yuyuan Garden is the red route’s main traditional sight. It is a good place to leave the bus for a longer stop, though the bus cannot turn a garden visit into a quick photo break. Xin Tian Di offers another change of mood, with streets and dining areas that contrast with the formal waterfront and large public squares.

The blue route puts Pudong’s towers in view

The blue Pudong Tour begins around the Bund and crosses to the modern financial district. Its stops include:

1. The Bund
2. Oriental Pearl Tower
3. World Financial Center and Jin Mao Tower
4. Cool Docks
5. River Cruise, Pier 16

This is the route for Shanghai’s famous high-rise views. Oriental Pearl Tower is one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks, while the World Financial Center and Jin Mao Tower show how quickly Pudong developed into a major financial district.

If your package includes the Jin Mao Tower 88/F Observation Deck, this is where the add-on becomes useful. The view gives you a broad look over the Huangpu River and the city’s dense towers. A ticket to Shanghai Tower may also be included in some options, so check the exact package before booking rather than assuming all attractions come together.

The blue route is also the one most affected by weather. On a clear day, the upper deck and observation floors can give you sweeping views. In rain, haze, or heavy cloud, the value of an observation ticket may be less certain, although the bus remains useful for getting around.

Cool Docks adds a less monumental stop to the route. It gives you a break from skyscraper viewing and connects the Pudong circuit with a more relaxed waterfront area. The route departs every 30 minutes from 9 AM to 5:30 PM, which is slightly longer than the red route’s operating window.

The green route makes a temple and shopping circuit

The Green Temple Tour covers central and western Shanghai:

1. Nanjing Road at New World City
2. Shanghai Museum
3. Huaihai Road
4. Jing’an Temple on Nanjing West Road
5. Portman Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Nanjing West Road
6. Shanghai Art Museum
7. People’s Square
8. People’s Park

This route is less about one giant skyline view and more about the city’s public spaces, museums, shopping streets, and religious architecture. Jing’an Temple is the main reason to ride it. The stop lets you see one of Shanghai’s best-known temples without giving up access to the central shopping districts.

The Shanghai Museum and Shanghai Art Museum make this route appealing on a wet day. The bus itself can serve as a covered way to move between indoor stops, though the open upper deck may not be comfortable in bad weather. The Green route runs from 9:15 AM to 4:45 PM, so do not leave it until late afternoon.

You might find the green and blue buses feel less frequent in practice, even with the stated 30-minute schedule. If you want all three routes, start early and avoid building your whole day around a single tight connection.

The optional sights can change the value

The basic ticket is listed at $12 per person, which is a strong price for a full day of sightseeing if you use the bus repeatedly. A short ride with no stops will not provide the same value as using it to connect several districts.

The attraction packages require a closer look. Depending on the option selected, you may receive entry to the Jin Mao Tower 88/F Observation Deck, Shanghai Tower, the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel one way, and a one-hour Huangpu River cruise. These tickets are for single entry on a specific day, so they are not casual open-ended vouchers.

I would compare the package against the individual attraction prices before booking. If you already plan to visit an observation deck and take the river cruise, bundling them with the bus can make sense. If you mainly want a quick city orientation, the basic bus ticket may be enough.

The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel is also an optional extra, not an essential part of the bus experience. It provides a fast crossing beneath the river, but the cruise offers a better sense of Shanghai’s waterfront if you have time for only one add-on.

How to plan one day without wasting time

For a single day, I would redeem the voucher at People’s Square as early as possible. The red route is the easiest first ride because it shows you the city center and leads toward the Bund and Pier 16.

A practical plan looks like this:

• Start with a red-route ride through People’s Square, Nanjing Road, and the Bund.
• Stop at the Bund for a walk and photos.
• Use Pier 16 for the river cruise if it is included in your package.
• Continue or transfer to the blue route for Pudong and the tower district.
• Choose one observation deck rather than trying to fit every attraction into a rushed schedule.
• Use the green route only if you still have enough time before its 4:45 PM final operating window.

The 48-hour ticket is the smarter choice if you want the attractions as well as the bus circuits. One day can cover the three routes, but it leaves little room for museums, Yuyuan Garden, a temple visit, a cruise, and a tower.

Remember that the ticket becomes valid from first activation. Attraction entries are tied to a specific day, so activate and redeem the package with your sightseeing plan in mind.

Boarding, voucher redemption, and practical snags

You may board at any stop, but the GetYourGuide voucher must be exchanged at one of the official sales kiosks. The three stated redemption points are:

• People’s Square, at the junction of Nanjing Road and Xizang Road
• The Bund, opposite the Peace Hotel
• Oriental Pearl Tower, outside entrance gate number 2

This detail matters. Arriving at a stop with only the digital voucher may not be enough to receive the bus ticket or optional attraction tickets. If staff or someone nearby tells you the tickets are invalid, follow the stated redemption process and rely on the official kiosk.

The route map is supplied, and free headphones are available for the audio commentary. The eight language choices make this a practical option for international visitors, though you should not expect every narration detail to match the bus position perfectly.

The buses are double-deckers, but comfort can vary. Air conditioning was reported as too strong on one bus and not working on another, so carry a light layer and keep water with you. Food and drinks are not included.

Who will get the most from this experience

I would recommend this bus to a first-time visitor who wants a broad view before choosing which districts deserve a longer visit. It also suits anyone with a short stay, families or mixed-age groups who prefer not to walk between every major sight, and people who want commentary in a familiar language.

It is a particularly sensible rainy-day fallback. You can still see the main districts from the bus, then get off for the museum, tower, temple, or garden that best fits the weather.

You may prefer Shanghai’s metro and taxis if you enjoy planning every minute, want the fastest point-to-point transport, or dislike waiting in traffic. The bus is about seeing the city as you move through it, not always reaching the next stop by the quickest possible route.

The overall rating is 3.4 from 692 reviews, which fits the experience: excellent value and broad coverage, with uneven timing and stop information. The most praised points are the low cost, the three routes, the useful first impression, the multilingual audio, and the optional sights.

Should you book the Shanghai bus?

Book it if you want a low-cost overview of Shanghai and will use the bus for several rides. The 24-hour ticket suits a fast introduction, while the 48-hour option is better if you want the cruise, an observation deck, museums, Yuyuan Garden, and Jing’an Temple without racing the clock.

Before paying, check exactly which attraction package you are selecting. Arrive early at People’s Square, the Bund, or Oriental Pearl Tower to redeem the voucher, then treat the route map as a guide rather than a precise timetable.

For $12, the basic bus offers solid value. Add the cruise or tower tickets when they match your plans, but do not buy extras simply because they appear in the package list.

FAQ

How long is the Shanghai hop-on hop-off ticket valid?

You can choose a 24-hour or 48-hour ticket. Validity begins when you first activate the ticket.

How often do the buses run?

The red route runs about every 30 minutes from 9 AM to 5 PM. The blue route runs about every 30 minutes from 9 AM to 5:30 PM. The green route runs about every 30 minutes from 9:15 AM to 4:45 PM.

Where can I redeem my voucher?

Redeem it at a sales kiosk at People’s Square, the Bund, or Oriental Pearl Tower. The People’s Square kiosk is at Nanjing Road and Xizang Road, the Bund kiosk is opposite the Peace Hotel, and the Oriental Pearl Tower kiosk is outside entrance gate number 2.

Can I board at any bus stop?

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

Which languages are available for the audio guide?

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

Are the attraction tickets included?

They are included only with the relevant package option. Depending on your selection, extras may include the Jin Mao Tower 88/F Observation Deck, Shanghai Tower, the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel one-way ticket, and a one-hour Huangpu River cruise.

Is food included?

No. Food and drinks are not included in the activity.