We reached Shanghai Pearl Tower in the evening, intending to view the cityscape for both day and night.

Oriental Pearl Tower

It looked quite peaceful outside and we happily took some pictures. However, we were shocked when we stepped in to buy the tickets and discovered a crowded long queue. Vin tried asking a staff and he said, it would take at least an hour just to get the tickets!

The thought of waiting there in the small area with the crowd for the tickets put us off. Thus, we decided to switch to visit another skyscraper on our list, the Shanghai Tower.

If only we had thought of purchasing the ticket from Klook. We just had to buy the ticket and show it at the entrance – Buy Oriental Pearl Tower Ticket Here

To get there, we cross over to the opposite side to take the taxi.

Shanghai Tower

The sun had set by the time we reached Shanghai Tower. The ticket office was set outside, on the left-hand side of the building after we alighted from the taxi.

In contrast to the long queues at the Oriental Pearl Tower just now, this was so minimal! Everybody seemed to flock to the Oriental Pearl Tower and ignore the Shanghai Tower? I was glad though, as we got our tickets pretty fast and headed into the building.

It was too late for visiting the Summit 632 (last visiting hours at 18:00) – You would also need to buy the tickets 20 minutes before the tour and there’s limited capacity of 40 guests per tour. Therefore, we only bought the tickets for the Top of Shanghai Observatory at 118 Floor  – Total Price: RMB 360 (2 adults) + RMB 90 (1 child) = RMB 450. We had to buy on the spot due to the child ticket.

You could also buy Tickets from Klook online, no queue!: Shanghai Shanghai Tower 118th Floor Observation Deck Tickets

Why Visit?

Facts: Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in China (632m) and the second-tallest building in the world. It is designed for high energy efficiency and provides nine separate zones divided between office, retail and leisure use. Its twisting form is not just to create a unique appearance but to prevent structural damage from the wind due to its height.

Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower, located at Lujiazui, is the world’s sixth tallest TV and radio tower with a height of 468 meters.

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Multimedia Exhibition Hall

Stepping inside, we admired the displays in the exhibition hall first before heading to the elevator. There were pretty, lighted models of the world’s tallest skyscrapers and a board with information on the architecture of the Shanghai Tower.

Shanghai Tower was one of the reason why we visited China’s Shanghai instead of other cities as our entry city (read: “Why We Visited China?“). Dar loves the architecture of skyscrapers. After having watched a video on the construction of the Shanghai Tower, we were very impressed and wanted to see the real building in China.

We took our time viewing as Dar was pretty excited to look at the models and take pictures with the ones he had been to, namely the Petronas Twin Towers and Taipei 101. He dreams of visiting the Burj Khalifa one day.

Tallest 3D Printed Model

Soon, we reached a light show with some information about Shanghai Tower. In the middle of the display was the tallest 3D printed model of Shanghai Tower. There was nothing much to read about however, so we proceeded to the elevator to reach the Observatory.

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The Fastest Elevator

Thereafter, we queued for a while at the second fastest elevator and took it to the 118th floor where the Shanghai Tower Observatory was. How fast was it? Supposedly it goes up at 20.5 metres per second, reaching the observatory in just under a minute. We didn’t even have time to feel any closed-up anxiety!

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118 Floor Observatory

The 118th floor is at 546m high, which is taller than all other buildings in the vicinity. It made the Oriental Pearl Tower seemed like a dwarf. Stepping out of the elevator which was in the center, we walked near the clear-glass windows to get a nice view. You can walk one round in the observatory and get a 360 degree view of the city.

An Interactive Floor to Play With

After walking one round, the children discovered a fun thing to play with. One part of the floor was interactive and it would start to “break” apart if you keep stepping and jumping on it. This created the effect of us in the sky, looking at the city below. After a while, it would stop and the effects start all over again. They had so much fun with it that Ling didn’t want to go!

Finally, we persuaded her to take the stairs up to the 119th Floor (552m) but the view was pretty much the same. (note the 119th floor only opens on the weekends).

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118 Floor Souvenir Shop

At the souvenir shop on the 118th Floor, we purchased our “Welcome Photo“. They do not sell as an individual picture and persuaded us to buy a package of 6 pictures. No other package was offered. Though we didn’t need so many, we gave in, as I really wanted a momento of our visit. The backgrounds were nice too and the price wasn’t exorbitant.

There was nothing much to do after we had viewed enough and thus, we proceeded down to the souvenir shop. Later, at the bottom level souvenir shop, I overheard the staff saying to a customer he could buy a cheaper package of just 2 pictures at half the price I paid…I felt cheated T_T.

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Shanghai Tower Model Souvenir

Dar has an interest in skyscrapers collection and definitely wants to purchase a skyscraper model of the one he visited. After much deliberation and viewing the different skyscraper models available, he got the crystal version of the skyscraper because it looked prettier. This was definitely more expensive than a regular bronze model and we made him pay for it himself.

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Dinner at Shanghai Tower Building Restaurant – Paradise Dynasty

It was quite late for dinner at 9pm and the weather was freezing cold outside (that we started taking out gloves to wear). After using the DiDi app repeatedly, and unable to get any taxi to other shopping malls to eat, we settled on the Paradise Dynasty restaurant on the first floor of the Shanghai Tower building, just near the entrance.

We have this restaurant chain in Singapore too, so we were more assured of its quality. The food we ordered in Paradise Dynasty turned out surprisingly good and filled our stomach with warmth. I really love the vegetables in Chinese restaurants as they always manage to make it so tasty. They closed at 10pm so we were the last few customers but they didn’t rush us and provided great customer service.

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[ More Info ]

Opening Hours: 9.00 am to 10:00 pm (Last ticket sale at 9.30 pm)

>> Read Next Post: Top Experiences in Shanghai Disneyland

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Shanghai: Day 2 Itinerary

• Shanghai Natural History Museum / Lunch
• Walk at Jing’an Sculpture Park for Flower Viewing and Photo-taking (Stumbled-upon visit)
• Shanghai Museum
• Shanghai Tower

Read More of our China 2018 Trip: 9-Day Family Travel Itinerary in China Shanghai, Suzhou & Hangzhou

Tips For Travelling in China: “Essential Tips for Safe Family Travel in China“