PVG to The Bund (Waitan)

Shanghai iconic waterfront promenade with views of the Pudong skyline.

The Bund (Waitan) is Shanghai's most iconic landmark — a 1.5-kilometer waterfront promenade along the western bank of the Huangpu River lined with 52 buildings in a remarkable range of architectural styles including Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, and Art Deco. These former banks, trading houses, and consulates date from Shanghai's era as an international treaty port and represent the most concentrated collection of early 20th-century architecture in East Asia.

Standing on the Bund and looking east across the river presents one of the world's most dramatic urban panoramas: the futuristic Pudong skyline with the Oriental Pearl Tower, the bottle-opener-shaped Shanghai World Financial Center, the twisted Shanghai Tower (China's tallest building at 632 meters), and the Jin Mao Tower. At night, both sides of the river are spectacularly illuminated, making an evening Bund walk essential.

The Bund buildings themselves have been repurposed into upscale restaurants, luxury boutiques, and cultural spaces. The Rockbund Art Museum occupies the former Royal Asiatic Society building. Mr & Mrs Bund, Ultraviolet, and other acclaimed restaurants offer dining with river views. Behind the Bund, the Yuanmingyuan Road area has become a sophisticated bar and dining strip, while the historic Fairmont Peace Hotel still serves jazz in its art deco bar as it has since the 1920s.