Where to Watch the Sunset in Shanghai Without Fighting a Crowd

To watch the sun actually go down in Shanghai, face west: the Lujiazui riverside and the West Bund both look out over open water with nothing to block the light. To watch the city catch fire instead, stand on the Bund, where the sun drops behind you and the Pudong towers glow. In autumn the good window is roughly 5:15 to 6:15pm, and and most of it is free.

The mistake almost everyone makes is standing on the Bund expecting to see the sun sink into the skyline. It does not; you are facing east. Knowing which bank you want is the whole trick, so here is where to stand for each kind of evening, crowds and all.

First, know which way you are facing

The single fact that fixes a Shanghai sunset is that the sun sets in the west, over Puxi and the river's open stretches, not over the Pudong skyline everyone photographs. So the two experiences split cleanly. Stand on the east bank or a wide riverside and you watch the sun itself drop toward the water. Stand on the Bund facing Pudong and you get the afterglow show instead, the sky going peach and violet while the towers switch their lights on. Both are worth doing; they are just different evenings, and the map above sorts the five spots by which one they give you. Pick a clear day: Shanghai autumn gives the crispest skies of the year for it.

For the sun itself, head west over water

For the classic sink-into-the-horizon sunset in Shanghai, stand somewhere with open western sky and water in front of you. The Lujiazui riverside promenade in Pudong faces back across the river toward Puxi, so the sun sets behind the old Bund buildings with the water lit gold in front of you, and it is free. The West Bund in Xuhui is the calmer, less-photographed choice: a long open riverside where locals bring a coffee and a dog and almost nobody is filming. Here is how the five spots compare.

For the city lighting up, the Bund

The Bund gives Shanghai's other sunset, the one that is really about dusk. Because you face east toward Pudong, you do not see the sun drop; you see the sky behind the towers turn peach then violet while, one by one, the Oriental Pearl, the Shanghai Tower and the rest switch on their lights. The magic minute is the short overlap when the sky still has colour and the buildings are already lit, usually 15 to 25 minutes after the official sunset time. Get there early: the Bund is the most crowded of the five, and the front railing fills up fast on a clear evening.

For quiet, a park; for height, a rooftop

If crowds are the thing you are trying to escape, trade the river for a park or pay for a view. Century Park in Pudong is big enough to find open western sky over the trees, and the ¥10 (about USD 1.50) entry keeps it calm. For height without the scramble, a rooftop bar trades a drink minimum for a seat and a skyline at eye level; you are paying for the comfort, not a better sun. A quiet park bench at golden hour is one of the nicer ways to end a Sunday to yourself, and it is the version of this the crowds never find.

If you pick just one

Go to the Lujiazui riverside. It is the only spot that gives you the sun actually setting, the water lit in front of you, and the Bund's grand old skyline as the backdrop, all for free. Save the Bund for a separate evening when you want the towers switching on rather than the sun going down. And check the day's real sunset time before you leave, because in Shanghai autumn it slides earlier by a minute or two every day.

As Li Shangyin wrote, 夕阳无限好，只是近黄昏, the setting sun is boundlessly lovely, even as dusk draws near; that nearness is the whole reason to go and stand there.

Words, maps and research by the Choice Shanghai team. Please credit us and tag our 公众号 if you share.