10 Best Family-Friendly Hotels in Shanghai

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Shanghai with kids? Base yourself near a Metro Line 2 stop. The line runs from Pudong Airport through Century Park and Lujiazui to People’s Square, so most of the main sights for kids are a short ride from your room. Disney is the exception at 50 to 70 minutes by Metro, which is why some families sleep beside its gates for park days. Here’s where I’d book in the city and by the park.

Family-Friendly Hotels in Shanghai

Where to Stay in Shanghai with Kids: Puxi, Lujiazui or the Disney Zone

The Huangpu River splits the city into Puxi on the west bank, home to the Bund and People’s Square, and Pudong on the east, with Lujiazui and Disney. Pick the side your days will be on.

• People’s Square and East Nanjing Road: Metro Lines 1, 2 and 8 meet at People’s Square, which makes it the best-connected base in the city. It’s also busy all day.
• Jing’an for Quiet: Jing’an is calmer than East Nanjing Road and still central. The Shanghai Natural History Museum has its own stop there on Line 13.
• Lujiazui and Century Park: On the Pudong side, Lujiazui puts the aquarium within walking distance. Century Park sits further out on the same Line 2.
• Staying Next to Disney: Shanghai Disneyland is in Chuansha, about 30 km from the centre. A hotel there saves the 50 to 70-minute Metro ride each way on park days but puts the city sights just as far away.

Hotel Rooms That Sleep a Family of Four in Shanghai

Check the maximum on the room itself before you book.

• Three-Guest Caps: Several luxury hotels in the city cap their bookable rooms at three guests. A fourth guest then means a second room.
• Advertised, Not Bookable: The family room a hotel shows on its own site isn’t always in the room list you book from. Match the room name before you pay.
• Rooms That Do Take Four: Look for two double beds, a two-bedroom apartment, a family connecting room or a themed room with a bunk for the kids. Read the bed list too, because a sofa bed counts towards a room’s maximum.
• Cots and Extra Beds: Ask for a cot and a high chair when you book; not every hotel keeps them. Expect a nightly charge for a rollaway bed.

Getting to Shanghai Disneyland from a City Hotel

Disney Resort station is the end of Metro Line 11. From there it’s a 5 to 10-minute walk to the gates.

• Leaving People’s Square: Take Line 8 south to Oriental Sports Center and change to Line 11. Allow 50 to 70 minutes door to door.
• From Lujiazui: Ride Line 2 to Longyang Road, Line 16 to Luoshan Road, then Line 11 to the end of the line. That’s two changes, so allow extra time with a stroller.
• Taxi for the Return: A taxi between the centre and the park takes 45 to 60 minutes, depending on traffic. After a long park day with small kids, it beats changing trains on the Metro.
• Mind the Station Name: The Airport Link Line stops at Shanghai International Resort station, which isn’t Line 11’s Disney Resort station. Check the name on the map before you set off.

Pudong vs Hongqiao Airport: Getting to Your Hotel with Kids

Pudong Airport is on the same side of the city as Disney. Hongqiao is much closer to Puxi.

• The Maglev: It runs nonstop from Pudong Airport to Longyang Road in under 10 minutes, with racks for big suitcases at the end of each carriage. Longyang Road is still in Pudong, so you change to the Metro or a taxi there.
• Pudong by Metro or Taxi: Line 2 runs direct from Pudong Airport to the centre in 60 to 90 minutes. A taxi takes 45 to 70 minutes and is the easier ride with kids and luggage.
• Hongqiao for Puxi Hotels: From Hongqiao it’s 30 to 45 minutes by taxi into Puxi. Metro Lines 2 and 10 take 30 to 50 minutes.
• Disney-Zone Hotels: Fly into Pudong. Hongqiao is a long way round to the Disney resort zone.

Kid-Friendly Things to Do Near the City Hotels

The main sights for kids are all on the Metro, and Line 2 reaches three of them.

• Shanghai Ocean Aquarium: It’s on Lujiazui Ring Road next to the Oriental Pearl Tower, a few minutes’ walk from Lujiazui station. Its walk-through underwater tunnel is one of the longest of its kind. Allow 2 to 3 hours for the whole visit.
• Natural History Museum: The Shanghai Natural History Museum’s centrepiece, in Jing’an Sculpture Park, is a Mamenchisaurus skeleton more than four storeys high. Allow half a day.
• Century Park: About 140 hectares, with a boating lake and a children’s amusement area. It has its own Line 2 station.
• Science and Technology Museum: Find it on Century Avenue near Century Park, at Science and Technology Museum station on Line 2. Its galleries include hands-on and VR exhibits.

Getting Around Shanghai with Kids: Metro or Taxi

The Metro covers most days. Taxis win when you’re carrying bags or a sleeping child.

• Stay on Line 2: It links both airports with Lujiazui and Century Park. A hotel near a Line 2 stop saves changes on those trips.
• Lifts and Strollers: Most stations have lifts, but not all; Lujiazui, People’s Square and Jing’an Temple have full lift access. Skip the big interchanges at rush hour with a stroller.
• App-Based Taxis: App-based taxis are the norm in the city. If you don’t have the app set up, the hotel concierge will call a taxi for you.
• Carrier Territory: Narrow pavements in the French Concession and the inside of Yu Garden are hard going with a stroller. Bring a carrier for those.

FAQs

1. Is Shanghai suitable for kids?

Yes, with some planning. The Metro has bilingual signs and air-conditioned trains, and it reaches the aquarium, the Natural History Museum, Century Park and Disney. Check the room before anything else, because several luxury hotels cap their rooms at three guests. Look for two double beds, a family connecting room, an apartment or a themed room with a kids’ bunk.

2. Is Shanghai safe for children?

Shanghai has low violent crime and well-lit public spaces. The practical worry is keeping track of small children in the crowds on Nanjing Road and at Disney, so agree on a meeting point. Strangers regularly ask to take selfies with foreign children. It’s harmless, but prepare your kids for it.

3. Is the Shanghai Metro easy with a stroller?

Mostly, as long as you plan around the gaps. Lujiazui, People’s Square and Jing’an Temple have full lift access, but some stations have no lift at all. Leave a few minutes spare at the big interchanges and stay off them at rush hour. For the French Concession and Yu Garden, pack a carrier as well.

4. Is Shanghai Disney Resort worth it?

For kids aged about 4 to 12, it’s worth a full day, and two if you can. It opened the world’s first Zootopia-themed land, and TRON Lightcycle Power Run is one of its signature rides. Go on a weekday, because weekends are much busier. From a city hotel, the Metro trip takes 50 to 70 minutes each way.

5. When is the best time to visit Shanghai with kids?

Spring, from March to May, and autumn, from September to November, are the most comfortable. The plum-rain season brings wet weather from mid-June into early July, and July and August are hot and humid, with the typhoon season running into early autumn. Avoid National Day Golden Week in early October, when crowds and hotel prices peak.

6. Where should you stay in Shanghai with kids in winter?

Choose a hotel with an indoor pool or an indoor play area, since some hotels close their outdoor pools for the season. Winter runs from December to February, at roughly 0 to 8°C, with cold rain rather than snow. The aquarium, the Natural History Museum and the Science and Technology Museum keep the kids busy in any weather.

7. Can you stay at Disney’s own hotels at Shanghai Disneyland?

Disney runs two hotels inside the resort, the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and the Toy Story Hotel, and travel sites sell rooms at both. Pudong Airport is the nearer airport for the whole resort zone. From the city, Line 11 ends at Disney Resort station, a 5 to 10-minute walk from the gates.