Book on the Bund side of the river, and pay for a room that faces the water. That puts the Pudong skyline in your window. On the central Bund, trees and the raised promenade block part of the river from floors two to four. Ask for a high floor. Here’s where I’d book.
Quick answer: Book The Peninsula Shanghai. Its river-view rooms look across the Huangpu at the Pudong skyline, and double-glazed windows keep out the traffic and boat horns from the promenade.
At a glance, per night from
Table of Contents
Hotels on the Bund
Art Deco-Inspired Hotel by Suzhou Creek
1. The Peninsula Shanghai
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Location: Central Bund · Faces the Bund · 3-minute walk to the Bund promenade at East Nanjing Road
Guest Reviews: Great rooms and exceptional service.
Best Room: Grand Deluxe Double or Twin Room with River View
Good to Know: Sir Elly’s terrace looks over Waibaidu Bridge and the Pudong skyline.
From USD $505 – $750 per night
Restored Shanghai Club Long Bar
2. Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Location: Central Bund · Faces the Bund · 8-minute walk to the Bund promenade at East Nanjing Road
Guest Reviews: The breakfast spread is exceptional, and the rooms are excellent.
Best Room: Premium King Room with Panoramic River View
Good to Know: Salon de Ville looks out over Pudong and the Bund.
From USD $360 – $460 per night
Riverside Tower at the Mouth of Suzhou Creek
3. Broadway Mansions Hotel
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Location: North Bund · 8-minute walk to the Bund promenade at East Nanjing Road
Guest Reviews: Lovely rooms with views, and a great breakfast spread.
Best Room: Bund View Executive King Room
Good to Know: An antique snooker table and OTIS lift survive inside the building.
From USD $135 – $150 per night
Historic Jazz Bar on the Bund
4. Fairmont Peace Hotel
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Location: Central Bund · Faces the Bund · 2-minute walk to the Bund promenade at East Nanjing Road
Guest Reviews: Large rooms inside historic interiors.
Best Room: Signature Riverview Suite
Good to Know: The ninth-floor Cathay Room was once Sassoon’s private banquet hall.
From USD $325 – $475 per night
Bund Snapper Bloody Mary at the St. Regis Bar
5. The St. Regis on the Bund, Shanghai
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Location: South Bund · 18-minute walk to the Bund promenade at East Nanjing Road
Guest Reviews: Service is incredible, and the river-view rooms have great views.
Best Room: Grand Bund View Room
Good to Know: The lobby holds Splendid Orient, an eight-by-eight-metre artwork by Shi Qi.
From USD $410 – $465 per night
Outdoor WET Deck Pool and Bar
6. W Shanghai – The Bund
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Location: North Bund · 14-minute walk to the Bund promenade at East Nanjing Road
Guest Reviews: Amazing views, with great food in the restaurants.
Best Room: Spectacular Skyline Pearl Tower View King Room
From USD $400 – $435 per night
7. Bellagio by MGM Shanghai
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Location: North Bund · 8-minute walk to the Bund promenade at East Nanjing Road
Guest Reviews: Great rooms in an excellent location.
Best Room: Deluxe River King Room
Good to Know: Mansion on One serves Chinese food in a preserved former hospital building.
From USD $335 – $405 per night
Former Shanghai Power Company Building
8. The Shanghai EDITION
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Location: Off the Bund · 7-minute walk to the Bund promenade at East Nanjing Road
Guest Reviews: Sensational views and great staff.
Best Room: Premium Bund View Room
Good to Know: The 29th-floor ROOF terrace faces the Pudong skyline across the river.
From USD $450 – $575 per night
VUE Rooftop Bar on the 32nd Floor
9. Hyatt on the Bund
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Location: North Bund · 9-minute walk to the Bund promenade at East Nanjing Road
Guest Reviews: Beds are very comfortable, and the views are great.
Best Room: King Room with Bund View
Good to Know: Every room faces either the Bund’s old buildings or the Pudong towers.
From USD $180 – $245 per night
10. The Westin Bund Center, Shanghai
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Location: Two blocks inland · 11-minute walk to the Bund promenade at East Nanjing Road
Guest Reviews: Spacious rooms and excellent food, from breakfast to the club lounge.
Best Room: King Studio with Bund View
Good to Know: A 20-metre heated indoor pool and whirlpool sit inside the tower.
From USD $175 – $290 per night
Indoor Infinity Pool With a Bund View
11. Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Location: South Bund · 8-minute drive to the Bund promenade at East Nanjing Road
Guest Reviews: Beautifully decorated rooms with amazing views.
Best Room: Premium King Room with River View
Good to Know: The CHAR terrace looks over the Bund and Pudong in a 270-degree sweep.
From USD $160 – $255 per night
What a Bund View Room Shows
Bund hotels label rooms Bund view or river view. Check the photo for that room before you book.
- One Label Covers Two Views: Hotels use “Bund view” for rooms facing the old Bund buildings and for rooms facing the Pudong skyline, at similar prices. From the Bund side of the river, a river-facing window looks across the Huangpu at the towers.
- Inland Rooms Cost Less: Where a hotel sells both, rooms facing the river cost more than rooms facing inland. If you’ll be out most evenings, an inland room saves money and the skyline is a short walk away.
River side, if you plan on evenings in the room.
Floors and Room Position
Height and the side of the building change the view as much as the room name.
- Few River Rooms at Some Hotels: Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund lists only 21 river-view rooms, so book that category by name. At The Westin Bund Center, Shanghai, some rooms face the river and others face the city and Yu Garden.
- Club Rooms at One Hotel Face Inland: Fairmont Peace Hotel lists its Fairmont Gold rooms with courtyard or city views. Club access and a river view are separate things, so confirm both.
Put “high floor, river side” in the booking note and repeat it at check-in.
Which Stretch of the Bund
The riverfront runs for a long way. Pick the stretch first, then the hotel.
- Central Bund: The old Bund buildings and the main promenade line Zhongshan East No.1 Road. Bund 3 and Bund 18 are a five-minute walk from the middle of this stretch.
- North Bund in Hongkou: North of Suzhou Creek, the riverfront curves away from the central Bund. From there you look south at the old Bund buildings and the Pudong skyline together. International Cruise Terminal station on Line 12 serves this stretch.
- South Bund: South of the central Bund, the riverfront continues to Shiliupu Wharf. Yuyuan Garden station, on Lines 10 and 14, serves the inland side.
Stay central on a first visit and try the North Bund on the next.
Arriving With Luggage
The central Bund is built for walkers. That makes the last stretch to the door awkward with bags.
- Taxis Stop Short at Peak Hours: When traffic control is on at peak hours, taxis drop you on a side street and you roll your case the last 100 metres. Taxi access is easier on the North Bund, where roads are wider.
- Book a Private Airport Car: For a hotel on the central Bund, a private airport transfer is the easier way in. Book it with the room and send your flight number ahead.
- The Metro Walk Takes 10 to 15 Minutes: East Nanjing Road station on Lines 2 and 10 sits a 10 to 15-minute walk from the central promenade, through dense crowds. From the North Bund, trips to the airport and main rail stations need a change of line.
Hotel car on arrival day, metro once the bags are in the room.
Crowds on the Promenade
After dark the central promenade packs out, worst of all on a Friday.
- Go at Dawn: Walk it at dawn, when locals practise tai chi and fly kites by the river. You get the old Bund buildings without the crush.
- Holiday Crowds Move One Way: During Golden Week in early October and over Chinese New Year, police line the riverfront to keep walkers moving in one direction. Give yourself extra time to reach a hotel on the central Bund on those days.
See the lights from a hotel bar and save the promenade for sunrise.
When Bund Rates Climb
Shanghai’s statistics bureau publishes hotel occupancy for the city every month. Those figures show when rooms fill.
- April Fills Up: April runs above the city’s average occupancy for the first four months of the year, and May and August are busy too. Book spring weekends early if you want a river-view room.
- Winter Is the Cheaper Window: December and January sit below the city’s yearly average occupancy. Weekday rates in January come in under spring weekend rates at the same hotels.
Move the trip to January if your dates are flexible.
FAQs
1. Which Bund hotels sell suites with a Bund or river view?
The Peninsula Shanghai sells the DeLuxe River Suite and the Grand Deluxe River Suite, and Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund sells a Heritage Suite with River View. The Shanghai EDITION has a Bund View Suite, and Broadway Mansions Hotel a Suite with Bund View. The St. Regis on the Bund, Shanghai sells the Shanghai Caroline Astor King Suite with Bund view, and Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund has two panoramic Bund suites.
2. Do hotels on the Bund have indoor pools?
Most do: Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund and The St. Regis on the Bund, Shanghai both have indoor pools, and the one at Bellagio by MGM Shanghai runs 20 metres under natural light. At The Shanghai EDITION, the pool sits behind floor-to-ceiling windows that look onto Nanjing Road, the shopping street that runs inland from the Bund.
3. Is MaxX by Steigenberger on the Bund?
Yes, MaxX by Steigenberger stands at 1 Jinling East Road on the Bund, and it used to trade as Les Suites Orient. From there the promenade at East Nanjing Road is a short walk north along the river, under a kilometre in a straight line. Its rooms include a Bund Studio and a Bund Suite with River View.
4. Is the Bund noisy at night?
Rooms facing the central promenade pick up street traffic and the horns of river cruise boats. Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund has double-glazed windows that cut the noise down. For quieter nights, pick the North Bund or a hotel a block inland, away from the evening crowds on the central promenade.
5. Is it better to stay on the Bund or in Pudong?
Stay on the Bund. You walk straight out onto the promenade, and the Pudong skyline is the view from your window. Pick Pudong only if you’d rather look back at the old Bund buildings. Getting between the two takes 20 to 25 minutes door to door: one stop on Line 2 plus a walk at each end, or the ferry across the Huangpu.
6. Which side of the river is the Bund on?
Puxi, the west bank of the Huangpu, is the Bund side, inside Huangpu district. Lujiazui, whose towers make up the Pudong skyline, stands opposite on the east bank. A river-facing room on the Bund looks at those modern towers, while a river-facing room in Lujiazui looks across at the old Bund buildings and their lights after dark.
7. Are there touts on East Nanjing Road?
Touts work East Nanjing Road, the pedestrian street that leads down to the Bund, and a polite no with a steady walking pace gets you past them. East Nanjing Road station sits on the same street. You’ll walk it on most trips between the metro and the river, and again on the walk back after dark.
