By Nora Lindqvist · Updated · Affiliate links, explained in my disclosure
PANDA144 experience
Shanghai Tower: Observation Deck Admission Ticket
4.5 (555) · from $34.62
Shanghai Tower tickets on GetYourGuide start at $34.62 for the 118th-floor admission, which is also the most reviewed option, rated 4.53 from 555 reviews. The tower is 632 m tall according to Wikidata, and its highest deck is at 562 m. I’d go about an hour before sunset on a clear day, and I’d keep the ticket cancellable until the forecast looks right.
| Tour | From | Rating | Length | Free cancellation | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Tower: Observation Deck Admission Ticket | $34.62 | ★ 4.5 (555) | 24-hour ticket | Yes | Check availability |
| Shanghai Tower Observation Deck Entry Ticket | $38.32 | ★ 4.7 (135) | 2 - 2.5 hours | Yes | Check availability |
| Shanghai Tower: Top of Shanghai Observatory Deck Ticket | $38 | ★ 4.6 (97) | 24-hour ticket | Yes | Check availability |
| Shanghai Tower 118F Observation Deck Entry Ticket | $46 | ★ 5.0 (4) | 24-hour ticket | Yes | Check availability |
| Shanghai Tower 118F View & City Sightseeing Bus | $50 | ★ 4.0 (1) | 24-hour ticket | Yes | Check availability |
| Shanghai Tower: 118th-Floor Ticket & SKY632 Upgrade | $60 | ★ 4.0 (1) | 24-hour ticket | Yes | Check availability |
| Shanghai Tower 118F & Shanghai Travel Map Pass | $42.90 | – | 24-hour ticket | Yes | Check availability |
| Shanghai Tower Observation Deck Tickets | $52.23 | – | 24-hour ticket | Yes | Check availability |
I compared all eight Shanghai Tower tickets that GetYourGuide sells right now. Every one is admission to the Top of Shanghai Observatory, with options that add the 125th and 126th floors, a city bus pass, a map or a digital guide. None of the listings bundles the Oriental Pearl Tower or the Shanghai World Financial Center, so a combo with a neighbouring tower means two separate bookings. Prices, ratings and inclusions come from the listings, checked in October 2026, in US dollars as starting prices. Where a product is a leftover in my ranking rather than a natural match for the search, I say so.
The Shanghai Tower is the tower in Lujiazui that Wikipedia describes as the tallest building in China. Here are the numbers behind these Shanghai Tower tickets, each with its source.
a 128-story, 632-meter-tall (2,073-foot) megatall skyscraper located in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai
The decks sit near the top of the tower, and a ticket decides which floors you reach. The table below covers what the numbers above leave out.
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Floors 118 and 119 | The Top of Shanghai Observatory, an indoor deck at 546 m and 552 m per Wikipedia |
| Floors 125 and 126 | The damper zone and SKY632 Art Space, sold as an option on some listings |
| Open air or indoor | Indoor: the listings describe floor-to-ceiling glass and none mentions an outdoor terrace |
| Address | 501 Yincheng Middle Road, Lujiazui, Pudong, per Google Maps |
| Opening hours | 8:30 AM to 9:30 PM every day, per Google Maps |
| Google Maps rating | 4.6 from 3,264 reviews |
| Time to allow | The tickets are valid for 1 day on your chosen date; the Panda Quest listing quotes 2 to 2.5 hours |
Opening hours and deck access change for holidays and works, so before you buy Shanghai Tower tickets check the official site for your date.
Of all the Shanghai Tower tickets, the one most visitors need is the Observation Deck Admission from PANDA144 experience at $34.62, the cheapest of all these Shanghai Tower observation deck tickets and the most reviewed. It covers the 118th and 119th floors and, if you select the option, the 125th and 126th floors, where the listing says a musical light show runs on the 126th. It is rated 4.53 from 555 reviews and carries free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
The reviews of these Shanghai Tower tickets are about crowds and views. One reviewer wrote that it is very busy so you should book in advance, and that the views are lovely at sunset and at night. Another liked the explanation of the mechanism that stabilizes the tower. If price is your main filter, this is where I’d start, and I’d choose an evening slot.
PANDA144 experience
My pick: The cheapest and most reviewed option at $34.62, rated 4.53 from 555 reviews, with the 125th and 126th floors as an add-on.
from
$34.62
Among Shanghai Tower observatory tickets, the Panda Quest listing is the better rated of the two big options, at 4.71 from 135 reviews, and it costs $38.32. It includes entry to the 118th-floor Sightseeing Hall and the ultra-high-speed elevators, and nothing else: no transport and no food. The listing quotes 2 to 2.5 hours, which is a generous allowance for a deck that you can see in less, and the meeting point is the main gate of the tower.
This is the observatory ticket I’d choose when reviews matter more than the lowest price. The description puts the elevator ride at about 55 seconds, travelling at 18 meters per second, and a reviewer said they went in the morning with excellent visibility and minimal crowds. That fits what the weather data further down says: the deck rewards a clear day more than a certain hour.
Panda Quest
My pick: The best-rated of the main tickets: 4.71 from 135 reviews for $38.32, 118th-floor entry only.
from
$38.32
The height question behind many searches for Shanghai Tower tickets has several answers, because the building, the floor and the deck are different numbers. Wikidata gives the building as 632 m with 128 floors. Wikipedia puts the sightseeing floors at 546 m (118th) and 552 m (119th), and says the Top of Shanghai deck at 562 m beat the Burj Khalifa’s deck at 555 m, which made it the highest in the world. The tower is the tallest in China, and the third-tallest in the world to its architectural top.
Behind these Shanghai Tower tickets is an elevator system that makes the climb easy. Wikipedia says the three shuttle elevators to the deck run at 18 meters per second. If you want the 125th and 126th floors, where the 1,000-ton damper hangs, the Jenny and his travel company listing says its ticket includes them, along with a basement skyscraper museum and a text-based skyline map. It costs $46 and has a perfect 5.0, but from only 4 reviews, so treat the score as unproven.
Jenny and his travel company
My pick: 118th floor plus the 125th and 126th damper zone and a basement museum for $46, rated 5.0 but from only 4 reviews.
from
$46
The tower has its own hotel, which is separate from any Shanghai Tower ticket. Wikipedia says the J Hotel Shanghai Tower opened on 19 June 2021, run by Jin Jiang International, and that CNN called it the highest hotel in the world. I have no room rates, because none of the products here is a stay, so for a booking you need the hotel’s own site.
What I can offer is a ticket for people who sleep in Lujiazui and want one pass for the day. The kequyou listing at $50 combines the observation deck ticket with a 1-day Shanghai City Sightseeing Bus pass, a map booklet, earphones and mobile audio commentary. You redeem it at a red service kiosk at 1416A Lujiazui Ring Road, next to Ajisen Ramen, and board the bus at any stop on your route. It has a single review at 4.0, so I would not call it proven, but it is the only one of these Shanghai Tower tickets that doubles as transport.
kequyou
My pick: Deck ticket plus a 1-day city sightseeing bus pass for $50, useful for a Lujiazui stay; only 1 review so far.
from
$50
Eating in the tower is a separate matter from the ticket. Wikipedia says the Heavenly Jin restaurant on the 120th floor was awarded a Guinness World Record as the highest restaurant in a building, and that it has 256 seats. None of the eight listings includes a meal, and several state in their exclusions that food and drinks are not included.
That is why this section has no card: no product here is a dinner combo. If you want to eat at altitude, book the restaurant on its own and add your Shanghai Tower tickets for a different slot. I would not combine them on the same evening without checking the restaurant’s own booking terms, because I have no data on how the two fit together.
If the question is what Shanghai Tower tickets cost in total, the listings here span $34.62 to $60. The cheapest is the $34.62 admission, then the $38 TravelChinaGuide ticket and the $38.32 Panda Quest entry. The $42.90 map pass, $46 Jenny listing, $50 bus pass and $52.23 digital-guide ticket follow, and the $60 SKY632 upgrade is the top price.
Here is the honest note on this card: the TravelChinaGuide ticket at $38 is a leftover in my ranking, not a pick. Its slug mentions a Yu Garden and acrobatic show combo, but the inclusions list only the Shanghai Tower admission, with no guide, transport or meals. It is rated 4.58 from 97 reviews and is valid for 24 hours, so it is a fair ticket, just not the cheapest. A reviewer of it said that going up to the 125th floor was worth it, though the price could be better.
TravelChinaGuide
My pick: A leftover: plain Top of Shanghai admission for $38, 4.58 from 97 reviews, with no extras despite the combo wording in its web address.
from
$38
Calculator
–
from per person, before any child or group discount
Prices are the lowest per-person prices on GetYourGuide when I last checked; the final price depends on the date, time slot and age.
Many visitors look for the official site before buying Shanghai Tower tickets, and the tower’s own is shanghaitower.com. I did not read its price list, so I cannot compare it with the marketplace prices above. What I can say from the listings is how the entry works: tickets need real-name registration, and the CET China listing says to bring the original passport used for the booking and the QR code issued after the reservation is confirmed.
The CET China listing at $60 is the one that spells out the choices. The basic ticket covers the 118th-floor Top of Shanghai Observatory, and the 118F plus SKY632 upgrade adds the 126th-floor SKY632 Art Space and Damper Art Show. Neither includes fast-track entry, a guide or transport. Only one review is recorded, at 4.0, so I’d read these Shanghai Tower tickets as a new listing with clear terms rather than a proven favourite.
CET China
My pick: Two clear options for $60: basic 118th-floor entry, or add the 126th-floor SKY632 Art Space; no fast-track, passport required.
from
$60
Google Maps lists the Shanghai Tower as open from 8:30 AM to 9:30 PM every day, and that is the window your Shanghai Tower tickets have to fit into. The vouchers here are valid for 1 day on your chosen date, so the hour is your choice within that window. Because the sunset runs from about 16:52 in winter to 18:59 in summer, the same closing time gives a very different evening depending on the month.
The Beijing Mingtu Travel listing at $42.90 is the simple version of an open-date visit. It is a general admission to the 118th floor with a free Wandering Shanghai travel guide map that you collect on that floor, and an official QR code sent by email for scanning at the gate. It has no ratings yet, and it excludes higher floors, so I would take it only if you value the map. Check the official site for holiday and maintenance hours before you pick a time for your Shanghai Tower tickets.
Beijing Mingtu Travel
My pick: General admission to the 118th floor with a free travel guide map for $42.90; no ratings yet and no higher floors.
from
$42.90
I do not quote Reddit threads here, so what follows rests on the reviews in the listings. They are positive on the lift, the glass-fronted views of the Bund and the speed of entry, and mixed on the crowds and the price of the higher floors. One GetYourGuide reviewer wrote that the view is wonderful and that going up to the 125th floor was worth it, and that is my reading too if clear weather is likely.
The ride up in the high-speed elevator is an amazing experience, and the panoramic views of the city skyline are unforgettable.
Whether Shanghai Tower tickets are worth the money depends on the sky more than the ticket. The Ocean Travel listing at $52.23 is the most expensive of the plain admissions. It includes a digital skyline and photo guide sent to your phone, gate entry with your passport or a QR code, and, according to its inclusions, access to special exhibitions or the 126th-floor damper concerts unless specified. It has no ratings yet, so the extra $17.61 over the cheapest ticket buys a guide and not a track record.
Ocean Travel - Expert China Destination Services
My pick: Admission with a digital skyline and photo guide for $52.23; unrated so far, so you pay for the guide, not a record.
from
$52.23
Night is when the skyline is most dramatic, and the reviews agree. One reviewer wrote that the views are lovely especially at sunset and at night, seeing the lights. Google Maps lists the last hour as 9:30 PM, so a visit after dark is possible on any day. In midwinter the sun sets around 16:52, and in June and July you wait until after 19:00.
Views are lovely especially at sunset and night time seeing the lights!
For a night visit I’d choose a slot that starts 45 to 60 minutes before sunset, so you see the day, the dusk and the lights on one ticket. There is no separate night product among these Shanghai Tower tickets, and no card here, so any of the admissions works as a night ticket for the Shanghai Tower. Among Shanghai Tower tickets, the musical light show on the 126th floor is mentioned only in the PANDA144 listing, and only if you select that option.
Cloud cover and haze decide what you see, so they matter when you book Shanghai Tower tickets. In the 2025 weather data from Open-Meteo, the clearest months are December and August, at 41% and 42% average cloud cover, followed by January at 44%. The cloudiest is June at 76% with 18 rainy days, then May at 69%. September has the most rainy days, 21. The sunset runs from 16:52 in December to 18:59 in June and July.
| Month | Sunset (Shanghai time) | Cloud cover | Sunshine a day | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janclearest | 17:13 | 44% | 8.2 h | 3 |
| Feb | 17:41 | 58% | 6.4 h | 6 |
| Mar | 18:01 | 61% | 7 h | 11 |
| Apr | 18:22 | 62% | 9.4 h | 4 |
| May | 18:42 | 69% | 8.6 h | 11 |
| Jun | 18:59 | 76% | 6.1 h | 18 |
| Jul | 18:59 | 61% | 10.8 h | 17 |
| Augclearest | 18:37 | 42% | 11 h | 11 |
| Sep | 17:59 | 59% | 8.9 h | 21 |
| Oct | 17:22 | 56% | 7.7 h | 7 |
| Nov | 16:55 | 47% | 7.2 h | 5 |
| Decclearest | 16:52 | 41% | 7.9 h | 2 |
Pick a date, and the planner below shows the sunset and the entry time I would book.
Sunset planner
–
book this entry time (50 min before sunset)
–
sunset, Shanghai time
–
typical cloud cover that week
Sunset and cloud cover for the same dates in 2025 at the deck (Open-Meteo historical weather (ERA5), 2025); sunset moves by about a minute between years.
Cloud cover is not haze, and the data has no air quality column, so look at the day-before forecast and the visibility. August also has the most sunshine, at 11.0 hours a day, but that is a hot month, and December is the cleanest on cloud and rain. My rule is to arrive 45 to 60 minutes before sunset, so you spend the queue in daylight and stay for the lights. October, the month of this page, shows 56% cloud, 7 rainy days and a 17:22 sunset. The free cancellation up to 24 hours on every listing lets you wait for the forecast.
With Shanghai Tower tickets in hand, you want to know what you will see. On a clear day the horizon is a long way off. The calculator below uses the deck height to show how far you can see.
Calculator
562 m · 1844 ft
km
to the horizon ( miles)
km
with typical atmospheric refraction
Geometric horizon d ≈ 3.57 × √h (km, h in metres); refraction adds about 8%. Haze and clouds usually limit the real view first. Formula: Distance to the horizon.
Distances below are straight-line from the tower, computed from the Google Maps coordinates.
Tourist attraction
4.6 · 7,610 Google reviews
1 Shiji Blvd, Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai, China, 200120
Open in Google Maps
Tourist attraction
4.6 · 595 Google reviews
88 Shiji Blvd, Lujiazui, Pudong, China, 200120
Open in Google Maps
Tourist attraction
4.6 · 25 Google reviews
100 Shiji Blvd, Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai, China, 200135
Open in Google Maps
Tourist attraction
4.7 · 568 Google reviews
8 Zhongshan Rd (E-2), Waitan, Huangpu, Shanghai, China, 200120
Open in Google Maps
Tourist attraction
4.7 · 7,814 Google reviews
Zhongshan Rd (E-1), Waitan, Huangpu, Shanghai, China, 200002
Open in Google Maps
Tourist attraction
4.5
China, Shanghai, Huangpu, 四牌楼 邮政编码: 200000
Scenic spot
4.6 · 2,325 Google reviews
6FMF+VXJ, Nanjinglu St, Huangpu, Shanghai, China, 200001
Tourist attraction
4.6
2852 Binjiang Blvd, Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai, China, 200120
Open in Google MapsThe Shanghai World Financial Center is right beside you at 0.16 km (0.10 miles), and the Jin Mao Tower at 0.19 km (0.12 miles). The Oriental Pearl Tower is 0.88 km (0.55 miles) away, and the Dongfangmingzhu cruise wharf 1.16 km (0.72 miles). The Waitan waterfront is 1.22 km (0.76 miles) off, and the Bund 1.61 km (1.00 mile), which is the view the Bund-facing listings promise. Yu Garden is 1.46 km (0.91 miles) away and Nanjing Road 2.92 km (1.82 miles).
Pudong has three decks within a few hundred metres of the place you use your Shanghai Tower tickets, and the Bund has a fourth viewpoint across the river. Ratings and review counts are from Google Maps, and distances are straight-line from the tower.
| Deck | Google rating | Reviews | Distance | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Tower | 4.6 | 3,264 | the deck itself | Paid |
| Oriental Pearl TV Tower | 4.6 | 7,610 | 0.88 km (0.55 mi) | Paid |
| Shanghai World Financial Center Observatory | 4.6 | 25 | 0.16 km (0.10 mi) | Check locally |
| Sightseeing Hall, Jin Mao Tower | 4.6 | 37 | 0.20 km (0.12 mi) | Check locally |
| Waitan Observatory | 4.0 | 23 | 1.27 km (0.79 mi) | Check locally |
Among Shanghai Tower tickets, I’d add a second tower if you want another angle, and the Oriental Pearl Tower is the one that puts the Shanghai Tower in the picture, under a kilometre away. The Shanghai World Financial Center and Jin Mao Tower decks are even closer, but their Google Maps review counts are small, so I can only say they are a short walk.
On GetYourGuide the cheapest ticket to the Top of Shanghai Observatory is $34.62, rated 4.53 from 555 reviews. Other listings run from $38 to $60, and the $60 one is the listing that offers the SKY632 upgrade to the 126th floor. These are starting prices in US dollars, so confirm the total for your date and option on the booking page.
For a first visit to Shanghai I think it is. The deck is the highest in the city, the ride takes about 55 seconds according to the listings, and the standard ticket is rated 4.53 from 555 reviews. Visibility decides the value, so I would book a flexible ticket and pick a clear day from the forecast.
Google Maps rates both 4.6, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower from 7,610 reviews and the Shanghai Tower from 3,264. They are only 0.88 km (0.55 miles) apart. I would go up the Shanghai Tower for the highest view and the Oriental Pearl Tower to see the Shanghai Tower itself in the skyline.
No. Wikidata gives the Shanghai Tower as 632 m and the Burj Khalifa as 828 m. Wikipedia does say the Shanghai Tower's observation deck, at 562 m, is higher than the Burj Khalifa's deck at 555 m, so the Shanghai Tower has the highest observation deck of the two, even though the Burj Khalifa is the taller building.
By height it is the Shanghai Tower, with its deck at 562 m according to Wikipedia. Next door are the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center, within 0.88 km (0.55 miles). On the Bund side, the Waitan Observatory is rated 4.0 on Google Maps. For the widest view over Pudong and the river, I'd pick the Shanghai Tower.
I found no listing that sells a climb. Every ticket here takes you up by elevator, and the descriptions say the ride to the 118th floor takes about 55 seconds at 18 meters per second. For anything else, such as a stair event, check the official Shanghai Tower website for the date you plan to visit.
Google Maps lists the Shanghai Tower as open from 8:30 AM to 9:30 PM every day. Your ticket is for a chosen date, and the listings say the voucher is valid for 1 day. Hours can change for holidays and maintenance, so check the official site before you go and book a slot in the evening if you want the lights.