15 Must-visit Museums in Shanghai: Best Cultural Experience in China’s Most Dynamic City

Written by Veronica | Updated August 21,2025

Shanghai boasts a wide range of museums involving history, natural science, art and culture, glasses, animation, navigation and so on. They, as the window of global cultural exchange, are the carrier keeping Chinese civilization alive by incorporating international vision and innovative forms.

If you are eager to give full insight into Shanghai, visiting local museums is absolutely the easy way to get first-hand knowledge of this international metropolis.

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• Why Visit Museums in Shanghai?
• 1. Shanghai Museum (上海博物馆)
• 2. Shanghai Museum East (上海博物馆东馆)
• 3. Shanghai Science and Technology Museum (上海科技馆)
• 4. Shanghai Natural History Museum (上海自然博物馆)
• 5. China Art Museum (中华艺术宫)
• 6. Shanghai Astronomy Museum (上海天文馆)
• 7. Shanghai Maglev Museum (上海磁悬浮交通科技馆)
• 8. Shanghai City History Development Museum (上海城市历史发展陈列馆)
• 9. Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center (上海城市规划展示馆)
• 10. Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum (上海犹太难民纪念馆)
• 11. Shanghai Museum of Glass (上海玻璃博物馆)
• 12. China Maritime Museum (中国航海博物馆)
• 13. Shanghai Postal Museum (上海邮政博物馆)
• 14. Shanghai Auto Museum (上海汽车博物馆)
• 15. Shanghai Museum of Arts and Crafts (上海工艺美术博物馆)
• Top 15 Museums in Shanghai Comparison
• Practical Tips for Visiting Museums in Shanghai
• Plan Your Shanghai Tour with US

Why Visit Museums in Shanghai?

Visiting museums in Shanghai enables you to not only learn Chinese civilization but also pamper yourself with an international cultural feast.

If you want to add cultural elements to your China travel, visiting some museums is definitely a good choice.

Shanghai Blends History, Art, and Innovation in its World-Class Museums.

Shanghai now has registered 171 museums and conducted 949 exhibitions as of 2024. More than 40 million visitors were welcomed throughout the year.

Museums in Shanghai bring together Chinese civilization lasting thousands of years, diversified art and cutting-edge creativity. They are not so much on the past as on the future because it enables you to get inspiration and catch a glimpse of the future.

Perfect for History Buffs, Families, and Art Lovers Alike

Museums in Shanghai have been an ideal home to history buffs, families and art lovers alike.

If you are history buffs, the underwater archaeological site will enable you to have a close contact with cultural relics as if they were at your fingertips.

If you have a family tour in museums, your kids are able to personally excavate fossils to explore nature. Or, they can make cloisonné to learn Chinese aesthetics.

If you are art lovers, museums in Shanghai will have a talk of global aesthetics with you. You can admire Chinese calligraphy finishes by masters through the ages, and paintings of western painters like Van Gogh and Monet.

Many Offer Free Entry or Affordable Tickets

More than 40 museums in Shanghai are open to the public for free, such as Shanghai Postal Museum and China Securities Museum.

Whenever the International Museum Day on May 18 comes, 135 museums in Shanghai have half-price ticket to offer or entertain visitors freely.

To enjoy a nice trip, you can check official news on WeChat mini program before departure.

1. Shanghai Museum (上海博物馆)

You should choose Shanghai Museum if you can only visit one museum in Shanghai. Not only a premier comprehensive museum in Shanghai, it also tops many other museums across China thanks to its vast collections of over one million artifacts. Established in 1952, the museum has its treasure artfully displayed in 10 permanent galleries and three exhibition halls.

The museum’s building itself is an architectural marvel, resembling a giant bronze ding. This also indicates its unrivaled collection of bronze ware. Here you can see bronzes from Shang, Zhou, and Warring States periods to the mid-Qing dynasty. The brilliiant casting techniques of many rare treasures will wow you, like:

• Dà Kè Dǐng (大克鼎‌): a heavy Western Zhou vessel with a 290-character inscription
• Zǐ Zhòng Jiāng Pan (子仲姜盘‌): A water basin decorated with 3D aquatic animals from Spring and Autumn period.
• Xī Zūn (牺尊‌): A distinctively shaped wine vessel also from Spring and Autumn period.

More than bronze ware, the museum also stands out for the large collection and rarity of its calligraphy, paintings, and unique ceramics.

• Address: No. 201, Renmin Avenue, Huangpu District, Shanghai
• Admission Fee: ‌Permanent exhibitions are open to the public for free. You need to make an appointment on WeChat official account. Special exhibitions are charged.
• Opening Hours: 9:00-17:00 (ticket checking stops at 16:00) ‌from Tuesday to Sunday; closed on Mondays‌.
• Contact: 021-63723500
• How to Get There: you can take Metro Line No.1/2/8 and get to People’s Square Station, then walks five minutes. You can also take Bus No. 18/23/46/71 to People’s Square Station.
• Best for: History enthusiasts, cultural researchers, first-time Shanghai visitors

2. Shanghai Museum East (上海博物馆东馆)

If you can’t reserve an access to Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Museum East can be a great alternative. Currently, no reservation is required for visiting the East museum. Compare to Shanghai Museum, the East museum features a modern minimalist style architecture. It introduced multimedia interactions and virtual reality to offer visitors an immersive experience and understanding of ancient treasures.

Its rare artifact collection account for about 10.5% of the Shanghai Museum (People Square), and are dominated by bronze, caligraphy, painting, ceramics, coinage, sculpture and jade galleries.

Its multimedia videos, interactive games, and special displays in Bronze Gallery allow visitors to understand the key concepts more intuitively.

Of particular note is that the number of its jade, bronze, and wood carvings in sculpture gallery even triple that of the Shanghai Museum.

• Admission Fee: ‌permanent exhibitions are open to the public for free. Special exhibitions are charged.
• Opening Hours: 10:00-18:00 (closed at 17:00) from Tuesday to Sunday; closed on ‌Tuesday
• Address: No. 1952, Century Avenue, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
• Contact: 021-63723500
• How to Get There: you can directly take Metro Line No. ‌2 and get to Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, then walk five minutes. ‌‌You can also take Bus No. 640/794/815/984 to Shiji Avenue.
• Best for: Families with kids, tech enthusiasts, young visitors

3. Shanghai Science and Technology Museum (上海科技馆)

Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is themed with nature, human and science. It establishes eleven exhibition halls and four special cinemas so that visitors can explore nature, robot, the universe and others by means of interaction and high technology.

You can play chess with robots and watch robot performance, like dance, mechanical handling and so on. The life-sized models of Shenzhou V spacecraft will give you an opportunity to serve as astronauts. Also, you can operate interactive devices of physical experiment.

Note: Currently undergoing renovations and is expected to reopen at the end of 2025.

• Admission Fee: ‌45yuan for adults; ‌22 yuan for students; free for children below 1.3 meters, the elders above 70 years old.
• Opening Hours: ‌9:00-17:00‌ (closed at 16:00) from Tuesday to Sunday; closed on Mondays (excluding statutory holidays)
• Address: No. 2000, Century Avenue, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
• Contact: 021-68622000‌
• How to Get There: you can directly take Metro Line No. 2 to the destination. ‌‌You can also take Bus No. 640/794/815/984 to Shiji Avenue.

4. Shanghai Natural History Museum (上海自然博物馆)

Shanghai Natural History Museum looks like a green conch lying in the garden. It embraces 280,000 specimens, including fossils, flora and fauna and minerals. You can admire 118 rare fossils in the dinosaur exhibition. The symbolic exhibit, the largest dinosaur fossil in Asia, is the skeleton of Mamenchisaurus with 26 meters in length.

Besides, you can visit the first dinosaur fossil discovered in China, Lufengosaurus; the largest Carnivorous dinosaur in the Jurassic period, Yangchuanosaurus‌; the earliest dinosaur with feather, Microraptor gui; the fossil of complete dinosaur embryo, Baby Yingliang Dinosaur; and the largest Oviraptorosaurs‌, Gigantoraptor erlianensis.

• Admission Fee: ‌30 yuan for adults; ‌12yuan for students, 25 yuan for the elders of 60-69 years old; free for children below 1.3 meters, the elders above 70 years old, soldiers on active service, people with disabilities.
• Opening Hours: 9:00-17:00‌ (closed at 16:00) from Tuesday to Sunday; closed on Mondays (excluding statutory holidays)
• ‌Address: 510 Beijing West Road, Jing’an District, Shanghai
• Contact: 021-68622000
• How to Get There: you can directly take Metro Line No. 13 to the destination. ‌‌You can also take Bus No. 36/19/104/136 to Beijing West Road.

5. China Art Museum (中华艺术宫)

China Art Museum grew out of Shanghai World Expo in 2010. It is famous for the bucket arch of China red. With total area of 166,800 square meters, it boasts 19,000 modern and contemporary artworks, including calligraphy, painting, sculptures and photographs. As a cultural landmark in Shanghai, it focuses on international art.

The multimedia demonstration of Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival vividly reproduces the bustling daily life along the Bian River in the Northern Song dynasty. Also, you can visit exquisite artworks of Dehua porcelain.

• Admission Fee: ‌permanent exhibitions are open to the public for free. Special exhibitions are charged.
• Opening Hours: 10:00-18:00‌ (closed at 17:00) from Tuesday to Sunday; closed on Mondays (excluding statutory holidays) ‌
• Address: 205 Shangnan Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
• Contact: 021-20202010
• How to Get There: you can directly take Metro Line No. ‌‌8/7 to the destination. ‌You can also take Bus No. 82/83/177/314/454/576 to Shangnan Road.

6. Shanghai Astronomy Museum (上海天文馆)

Shanghai Astronomy Museum is the world’s largest place of popular science, covering 38,000 square meters. Centering on the connection of human beings and the universe, it encompasses three exhibition halls, namely home, universe and journey.

Here you can admire 70 meteorite samples and 120 cultural relics, especially Changxing meteorite discovered in Changxing Island in 1964.

The dome screen of 26 meters in length will give you an immersive experience of exploring the universe.

You can personally experience the life of astronauts in the full-scale replica of China Space Station.

The first large astronomical telescope of modern China will introduce you to the development of Chinese astronomy.

• Admission Fee: ‌30 yuan for adults; ‌15 yuan for students; ‌25 yuan for the elders of 60-69years old; free for children below 1.3 meters or under 6 years old, and the elders above 70 years old.
• Opening Hours: 9:30-16:00‌ (closed at 15:00) from Tuesday to Sunday; closed on Mondays (excluding statutory holidays)
• Address: No. 380, Lingang Avenue, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
• Contact: 021-50908563
• How to Get There: you can take Metro Line No. ‌16 to Dishui Lake Station and walk about 10 minutes along the sign. ‌You can also take Bus No. 1009/Shengang No. 1 and get off at Lingang Avenue.

7. Shanghai Maglev Museum (上海磁悬浮交通科技馆)

Shanghai Maglev Museum contains five exhibition halls. It fully displays the principle of magnetic levitation technology and the development process of Maglev train in Shanghai by means of models, line of magnetic force, simulated driving and others. Here you can find the title of the fastest land transportation in the world certified by the Guinness.

You can visit the simulation model of maglev train, spare parts of maglev train, and the line of magnetic force. You can ride a bicycle to personally experience the speed per hour of 430 kilometers. Also, you will have a chance to experience the simulated driving.

• Admission Fee: open to the public for free‌
• Opening Hours: ‌9:00-17:30‌ (closed at 16:30) all year round; you are advised to make confirmation via call and WeChat official account before departure in case of special exhibitions.
• Address: No. 2100, Longyang Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
• Contact: 021-28907777
• How to Get There: you can take Metro Line No. ‌2/7/16/18 and get off at Longyang Road Station. ‌You can also take Bus No. 975/976/11 to the destination.

8. Shanghai City History Development Museum (上海城市历史发展陈列馆)

Shanghai City History Development Museum is at the bottom of the Oriental Pearl Tower. By means of cultural relics, wax figures, models and multimedia technology, it fully shows the change of Shanghai from a fishing village to international metropolis.

The total area of 10,000 square meters is divided into seven theme halls and collects thousands of cultural relics and life-sized wax figures. This is a good place to learn the modern history of Shanghai.

You must not miss the exhibition hall of Old Shanghai(十里洋场) and public transportation (车马春秋) because they reproduce the appearance of The Bund at dusk, and the first wedding carriage and early vehicles in Shanghai. You can affix the seals of theme commemoration at the reception and take them as a souvenir of China tour.

• Admission Fee: 35 yuan for one person‌; free for children below 1.3 meters
• Opening Hours: 9:00-21:00‌ (closed at 20:00) all year round
• Address: No.1 Century Avenue, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
• Contact: 021-58791888
• How to Get There:‌ you can take Metro Line No. 2 to Lujiazui Station, then walk about 350 meters. You can also take the urban sightseeing tour route No. 2 and get off at the Oriental Pearl Tower Station.

9. Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center (上海城市规划展示馆)

Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center presents the history of urban development by means of 5D digital sand table and AR interaction. It consists of three exhibition halls, namely humanity, innovation and ecology.

The building design is inspired by the Dake Bronze Ding of the Western Zhou dynasty, and thus won China Construction Engineering Luban Prize.

You can visit 5D digital sand table to learn Shanghai’s whole spatial planning. Visiting the exhibition hall of humanity will bring you to the light shadow at night on The Bund.

• Admission Fee: ‌open to the public for free and make a real-name appointment ahead of seven days; Children below 3 meters and soldiers on active service are free from appointment.
• Opening Hours:‌ 9:00-17:00‌ (closed at 16:00) from Thursday to Tuesday; Closed on Wednesdays‌ (excluding statutory holidays)
• Address: No. 100 Renmin Avenue, Huangpu District, Shanghai
• Contact: 021-63184477‌
• How to Get There: you can take Metro Line No. ‌1/2/8 and get to People’s Square Station. ‌You can also take Bus No. 18/49/167 and get off the bus at People’s Square Station. Take the urban sightseeing tour route No. 2 and get off at the Oriental Pearl Tower Station.

10. Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum (上海犹太难民纪念馆)

Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum is the historic site that about 20,000 Jewish refugees sought asylum in Shanghai during World War II. The whole exhibition hall collects more than thousands of cultural relics, covers ‌4,000 square meters and establishes six themes to reproduce the history that refugees and local residents worked together to tide over difficulties.

The memorial wall that was engraved with names of 18,578 survivors will take you back to those shocking days. A miserable love story will reappear in your minds in front of the replica of Betty’s wedding dress.

• Admission Fee: ‌20 yuan for adults, 10 yuan for full-time students below 23 years old, 15 yuan for the elders below 60 years old
• Opening Hours: 9:00-17:00‌ (closed at 16:00) from Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Mondays (excluding statutory holidays)
• Address: No. 62, Changyang Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai
• Contact: 021-55133186
• How to Get There: you can take Metro Line No. ‌12 and get to Tilanqiao Station, then walk eastwards100 meters. You can also take Bus No. 13/22/134/868/875/934 and get off the bus at Changyang Road Zhoushan Road Station.

11. Shanghai Museum of Glass (上海玻璃博物馆)

Shanghai Museum of Glass used to be a glass instrument factory. With the total area of 20,000 square meters, it shows the transition from traditional craft to contemporary art by renovating industrial remains and incorporating modern designs.

Here you can find the largest glass maze in the world, and admire ten thousand of glass artworks and interactive devices. You will know how glass is blown or try to make glass by yourselves. This is a family-friendly and kid-friendly place.

• Admission Fee: 80 yuan for main hall; 150 yuan for through ticket‌ (including main hall + children hall + glass maze + glass theater) ‌
• Opening Hours: 10:00-17:00‌ (closed at 16:00) from Tuesday to Sunday; ‌closed on Mondays‌ (excluding statutory holidays) ‌
• Address: No. 685, Changjiang West Road, Baoshan District, Shanghai
• Contact: 021-66181972‌
• How to Get There: you can take Metro Line No. 1/3 and transfer to bus at Tonghe Xincun Station/Changjiang South Road Station. These stations have shuttle bus to offer for free during weekends and holidays. ‌

12. China Maritime Museum (中国航海博物馆)

China Maritime Museum is the first nation-level exhibition on the topic of navigation. The whole building is designed in the style of white sail. The exhibition hall over 20,000 square meters collects more than 800 ship models.

You can personally board the life-sized replica of warship in the Ming dynasty as if you conducted an experience the heroic undertaking of voyage.

• Admission Fee: 30 yuan for adults; 15 yuan for students and teachers; 10 yuan for the elders of 60-64. Open to the public for free on the first Wednesday each month, but seats are limited and appointment is requirement.
• Opening Hours: 9:30-16:00‌ (closed at 15:30) from Tuesday to Sunday; closed on Mondays (excluding statutory holidays)
• Address: No.197, Shengang Avenue, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
• Contact: 021-68283691‌
• How to Get There: you can take Metro Line No. 16 to Dishui Lake Station, and then walk 10 minutes. You can also spend 2 yuan on reserving the direct shuttle at weekends.

13. Shanghai Postal Museum (上海邮政博物馆)

Shanghai Postal Museum used to be Shanghai General Post Office. It, as a cultural landmark along the Wusong River, fully displays how Chinese postal service is developed. You can discover the models of post houses in the Qing dynasty, automatic sorter of mails, rare stamps, and the ship model that Zheng He had voyages to the Western Oceans, etc.

Here you can get access to the first stamp of Penny Black in the world and learn the way that automatic sorter sorts out mails.

• Admission Fee: ‌open to the public for free. No appointment is required.
• Opening Hours: ‌9:00-17:00‌ (closed at 16:00) on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday; closed on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and statutory holidays
• Address: No. 395, Tiantong Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai (available on Sunday) / No. 250, North Suzhou Road (available on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday) ‌
• Contact: 021-63936666‌
• How to Get There: you can take Metro Line No. ‌10/12 to Tiantong Road Station, then walk five minutes. You can also take Bus No. 14/19/25/17/929 to the destination.

14. Shanghai Auto Museum (上海汽车博物馆)

Shanghai Auto Museum is the first one on the theme of automobile in China. Its external appearance is like a pile of books and covers 28,000 square meters. With history hall, collection hall, technology hall and children’s space, it displays hundreds of vintage cars, including more than 20 brands like Rolls-Royce and Benz, etc.

Here you can catch a glimpse of the development process of automotive industry over the past century. More important, you can admire classical vehicle models, such as Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost and Hong Qi CA72 with your own eyes.

Participating in theme games, such as racing simulation and car repair workshop, will give you an immersive experience.

• Admission Fee: 60 yuan for adults; 30-40 yuan for students/the elders; free for children below ‌3meters. Buying ticket online will be given discount.
• Opening Hours: ‌9:30-16:30 (closed at 16:00) from Tuesday to Sunday; closed on Mondays (excluding summer vacation in July and August)
• Address: No. 7565 Boyuan Road, Anting Town, Jiading District, Shanghai
• Contact: 021-69550055‌
• How to Get There: you can take Metro Line No. ‌11 to Shanghai Automobile City Station, then hail a taxi or ride a shared bike. If you choose to walk, it takes about 25 minutes.

15. Shanghai Museum of Arts and Crafts (上海工艺美术博物馆)

Shanghai Museum of Arts and Crafts, also known as the little white house, is the building in the style of the Renaissance. It encompasses three exhibition halls on the theme of carving, embroidery and folk crafts.

Thousands of collections, like jade carving, ivory carving, bamboo carving, woolen needlepoint tapestry, color enamel artwork, paper-cut and flour sculpture, will introduce you to the development history of arts and crafts in Shanghai.

You can admire caring artworks, like West Wing in Moonlight, The Fairy Spreading Flowers, and The Camel Balancer.

• Admission Fee: 8 yuan for adults; 5 yuan for students/the elders above 70 years old; free for children below 1.3 meters, retired veteran officials, soldiers on active service, people with disabilities.
• Opening Hours: ‌9:00-17:00 (closed at 11:00) and 13:00-16:30 (closed at 16:00) from Tuesday to Sunday; closed on Mondays (excluding statutory holidays)
• Address: No. 79 Fenyang Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai
• Contact: 021-64372509‌
• How to Get There: you can take Metro Line No. ‌1/7 to Changshulu Station or Metro Line No. ‌10 to South Shaanxi Road Station or Shanghai Library Station, then walk 10 or 15 minutes to the museum. You can also take Bus No. 15/42/45/96 to the destination.

Top 15 Museums in Shanghai Comparison

Although Shanghai possesses a large number of museums, you don’t have to visit all the museums one by one. You can choose museums based on highlights of museums and your preferences and schedule. Here is a table for your reference.

Practical Tips for Visiting Museums in Shanghai

• Confirm opening hours, ticketing policies, and special exhibitions in advance from the museums’ official website or call directly.
• Follow regulations. Some special exhibit may prohibit photography or flash use.
• If you are traveling with kids, please remind them to stay quiet and don’t touch exhibits or enter restricted areas.
• Some museums have wheelchair, baby stroller and luggage storage to offer at the entrance.

Other essential tips are listed below

How to Buy Tickets

Confirm whether a reservation or ticket required from the museum’s official website or WeChat mini program.

Most museums are free, just need a reservation in advance.

Best Time to Visit

To avoid peak period, you can go to museums in the morning on weekdays. Weekends and holidays are not recommended unless you want to enjoy overcrowding.

Museums in Shanghai will be closed for rest on Mondays or Tuesdays. Some may temporarily close for renovations close. Please always confirm the real-time information from the museum’s official website before going.

Plan Your Shanghai Tour with US

The text description always has one step away from the scene with you own eyes. Call us now, let’s schedule a Shanghai tour for you to have a close look at its museums. We are responsible for getting everything ready, while you only need to enjoy your holiday.