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The Shanghai Ocean Aquarium is a window into underwater environments around the world. Unlike other aquariums, their glass-topped tunnel takes you underwater and into the exhibit so you can walk along surrounded by fish, sharks and other marine life. Divided based on ecosystems, their space is large and home to a variety of species. Make sure you see the jellyfish display!

Covering a massive amount of floor space, this glass building houses exactly what you think a science and tech museum would contain: exhibits on nature, inventions, robots, health and more. There’s also an IMAX theater as well as 4D cinema inside. A great option for a rainy day with the kids. (There’s also an enormous fake market located underneath, accessible through the metro station.) Open 9:00 to 17:00 every day except Monday Tickets are 60 RMB/person.

Overlooking the Huangpu River, across from the iconic Pearl Tower, the M on the Bund is worth the visit for the view alone—add beautifully presented, delicious dishes and you have an unforgettable dining experience. Their menu is traditional with modern flair: Chinese and European flavors with a few Middle Eastern and African dishes sprinkled in.

The tallest hotel in mainland China occupies floors 79 to 93 of the Shanghai World Financial Center, the 101-story skyscraper made by Mori Building, developer of Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills complex. As expected, any room or public area in the property likely has jaw-dropping views. Interiors mirror the aesthetics of a cultured modern Chinese residence, with sequences of gates, halls, and chambers as thoroughfares, and earth tones complementing natural materials. Monochromatic rooms have walls finished in linen, lacquer, and slatted-wood panels, with generous daybeds, 24-hour butler service, and plasma televisions embedded in the bathrooms’ vanity mirrors. But really, no amenity can top the incredible views.

Formerly the China Pavilion, created as the iconic showpiece of the World Expo in 2010, this unmissable red structure has been dubbed the “Oriental Crown” for its resemblance to ancient Chinese royal headwear. Now converted into a 27-hall art museum, it’s one of the few pavilions constructed during the expo that has been repurposed and reopened to the public. Worth a trip out just to see the former World Expo site, the gallery does hold a few notable exhibits. Make the trip in for the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival in Exhibition Hall 5. This classic mural has been re-created in an electronic format stretching around the walls on a large screen. While the museum itself is free, tickets must be secured in advance. The link below contains the easiest way for non-Chinese-speaking visitors to reserve tickets. Opening hours: 9am–5pm (last entry: 4pm, closed on Mondays).

Wang Wei and her husband, Liu Yiqian, are voracious collectors of Chinese art, both contemporary and traditional. The first Long Museum opened on the Pudong side of the river, in the suburban neighborhood of Jinqiao; the second is located on West Bund, a mere 15 minutes’ walk from the Yuz Museum. The building, done by lauded Shanghai architects Atelier Deshaus, might just stun you, with its enormous ceilings and open rooms that flow one into the other. Most exhibitions are of Chinese artwork—past shows include a retrospective of the work of cartoonist Zhang Guangyu and a selection of Qing Dynasty paintings. But big-name Western artists also show here, among them James Turrell and Olafur Eliasson.

Located in a 1916 heritage building on the Bund, this Michelin-starred restaurant is famous for the European and South American dishes on the menu by chef Mauro Colagreco. The delicious flavors compete, successfully, for your attention with the views of the Pudong skyline. Colagreco spends much of his time in the south of France, so while South American dishes are a big draw here, so are the lighter Mediterranean ones on the menu. This expat hangout has something for everybody, including steak lovers: You can order your favorite cut from Michelin-star chef Paul Pairet’s Chop Chop Club which opened next door in 2017.