Oriental Pearl Tower Head-On from the North Bund, Up Close from Lujiazui

The Oriental Pearl Tower is the tower with pink balls standing on the Pudong riverside.

The Oriental Pearl Tower is the tower with pink balls standing on the Pudong riverside.

It's the tower that ends up in the middle of any Shanghai night-view photo.

If you want to see this tower from your room window, the choice narrows down to two areas.

The North Bund, facing it from across the river, and Lujiazui in Pudong, right next to the tower.

What you see from each area

The North Bund is the area north of the Bund along the river.

The Oriental Pearl Tower stands straight ahead across the river, with the Lujiazui towers beside it.

The night view fits in wide, like a painting.

From the river-side rooms at Hyatt On The Bund, you can take in the three tall towers of Lujiazui at a glance.

In China, the Shanghai Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, and Jin Mao Tower are grouped together and called the "Three Pieces" (sanjiantao).

Lujiazui is the area where the Oriental Pearl Tower stands.

The tower is so close that you look up at it from your room.

Instead of a wide view, the single tower fills the frame.

There are many high-rise hotels, so some rooms look down across the river on the Bund.

Which is better is a matter of taste.

For seeing the Oriental Pearl Tower, I prefer the North Bund.

That's because the tower, the river, and the row of towers all fit into one photo.

I took a phone photo of the Oriental Pearl Tower across the river from the Bund side, and anyone's photo turns out well.

Side by side on the same terms

Comparing the two areas by what you see, walking distance, and getting back at night:

• What you see: from the North Bund, the tower and the Lujiazui skyline spread wide in front of you. From Lujiazui, the tower looks huge and the row of Bund buildings lies below across the river.
• Walking distance: from the North Bund, you walk to the Bund riverside. From Lujiazui, you have to cross the river to reach the Bund.
• Getting back at night: from the North Bund, you see the Bund night view and walk back. From Lujiazui, you walk the Lujiazui riverside and go straight back to your hotel.
• Daytime sightseeing: if you'll spend a lot of time on East Nanjing Road and Yuyuan Garden, the North Bund is closer. If you'll go around the Shanghai Tower or IFC Mall, Lujiazui is closer.

What to check at North Bund hotels

Not every room in a North Bund hotel sees the Oriental Pearl Tower.

You need to check the room name and the tower.

At W Shanghai – The Bund, the Wonderful and Marvelous rooms are city view, so you can't see the Oriental Pearl Tower.

Even among the Spectacular rooms, only those labeled Pearl Tower View show the Oriental Pearl Tower.

Hyatt On The Bund has two towers: the East Tower and the West Tower.

The West Tower faces the Oriental Pearl Tower head-on, while the East Tower sees it from the side.

From the Bund-view rooms, you sometimes can't see the Oriental Pearl Tower.

So check whether the room name includes Oriental Pearl Tower View.

Sometimes the hotel calls ahead and assigns a high-floor room with a good view.

Details are in Hyatt On The Bund: why to ask for the West Tower.

Hyatt On The Bund has more to offer than the rooms.

The guest bathrooms have a separate bathtub and shower booth.

There's an indoor pool, spa, and sauna, so it's nice to rest after coming back from the night view in the evening.

Check-in starts at 15h, and contactless check-in is available.

At breakfast, the soup noodles and fried noodles at the noodle station were tasty.

The North Bund riverside is about a 10-minute walk from the hotel, and there's a shopping mall and a metro station nearby.

At Golden Tulip Bund New Asia, the Oriental Pearl Tower view isn't a fixed room type.

If you write high floor and a room facing the Oriental Pearl Tower in your requests, they often assign one.

Sometimes you get a low floor, so it's not for you if you absolutely want to see it.

How to write the request is in Does writing "high floor, Oriental Pearl Tower view" in your booking request work?.

The Regent Shanghai on the Bund, known as the Haiou Regent, sits on the corner where the Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek meet.

From a single room you can see the Lujiazui skyline, the old Bund buildings, and the spot where the two rivers meet.

The suites ending in 06 face Lujiazui head-on, so you can see the Oriental Pearl Tower from the bed.

The rooms ending in 15 face Waibaidu Bridge, so the view is different.

Even if you don't stay, you can see the Oriental Pearl Tower head-on from the terrace of the 2nd-floor restaurant.

Just south of the North Bund, across Suzhou Creek, is Puyan Hotel Shanghai The Bund.

You can see Suzhou Creek and the Oriental Pearl Tower outside the window.

It's about a 5-minute walk to East Nanjing Road Station, so daytime routes are easier than from the North Bund.

Check-in starts at 16h, so if you arrive early, drop off your bags and head out first.

What to check at Lujiazui hotels

The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong is in the building next to the Oriental Pearl Tower.

It sits above IFC Mall, so all the rooms are on high floors.

From the rooftop bar at the top, you can see the Bund on the left and the Oriental Pearl Tower on the right.

Even when there's a long line in front of the bar in the evening, hotel guests go up separately.

A room facing the Oriental Pearl Tower head-on is only assigned if you make a separate request to the rooms division.

At Regent Shanghai Pudong, the Oriental Pearl Tower stands right in the glass window of the 41st-floor indoor pool.

You're basically floating in the water looking at the tower.

For rooms, it's best to pick one labeled Pearl View.

Grand Hyatt Shanghai is inside the Jin Mao Tower.

It's about a 13-minute walk to the Oriental Pearl Tower.

The most sought-after rooms at this hotel are the river-view rooms.

The river-view rooms face the Bund, looking down on the row of old buildings across the river.

If you ask, they sometimes assign an 80th-floor Club floor river-view room that looks out on the Bund on the west bank.

There's an indoor pool with a view, and the soundproofing is good, so it's quiet at night.

Breakfast is on the 56th floor, and at the far end of the north side tables there were shengjian buns and pan-fried dumplings.

Deliveries and food orders are picked up yourself on the 1st floor.

I wrote about this hotel's rooms separately in Grand Hyatt river-view rooms.

Not every hotel with Lujiazui in its name is on the riverside.

Citadines Apart Hotel Lujiazui Shanghai is about a 13-minute walk to Deping Road Station.

You'll need taxis to reach the main sights.

It has a kitchen and washing machine, so it suits long stays, but it's not the place to choose for a night view from the window.

How to read room names

In both areas, the room name matters.

Only rooms labeled Pearl Tower View, Oriental Pearl Tower View, or River View are on the river side.

City View is the opposite side, so you can't see the river.

The English name of the tower is the Oriental Pearl Tower, so Pearl View means a room where you can see it.

There's one thing to watch out for.

At Lujiazui hotels, River View means a room facing the Bund, so the Oriental Pearl Tower may not be in the window.

At North Bund hotels, River View means a room facing Lujiazui across the river.

The same word changes what you see depending on the area.

What each word means is summarized in Rooms with an Oriental Pearl Tower view: words to look for in room names.

Getting around is easier from the North Bund

The North Bund is on the west bank, so you can walk to the Bund riverside.

From Hyatt On The Bund to the Bund is about an 8-minute walk.

East Nanjing Road Station is far, though, so you take a taxi or use another station.

W Shanghai – The Bund is close to International Cruise Terminal Station.

Lujiazui is on the east bank, so it's hard to walk to the Bund night view.

From Grand Hyatt to the Bund is over 4 km, so you'll take a taxi.

When calling a taxi, it's convenient to set the pickup at Gate 3 of the Jin Mao Tower.

The various ways to cross the river are compared in How to cross the river from the Bund to Lujiazui.

Depending on how many nights

If you're staying just 1 night, decide by the one scene you want to see.

If you want the tower and the skyline in one shot, choose the North Bund; if you want to see the tower big, choose Lujiazui.

With 2 nights, you can also split them.

On the first night, see the head-on view from the North Bund, and the next day look down on the Bund from a high floor in Lujiazui.

The two areas are a taxi ride apart, so moving your bags isn't hard either.

Which side suits you

• If you want the tower, the river, and the skyline in one shot, choose the North Bund.
• If you also want to walk to the Bund riverside in the evening, choose the North Bund.
• If you want to see the tower big, right beside you, choose Lujiazui.
• If you want to look down on the row of Bund buildings across the river from high up, choose a high floor in Lujiazui.
• If you want to walk East Nanjing Road by day and see the Oriental Pearl Tower at night, just south of the North Bund or a high floor on East Nanjing Road is also worth a look. That's covered in Shanghai Night-View Hotels: West Bank or Pudong?.

Other questions

How do I make sure I see it head-on from my room?

The surest way is to pick a room whose name includes Pearl Tower View or Oriental Pearl Tower View.

If the hotel has no such room, write high floor and the Oriental Pearl Tower direction in your requests.

At Hyatt On The Bund, also write West Tower.

Which side is better with kids?

At both Hyatt On The Bund and Grand Hyatt, children 12 and under stay free when sharing existing beds.

Hyatt On The Bund has family rooms decorated with a play tent.

Family trip tips are covered separately in Shanghai with parents and kids.

On cloudy days, the Oriental Pearl Tower looks hazy.

If you're booking a view room, check the weather too.

What to do on cloudy days is in Night views on cloudy or rainy days.

Prices change by date, so check them for your own dates.