219 Zhongshan Dongyilu
21/6326-3693
www.pjrivercruise.com

HOURS: Long cruise daily 2-5 p.m.;
short cruises daily 9:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m.,
3:15 p.m., 4 p.m., and 4:30 p.m.;
short cruises nightly every half hour 7-8:30 p.m.

COST: ¥50-150

METRO: East Nanjing Road (Line 2, Line 10)

The best way to see both the river and the city it divides is on a cruise. The Shanghai Huangpu River Cruise Company (Shanghai Pujiang Youlan) is the major provider of river boat trips and offers either a three-hour jaunt up to the mouth of the Yangtze at Wusongkou, or a leisurely one-hour sail past the main city sights between the Nanpu and Yangpu bridges.

There’s also an evening option to take in the glitz of the skyline at night.

The three-hour cruise is a great way to gain a thorough understanding of what makes Shanghai tick. After cruising past the colonial buildings of the Bund to the left and the Lujiazui skyline to the right, you’ll travel past the wharves and docks of Hongkou district before passing into industrial territory.

Sights include the castle-like Yangshupu Water Plant, built by the British in 1883, and the Wusong fort, where the Opium Wars were fought. Finally, you’ll reach the meeting point of the Huangpu, the Yangtze, and the East China Sea, where the waters mix.