Bund Promenade

Zhongshan Dongyilu
btwn. Garden Bridge and Yan’an Lu

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

One of Shanghai’s most iconic streets, the Bund stretches along the Huangpu riverfront and is lined with gorgeous colonial-era buildings. It was known as the Wall Street of Asia during the boom of the 1920s and 1930s and it must have been a hive of activity with ships unloading, laborers rushing by, and merchants haggling.

Start at the Garden Bridge [1] in the north, and work your way down the promenade all the way to the Shiliupu Docks. The view from the raised pedestrian walkway is unforgettable: On one side are the old customs houses, art deco hotels, and imposing bank headquarters, and on the other are the bristling skyscrapers of the modern financial district across the river.

The Bund promenade can get rammed on weekends, so keep an eye on your belongings and don’t be inveigled into having your photo taken by dubious “professionals.”