hotels · Shanghai
Where you stay shapes the whole trip. These are the hotels in Shanghai that travelers rate above everything else — each holds at least a 4.5-star average across thousands of reviews.
The Bund · $$
Victor Sassoon's 1929 Art Deco landmark, with its green copper pyramid roof, defined Jazz Age Shanghai and hosted Charlie Chaplin and Noël Coward. The Old Jazz Band, whose members average over 80 years old, still plays the bar nightly.
Insider tip: Even if you stay elsewhere, book a 7pm table at the Jazz Bar to hear the octogenarian house band.
The Bund · $$
The first new building on the Bund in 60 years when it opened in 2009, it channels 1930s glamour with valet boxes in every room and a fleet of Rolls-Royces. Rooms facing west look over the former British Consulate gardens to the river.
Insider tip: Take afternoon tea in The Lobby on a weekday; weekend sittings book out well in advance.
The Bund · $$
The hotel's heritage wing occupies the 1911 Shanghai Club, once the British establishment's most exclusive address in Asia. Its meticulously recreated Long Bar was famed in the 1920s as the longest bar counter in the Far East.
Insider tip: Ask for a heritage suite in the old Shanghai Club building rather than the modern tower for the period detail.
Lujiazui, Pudong · $$
Occupying floors 79 to 93 of the Shanghai World Financial Centre, this was long the highest hotel on earth and still feels like sleeping in the clouds. Tony Chi's muted interiors keep all the drama for the floor-to-ceiling skyline windows.
Insider tip: Book a Bund-facing room ending in higher floor numbers and skip the observation deck queue entirely.
Jing'an · $$
Shanghai's original urban resort layers dark stone, lacquer and Han dynasty artifacts beside Jing'an Park, with a 25-meter infinity pool overlooking the temple district. Its long bar off the lobby is a destination in itself.
Insider tip: Request a park-facing room on a high floor to watch morning tai chi in Jing'an Park below.
Former French Concession · $$
The city's only all-villa hotel occupies an entire restored 1930s shikumen lane compound, the largest of its kind left in Shanghai. Each villa spans three floors of a stone-gate house, blending lane-house architecture with French service.
Insider tip: Take the complimentary house bicycles for a morning loop of the plane-tree-lined Concession streets.
March–May & September–November
Chinese Yuan (CNY)
Mandarin, Shanghainese
How this list is made: we only feature places rated 4.5 stars or higher with 1,000+ reviews from real travelers. Ratings and review counts are approximate and move over time — always check current numbers before booking. Photos are sourced from Wikimedia Commons under free licenses (credits in each gallery).
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Good to know
Three full days covers the Bund, Yu Garden, the French Concession and a Pudong observation deck at a comfortable pace. Add a fourth day for a high-speed-rail trip to Suzhou or Hangzhou, both under an hour away.