--- title: "Should You See Shanghai from the Magnolia Deck or the Tower?" description: "The Magnolia Observation Deck is a 320-meter open-air rooftop at 501 East Daming Road, North Bund. With no glass to obstruct the view, it offers a direct, unobstructed panorama of Shanghai Tower and the Oriental Pearl Tower. The tower's main lobby sits at an even higher elevation. We recommend visiting during golden hour." type: "guide" published: "2026-09-28T00:00:00" updated: "2026-09-28T01:02:47.883755Z" reading_minutes: 4 word_count: 1186 tags: [] related_route_ids: ["route_draft_379346779d53", "route_draft_2b0a983d84b3", "route_draft_78081a63a442"] related_routes: [{"route_id":"route_draft_379346779d53","slug":"shanghai-hangzhou-3-days","title":"Shanghai After the Expo","url":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/shanghai-hangzhou-3-days","duration_label":"3d","price_label":"$1,200","image":"https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/luHUZreV.webp","route_stops":{"en-US":["Shanghai","Hangzhou"],"zh-CN":["上海","杭州"],"de-DE":["Shanghai","Hangzhou"],"fr-FR":["Shanghaï","Hangzhou"],"es-ES":["Shanghái","Hangzhou"],"it-IT":["Shanghai","Hangzhou"]},"sort_order":0}, {"route_id":"route_draft_2b0a983d84b3","slug":"shanghai-water-towns-7-days","title":"Shanghai, by Water","url":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/shanghai-water-towns-7-days","duration_label":"7d","price_label":"$2,190","image":"https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b3JL4qyN.webp","route_stops":{"en-US":["Shanghai","Suzhou","Hangzhou"],"zh-CN":["上海","苏州","杭州"],"de-DE":["Shanghai","Suzhou","Hangzhou"],"fr-FR":["Shanghaï","Suzhou","Hangzhou"],"es-ES":["Shanghái","Suzhou","Hangzhou"],"it-IT":["Shanghai","Suzhou","Hangzhou"]},"sort_order":10}, {"route_id":"route_draft_78081a63a442","slug":"beijing-xian-shanghai-9-days","title":"Four Lines, One Country","url":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/beijing-xian-shanghai-9-days","duration_label":"9d","price_label":"$3,230","image":"https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1ANRdHZy.webp","route_stops":{"en-US":["Beijing","Xi'an","Shanghai"],"zh-CN":["北京","西安","上海"],"de-DE":["Peking","Xi'an","Shanghai"],"fr-FR":["Pékin","Xi'an","Shanghaï"],"es-ES":["Pekín","Xi'an","Shanghái"],"it-IT":["Pechino","Xi'an","Shanghai"]},"sort_order":20}] url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/guides/shanghai-magnolia-deck-guide" canonical_url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/guides/shanghai-magnolia-deck-guide" locale: "en-US" alternates: {"en-US":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/guides/shanghai-magnolia-deck-guide","en-GB":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/en-GB/guides/shanghai-magnolia-deck-guide","zh-CN":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/zh-CN/guides/shanghai-magnolia-deck-guide","zh-TW":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/zh-TW/guides/shanghai-magnolia-deck-guide","de-DE":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/de-DE/guides/shanghai-magnolia-deck-guide","fr-FR":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/fr-FR/guides/shanghai-magnolia-deck-guide","es-ES":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/es-ES/guides/shanghai-magnolia-deck-guide","it-IT":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/it-IT/guides/shanghai-magnolia-deck-guide","x-default":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/guides/shanghai-magnolia-deck-guide"} --- # Should You See Shanghai from the Magnolia Deck or the Tower? _Last Updated: 2026-09-28 | Reading Time: 4 min_ ## Table of Contents - Should You See Shanghai from the Magnolia Deck or the Tower? - Key takeaways - Who should pick which viewpoint? - Where do you stand, exactly? - What is actually in front of you? - How is Shanghai Tower different if you do go up it? - When should this sit in the trip? - FAQ - The short version ## Related routes - [Shanghai After the Expo](https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/shanghai-hangzhou-3-days) — 3d · $1,200 - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/luHUZreV.webp - Stops: Shanghai, Hangzhou, 上海, 杭州, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shanghaï, Hangzhou, Shanghái, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou - [Shanghai, by Water](https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/shanghai-water-towns-7-days) — 7d · $2,190 - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b3JL4qyN.webp - Stops: Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, 上海, 苏州, 杭州, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghaï, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghái, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou - [Four Lines, One Country](https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/beijing-xian-shanghai-9-days) — 9d · $3,230 - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1ANRdHZy.webp - Stops: Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, 北京, 西安, 上海, Peking, Xi'an, Shanghai, Pékin, Xi'an, Shanghaï, Pekín, Xi'an, Shanghái, Pechino, Xi'an, Shanghai ![Sunset from the open Magnolia observation deck toward Shanghai Tower](https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c88641f4bb1e.jpg) ## Should You See Shanghai from the Magnolia Deck or the Tower? \*\*Use the Magnolia deck for the towers in open air, from Puxi\. Use Shanghai Tower to stand inside the tallest one, behind glass\. They sit on opposite sides of the river and need two tickets\. The deck opened on 15 April 2025 at 320 metres, on the old helipad of Magnolia Plaza\.\*\* At LyrikTrip we split the choice this way for first\-time visitors: one viewpoint with nothing in front of you, one viewpoint from inside the landmark itself\. Doing both on the same evening is a rush, not a plan\. ## Key takeaways \- The deck is at 501 Dongdaming Road, Hongkou, on the North Bund\. Metro Line 12, International Cruise Terminal, Exit 3, then basement one\. It is not in Wujiaochang\. \- From the roof you face Shanghai Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center, the Oriental Pearl and the Huangpu\. There is a stage on the deck\. \- The slot sold as an evening visit has started at 19:30, 20:30 and 21:30\. The government notice at opening also listed daytime hours, last entry 21:15\. Confirm daytime before you rely on it\. \- Drinks, a guide on site and a hotel car are not part of the ticket\. A glass in a photo is something a visitor bought\. ## Who should pick which viewpoint? | You are | Choose | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | A family that wants one photograph of the skyline | The Magnolia deck at dusk | The three towers and the river are in one turn, outdoors | | Someone who wants to stand in the tallest building | Shanghai Tower, floor 118 | You are inside it, at 546 metres, behind glass | | A couple with a late flight | The deck's evening slot | You are already on the Puxi side, near the river | The deck is worth it because the view is open and the building is on the Bund side\. It is not a bargain version of the tower\. ## Where do you stand, exactly? On the roof of Magnolia Plaza, which the city also calls by its magnolia name, at the North Bund\. Enter from basement one\. The lift goes to the former helipad\. A booking code is only a reservation\. The entry details arrive before the visit\. Large backpacks and professional tripods are refused\. There is no guide waiting at the door\. What you do get, if you book the arranged ticket, is English advice before you go and a short digital note on where to stand\. A ticket page has mixed this address with Wujiaochang\. Ignore that\. Wujiaochang is another part of the city\. Follow Line 12 to International Cruise Terminal and walk to 501 Dongdaming Road\. If you would rather have the slot, the entry note and the timing handled, book \[an evening on the Magnolia observation deck\]\(/experience/shanghai\-magnolia\-observation\-deck\)\. ## What is actually in front of you? Shanghai Tower, the bottle\-opener of the World Financial Center, the Oriental Pearl, and the river bending past both\. At dusk the Pearl sits in the bend and the sunset is behind the Pudong shore\. After dark the two spheres and the tower light up, and boats sit on the water\. The deck is open, so there is no glass reflection between you and the buildings\. That is the whole argument against going up Shanghai Tower for this particular photo\. There is also a stage\. The activity photos show an opera performer on a round platform, fog at the floor, stage lights to one side, and those three landmarks behind\. The ticket text mentions a DJ as well\. What you see depends on the slot\. Do not promise yourself a full opera\. Do expect the roof to be set up as a stage, not only as a railing\. ## How is Shanghai Tower different if you do go up it? You are in Pudong, at 501 Yincheng Middle Road, and you look out through glass\. Floor 118 is the observation hall at 546 metres\. Floor 52 is Duoyun Bookstore at 239 metres, which is a place to sit rather than a place to photograph the whole skyline\. The official city guide lists both\. The Magnolia roof is lower\. China News Service, on 15 April 2025, called Magnolia Plaza Puxi's tallest tower and described the roof as an open 320\-metre deck at the meeting of the Huangpu and Suzhou Creek\. It puts Shanghai Tower in the photograph instead of putting you inside it\. Pick the deck for that picture\. Pick floor 118 if being in the building is the point\. Pick floor 52 if you want a book and a coffee with the river beside you\. The other paid decks on the Lujiazui side are a separate decision, set out in \[which Shanghai observation deck to pay for\]\(/guides/shanghai\-observation\-decks\-guide\)\. ## When should this sit in the trip? On the evening you are already in Puxi, after a walk on the Bund and before a late dinner\. It is not a morning activity in the way we sell it\. Shanghai rewards two nights if this view is one of the reasons you stopped\. \[A 3\-day Shanghai and Hangzhou tour\]\(/tours/shanghai\-hangzhou\-3\-days\) is the short version that still has an evening free on the North Bund before the train to the lake\. One night usually means choosing the deck or the tower, not both\. ## FAQ ### Is this the highest view in Shanghai? No\. Shanghai Tower's hall is higher, at 546 metres, behind glass\. The Magnolia roof is 320 metres, on what China News Service called Puxi's tallest tower when it opened on 15 April 2025\. Height and an open roof are different choices\. ### Can I go during the day? The evening ticket we describe starts at 19:30, 20:30 or 21:30 on dates that have been published\. At opening, the Hongkou government also posted 10:00–22:00, last entry 21:15\. Ask whether daytime slots are still on sale before you plan a morning around them\. ### Is there someone to explain the buildings? Not on the roof\. The arranged ticket includes English advice before you go and a short digital note on where to stand\. It does not include a guide at the door, a meal, or a car from the hotel\. You read the skyline yourself\. ### What should I not bring? A large backpack or a professional tripod\. Both are refused at the door\. A phone is enough for the view you came for\. The open roof is windy after dark\. Bring a layer even in mild months\. ## The short version Stand on the open roof at 501 Dongdaming Road if you want the three towers and the river with nothing in front of the lens\. Go up Shanghai Tower if you want to be inside the tallest building\. One evening is enough for one of them\. If the rest of the trip still has no shape, \[plan the Shanghai nights as part of a private trip\]\(/private\-china\-trip\-planner\)\. ## Plan this China trip with a specialist Share your dates, pace, and must-see places. We will turn the planning notes into a private route that works on the ground.