🏛️ 5A National Attractions
Last verified 22 Jul 2025
Shanghai officially hosts 5 国家5A级 scenic areas—an eclectic mix of futuristic skyline icons, immersive science education and quiet wetlands at the mouth of the Yangtze.
1 Quick Metrics
Total 5A sites
5
Official list
UNESCO share
0 (Shanghai has no World-Heritage listings—yet)
World heritage sites
Ticket range
Free (CPC Congress Memorial) → ¥199 peak (Oriental Pearl top-deck)
Price variation
Real-name booking
Required for CPC Memorial • Science Museum • Wildlife Park (ID+health QR)
Passport/ID mandatory
Subway reach
4 / 5 within 800 m of a metro exit; Xisha Pearl Lake needs suburban bus / car
Public transport access
2 Why It Matters
Skyline decoder — the Oriental Pearl Tower isn't just a photo backdrop; its 351 m deck puts the Bund art-deco belt, Huangpu curve and 632 m Shanghai Tower into one eye-level pano.
STEM playground — the Science & Tech Museum's robot arm shows and VR Mars base make it China's busiest science centre (4 M visitors/yr).
Birthplace of modern China — the restored CPC Congress site walks you through a 1921 shikumen lane before dropping you in an ultra-modern AI exhibition of party history.
Wetland breather — Xisha Pearl Lake on Chongming Island is Shanghai's quietest 5A, with reed-lined bird hides and electric-only boats—an antidote to Pudong LEDs.
3 Pro Tips
1
Oriental Pearl — book the 17:30 sunset slot 7 days ahead in the "东方明珠" mini-program; top deck (Space Capsule) is an extra ¥30 but crowd-controlled.
2
Science Museum — holiday mornings sell out; aim for 13:00 entry when school groups leave. The ¥20 IMAX dome tickets open 10 min before each show—queue at Hall B.
3
Wildlife Park — free shuttle from Metro Line 16 "Wild Animal Park" exit every 10 min; panda feeding at 10:30 & 15:00.
4
CPC Memorial — bilingual AR guide free with passport deposit; last entry 16:00.
5
Xisha Pearl Lake — rent an e-bike at Chongming South Gate ferry, ride the 8 km reed loop; sunset ferries back to downtown are 17:45 & 18:30 only.
4 Full 5A List
🦁
Pudong – Line 16
Shanghai Wild Animal Park / 上海野生动物园
153 ha safari-style zoo · 10 km bus loop + walk zones · giant pandas, white lions · real-name ticket via mini-program.
🏛️
Huangpu (Xintiandi)
CPC 1st + 2nd + 4th Congress Memorial Site Scenic Area / 中国共产党一大•二大•四大纪念馆景区
Restored 1921 shikumen meeting house · multimedia party-history halls · free, real-name booking "一大纪念馆" mini-prog · Metro L10 & L13 "Xintiandi".
🦢
Chongming Island
Xisha Pearl Lake Scenic Area / 西沙明珠湖景区
17 km² wetland park · bird hides, lotus boardwalks, electric boats · migratory-bird peak Oct–Nov · bus / self-drive from Metro L10 Tongji-University ⇢ Chongming bridge.