Shanghai Nightlife: Best Bars, Rooftops, Clubs and Things to Do at Night

Shanghai has the most varied nightlife in mainland China, from some of the best bars in Asia to live music to a street food scene that stays open well after midnight. 

This guide covers the very best of Shanghai nightlife: the main nightlife areas, the best rooftop and cocktail bars, clubs, live music, night cruises and late-night food, along with metro hours, prices in Australian dollars and a few things Australians should know before a big night out in China.

Shanghai Nightlife at a Glance

Conversions at AU$1 = ¥4.65, as of 27 October 2026.

Where to Go Out in Shanghai: The Main Nightlife Areas

As a huge, sprawling metropolis, there’s obviously not just one area you can go out to enjoy Shanghai's nightlife. There are a handful of different neighbourhoods to consider, each with a different vibe. 

If it's your first time in Shanghai, I'd split it into two nights: one around the Bund for the views, and one in the former French Concession for the bars.

Watch the Bund Light Up at 7pm

If you only do one thing in Shanghai after dark, make it this. Every night at 7pm, the 38 buildings along the Bund switch on together, close to 30,000 lights coming on in less than 10 seconds, facing the Lujiazui skyline across the Huangpu River.

The moment has become one of the most popular sights in the city, so it gets crowded. During the 2026 summer holidays, local media reported more than 40,000 people on the Bund waterfront at 7pm on a single evening. Arrive by around 6:30pm if you want a spot at the railing.

During public holidays the lights usually switch on from 6pm and stay on later, so check the schedule if you're visiting around Chinese New Year or National Day in October. My pick for the view is the stretch near the Bund Bull statue (Golden Bull Square).

Take a Huangpu River Night Cruise

Another fantastic way to enjoy the night in Shanghai is to jump on a Huangpu River cruise, which puts you right in the middle of the Bund on one side and Lujiazui's towers on the other. Night cruises from Shiliupu Pier, just south of the Bund, run between 6pm and 10pm, with standard sailings lasting around 45 minutes.

Go for the basic sightseeing cruise, which is enough for most people. There are also longer dinner cruises with a buffet, which run closer to two hours.

The most popular thing to do is to time your cruise for the 7pm light-up of the Bund, because you’ll have a front row seat. Pre-booking through Trip.com means you skip the ticket queue at the pier; you exchange your confirmation for a paper ticket before boarding.

Shanghai Rooftop Bars and Night Views

Shanghai is a city best seen from above, and there are two ways to do it at night: a drink at a rooftop bar, or a ticket to one of the observation decks.

Flair Rooftop at The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong

Flair sits on the 58th floor of The Ritz-Carlton in Lujiazui, with an open-air terrace that looks straight at the Oriental Pearl Tower and across the river to the Bund. The hotel bills it as the highest rooftop bar in Shanghai. Note that the terrace is seasonal and closes during the colder months, only reopening in spring (the 2026 rooftop season opened in April). Dress code is smart casual.

Shanghai Tower Observation Deck at Night

For the highest view in the city, the observation deck on the 118th floor of Shanghai Tower is 546 metres up. It's open until 10pm, with last entry at 9:30pm, so you can go up after the Bund light-up and look down on everything, including the Oriental Pearl Tower.Bring your passport, as it's needed for entry.

Best Cocktail Bars and Speakeasies in Shanghai

This is where Shanghai really stands out. In 2026, mainland China placed a record seven bars on Asia's 50 Best Bars list, and Shanghai's best bars are clustered close together in the former French Concession, so you can easily walk between two or three in a night.

Pony Up

Pony Up entered Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026 at No. 19, and it's a small, cosy space with walnut panelling and orange velvet booths, so queues are common. Founder Dre Yang trained at The Odd Couple, another of Shanghai's well-known bars.

It opens at 1pm, which is unusual for a cocktail bar, and the daytime menu leans on Chinese ingredients, like a daiquiri made with Longjing tea and starfruit. 

Speak Low

Speak Low is the bar that kicked off Shanghai's speakeasy craze when it opened in 2014, and it's still the one most visitors want to find. The entrance is hidden behind a shelving unit inside a shop selling bartending equipment, and the bar is spread over several floors, each a little more formal than the last.

It's run by Shingo Gokan, the Japanese bartender behind New York's Angel's Share. Look for the number 579 on Fuxing Road, as it's easy to walk straight past.

Live Jazz in Shanghai

Jazz has been part of Shanghai's nightlife since the 1920s and 1930s, when the city was known as the Paris of the East. Two venues keep that going.

The Jazz Bar at the Fairmont Peace Hotel

The Peace Hotel, which opened on the Bund in 1929 as the Cathay Hotel, is home to the Old Jazz Band. Formed in 1980, the band holds a Guinness World Record as the world's oldest jazz band, with an average age in the 80s, and plays nightly classics from the 1920s and 1930s. Sets run from around 7pm to 11:30pm.

It's a short walk from the Bund promenade, which makes it an easy next stop after the 7pm light-up. Personally, I'd make this the one Bund bar I'd prioritise over any of the rooftops.

JZ Club

JZ Club is Shanghai's best-known jazz venue, now in its third home at Hengshan 8 (Watertower Plaza, 8 Hengshan Road). It has house bands and visiting international players, where you’ll need to purchase a ticket. It also runs JZ Spring, Shanghai's longest-running jazz festival, held around the 1 May holiday each year.

Shanghai Clubs: INS Land and Beyond

If you want to dance, most roads now lead to INS Land. This is Shanghai’s most famous club, a seven-storey complex inside Fuxing Park where you can move between different bars and clubs and listen to all kinds of music. 

One entry ticket covers the whole complex rather than each club separately. It entered DJ Mag's Top 100 Clubs in 2026 at No. 12.

A few things to know before you go:

• Timing: Clubs don't fill up until after 11pm, and Thursday to Saturday is when it's busiest.
• Alternative scene: For something more underground, C Park in Changning has a cluster of smaller clubs, including Cedar Land.

Shows and Late Cultural Nights

Not every night needs to end in a bar. Shanghai's acrobatics are world-famous, and the best-known show is ERA: Intersection of Time at Shanghai Circus World, which mixes acrobatics with lighting effects and live music.

Shanghai Circus World has its own metro stop on Line 1, so it's easy to reach from central Shanghai and get back for a late drink (I know I just said that not every night needs to end in a bar, though). It's a great pick for families, too.

Late-Night Food in Shanghai

A late-night snack, called yexiao (夜宵), is as much a part of Shanghai nightlife as the bars. Locals head out for crayfish, barbecue skewers and dumplings well after 10pm, usually with friends and a few beers. These are the streets and dishes to have on your radar:

Shouning Road is nicknamed the street of crayfish, and it gets busier the later it gets. Huanghe Road is the place for dumplings; Yang's Fry Dumplings is known for staying open late. Most late-night stalls only take mobile payment, so have Alipay or WeChat Pay set up with your Australian card before you go. Crayfish at midnight after a few cocktails is not something you'll regret.

Image sourced from Unsplash.

Getting Around Shanghai at Night

The Shanghai metro is the cheapest way to get between nightlife areas, but it isn't a 24-hour service. Most lines finish between around 10:30pm and 11pm.

On Friday and Saturday nights, lines 1, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 13 run roughly an hour later. That covers a lot of useful routes for your night out: Line 10 links East Nanjing Road, Xintiandi and the former French Concession, and Line 1 runs through South Shaanxi Road and Hengshan Road. 

After the metro stops, use DiDi, China's ride-hailing app. It works in English, takes international cards once linked, and you can type your destination in English. Save your hotel's name and address in Chinese on your phone, which also helps with taxi drivers.

Sourced from Wikipedia.

Shanghai Nightlife Tips for Australians

Shanghai is one of the safer big cities in Asia for a night out, but a few rules work differently from home.

• Carry your passport. Foreign visitors are expected to carry their passport, and you'll need it for some venues and attractions, such as Shanghai Tower.
• Drugs are a serious risk. Chinese authorities can require blood, urine or hair tests, and a positive result can lead to detention, fines and deportation.
• Watch for the tea house and bar scam. Around East Nanjing Road, People's Square and the Bund, friendly strangers may invite you to a tea ceremony or a bar, where you're then handed a bill that can run to ¥3,000 (about AU$645) or more. Politely decline invitations from people who approach you on the street.
• Set up your payment apps before you fly. Link your Australian Visa or Mastercard to Alipay or WeChat Pay. 
• Tipping isn't expected. You don't need to tip at bars, clubs or in taxis.
• Visa-free entry. Australians can currently visit China visa-free for up to 30 days, under a policy valid until 31 December 2026. You'll also need to complete the China Arrival Card.

Where to Stay in Shanghai for Nightlife

If you’re visiting Shanghai to experience a lot of its nightlife, it might pay to stay somewhere close to all the action.

My first choice would be the former French Concession or Xintiandi, because it puts the best bars and INS Land within walking distance, and the Bund is only a 10-minute ride away. If it's your first trip and the skyline is the priority, East Nanjing Road is hard to beat.