Designed by Hungarian architect Ladislaus Hudec and erected as a bank in 1934, the Park Hotel was Shanghai’s tallest building until the 1980s, when shoulder-padded architects first started squinting hopefully in the direction of Pudong. Back in the days when building height had a different meaning, it was said your hat would fall off if you looked at the roof.

Peruse the foyer for its art deco overture. A short walk east along Nanjing Rd is the Pacific Hotel, formerly the China United Apartment Building, also equipped with some lovely lobby details.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Madame Tussauds

0.15 MILES

The waxworks at Madame Tussauds are largely aimed at locals – so might be irrelevant to your celebrity spotting – and cost a lot, but may make do for…

2. Shanghai History Museum

0.17 MILES

Originally opened as the Shanghai Race Club in 1934, and having undergone several incarnations since, this iconic building now houses the Shanghai History…

3. Good Eighth Company Mural

0.17 MILES

A fine example of socialist realism sculpture, the Good Eighth Company Mural is in the plaza at People's Square metro exit near the underpass of the West…

4. People’s Park

0.18 MILES

Occupying the site of the colonial racetrack (which became a holding camp during WWII), People’s Park is the city centre's green refuge. It's home to the…

5. Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art

0.19 MILES

Nonprofit MOCA Shanghai has an all-glass home to maximise natural sunlight (when it cuts through the clouds), a tip-top location in People’s Park and a…

6. Tomorrow Square

0.21 MILES

This stupendous tower seizes the Shanghai zeitgeist with dramatic aplomb. Resembling a sci-fi corporation headquarters, the stratospheric building is…

7. Moore Memorial Church

0.24 MILES

Designed by notable Hungarian architect Ladislaus Hudec, the Moore Memorial Church (c 1931) is a standout red-brick Christian edifice east of People’s…