Look up to catch a glimpse of the elegant Jesuit-built Xujiahui Observatory, which dates to 1872 and is currently part of the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau. Access is rare, but sometimes available as part of a group with prior reservations. Contact Xujiahui Tourist Information Centre to help arrange this.
Xujiahui Observatory
Shanghai
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
3.69 MILES
One of Shanghai’s few active Buddhist monasteries, this temple was built between 1918 and 1928. The highlight is a transcendent Buddha crafted from pure…
5.23 MILES
China’s tallest building dramatically twists skywards from its footing in Lujiazui. The 121-storey, 632m-tall, Gensler-designed Shanghai Tower topped out…
2.51 MILES
Tianzifang and Xintiandi are based on a similar idea – an entertainment complex housed within a warren of lòngtáng (弄堂, alleyways). Unlike Xintiandi,…
4.34 MILES
With its shaded alcoves, glittering pools churning with fish, plus pavilions, pines sprouting wistfully from rockeries, and roving packs of Japanese…
3.26 MILES
With its own namesake metro station, Xintiandi has been a Shanghai icon for over a decade. An upmarket entertainment and shopping complex modelled on…
4.76 MILES
Symbolic of concession-era Shanghai, the Bund was the city’s Wall Street, a place of feverish trading and fortunes made and lost. Originally a towpath for…
5.23 MILES
If you tire of Shanghai's incessant quest for modernity, this tiny town is only a hop, skip and metro ride away. An ancient settlement that prospered…
Shanghai World Financial Center
5.37 MILES
Although trumped by the adjacent Shanghai Tower as the city’s most stratospheric building, the awe-inspiring 492m-high Shanghai World Financial Center is…
Nearby Shanghai attractions
0.03 MILES
This memorial hall, within an historic Ming dynasty building in Guangqi Park, is dedicated to the life and works of 17th-century Shanghai scientist Xu…
0.04 MILES
Dominated by an imposing white marble cross, this serene park is dedicated to 17th-century Christian scholar and scientist Xu Guangqi, whose tomb (a large…
0.16 MILES
Alongside a middle school on Puhuitang Rd, this fascinating museum is dedicated to the arts and crafts of the former Tousewe Orphanage, established here…
0.21 MILES
The magnificent St Ignatius Catholic Library, Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei, is one of several Jesuit monuments defining historic Xujiahui. Established in 1847 by…
0.22 MILES
The dignified twin-spired St Ignatius Cathedral (1904) is a major Xujiahui landmark. Its nave is a long span of Gothic arches, while the exterior is…
0.27 MILES
There's no shortage of entertainment value here, beginning from the moment you enter the exhibits via a 'red carpet' corridor of simulated applause and…
0.28 MILES
The former St Ignatius Convent, standing across North Caoxi Rd from St Ignatius Cathedral, is now a restaurant called Ye Olde Station (上海老站, Shanghai…
0.38 MILES
This red-and-grey-brick building on the south side of Hongqiao Rd, across from Grand Gateway 66 mall, was established in 1850 by the Jesuit priest Claude…