11 of the Best Museums in Shanghai and How To Visit

Home to more than a million art treasures, spread across two—soon to be three—locations, the Shanghai Museum is the prima donna of Shanghai art museums. Head to Shanghai Museum East to discover wonders of classical Chinese culture, such as jade carvings, ceramics, and calligraphy. The original building on People’s Square features international exhibits that cross-pollinate with the museum’s own collection. While most Shanghai art tours focus on modern art, private guides will be happy to add a stop here.

Don’t miss: The jade gallery in Shanghai Museum East hosts treasures that include a tiny but perfectly formed deity dating back more than 4,000 years.

One of Shanghai’s top family attractions for more than 20 years, the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum (SSTM) is set to reopen at the end of 2025 after a refurbishment that brings it back to the cutting edge of technology. Featuring advanced robotics, AI, and virtual reality, you’ll find displays on new materials, the green transition, quantum science, and more. Whether you’re learning about the wonders of space or exploring the world below the surface of the planet, families and science-minded travelers will find plenty to spark their interest.

Don’t miss: The old robotics section had a robot arm that could beat you at Go. Expect the new version to showcase even more of China’s technological prowess.

Art titans Liu Yiqian and Wang Wei have built an extraordinary and prestigious collection, spanning the gamut from ancient Chinese artifacts and revolutionary art to pieces by international modern and contemporary artists including Mark Rothko, Amedeo Modigliani, Yayoi Kusama, and René Magritte. The Long Museum (West Bund), one of the top Shanghai cultural attractions, showcases not only highlights of their collection, but also features exhibitions of international and Chinese contemporary art, many curated by Wei.

Don’t miss: Yiqian paid a record-breaking US$36million at auction for a tiny and almost impossibly fragile 15th-century “chicken cup”—painted with chickens, as the name suggests.

Designed by Japanese master Tadao Ando, the Aurora Museum showcases a relatively small but dazzling selection of historical Chinese art and artifacts. The permanent collection covers jade, pottery figures, Buddhist sculptures, and blue-and-white porcelain; special exhibitions span the gamut from stone age jade carvings to contemporary art, making this one of the most worthwhile Shanghai museum tickets to buy.

Don’t miss: A Chinese ruler had a full-body jade burial suit created around 2,000 years ago to preserve his immortality, which contains almost 2,500 individual pieces.

Set on the site of a former glass factory, the Shanghai Museum of Glass Park is an intoxicating journey through the magic of glass. A kaleidoscopic entrance sets the tone, while glass artworks highlight exactly what craftspeople can achieve. The museum tells the story of the history and science of glassmaking, while special exhibitions showcase glass artists from around the world. Keep kids on a short leash, though–there have been incidents when children have damaged precious exhibits.

Don’t miss: The live glassblowing demonstrations are well worth the extra charge if you’ve not seen this skill in action.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai was the epicenter of China’s film industry, churning out Chinese classics and creating an image of the city as enticing, cosmopolitan, and corrupt that it preserves to this day. The Shanghai Film Museum, one of the most interesting Shanghai historical museums, sits on the site of the original Shanghai Film Studio. The sleek, monochrome interior houses a whirl of vintage props, glamorous portraits, and interactive installations.

Don’t miss: The Walk of Fame, a stroll down a dynamic “red carpet” of lightbulbs surrounded by flash-wielding sketches of paparazzi.

History buffs won’t want to miss the Shanghai History Museum, not least for the building it occupies—a 1930s structure that was once the Shanghai Race Club. Inside the museum, you'll find showcases of Shanghai's storied heritage. From exhibitions that explore the events—and the enduring legacy—of the Opium Wars, which brought Shanghai under Western influence, to the bronze lions that once adorned the HSBC building, it’s a fascinating story of the interplay of colonial aspirations and Chinese culture.

Don’t miss: The enormous sedan chair, dripping with gilt decorations, which carried Qing dynasty brides.

If you ever wondered how Chinese Communism achieved its incredible longevity, the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre has an answer, at least in part. Bold prints and colorful comics showcase a benevolent Chairman Mao, heroic peasants and workers, and joyful, healthy children—in a universe completely free of famine. It’s a brave endeavor for a private art museum in this restricted society and deserves its place in any Shanghai museum guide.

Don’t miss: Stock up on unique prints at the little shop, as the museum itself bans photography.

One of Shanghai’s quirkier museums, the Shanghai Public Security Museum tells the tale of the city’s different police forces, and with it a wider narrative of policing in China. From historic firefighting equipment to official police knuckledusters to a special phone box designed for patrolmen to call their station, it’s a surprising way to showcase the history of a city that once had a gangland to rival Chicago’s.

Don’t miss: True crime aficionados with strong stomachs will get a thrill from the dismembered body case from 1954.

Housed in a landmark building designed as a nautilus shell, the Shanghai Natural History Museum does exactly what it says on the tin: It tells the story of the universe and our place in it, spanning the Big Bang, the dinosaurs, and the present. If you are visiting museums in Shanghai with kids, it’s up there with the science museum for thrills and spills. Its taxidermy exhibits can be patchy, but little ones will love the animatronic dinosaurs, the mammoth skeleton, and the saber-toothed tiger.

Don’t miss: The museum has an enormous and complete mamenchisaurus dinosaur skeleton, dating back 140 million years.