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Huangpu River (Shanghai) pedestrian/bike trails

Huangpu River (Shanghai) pedestrian/bike trails

Old Jul 12, 2022, 8:51 am
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Huangpu River (Shanghai) pedestrian/bike trails

One of my least favorite tourist activities in Shanghai is the obligatory Bund visit (walk around for 15 minutes, take pictures, throw in an overpriced river cruise, and cap things off with drinks at a pretentious restaurant). However, I've recently begun to appreciate the drill if you prepend it with 5-10 km of walking and/or biking.

When I first came to China, this idea wasn't especially feasible because the river banks were quite industrial. But, for the past ~4 years, everything between the Xupu (Xuhui--Pudong) and Yangpu (Yangpu--Pudong) bridges has been connected by mixed-use trails on both sides.

As I kick off this thread, I can really only comment on the west side of the river, but I will definitely get over to Pudong and give its trail a test drive fairly soon.

The following articles provide a pretty good overview of both sides:

West (Shanghai)
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/article...-huangpu-river

East (Pudong)
https://www.smartshanghai.com/venue/...ide_bike_trail

Moving on, I'd like to add a few insights based on my recent experiences:
-during lockdown, the parks were closed from between the Lupu (Shanghai--Pudong) Bridge and at least Suzhou Creek, so I focused on the Xupu to Lupu sections of the trail, which are surprisingly nice, but maybe not worth the time investment for people on semi-tight schedules (assuming you're planning on ending up on the Bund)
-the pedestrian and bike trails overlap in some areas but run parallel most of the way
-the pedestrian trails are closest to the river in all cases (i.e. nicer), and the bike trails are actually "bike lanes" during ~30% of the span
-I certainly don't want to dismiss (shared) bikes in the slightest, though because they facilitate longer journeys (distance-wise) and it's incredibly easy to ditch them or find new ones as you plod along
-there isn't any need to bring water along with you (vending machines, coffee shops, convenience stores every 1000 meters or so)
-for Lupu Bridge to Suzhou Creek (best part), plan on about 90 minutes if you walk the entire way
-Suzhou Creek to Yangpu Bridge is another ~45 minutes
-Xupu Bridge to Lupu Bridge ~75 minutes
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Old Jul 12, 2022, 3:26 pm
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On one of my very first visits to Shanghai ( early-mid 1980's) I was taken on a boat tour of the Hwang Pu.
All I can remember of it was the stench. I have avoided such activities aver since.
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Old Jul 12, 2022, 5:08 pm
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Yeah parts of the trail in Puxi are pretty nice. There are areas where you can get lost because signage is still lacking.

Shared bikes are useful because you can actually ride them to the ferry, ditch the bikes, then cross the Huangpu on a ferry while enjoying the views, then pick up a bike again on the Pudong side.
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Old Jul 12, 2022, 7:55 pm
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Originally Posted by YariGuy
Yeah parts of the trail in Puxi are pretty nice. There are areas where you can get lost because signage is still lacking.

Shared bikes are useful because you can actually ride them to the ferry, ditch the bikes, then cross the Huangpu on a ferry while enjoying the views, then pick up a bike again on the Pudong side.
I think there are around 5 ferry piers (between the Xupu and Yangpu bridges) now.

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Old Jul 12, 2022, 11:37 pm
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This is great info for when all the tourists are let back into China in 2030.
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Old Jul 13, 2022, 4:08 am
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Originally Posted by travelinmanS
This is great info for when all the tourists are let back into China in 2030.
Ahhh you are cracking! You used to say 2035....

But it will be a while. Covid does not seem to be in a hurry to leave us and the same has to be said of China's zero covid policy.
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Old Jul 16, 2022, 1:57 am
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Originally Posted by IluvSQ
On one of my very first visits to Shanghai ( early-mid 1980's) I was taken on a boat tour of the Hwang Pu.
All I can remember of it was the stench. I have avoided such activities ever since.
This is how I feel about the Shanghai Zoo. I actually only went there one time, and that was over 20 years ago, but it was such a depressing place that I haven't been back. I'm nearly certain that it is a lot better now, and it's conceivable that I might even enjoy it. I will return as soon as a visitor (including any of you) shows up and says "let's go to the zoo".

The river, on the other hand, is far more important culturally/historically than the zoo. It definitely doesn't smell bad anymore.

After I started this thread, I tried to think about where I would start the walk if I was not familiar with the streets here. My best suggestion is the Marriott Riverside Hotel because it is actually on the trail, taxi drivers have no issues finding it, and it's just west of the Lupu Bridge.

Alternatively, if you want to approach the Bund from the Yangpu Bridge (east/north), the Ningguo Rd subway station on Line 12 is kind of convenient (about 1.5 km from the river).
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Last edited by moondog; Jul 16, 2022 at 2:05 am
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Old Oct 2, 2022, 5:28 am
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Originally Posted by moondog
As I kick off this thread, I can really only comment on the west side of the river, but I will definitely get over to Pudong and give its trail a test drive fairly soon.
I did (just north of) Xupu Bridge to Lujiazui today on the east side by bicycle.

I started off by riding along the west bank trail until I got to the Sangang Ferry port, which is about 250 meters north of the Xupu Bridge and the current trail terminus.



Once over there, the drill is as simple as following the trail. Unlike the Shanghai side, the bike trail over there is an actual trail (as opposed to a bike lane) 100% of the way. I would almost call it fancy by bike trail standards (e.g. well marked, frequent speed bumps, lots of interesting bridges, including a clover leaf contraption or two). I ditched the bike when I got to Binjiang Park, and walked the rest of the way to the Lujiazui subway station, but I believe the trail continues on to the Yangpu Bridge. The only thing noteworthy in these pictures is the thousands of tents I passed by...maybe a National Day camping/picnic event?



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Old Oct 3, 2022, 2:51 am
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I love that trail, great for biking but its becoming quite popular now making it a bit dangerous in the peak use periods.

Ive been running the trail on the puxi side from west bund park to the bund. Its well set up for running but not as nice as the pudong side for biking.

Nonetheless it is a great job of urban planning by the city government and it makes me hate them a little bit less now despite what they did to us earlier this year.
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Old Oct 23, 2022, 2:35 am
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I got on the trails both yesterday and today because, after giving us a preview/reminder of what cold and rainy is like, Mother Nature was benevolent.

I took two different ferries over and back (to/from the east bank) yesterday, and here's the gist of it:

In case, the youtube link doesn't render, you can use this one instead:
https://1drv.ms/v/s!AvStxu5O7B6QgqJz...nG6Zg?e=9A1sxx

I will opine that, unless you're really into your specific shared bike, it's worth dumping it before getting on the boat and getting a replacement on the other side so you can enjoy the river cruise to the fullest extent (upstairs is nicer).

Meanwhile, today, I opted for subways (lines 12 and 7, both convenient for me, and are among the 9 lines that cross the river).

I can't really recommend taking line 12 (to/from Donglu Rd) because it's about 6 km from the northern trailhead, but the bike lane was reasonably civilized, save a few utterly obnoxious Eleme dudes.


The northern trailhead is basically at the Yangpu Bridge, though I didn't catch the actual starting point (maybe 300 meters inland).


As you can see from the following picture, the pedestrian-only lanes are reddish brown.



One of many basketball courts along the way.

A dog show (as far as I could tell, it was for poodles only).

I finished off at Houtan Stn on Line 7. This was actually quite convenient (near the SK Building, less than 1000 meters from the trail).
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Last edited by moondog; Oct 23, 2022 at 9:49 pm
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Old Apr 12, 2023, 7:23 pm
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Don't attempt this drill on weekend days with nice weather



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Old Apr 13, 2023, 10:06 pm
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Here's the plan for tomorrow (Saturday)
-Didi to the ferry just north of the Lupu Bridge
-finish at the end of the trail (Yangpu Bridge) and take LIne 14 back into Shanghai
-Lujaizui will be slow-going
-I will take pics, and try to post
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Old Apr 26, 2023, 8:18 am
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I've been experimenting with various start/finish point permutations on the east-side bike path, and think my ride today was the most efficient entire trail journey thus far, so I want to provide a brief report.

Before getting into that, here's a quick summary of subway logistics:

-Xiepu Rd is the best start/finish point because it is only ~250 meters from the north end of the trail
-if you don't care about the north section, you can use Lujiazui or Shangcheng Ave instead
-Houtan (basically SK Building) is the most convenient subway station south of the Lupu Bridge
-Oriental Sports Center isn't quite as convenient, but is a little further south
-Sanlin is the closest station to the southern terminus

Today, I went from Sanlin to Xiepu Rd.


I emerged from Sanlin Stn at exit 4 and started heading east on Sanlin Rd, which has a nice bike lane, as you can see.


Sanlin Rd sort of dead ends about 1000 meters short of the river, so I switched the Xupu Bridge (you can see the bridge in this picture) side road for a few minutes.


It basically dumped me on the trail, but I did need to find an entrance because the trail is pretty well fenced off in the area.


I made a pit stop between Lupu and Nanpu to change to a different bike (my Hello Bike subscription only permits 90 minutes per rental, and I knew I was going to go over).


I made a second stop just north of Lujiazui because I wanted to get a closer look at the cruise ship in this picture (first one I've seen since 2019).


And, I finished at Xiepu Rd Stn exit 4.
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Old May 4, 2023, 7:42 pm
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I failed to mention that we don't have subway stations west of the river.
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Old Jul 12, 2023, 7:50 am
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This post is sort of an addendum to post 13 because I've optimized my trail logistics quite a bit over the past several months, and I'd like to offer my opinions on logical start/end subway stations near the bike trail. So, I've reannotated the exploreshanghai map here (you can see the complete map at https://exploreshanghai.com/metro/#). Obviously, it's not to scale, but I'm using it here because baidu and amap are too cluttered for this purpose and google/maps.me aren't up to speed with the newest subway lines.

I've also mentioned that taking ferries across the river also works, and if you're new to Shanghai, I certainly recommend trying at least one ferry (they only take around 3 minutes to cross the river and you'll be able to snap some cool pics). However, you need to get to the river in order to use them, which is often inefficient.


Cutting to the chase, the following are comments on subway stations near the bike trail that I have used myself in order to access the trail (I haven't tried them all yet, and I'm not sure I'll get around to Tangqiao on Line 4 even though it seems close because I rarely take line 4).

1. Xiepu Rd (Line 14). This station is among the most convenient wrt trail access and it happens to be nestled up against the Yangpu Bridge, which is the northern terminus. Furthermore, line 14 is really nice and fast (I don't think it actually travels faster than other lines, but the stations are kind of far apart). In any event, if I had to rank all 8 options, Xiepu Rd would be on the top of my list, without question. Use exit 4.
2. Luijiazui (Lines 2 and 14). I can only recommend Lujiazui as a start/end point if you are actually doing activities in Lujiazui (e.g. aquarium, pearl tower, Flair, or any of the restaurants in Binjiang Park). You'll want go between the subway station and the river on foot because traffic can be insane and confusing.
3. Shangcheng Rd (Line 9). I use this one sometimes because line 9 is convenient for me, and on weekends I often start at the south end and escape at Shangcheng Rd because Binjiang Park and points north is extremely slow going. It's a little less than 1 km from the trail.
4 and 5. China Art Museum (Line 8) and Shibo Ave (Line 13). I'm grouping these together because they are essentially in the same place wrt the trail (Mercedes Benz Arena). They are both pretty close to the river, as the crow flies, but you'll need to hunt for good access points in this area. This is essentially the halfway point (13 km from the top).
6. Houtan (Line 7). Houtan is the second most convenient wrt trail subway station I have used, and it's an excellent start/end point because chopping off the bottom ~6 km isn't the end of the world. The subway station is easy to spot because it's basically underneath the SK building.
7. Oriental Sports Center (Line 11). This is the closest line 11 stop to the river on the east side, and it's actually not that close (about 1 km). I start my rides there whenever I don't feel like including the very bottom 2 km (plus Sanlin).
8. Sanlin (Line 11). This is one stop after Oriental Sports Center and 4 km from the river, but the ride from there to the trail is almost as civilized as the trail itself (e.g. dedicated bike lane and very few delivery drivers), and it dumps you at the very bottom (I think the trail will be extended in the future, but the Xupu Bridge is the current terminus).

.

Last edited by moondog; Jul 13, 2023 at 10:29 am
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