Shanghai Ferry Fares 2026: ¥2 Public Ferry vs ¥100–¥150 Standard-Cabin Sightseeing Cruises

Shanghai Ferry Fares 2026

Shanghai ferry fares split in two: ¥2 for a crossing, ¥100–¥150 for a seat on a sightseeing cruise. Both boats use the same Huangpu River, and each is run by a different company. The ¥2 ticket is sold at ferry terminals, and the cruise seat is sold from wharves such as Shiliupu and the Oriental Pearl. The two kinds of place are easy to mix up, and they sit within a few hundred metres of each other. Six priced options for 2026 come first, then the sailing times that decide an evening on the river, and the four mistakes that cost visitors the most.

Quick Facts

Dollar figures use the PBOC mid-rate of 1 USD = ¥6.7150 on 3 November 2026. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten cents. Shanghai ferry fares cover two different products, not one range. The ¥2 crossing and the ¥100–¥150 sightseeing seat are sold by different companies.

Peak season runs 26 February to 25 November. Off-peak runs 26 November to 25 February, so the off-season fares in the table start on 26 November 2026.

Two Systems: ¥2 Ferry Terminal vs Cruise Wharf

Shanghai ferry fares are easy to compare wrongly. Shanghai sells Huangpu River rides from two kinds of place, run by two different companies. They sell different products. A ferry terminal (渡口) sells a crossing. A cruise wharf (码头) sells a seat on a sightseeing trip.

The names are easy to mix up. Jinling East Road appears in both: Zhongshan East 1st Road for the ferry, Zhongshan East 2nd Road for the cruise.

Addresses are published. Sailing times are not fixed in one place. The official fare sheet sends readers to each operator's public account, and the ferry service publishes its own.

For the sightseeing cruises, call 400-920-1278 on weekdays between 09:30 and 17:00. A second line answers between 10:30 and 21:30 on 021-53089007. Shanghai Municipal Ferry answers on 33767736.

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¥2 Public Ferry: Fares, Payment, Service Changes

The ¥2 fare is the cheapest way to cross the Huangpu and the simplest ticket to buy. Shanghai ferry fares on this network have not moved since 2022. Two decks, a walk-on boarding hall, and 800 metres between the Bund and Lujiazui. What the money does not buy is time on the water, because the trip is a short hop rather than a cruise. The last sailing leaves well before the skyline lights up.

Two of the boats on the Dongjin line are electric. Shanghai Ferry 11 and Shanghai Ferry 12 run on battery power. Both have a glass skylight over the upper deck, plus air conditioning, soft seating and USB ports. They work the line from 12:00 to 18:30 on weekdays, roughly every 15 minutes. The second-deck bow has no glass reflection, which makes it the clean spot for a shot of both banks.

Fares and Free Travel

Shanghai Municipal Ferry moved to self-service boarding on 1 March 2022, and the 2026 tariff is still the same one. Pedestrians pay ¥2, bicycles and e-bikes ¥2.8, motorcycles ¥4. Every terminal keeps a change box for anyone who arrives with a folded note.

A separate operator-side rule charges ¥1 for a second crossing on the same day on air-conditioned boats. It is not in the published tariff sheet, so check the gate display before counting on it.

Four Ways to Pay

No Chinese bank account is needed, and no foreign card will open the gate on its own. Bring one of these four instead, and have it ready before reaching the turnstile, because queues build at the machines.

• Alipay or WeChat transport code. Bind a Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club or Discover card in the app, then use the transport QR code at the gate. The Shanghai public transport code covers the ferries.
• Suishenxing (随申行). The official Shanghai transport app, with an English interface and registration for overseas mobile numbers. Its code works on the Huangpu ferry lines.
• Shanghai Public Transport Card. A refundable physical card that works across the ferry, metro and bus network, and can be bought at convenience stores.
• Cash. Coins go straight into the fare box, and every terminal keeps a change box for notes.

2026 Service Changes

The Dongjin line between the Bund and Lujiazui is the one most visitors take. Its schedule moved twice in 2026. The Dongfu line to Fuxing East Road runs later, and it is the practical answer for anyone crossing after dinner.

• Dongjin line daily service. First crossing at 07:00 from Dongchang Road, last at 18:15; from Jinling East Road the last sailing is 18:30, with a boat roughly every 15 minutes through the day. Source: Suishenxing app data, January 2026.
• Dongfu line seasonal hours. From 1 May to 31 October 2026 the last crossing moved out to 22:00, and from 1 November 2026 it moved back to 21:00. Many English guides list 22:00 as the Bund's last ferry, but that figure belongs to the Dongfu line, not the Dongjin.
• Thursday 12 November 2026. The Dongjin line stops from 07:00 to 16:00 and the Dongfu line from 07:00 to 18:15 while Dongchang Road terminal swaps its berth and steel gangway. Take the Yangfu line from Yangjiadu to Fuxing East Road instead.
• Holiday precedent. On 1 to 5 May 2026 the Dongjin line stopped collecting fares from 12:00 each day, and over the Dragon Boat festival on 19 to 21 June 2026 it ran mornings only. Plan for partial-service days rather than assuming a full timetable.

Live times come from the Suishenxing app or the Shanghai Ferry public account. The ferry hotline on 33767736 answers schedule questions.

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Sightseeing Cruises: ¥60–¥150 by Season

Huangpu River Sightseeing Cruise Ship

For a cruise, Shanghai ferry fares are not one number but a grid: the same boat costs different amounts by season, by time of day and by cabin class. Two families of trip share the Huangpu. The express cruise (快线游) runs the longer loop, 60 to 70 minutes. A shorter 45-minute circle around the Bund and Lujiazui is the classic cruise (经典游), and its evening sailing passes the lit skyline.

Season and Night Tiers

The published tariff table divides the year three ways. Peak season runs 26 February to 25 November, off-peak 26 November to 25 February. A separate national-holiday tier does not split day from night. Everything below is per person, in ordinary cabin, on the standard list price.

The national-holiday tier covers New Year, Spring Festival, Qingming, Labour Day, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn and National Day. It applies to the whole day rather than the evening slot. A classic cruise on a holiday morning costs the same ¥150 as the night sailing. Off-peak fares begin on 26 November 2026, which puts the express cruise day ticket at ¥60. That is the same figure the November import-expo promotion charged.

Children under 1.3 metres tall travel free on the published cruise tariff. Those between 1.3 and 1.5 metres pay half. Passengers over 70, disabled service members and disabled police officers pay half with valid ID.

Express and Classic Routes

Both routes circle the same landmarks. The express boat stays on the water longer, and the classic boat takes the shorter loop. Published tariff sheets list the express cruise at about 70 minutes. The operator and 2026 media coverage put it at 60.

• Express cruise. Boards at Jinling East Road Wharf from 15:00, runs the longer loop, and is the cheapest cruise on the river. Its 2026 list price is ¥100 for a day sailing and ¥120 at night.
• Classic cruise. Boards at Shiliupu Wharf 1 from 11:00, and at Shiliupu Wharf 2 and Qinhuangdao Road Wharf from 18:00. The 45-minute loop passes the Bund and Lujiazui.
• Evening departures. If the plan is the night skyline, the 18:00 sailings matter more than the hour printed on the ticket, because the classic cruise sails from 18:00 until the end of that day's schedule. Ask the wharf which sailing is last.

On the Bund side the wharves sit within a few minutes of each other. Shiliupu 1 is at 481 Zhongshan East 2nd Road, Shiliupu 2 at 551, and the Jinling East Road cruise wharf at 142. The Oriental Pearl wharf, at 2852 Binjiang Avenue on the Pudong bank, is the one for first-class and executive cabins.

CIIE and Festival Ticket Windows

Shanghai ferry fares dropped twice in 2026, and both runs are worth understanding because one is still open. The discount is never automatic. The ticket has to match the event badge, and the badge has to match the ID.

• Import expo, 1 to 30 November 2026. The express cruise day sailing drops from ¥100 to ¥60 and the night sailing from ¥120 to ¥72. Buy through the Huangpu Cruise mini-programme, and show both the expo credential and the photo ID at boarding; the two must match.
• Tourism festival, 12 to 18 September 2026. Already closed: the classic cruise day sailing was cut from ¥120 to ¥60 and the express cruise day sailing from ¥100 to ¥50. Listed here because the same offer returns each autumn and the price is a useful yardstick.

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Buffet Dinner Cruises: ¥298–¥398

A different product sits on the same river: the buffet cruise, sold as a special dining sailing rather than a sightseeing ticket. Shanghai ferry fares for that sailing run from ¥298 to ¥398 a head, and the fare includes the boat seat and a buffet meal. The trip runs around 120 minutes, with departures from 18:00. Two price lists are in circulation and neither has been withdrawn, so the number depends on which operator is asked.

The 2023 sheet and the 2026 operator list cannot be reconciled from the published sources. Shanghai ferry fares for the buffet boats therefore sit in two columns. One reason is that the older sheet predates the newest boat now working the river. Both are worth reading as reference values rather than as a single price.

The published tariff names these boats in Chinese only, so match the characters on the wharf board. Phone numbers for the dining sailings are 400-821-0748 and 021-63287707, with 400-679-7770 for the 快乐船长 boat. Every fare covers the boat seat and the meal, and none covers transport to the wharf.

Upgrade or Stay at ¥2

Most visitors do not need to spend more than ¥2. Shanghai ferry fares only matter once the choice is clear. The difference between a crossing and a cruise is not the view but the time on the water. Spend more only when one of these four conditions applies.

Four Reasons to Pay More

You are paying for hours on the river, not for a better view of the same riverfront. Four conditions justify the extra.

• The skyline after dark. Night sailings are the ones with the lights on: ¥120 for the express cruise and ¥150 for the classic cruise in peak season, ¥80 and ¥120 off-peak. The classic route passes the lit Bund.
• A tight schedule. The classic cruise loops for 45 minutes and comes back to the wharf. The express cruise stays out for 60 to 70 minutes over a longer stretch of river.
• Small children or older relatives travelling along. A cruise seat is a room with air conditioning, and the buffet sailing puts a meal in the middle of the trip. On the ¥2 ferry the lower deck belongs to scooters.
• A wish to stay out on the water. The cruise fare buys time. The ferry crosses and stops, and deciding which is worth paying for depends on how long the evening is.

Buying the Wrong Ticket

Shanghai ferry fares are often spent on the wrong product. The wrong ticket is the most expensive mistake, because the trip itself does not happen. Four traps account for most of it.

• Buying a cruise ticket at a ferry terminal. Terminals sell crossings at ¥2 and nothing else. Cruise tickets are sold at wharves, and the two are often within a few hundred metres of each other.
• Buying a ferry ticket at a cruise wharf. At Shiliupu the boards point to wharves 1, 2 and 3, all cruise operators. No crossing tickets are sold there.
• Reading 22:00 as the Bund's last ferry. That is the Dongfu line's closing time under the summer schedule. The Dongjin line, the one that lands at the Bund and Lujiazui, closes at 18:15 and 18:30.
• Paying ¥150 for a short crossing. The ¥2 ferry and the ¥150 cruise run on the same water. The extra money buys an hour on the river, a seat and a meal, not the crossing itself.

Suzhou River Fares

Suzhou River is a separate waterway with a separate operator. Its prices are named here only to keep them separate. The Suzhou River boats divide their fares by route length. A 15-minute leg costs ¥30, a 30-minute leg ¥60, and the full 90-minute route ¥160. Themed sailings do not join any promotion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much do Shanghai ferries cost in 2026?

Shanghai ferry fares run from ¥2 for a public crossing to ¥298–¥398 for a buffet cruise. The ¥2 crossing price has not changed since 2022. A standard sightseeing cruise runs ¥100–¥150 a head in peak season and ¥60–¥120 off-peak. National holidays are priced at the top tier. Every fare is a single-use ticket per person.

Q: Which Shanghai ferry fare is best value?

The ¥2 crossing. It runs the same water between the Bund and Lujiazui, past 52 historic buildings on a 1.5-kilometre riverfront. Both banks are photogenic from the upper deck. What it does not give you is time: the trip is short and the last sailing leaves early. Pay more only to stay on the river after dark.

Q: When do the last ferries leave the Bund?

On the Dongjin line, the last sailing leaves Dongchang Road at 18:15. From Jinling East Road it is 18:30. A boat runs roughly every 15 minutes through the day. The Dongfu line to Fuxing East Road closes at 21:00 from 1 November 2026. Holidays and maintenance days cut service further.

Q: When does the ¥60 low-season ticket start?

Off-peak starts on 26 November 2026 and runs to 25 February. Classic cruise fares fall to ¥100 by day and ¥120 at night. The express cruise day ticket drops to ¥60, the night sailing to ¥80. The same ¥60 also appeared during the November import expo. Buyers need an expo badge and a matching photo ID for it.

Q: Can a foreign card pay the ferry fare?

Yes, but not by tapping the card on the gate. Bind a Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club or Discover card to Alipay or WeChat Pay. Use the transport code the app generates. Suishenxing, the official transport app, also accepts overseas mobile numbers. A transport card and cash work as well.

Q: How do I avoid buying the wrong ticket?

Check the two characters on the sign. 渡口 marks a ferry terminal that sells crossings, 码头 marks a cruise wharf that sells sightseeing seats. Jinling East Road has one of each, on Zhongshan East 1st Road and Zhongshan East 2nd Road respectively. Shiliupu Wharves 1, 2 and 3 all sell cruise seats and none sell a ¥2 crossing.

Q: Which boats run on November 12, 2026?

On Thursday 12 November 2026 the Dongjin line stops from 07:00 to 16:00. The Dongfu line stops from 07:00 to 18:15 the same day. Dongchang Road terminal is swapping its berth and gangway. The Yangfu line, Yangjiadu to Fuxing East Road, is the alternative. Shanghai Municipal Ferry announced the suspension on 29 October 2026.