Shanghai World Expo Museum

Shanghai World Expo Museum

Shanghai World Expo Museum
4.1
9:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Monday
9:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Friday
9:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 12:00 AM
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The area

Address
Neighborhood: Huangpu
Huangpu District in Shanghai, historically known as the city's business center, is home to a mix of old and new, traditional and modern. Iconic landmarks such as the Bund, a riverside promenade lined with colonial-era buildings, and the futuristic Oriental Pearl Tower, dominate the skyline. Shanghai's oldest and busiest shopping street, Nanjing Road, is located here, offering a plethora of dining and shopping options. Cultural attractions abound, including the Shanghai Museum, which houses a vast collection of Chinese art, and the Yuyuan Garden, a classic Chinese garden with pagodas and ponds. The area is well-served by public transportation, making it easy to explore this compelling fusion of past and present.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.1
4.1 of 5 bubbles578 reviews
Excellent
257
Very good
186
Average
89
Poor
24
Terrible
21

Kaija
Shanghai, China141 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2025 • Solo
I wasn’t expecting much from the World Expo Museum, as it’s not typically highlighted among Shanghai’s must-see attractions, but I was pleasantly surprised. The museum features two temporary exhibition spaces, including a modern exhibition and a William Morris exhibit, which I found particularly impressive.

The museum also houses 8 halls dedicated to the history of the World Expo, and they are done extremely well. What stood out to me was the focus on the lasting impact of Expo builds. While there’s often a lot of talk about the cost and new infrastructure required for the Olympic Games, the Expo’s constructions are often overlooked. These structures are much more substantial, and many of them continue to shape the landscapes of the host cities. There are city maps on display showing the new architecture built for each host city over the years.

Another fascinating section highlights the technological innovations introduced at the Expo, such as the typewriter, automated milking systems, and the modern classroom. There’s so much to see that by the end, it can be a bit overwhelming. Overall, the exhibition was thoughtfully curated and very well done.
Written February 25, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

PeggieFearless
Kyoto, Japan677 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2013 • Solo
This place is worthy half a day if you have much time in Shanghai. But if you just have 1 or 2 days, it can be skipped coz it is really far from downtown of Shanghai (about one hour on the way).
I got to see the display of modern arts, mostly paintings, and it was great to learn we have such great Chinese artists who tided their work and ideas with the country's spirit and historical standings.
No entrance fee but you should make reservation online and pick the tickets at 4 offices in downtown before you get to the site. There are some, what we Chinese call, Yellow Cows, in English scalpers selling tickets at the entrance. Don't be fooled by them when they say your online reservation is not accessible to the site.
Written May 26, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Randy D
26 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2017 • Solo
Historical overview of past Expos, finished off by a review of the Shanghai Expo. A very new and modern museum, I would consider it if you have an extended stay but not a top pick overall.

It has its own stop on Metro Line 13. It is on the North side of the river, not on the South side with the actual Expo Hall and China Art Museum (Art Palace). You don't need more than an hour or two, the building itself is interesting and entrance is free.
Written August 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nero147
Hong Kong, China40 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2015 • Family
Easy access by underground, there is a station just outside. Entrance is free but you need to pay 20 RMB if you want to watch the animated "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" (清明上河圖). This is the sole reason I came here. I am amazed not the animation was created by how the whole picture is projected seamlessly on the wall. Besides, there are a lot of China related cultural stuff to see in the arena. Worth spending a couple of hours here.
Written October 26, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

icekiss
35 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2014
I loved this place. visited it during expo 2010 :D At that time I was still 13 years old, and in order to see this place I was in a line for 5 hours... Well I don't remember exactly what is inside, but I remember I was super excited even after those long 5 hours of queueing!!!
Written September 9, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Matthew B
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina168 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2015 • Friends
I gave this place four stars because I loved the China Museum and definitely recommend it. But don't go to the Saudi building - the moon boat - for anything. You have to buy a ticket and there is literally nothing in there. Not only that, but it is a lot further to walk there than it looks at first. The ONLY thing in there is a digital presentation of Saudi Arabia on a moving sidewalk Even the displays on the roof have been dismantled. The only time in Shanghai that I actually felt I got conned into buying something.
Written March 5, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TheShis
Tel Aviv, Israel44,746 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2011 • Couples
This is the original summary from my journal.
We went to the Expo on July 2010.
I have to say - it was truly a once in a lifetime experience. The Chinese sure know how to make it. BIGTIME! :)
The architecture of the pavillions was amazing and creativity was certainly taken to new levels.
The Expo site was divided to numerous zones, so my review goes through the site - zone by zone.
Here goes:
Well, too many folks have scared me to a point I had very low expectations regarding being able to stand the long, long lines under the Shanghai sun.
However, my experience was totally different. It was hot (VERY hot, actually), but in 2 days (August 7th and 9th), we managed to see dozens of pavillions, including the good ones (though not all).
Since 95% of the visitors were Chinese, a lot of pavillions welcome Westerners with open arms and gave them on-the-spot VIP fast entries. Just smile and be polite. If you know any foriegn languages, it sure helps. I speak quite a few languages and it did the trick (plus, I'm charming, I guess...).

The entrance to the Expo took minutes. Not hours - minutes, with no problems whatsoever. We took line 13 and reached the gate near the Australia pavillion in no time at all.

Asia joint pavillion I, II and III - 3 big pavillions covering numerous Asian countries that couldn't afford (or didn't want to) have seperate pavillions. It's nice for a 1 hour tour. No lines at all. The Yemen pavillion was cute (had a great chat in Arabic with the silver merchants), the Palestinian pavillion was truly pathetic (lies, lies, lies...) and the Syria pavillion was almost empty of exhibits. So sad... .

North Korea - hillariously bad propogandic pavillion, portraying North Korea as the number 1 place to live in the world. 5 minutes tour. No lines.

Iran - tons of lies and about a dozen carpet merchants could've made this pavillion hillarious, hadn't it been from such a dangerous country to the entire world. 10 minutes tour. No lines.

Israel - I was truly excited upon visiting my home country's pavillion. I realize I'm biased, but I loved it - straight to the point - it actually deals with the Expo's theme. The tour and movie took about 20 minutes. 2 hour line. Obviously, I took the VIP fast access, so no lines for me. Being Israeli, the movie inside brought tears of pride to my eyes.

Kazakhstan - a great interactive pavillion. Apx. 30 minutes tour. The lines were about 2 hours, but we got treated to the VIP fast access. Highly recommended!!!

Lebanon - rather pathetic, I'd say. 2 minute tour. No lines.

Morroco - cute pavillion with a market feel to it (3 floors, if I'm not mistaken). 15 minutes tour. 1 hour line. Took the VIP access instead with a smile and some Arabic greetings.

Qatar - cute pavillion with a 5 minute tour. 30 minute line. Took the VIP access.

Vietnam - a disappointing pavillion that only shows (and sells) Vietnamese merchandise. The tour took 5 minutes. The line is apx. 15 minutes.

Australia - a flashy and nice pavillion with a 20-minute movie on moving circular screens inside. The line was 2 hours, but I got the VIP access for being able to name famous charachters from an Australian soap ("Home and away"). How awesome!!!

Brunei - a rather boring pavillion with not that many exhibits. 5 minutes tour. No lines.

New Zealand - a cool pavillion with a great funny dance act outside and some nice exhibits inside (including the technology of creating trees, used in the LOTR trilogy). 15 minutes tour. 15 minute lines. Recommended.

Pacific pavillion - a cute pavillion with all the small island nations. 20 minutes tour. No lines. Looks like a travel agency to magical islands.

Africa pavillion - dozens of countries from all over Africa, gathered in a huge pavillion. Alas, none of the countries stands out as special and the "see one - see all" feeling is innevatable. 30 minutes tour. No lines.

Bosnia and Herzegovina - a boring pavillion with few exhibits. 5 minute tour. No lines.

Canada - cute pavillion with a long 2-3 hour line. We got VIP access since we were nice to the security guard and told him all the places we already visited in Canada. One of them happened to be his home town, which is not THAT known, so he let us in. Awesome! :)))

Czech Republic - a nice pavillion with numerous light effects. 10 minute tour. 5 minute line.

Denmark - a sporty pavillion with the actual mermaid from Copenhaggen in the center of the pavillion. Took our breath away to climb to the top, but the view was great. 20 minute tour. 10 minute line.

Egypt - a small disappointing pavillion from our neighbour to the south. 1 hour line. Got VIP access using some Arabic. <-- Reading this description nowadays makes me so sad, knowing what Egypt turned into in 2011.

Malta - tiny pavillion with not that much to see. 5 minute tour. No lines.

Bulgaria - a cute pavillion with several exhibits. 5 minute tour. No lines.

FYROM - a boring pavillion with no actual exhibits. 5 minute tour. No lines.

Georgia - a cute pavillion with a nice Georgian touch, yet not that much to see there. 5 minute tour. No lines.

Montenegro - (sorry for this, but...) - same as above.

Greece - totally disappointing. I've had great expectations from this pavillion, which was called "Polis", yet made no effort at all. 5 minute tour. No lines.

Hungary - I wanted to love this pavillion but there were no exhibits (other than strange sticks coming off the ceiling) nor Hungarian there at all, so I didn't get a chance to practice my Hungarian. 5 minute tour. No lines.

Iceland - cool pavillion (pun intended) with a great 360 degrees movie. 20 minute tour. 30 minute Line.

Libya - a pathetic attempt to portray Libya as an advance (and democratic) nation. Boring and misleading. 5 minutes tour. No lines.

Monaco - small but nice pavillion with several exhibits and a movie. Gotta love the Grace Kelly photo. 15 minutes tour. 30 minute lines.

Netherlands - a strange pavillion that makes you climb to its top expecting exhibits, but all you can see is the UK pavillion next door. 20 minutes tour. 15 minute lines.

Norway - a rather empty pavillion with a lot of vast Nordic nothingness... . 5 minute tour. 15 minute Lines. Got VIP access.

Poland - a nice musical pavillion. 10 minute tour. 1 hour lines. Got VIP access.

Portugal - a rather disappointing pavillion from this great country. 10 minute tour. No lines.

Romania - a musical number (rather aweful) which lasts for 20 minutes. A 1 hour line. Got VIP access.

Russia - a fairytale like pavillion with no major theme. a 20 minutes tour. 2 hour lines. Got VIP access.

Slovakia - a boring pavillion that doesn't show much of this beautiful country. 5 minute tour. No lines.

Tunisia - a cute and harmless pavillion with lots of Arab merchants. Try the natural parfumes. 10 minute tour. 30 minute lines. Got VIP access.

Turkey - a total disappointment of a pavillion. Nothing to see. 5 minutes tour. No lines.

USA - 3 nice movies, with the last being truly great. 30 minutes tour. 3-4 hours line. Got VIP access with a smile and a "pretty pleeeeeeeeeease".

The following pavillions had way too long lines and we were not able to get VIP fast access: Japan, Thailand, Spain, Germany, UK, France, Italy.

Obviously, we didn't even try the Chinese pavillion. Not that interesting anyway, so I've heard.

So, to sum it up - during our two days at the Expo (12:00-22:30 the first day and 11:00-21:30 the second) we managed to see almost everything we wanted to see and we enjoyed it immensly.

If you're a Westerner, you're more likely to skip the long lines. Just be nice and smile a lot. Worked perfectly for us.

Enjoy!!!
Written March 16, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nomad_HF
Shanghai, China39 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Conveniently reachable via subway ... but not close to anything else.
Written December 22, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Philip L
Hong Kong, China11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2011 • Business
Yes there's a small "waterfall" in the exhibition. And Chinese idioms and characters are shown with the falling water by ejecting pulse control.
Written November 28, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Travelin_Bear
Placitas, NM1,289 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
I spent five days visiting Shanghai Expo 2010 in May. I am a little bit biased because I am a big fan of world expositions. This is China, which means everything must be the biggest, the tallest, the fastest, the costliest, etc. At approximately two square miles in size, Expo 2010 is the largest world exposition ever conceived. It is big. And it is in the most populous country in the world; a country that is very recently more mobile and a bit more affluent. When you go to any world exposition you MUST expect crowds, so with an event like this held in such a location, it is going to draw an awful lot of people. It is not fair to judge Expo 2010 by the density of its attendance. It's not easy, but try to divorce your impression of the scale of the crowd from the exposition, the grounds, the displays, and the pavilions. This may sound defeatist, but if your time is limited, don't even try to get into the pavilions. Having spent so many days there, I would say that on the whole, the pavilion architecture and the layout of the grounds are the most impressive features of Expo. If you have only a day, walk-walk-walk and take it all in from the outside. I've talked with many people who hated Expo, and I can sort of understand why. Yes, the most popular pavilions have ridiculously long lines. I never did get into some of the most popular ones. And if you visit only the pavilions with the shortest lines, you'll soon find out why those lines were the shortest. A world exposition (aka World's Fair) is not a theme park. It is more of a didactic experience than for amusement or thrills. The most effective pavilions are the ones that convey their information in a way that is engaging and creative. "Better City Better Life" is tough, because it can quickly become a pretty dry topic. People want to be entertained, and the longest lines are going to be for the pavilions that have a ride or something with special effects. Which is not to mean that these are necessarily the "best" pavilions, only the most popular. If you have the luxury of time, by all means, choose to queue up for some pavilions that are of some particular interest to you. But if you haven't much time, you'll have a much more pleasant experience if you "keep it moving" and cover the grounds thoroughly.
Written July 14, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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