Yu Garden: tickets, hours and how to visit
A Ming scholar’s garden in the old town; go at opening, 90 minutes.
Yu Garden at a glance
A Ming scholar’s garden in the old town; go at opening, 90 minutes. Plan on 90 minutes in the garden here, plus half an hour either side for entry, security and parking.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tickets | CNY 40 (Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov) / CNY 30 (Jul–Aug, Dec–Mar). Bazaar and old town free. |
| Opening hours | 08:45–16:45. Closed Mondays except public holidays. Last entry 30 minutes before close. |
| Time needed | 90 minutes in the garden; 2 hours with the bazaar and City God Temple. |
| City | Shanghai, China |
What to see
Three things carry this sight. If you are short on time, do them in this order.
- The Exquisite Jade Rockthe porous stone the whole garden is laid out around
- Dragon wallsfive of them, each a different posture, easy to miss
- The Huxinting teahouse1855, in the middle of the pond, worth the queue
Tickets and booking
How the ticket works, and what foreigners usually get wrong.
Before you buy
- Price. CNY 40 (Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov) / CNY 30 (Jul–Aug, Dec–Mar). Bazaar and old town free.
- Booking. Yu Garden (the 400-year-old garden, CNY 40) and Yuyuan Bazaar (the shopping complex around it, free) are two different things, and most visitors only see the bazaar — which is why they leave thinking Shanghai's famous garden is a shopping street. The garden gate is at the far end, past the stalls.
- Payment. Most Chinese sights take WeChat Pay or Alipay only. Cash works at staffed windows but not at self-service machines; a licensed guide can pay on your behalf and settle with you at the end of the day.
Getting there and when to go
Metro Line 10 or 14 to Yuyuan Garden, exit 1. The garden entrance is signposted through the bazaar, 5 minutes walk from the station.
08:45–16:45. Closed Mondays except public holidays. Last entry 30 minutes before close.. The first hour after opening is the quietest — tour groups arrive around 09:30. Late afternoon gives better light but the main viewpoints start clearing people out, so shoot early if that is your priority.
Public transport reaches Yu Garden, but connections and waiting times add up. With luggage, older travellers, or two sights in one day, a car and driver removes the guesswork.
The one thing that goes wrong
Shanghai local note
- Yu Garden (the 400-year-old garden, CNY 40) and Yuyuan Bazaar (the shopping complex around it, free) are two different things, and most visitors only see the bazaar — which is why they leave thinking Shanghai's famous garden is a shopping street. The garden gate is at the far end, past the stalls.
Pairing Yu Garden with
These are usually on the same day or the same trip.
Yu Garden: questions travellers ask
Garden or bazaar first?
How long does the garden take?
How booking works — three steps, itinerary before price
No deposit to get a plan, and nothing is locked in before you agree.
Send the brief
Dates, party size, how you arrive and what you want to see around Yu Garden.
Get a route and a price
We order the stops by location and traffic, then quote per car per day with fuel, tolls and the driver included.
Confirm and travel
Only after you accept the route and the price do we assign the car and guide.
