Shanghai Natural History Museum

上海自然博物馆

Dinosaurs, a 24 m whale and half a day of happy kids

⚠ Closed Tuesdays; book ahead online

Hours

9am–5pm (last entry 4pm), closed Tuesdays except public holidays; some listings show Saturdays to 8pm from April to December

Tickets

Adults ¥30; students and children over 1.3 m ¥12; ages 60–69 ¥25; free under 1.3 m, under 6 or 70+. 4D cinema ¥30 extra. Online real-name booking only

Address

510 West Beijing Road, inside Jing'an Sculpture Park, Jing'an

The building curls up out of the sculpture-park lawn like a nautilus shell, which is why locals call it the green snail: a planted roof and walls of cell-like stone lattice. Inside, a 24-metre fin whale hangs over life-size dinosaurs such as Mamenchisaurus, and the walk-in African savanna diorama keeps the children squealing. With more than 11,000 specimens and models on show, one day isn't enough to see it all.