Shanghai Botanical Garden

Shanghai Botanical Garden is the biggest municipal botanical garden in China. It has a large collection of thousands of plants, including some rare species. Plants either from home or abroad are nurtured here. First named Longhua Nursery Garden in 1954, it turned into Shanghai Botanical Garden in 1974 and finally opened to the public in April, 1978. Now it has an area of 81.86 hectares (about 202 acres). After decades of construction, it has become a comprehensive base combining plants research, production, tourism and nature science education and has won many prizes in international flower shows.

Butterfly Orchid

Map of Shanghai Botanical Garden (Click to Enlarge)

Shanghai Botanical Garden will bestow a fresh and sweet memory on your trip to shanghai by its thousands of plants and enchanting flowers. Every season, a majority of flowers show their beauty and charm in a competing way.

Spring is the most beautiful time during the whole year. Big flower shows are often held. You will be enchanted by a mass of flowers for their colors, fragrances and shapes. Cherry, Peach, Plum, Begonia, Bauhinia are in their full blossom in the Rose Garden. In the Peony Garden, the graceful and fascinating national flowers of China are showing their fineness. 5,000 azaleas of different species are throwing off a pleasant aroma in the Azalea Garden. Magnolias of various colors are a feast to your eyes in the Magnolias.
 

In summer, the Bamboo Garden will provide you an idealized summer resort. More than 50,000 plants of one hundred species in eight floras are growing with infinite charm. These bamboos are rich resources for the study of the evolution and classification of bamboos. Here you can have a look at the bamboos from most places of China and all over the world. In the meantime, the houses made of bamboo on the road sides offer you a cool place to rest. Another good place in summer is Penjing (Miniascape) Garden. The beautiful Water Lilies blossom with pink faces and fancy lotus welcomes you with refreshing aroma. On Children's Day, many parents accompany their kids having fun in Shanghai Botanical Garden, knowledge of plants and interesting activities enrich their holidays.

Autumn is a good season to enjoy the colorful leaves. Red maple leaves like flames show their ebullient passion in the Garden of Maple. Trembling poplars wear yellow coats in the Garden of Osmanthus and the fruits of haw, persimmon, Photinia serrulata and orange hanging on the branches in the Garden of Magnolias gave you harvest happiness. Small exhibitions will be held in summer too.
 
You may say, in winter, the doom of the flower is coming but the Conservatory which is regarded as the symbolic architecture of Shanghai Botanical Garden brings another spring for flowers and plants. The Greenhouse covers an area of 0.5 hectare (about 1 acre) and has a height of 32 meters. The automatic system can control and adjust the environment and provides proper living conditions for the 3, 500 tropic plants from different places all over the world. There are two main exhibition areas here. In the Tropical Plant Exhibition Area, you can see a miniature rainforest. Rainforest Plants from Xishuang Banna and Hainan Province of China are elected to create marvelous scapes. Some rare spices you may have not seen before are growing healthily in this Conservatory. Wangtianshu (Shorea wantianshuea) which is 70-80 meters (about 230-262 feet) high when grown up is the highest tree in South-Eastern Asia. Palm tree is nicknamed as the 'king' of making oil. Bodhi which originated in India is regarded as the national tree of India is also planted here. In the exhibition area of Tropical Fruit Trees, more than 40 kinds such as cocoa, pineapple, coffee are exhibited.

Seeing the flowers with various colors in different shapes, breathing the fragrance, you will feel relaxed both in body and mind. Surely, it will bring you good mood. If you want to relax, the Amusement Park inside will bring you pleasant memory with your kids.
 

 Entrance No. 1: Take bus 56, 178, 342, 714, 720, 824, 831, 956 or 958 and get off at Luwulu Baiselu Station; take bus Shangfeng Special Line and get off at Shanghai Zhiwuyuan (Botanical Garden) Station. The conservatory, herb garden and tropical plants house are near this entrance.

 Entrance No. 2: Take bus 56, 178, 342, 714, 720, 770, 824, 956, 958, or Shangfeng Special Line and get off at Longwulu Longshuinanlu Station. The demonstration garden and Temple of Huang Dao Po are nearby.

 Entrance No. 3: Take bus 720, 824, or 973 and get off at Baiselu Longchuanbeilu Station. Gardens of maple, osmanthus, rose and bamboo are nearby.

 Entrance No. 4: Take Metro Line 3, get off at Shilong Rd. Station, and then walk south for five minutes. The Children’s Playground is nearby.

Shanghai Bus / Metro Search
 

1. On the right side of the Entrance No. 1, there is a clinic in case of injury in playing and each entrance provides with commonly–used medicine and sewing kit.
2. You can rent a wheelchair or a children bike at each entrance of the garden.

Ticket Fee	Admission Fee: CNY 15 Conservatory: CNY 30 Bonsai Garden: CNY 7 Orchid Garden: CNY 7 Combo Ticket: CNY 40 * Children under 1.3 m (4.3 ft) can visit the botanical garden for free.
Opening Hours	Open Area: 7:00 - 17:00 Gardens and Exhibition Halls: 8:30 - 16:30

 Relative attraction: Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden

Further Reading
 15 Most Beautiful Places in Shanghai in Spring
 Shanghai Tourist Information for April - 7 Things to Do