Shanghai Botanical Garden (上海植物园)

Park · Xuhui · Shanghai. A free 82-hectare botanical garden in Xuhui, known for bonsai and greenhouses.

Source: https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-botanical-garden · Data checked 2026-10-02 · Rendered for 2026-10-03 (Asia/Shanghai). Facts carry their status; "not found yet" means we searched and found no reliable source.

Notices in effect

• 2026-09-25 to 2026-10-11: 2026 Horticulture Living Season: eight autumn spots, pumpkin display (60–80 cultivars), greenhouse show in the mountain and subalpine halls, bonsai events.

Why go

Shanghai Botanical Garden (上海植物园) is the city's oldest large botanical garden, 82 hectares in south Xuhui. The grounds are free. The paid Bonsai Garden holds hundreds of Shanghai-style (海派) bonsai and is one of the best collections in China, and two glasshouses give you a rainy-day option.

What to do

• See the Bonsai Garden. The ¥7 Bonsai Garden (盆景园) displays hundreds of Shanghai-style miniature trees and rock landscapes in courtyards. Visitors repeatedly name it the highlight.
• Walk through the greenhouses. Two paid glasshouse groups, the south group (¥30) and the north group (¥15), hold tropical, desert and mountain plants. They make a good rainy-day stop.
• Visit the Orchid House. The small ¥7 Orchid House (兰室) shows Chinese orchids. It holds about 180 people, so it is a quick stop.
• Wander the themed gardens. Free outdoor areas include bamboo, rose, magnolia and osmanthus gardens. The site is large, so plan a loop rather than trying to see everything.

• Don't miss: The Shanghai-style (海派) bonsai and miniature rock landscapes in the Bonsai Garden (盆景园) courtyards.

• Best time: Weekday mornings; spring and autumn
• Skip if: Skip it if you are not interested in plants; the free grounds are a quiet park more than a sight.

Practical details

• Hours: Oct: 06:00–18:00 (Gate 1 from 07:00)
• May–Oct (05-01 to 10-31), Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun · Gates 3 and 4: 06:00–18:00
• May–Oct (05-01 to 10-31), Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun · Gate 1: 07:00–18:00
• Nov–Apr (11-01 to 04-30), Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun · Gates 3 and 4: 06:00–17:00
• Nov–Apr (11-01 to 04-30), Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun · Gate 1: 07:00–17:00
• From 1 November the garden closes at 17:00.
• Paid gardens sell tickets 08:30–16:30 (2024 guide).
• Admission: Free grounds · greenhouses ¥30/¥15, bonsai ¥7
• South greenhouse group (南区温室群): ¥30 — Buy at the door
• North greenhouse group (北区温室群): ¥15 — Buy at the door
• Bonsai Garden (盆景园): ¥7 — Buy at the door
• Orchid House (兰室): ¥7 — Buy at the door
• Concession: Students, age 60+, disabled visitors, active military (Valid ID; discount rates not published)
• Free: Children 1.3 m or shorter or aged 6 and under (with an adult); disabled visitors; active military and some other groups (Valid ID)
• Main gate free since 2022; the official site says specialist garden prices are unchanged. Prices shown are the 2025 list prices published by the city tourism bureau.
• Herb Garden (草药园): free on Wednesdays, 100 people a day, take a number at its gate.
• Booking: No booking; buy garden tickets at each door
• Ticket windows at each paid garden (专类园门口售票处)
• Passport accepted: not_applicable — No ID check at the main gates; paid gardens sell tickets at the door.
• The 2022 real-name booking rule was a pandemic measure; the current site says only that the main gate is free.
• Last admission: No last-entry time published for the grounds
• Time to allow: 2–4 hr
• Getting there: Line 3 · Shilong Road → Gate 4
• Metro Line 3 to Shilong Road (石龙路), about 10 min walk
• Show a taxi driver: 上海植物园1号门，徐汇区龙吴路1111号
• Map: Apple Maps · Amap 高德
• Official route: leave Shilong Road station, cross the footbridge, walk along Dongquan Road (东泉路) to Luocheng Road (罗城路) and Gate 4.
• The Gate 2 car park has been demolished and parking is scarce; use public transport.
• Address: Gate 1: 上海市徐汇区龙吴路1111号; Gate 3: 百色路940号; Gate 4: 罗城路151号 / Gate-specific addresses are listed on the official website.
• Foreign visitors: Free grounds; garden tickets sold at the door

Not found yet

• transport.metro[0].exit: The official route names the footbridge but no exit number. (searched: official, WebSearch, Trip.com, government)
• lastAdmission.time: Official site gives gate closing times only; no last-entry time for the grounds. (searched: official, media, WebSearch)
• admission.concessions[0].amount: Concession prices are not published, only the eligible groups. (searched: official, media, WebSearch)

Traveler tips

• Pay only for the gardens you want. Walking into Shanghai Botanical Garden is free; there is no main-gate ticket. Inside, the specialist gardens charge at their own door: the south greenhouse group ¥30, the north greenhouse group ¥15, the Bonsai Garden (盆景园) ¥7 and the Orchid House (兰室) ¥7 (2025 list prices). Children 1.3 m or shorter go free with an adult, and students and older visitors get discounts with valid ID. Caveat: The Korean post supports free main-gate entry and separate specialist-garden charges, not every listed price, height cutoff or concession; those details come from the official sources. source
• From the metro, use Gate 4. Take Metro Line 3 to Shilong Road (石龙路). The garden's own directions: leave the station, cross the footbridge, walk along Dongquan Road (东泉路) and turn onto Luocheng Road (罗城路) to Gate 4 (四号门, 罗城路151号). Gate 1 on Longwu Road is the bus and taxi entrance, but don't drive: the Gate 2 car park has been demolished. source
• Gates open at different times. Gates 3 and 4 open at 06:00, and Gate 1 at 07:00. From May to October all gates close at 18:00; from 1 November they close at 17:00. The paid greenhouses, Bonsai Garden and Orchid House open 08:30–17:00 and stop selling tickets at 16:30, so an early-morning walker should do the free grounds first. source
• Make the Bonsai Garden your priority. The ¥7 Bonsai Garden (盆景园) is the garden's best-known collection, with hundreds of Shanghai-style (海派) bonsai and rock landscapes. A September 2026 Trip.com guide singles it out as the top sight, and the autumn 2026 programme features it as the 'Pine Wind' scene. If you only have an hour, go straight there and to the greenhouses. source
• Catch the autumn season by 11 October. The 2026 Horticulture Living Season runs to 11 October. Look for eight autumn spots: in the south garden, osmanthus, a dry creek on the pine lawn, pink muhly grass, the bonsai display and persimmons west of the peony garden; in the north garden, ornamental grasses, the edible garden, and sunflowers with 1,000-plus pumpkins of 60–80 kinds in the Mallow Garden (锦葵园). source
• Plan for a lot of walking. The site covers about 82 hectares. A September 2026 Trip.com guide estimates 8–10 km on foot for a full visit and suggests at least 2–3 hours. Wear comfortable shoes, arrive near opening when it is quieter, and decide on a route before you set off — for example greenhouses, then bonsai, then the osmanthus garden. Caveat: One author's estimate. source
• Greenhouses have visitor caps. Each paid garden has a maximum capacity: Greenhouse 1 about 570 people, Greenhouse 2 only 70, the Bonsai Garden 750 and the Orchid House 180. On fine weekends and during flower shows you may wait at the door of the smaller houses, so visit them early in the day. source
• Free herb garden on Wednesdays. The Herb Garden (草药园) opens free on Wednesdays for up to 100 people a day; collect a numbered slip at its entrance. It is a small extra if your visit falls on a Wednesday. Caveat: Rule reported in a 2024 guide. source

Sources

• Shanghai Municipal People's Government (published 2023-12-20)
• Shanghai Botanical Garden
• Shanghai Botanical Garden
• Shanghai Botanical Garden
• Shanghai Botanical Garden
• Shanghai Botanical Garden
• People's Daily Online Shanghai / 新闻晨报 (published 2021-12-29)
• 上海本地宝 (published 2024-04-29)
• 上观新闻 via NetEase (published 2026-09-25)
• Pirozhkovsky (Trip.com Moments) (published 2026-09-19)
• Shanghai Municipal People's Government (published 2023-12-20)
• Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism (乐游上海) (published 2025-09-12)
• Tistory (published 2024-07-08)