Shanghai Happy Valley (上海欢乐谷) is a large theme park known for its “dynamic, fashionable, joyful, and dreamy” experience. It features seven themed areas: Sunshine Harbor, Happy Time, Hurricane Bay, Gold Mine Town, Happy Ocean, Shanghai Bund, and Shangri-La. The park offers over a hundred entertainment and viewing attractions, 12 top-tier amusement rides, and more than 10,000 seats for performances.
Experience the thrill of China’s first wooden roller coaster, soaring through the jungle, marveling at the rainforest, and adventuring in the midst of fun. Feel the wildness of nature as you ride specially designed boats through stormy bay whirlpools, braving the rapids and the excitement of plunging down 15-meter waves. Take a stroll through a 20th-century Shanghai setting, complete with blue bricks, gray walls, stone-framed black doors, grid windows, old-fashioned fire hydrants, street lamps, rickshaws, and vintage mailboxes. These are just some of the delightful surprises that Shanghai Happy Valley offers.
Travel Information about Shanghai Happy Valley
Ticket and Opening Hours
Tickets: ¥230
Opening Hours:
- Monday to Thursday: 9:30 AM – 9:30 PM
- Friday to Sunday: 9:30 AM – 10:00 PM
- Peak Days: 9:30 AM – 12:00 AM
It’s best to avoid visiting Shanghai Happy Valley during peak holiday periods and weekends, as these times see the highest number of visitors, resulting in long wait times for each attraction.
Getting There
Location: No. 888, Linhu Road, Sheshan, Songjiang District, Shanghai
Transportation:
Bus: Take Bus No. 19, Bus No. 19 Express, or Songjiang No. 1 Line to the Happy Valley stop.
Metro: Take Metro Line 9 to Sheshan Station, then cross the street to the Happy Valley shuttle bus station.
Driving:
- From A8 Expressway: Take the Songjiang exit, head north on Jiashan Road, and turn west onto Shenxuan Road. Continue for about 100 meters.
- From A9 Expressway: Take the Zhaoxiang Sheshan exit, head south on Jiashan Road, and turn west onto Shenxuan Road. Continue for about 100 meters.
- From A5 Expressway: Take the Caozhuan Road exit, head west on Caozhuan Road to the Jiashan Road junction, and continue west for about 100 meters.
Attraction Ratings
- Thrilling ★★★★★
- Romantic ★★★★
- Leisure ★★★★
- Beautiful ★★★
- Unique ★★★
- Cultural ★★
Useful Tips
- For Amusement Rides: If you enjoy amusement rides, it’s best to visit from Monday to Friday. The lines are generally shorter on these days, allowing you to experience more of your favorite attractions in a shorter amount of time.
- For Cultural and Artistic Performances: If you’re interested in cultural landmarks and art performances, consider visiting on Saturdays or Sundays. This way, you can enjoy the park’s vibrant atmosphere, with people as part of the scene and vice versa, creating a lively and joyful experience.
- For Major Events: If you prefer large-scale events, visit during holidays, especially during Golden Week. This is when the park typically hosts grand celebrations and exciting festivities.
- The visitor service center provides information about the park’s services and inquiries. Next to the ticketing entrance, there is a storage area offering paid storage for general items. The wheelchair and stroller service area provides free use of wheelchairs and strollers for eligible guests, but a deposit is required.
- For popular attractions, the park provides queue areas marked by estimated waiting times (e.g., 1-hour queue area, 2-hour queue area, etc.). This helps visitors gauge their approximate wait time and make informed decisions.
Highlights of Shanghai Happy Valley
Sunshine Harbor
Sunshine Harbor is a romantic port themed around marine culture, featuring ancient Gothic architecture with sharp windows, pointed rooftops, and rich iron decorations, all infused with a strong British style. The area includes a leisure art street showcasing Victorian charm and relaxation elements, a flying cinema offering aerial experiences, and a multifunctional theater with projects like Arthur’s Palace. From the art street along the lakeside, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire park.
Joyful Moments
Joyful Moments is filled with scenes of fun and excitement. The wooden roller coaster “Valley Dragon” offers a visually pleasing sensory experience with its thrilling rides. At the park’s highest point, “Sky and Earth Duel” provides the thrill of soaring into the sky and the lightness of free fall. The “Merry-Go-Round” represents the eternal pursuit of distant happiness, with its up-and-down motion evoking past joys.
Hurricane Bay
In Hurricane Bay, you can experience the thrill of “Raging Rapids,” where you escape from a 26-meter-high platform and ride a small boat through the towering waves of “Perfect Storm.” Adventure through pitch-black caverns, witnessing the awe-inspiring scenes of a Caribbean hurricane and the adrenaline-pumping excitement of escaping from a storm. Join Captain Jack on a Caribbean adventure, showcasing the bravery and resilience of a true hero.
Gold Mine Town
Gold Mine Town is modeled after an abandoned Western town from the 19th century, once a dream destination for many. The Gold Mine Town at Shanghai Happy Valley is themed around “gold panning,” featuring enthusiastic gold miners, rugged and wild Western cowboys, and vibrant production scenes. The atmosphere is filled with the scent of wealth, surprise, mystery, excitement, and challenge. Here, you can ride a mining car to experience the perilous escape of miners from floods, climb “Treasure Island” for a panoramic view of the park, learn about the blood-soaked history of the Native Americans, become a Western pioneer on horseback to showcase your heroism, and enjoy a performance at the Overseas Chinese Town Grand Theater.
Happy Ocean
Happy Ocean is a vibrant and enchanting underwater kingdom, designed for family fun at Shanghai Happy Valley. This thematic area combines warmth and romance with a variety of classic attractions including “Ocean Adventure,” “Water Airship,” “Coastal Ant Squad,” and “Crazy Elves.”
The highlight of the ocean area is the high-tech interactive experience center—Ocean Fantasy Pavilion. Stepping inside, you are immersed in a mysterious underwater world. Features include a new 6D “Roller Coaster Simulation Experience” and the “Asia’s New Indoor Aerial Multimedia Interactive Corridor,” along with over ten family-friendly attractions such as the Ocean Express, Coral Cinema, Jellyfish Family, and Rainbow Vortex. This area is a must-visit for a delightful family outing.
Shangri-La & The Bund
Legend has it that Shangri-La is hidden deep within a secret place on the Tibetan Plateau, surrounded by towering snow-capped mountains. The sages of this kingdom communicate with the world through a mystical passage known as the “Navel of the Earth,” which they use to exert control over the world. This mysterious passage has long been the key to finding Shangri-La. Adventure seekers can traverse the winding and turbulent “Canyon Rapids,” or soar through the lush rainforest on the “Blue Moon Roller Coaster,” searching for their heart’s own sun and moon.
At The Bund, visitors can experience the thrilling “Pinnacle Storm” free-fall roller coaster, a breathtaking giant pendulum ride, and the exhilarating “Peak Moment,” which simulates the sensation of flying. The area also features vibrant water attractions like “Energy Storm” and “Dancing Waves,” as well as realistic gunfight shows and dazzling special effects.
Visitor Guide for Shanghai Happy Valley
Park Transportation
Shanghai Happy Valley is a large park, so using transportation tools can save time. The park provides electric scooters and vintage cars for getting around. Additionally, there are sightseeing boats on the river that runs through the park. Note that the costs for these transportation tools are not included in the admission ticket.
Accommodation Options
Within a 3-kilometer radius of Happy Valley, there are mainly luxury hotels with room rates generally starting from around 700 RMB. For a more budget-friendly option, consider staying at the nearby She Shan Forest Hotel or the Dazhong International Conference Center, where standard rooms are around 300 RMB.
Alternatively, you can stay a bit further away in the Songjiang New City area (where Happy Valley is situated at the boundary of She Shan and Songjiang New City). This area has many budget hotels, such as Motel and Jinjiang Inn, offering more affordable rates.
Dining Options
Shanghai Happy Valley offers a variety of dining options, which can be broadly categorized into indoor and outdoor dining.
Indoor Restaurants:
- Fast Food Chains: Three KFC outlets, one Oriental Ji Bai, and one Pizza Hut.
- Hurricane Restaurant: Offers a range of Chinese set meals and various beverages.
- Shanghai Nan Restaurant: Specializes in local Shanghai snacks like soup dumplings and wontons, known for their authentic taste.
- Chinese Fast Food: Two additional Chinese fast food outlets providing quick meal options.
Outdoor Dining:
- Food Street at Shanghai Bund: Located next to the “Extreme Wind” roller coaster, this area features numerous stalls offering spicy hotpot, barbecue, sour and spicy noodles, and other snacks at relatively affordable prices.
During peak dining times, expect to wait about 40 minutes for a hamburger. To maximize your time enjoying the attractions, consider bringing your own food or dining during off-peak hours.