The Bund, Shanghai

Also known as Wai Tan, the Bund is where it’s at as far as Shanghai is concerned. This mile-long stretch of European-style architecture, that hugs the western bank of the Huangpu River, is much of a living museum, showcasing the city’s rich colonial influences. Sat opposite Pudong’s modern edifices – a skyscraper skyline so shiny and new – this is the waterfront that you’ll be oh, so familiar with if you’ve ever google-image’d Shanghai. The Bund is iconic.

Not one to be boring, all of this promenade’s 52 buildings vary in architectural style. Think the gothic glamour of Paris, the intricate baroque style of Rome and the neoclassical grandeur of Washington, D.C. – yep, it’s fancy. But it doesn’t just look pretty, the Bund also houses a whole lot of history and makes up the tourist centre of this giant of a city.

Once a muddy riverbank, the Bund became the first settlement of British colonists in the mid to late 19th century. Within 100 years, the area was completely transformed. A bustling hub of banks and trading houses from all over the world, the Bund even became dubbed the “Oriental Wall Street”. By the end of the 20th century this waterfront was a marker to the rest of the world of Shanghai’s thriving commercial capabilities.