Introduction to the botanical garden
The Chen Shan Botanical Garden (上海 辰 山 植物园) is one of the largest parks in Shanghai, located in the suburb of Songjiang. With large open spaces, a huge number of different plant species, lawns for picnics, and a small hill to climb, it’s a fun day out for families and park enthusiasts.
Opening hours and entry
Chen Shan is open every day from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
There is an entrance fee of 40 RMB in winter and 60 RMB after April 1. Tickets are less expensive for children and seniors.
Note: Opening hours and entrance fees may change depending on the season.
Address, location and how to get there
- Address: 3888 Chenhua Road, Songjiang District, Shanghai |辰 花 路 3888
- Location: The garden is in the Songjiang district of Shanghai, near Sheshan.
- How to get there: Take subway line 9 to Dongjing Station (洞 泾) and then take bus number 19 to Chen Shan Botanical Garden.
Characteristics of the park
There are too many functions in the park to list them all here. During my visit, there were no English maps available to take, but they could have just come out. A map in Mandarin was available at the entrance to the garden from the Main Building (Entrance No. 1).
There are several different types of gardens and the map you can pick up at the entrance indicates which areas would be best in which season, making it nice so you can enjoy something at any time of the year. Here is a brief summary of the main features of the park:
- Multiple gardens with individual themes, for example, Australian plants, rose garden, Asian plants, osmanthus garden, kindergarten, etc.
- Chen Shan Hill: a small hill with the “only waterfall in Shanghai” that falls down the side of the rock that has been mined. The climb to the top takes about 30 minutes. (I did it with two children). There is a small pagoda at the top and some lookouts.
- Old Quarry Path: You can walk along a path that takes you to the old quarry and through a small cave. This is where we saw signs of long waits indicating that it must be quite crowded here on holidays and weekends.
- Boat Pond – You can rent small boats (life jackets included) to drive around the small pond.
- Greenhouse – There is a huge set of greenhouses with unlimited plants inside to explore.
Park facilities
The Botanical Garden has a series of facilities:
- Visitor center and exhibition hall.
- Shuttle Buses
- Toilets
- Small snack stalls and drink shops.
- ATM
- First aid station
Kid friendly?
Oh yeah! This park is so kid-friendly that you can even walk on the grass (despite a serious set of rules, see the photo above). The garden paths are mostly very smooth and are paved with flagstones or asphalt so that children on any type of wheels can do well (strollers, scooters, skates, bicycles, etc.). The road to the top of Chen Shan Hill is everything. stairs so you can’t wander there but kids can climb easily.
Expert tips
- Avoid going to this park on major holidays, as signs around the quarry indicate lines to visit the quarry and Chen Shan Hill with waits of up to 90 minutes. Clearly, the park gets quite crowded.
- Try to choose a cool or cloudy day to visit. As this park was recently opened and the trees are still quite small. This means that there is very little shade. While there are places to rest, the sun is quite strong so keep this in mind when planning to visit.
- If you are going to be there for a long day, I advise you to bring your own picnic or snacks. While there are shops in the park, the offer is mostly instant noodles and other junk food.
- Children can bring their gear on wheels. My kids brought their scooters and they had a great time on the smooth trails around the gardens.
