Travel Notes Shanghai Happy Valley: a coaster cluster in Songjiang
A park at the foot of Sheshan
Shanghai Happy Valley sits at 888 Linhu Road in Songjiang, next to the Sheshan national resort area. It opened on 12 September 2009, covers about 650,000 square metres and cost more than four billion yuan. Seven zones make up the park: Sunny Port, Happy Times, Shanghai Bund, Shangri-La, Hurricane Bay, Gold Mine Town and Ant Kingdom. A full lap is nearly three kilometres, so soft shoes help.
The wooden coaster and its drop
The signature ride is the wooden coaster, with the tallest drop of any timber track in the world. Its track runs about 1,200 metres, tops out at 33 metres with a 30-metre drop, and reaches roughly 90 kilometres an hour. The timber creaks as it climbs, something a steel track never gives you, and the reason its queue is the longest every day. To beat the crowd, head here the moment the gates open.
The double loop and three more
The double-loop coaster, China’s first, runs about 1,000 metres, climbs to 60 metres and packs two vertical loops plus a helix, and for a moment you hang almost upside down. Add the suspended coaster with a forty-metre climb, and the giant pendulum that swings through 120 degrees fifty metres above the ground. Four of these plus the queues will eat half a day.
The evening water show
Claim a spot in the Shanghai Bund zone before dusk. The night water show stacks fountains, lasers, flames and projection into one nightly performance, and the front rows get misted. By day a float parade winds through the whole park on a route that shifts with the season, so pick up the day’s show schedule at the gate.
Tickets and the evening session
An adult ticket costs 230 yuan; children between 1.1 and 1.4 metres and visitors over 65 pay 160. After 16:00 the evening ticket drops to 120 yuan, and with longer summer hours it is the better deal. Some rides have height and health limits, so check before queueing rather than at the gate.
Getting there and the best season
Metro Line 9 to Sheshan, where a free shuttle runs about every ten minutes. By car take the G60 or G15 to the Sheshan exit; parking is 20 yuan a visit. Spring and autumn are mild with shorter queues; summer is for the water rides, and in winter some outdoor attractions close, though the lantern fair covers New Year and Spring Festival.
The trade-off at Happy Valley is simple. To ride everything you need more than a day; to enjoy it, chase the four big coasters and one night show and let the rest go. It is not polished, but it is dense: in the same hours you will ride more here than at most parks.
Practical information
- Hours: weekdays 9:30-18:00; weekends and holidays 9:00-21:00 (check official notices).
- Tickets: 230 yuan adult; 160 yuan for children 1.1-1.4 m and visitors over 65; 120 yuan for the evening ticket after 16:00.
- Getting there: Metro Line 9 to Sheshan, then the free shuttle every ten minutes; buses Songjiang 92 and Songjiang 19 stop at Happy Valley.
- Driving: G60 or G15 to the Sheshan exit; parking 20 yuan a visit.
- Tip: ride the two big coasters in the morning, watch the parade after lunch and keep the evening for the water show.
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