Planning family outings during holiday? Shanghai offers a wide selection of science and educational museums well suited for parents and children to explore together. With interactive exhibits and thoughtfully designed spaces, they make it easy to turn a day out into something both enjoyable and enriching.

Shanghai Science and Technology Museum

After a major system-wide upgrade, the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum has reopened with a fresh new look. A total of 10 brand-new permanent exhibition zones, including Rainforest Realm, Powering the Future, and Aviation Adventures, now feature over 900 exhibits, with 87 percent of them developed in-house.

From artificial intelligence and quantum physics to aerospace and energy, it's a giant mystery box of future tech where children can level up their science knowledge through hands-on exploration.

If you go: No 2000 Century Avenue, Pudong New Area

Shanghai Natural History Museum

Kick off the new year with science! The museum's major exhibition, China's Dinosaur World, has upgraded its Sinotyrannus-themed zone by adding six rare specimens from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, as well as Shanxi and Jiangxi provinces, among other locations.

The museum has launched an interactive series where families turn into museum explorers. With immersive theater, 4D films, and a treasure hunt spanning the galleries, this nature adventure promises to be both scientifically enriching and exceptionally fun.

If you go: No 510 West Beijing Road, Jing'an district

Shanghai Astronomy Museum

Across the museum's three main exhibition zones, young minds can tackle fascinating astronomy missions. In the Home gallery, they journey through the solar system and the Milky Way, exploring cosmic structures and the Sun-Earth-Moon relationship.

Cosmos takes them deeper, with themed sections on time, gravity, light, elements, and life, unfolding the story of the universe's evolution across disciplines.

In Odyssey, young explorers encounter spacecraft and deep-space probes, gaining insight into how scientists explore and the cultural questions that come with it.

If you go: No 380 Lingang Avenue, Pudong New Area

China Maritime Museum

As China's first national-level maritime museum, this place is truly a paradise for both maritime enthusiasts and young explorers.

The building features two 70-meter steel structures shaped like sails, with sunlight streaming through the glass facade and casting shifting patterns across the floor. Inside, a full-scale replica of the bow of ancient explorer Zheng He's treasure ship offers an impressive look at 15th-century Chinese maritime history. Children can also try VR navigation simulators and watch a show at the 4D theater.

If you go: No 197 Shengang Avenue, Pudong New Area

WorldSkills Museum

Step into the lobby and you're greeted by the World Engine installation, a mesmerizing mechanical artwork that brings the spirit of global craftsmanship to life while adding futuristic flair to this heritage building.

Upstairs, the third floor features a wide range of digital experiences: holographic projections, infrared interaction, computer-generated imagery, human-computer interaction, glasses-free 3D, and big data visualization. Visitors can wander through a digital forest or interact with a metaverse avatar.

If you go: No 1578 Yangshupu Road, Yangpu district

Shanghai Children's Museum

This museum is the first in China designed specifically for children ages 3 to 10. Here, there are no "do not touch" signs — just rooms full of happy surprises.

Role-playing zones invite children to step into the shoes of cashiers, doctors, or chefs, offering a playful introduction to different professions.

The Cities and Me zone takes children on a global journey — from the port of Hamburg, Germany, and maple sugar shacks in Montreal, Canada, to ancient rock art sites in Queensland, Australia.

If you go: No 61 Songyuan Road, Changning district

Shanghai Animation Museum

The Shanghai Animation Museum spans three floors and covers approximately 7,000 square meters. Inside, it features a history exhibition hall, an interactive zone, and a multi-screen 3D theater, with a collection of over 10,000 exhibits.

Visitors can journey through the history of animation, meet beloved characters, and even try creating their own production.

If you go: No 69 Zhangjiang Road, Pudong New Area

Architect Model Museum

As China's first museum dedicated to architectural models, the collection features an impressive array of scaled works by renowned architects and artists from around the world.

Highlights include the bamboo-wood structure In Bamboo from Zhuli, Sichuan province, and the Chinese pavilion for the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. Every piece is crafted with exquisite detail, drawing visitors into a mesmerizing miniature universe.

If you go: 9F, No 191, Jiangchang Road Number Three, Jing'an district

Sources: WeChat account of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism at "shanghaitourism", museums mentioned above