Shanghai is often seen as a lacking in culture when compared to many of China’s other cities. But with over 100 museums to call its own, the metropolis proves that this unfair reputation is, in fact, erroneous. Here is but a small slice of the great museums on offer.

Shanghai Museum

In the heart of the city in People’s Square lies a structure every Shanghai denizen has seen, but sadly not all have entered. Designed in the shape of a ding, an ancient bronze cooking vessel, the Shanghai Museum is considered one of the finest in the country. Highly educational while simultaneously an inspiring adventure, the museum completely blurs the line between art and artefact. Dynamic lighting leads visitors through the twists and turns of exhibits and China’s 5,000 years of history alike. Ten permanent galleries showcase over 120,000 items from bronze, ceramic and jade workings to paintings, calligraphy, furniture and minority crafts. It is truly a humbling experience looking at intricate sculptures crafted 15 centuries before Christ, tangible proof of the grandeur of one of the world’s oldest civilisations.

Price: Free (limited to 5,000 entries per day). Hours: 9am – 5pm. 201 Renmin Dadao. Tel: 6372 3500. Web: www.shanghaimuseum.net

Natural History Gallery

Proving that a museum can be simultaneously eerie and quaint, the gallery is packed with dusty taxidermic dioramas, formaldehyde-preserved creepy crawlies and dinosaur skeletons quick to elicit ooh’s and aah’s. Located in the former Cotton Exchange building, the mothball smell, amateurish exhibit presentation and decaying facilities lend a charming 1960s feel to the place. The museum’s pride and joy is a four-storey tall, 150-million year old dinosaur skeleton dug up in Sichuan Province – worth the price of admission alone – while the eyebrow-raising section on racial stereotypes, mummies found in Shanghai, multiple floors of stuffed and mounted animals and an animatronic elephant merit a look as well. Few displays are in English, but that doesn’t take away from an enjoyable stroll through the wonders of the world’s past.

Price: RMB 5. Closed Monday. Hours: 9am – 5pm (ticket office closes at 3:30pm). 260 Yan’an Dong Lu. Tel: 6321 3548.

Urban Planning Exhibition Hall

The gaudy gold sculpture greeting visitors to the exhibition hall fortunately does not foreshadow things to come. Give it a miss and head upstairs to get started at arguably Shanghai’s coolest museum. Beginning with the city’s roots, many neat pictures show the growing metropolis evolving over time. The museum’s centrepiece is the breathtakingly large 1:500 scale model of Shanghai – a full 110 square kilometres of the city – with only a few incorrect additions and omissions. Restrain yourself from playing Godzilla; instead take the vertigo-inducing virtual reality tour over the city’s landscape in the theatre next door. Other exhibits include one on Suzhou Creek’s rehabilitation and Shanghai’s transportation links. Child-friendly games are found throughout and all displays are in both Chinese and English. Don’t forget to stop by the 1930s Shanghai-style street in the basement on your way out.

Price: RMB 30. Closed Monday. Hours: 9am – 5pm (6pm Friday – Sunday). 100 Renmin Dadao. Tel: 6318 4477. Web: www.supec.org

Science and Technology Museum

Need some quality time with the kids? Look no further than the Science and Technology Museum, where the educational opportunities abound as the exhibits fluctuate between the natural world and the impending future. With easy access from Metro Line 2, the museum draws in visitors from the first glance. The playful architecture tricks the senses from the get-go with an optical illusion that makes the building appear to be standing on a lake, but the fun really begins when you walk through the doors.

From jungle forests brimming with exotic species to a challenging chess match against robots, the four floor museum spirals all the way around the liveable universe. A reflection on scientific progress and a journey on a spaceship through zero gravity will bring you back to present day – if you can handle the dizziness. Bilingual signs ensure everyone can get in on the fun.

Price: RMB 60 adults, RMB 45 students. Closed Monday. Hours: 9am – 5:15pm. 2000 Shiji Dadao. Tel: 6862 2000. Web: www.sstm.org.cn