Shanghai’s Hottest Photo Spot: Asia-Pacific’s First Smurfs Park, Stay at the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, and Be Neighbors with the Smurfs

Foreword

“Over the mountain, across the sea, there lives a group of Smurfs. They’re lively and clever, they’re naughty and smart.” This song surely is familiar to everyone—it’s the theme song of the cartoon The Smurfs that accompanied our childhood. The Smurfs may be 62 years old, but these little white-hatted cuties are still a nostalgic treasure for us post-80s generation. Now many post-90s and post-00s also know the Smurfs story. But did you know? The Smurfs have come to Shanghai!

A few days ago, while shopping on Nanjing East Road in Shanghai, I ran into my childhood blue friends—a group of adorable Smurfs. I saw many Smurf mascots in front of Shimao Plaza, so I curiously went closer to check it out. It turned out to be a roadshow for the Shanghai Smurfs Park Fun Carnival. For our post-80s generation, the Smurfs really tug at the heartstrings! But back then we didn’t have such advanced internet and media resources; seeing the complete Smurfs cartoon series was no easy feat, so it’s always been a bit of a regret. Upon seeing the Smurfs in Shanghai and learning that there’s a magical Smurfs Park in Songjiang, I decided to make up for that childhood regret over the weekend~

Shanghai Shimao Smurf Wonderland

In 2018, when the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland opened, it made a huge splash. Many people wanted to explore this architectural marvel. This time, driven by childhood nostalgia, we came to this insta-famous Deep Pit Hotel, because the super cute Smurf family is right here—at the Shanghai Shimao Smurf Wonderland.

The Shanghai Shimao Smurf Wonderland is inspired by the classic work created by Belgian cartoonist Peyo—The Smurfs. It’s divided into two parts: the Deep Pit Wonderland and the Smurfs Park. Thrilling attractions like the 100-meter glass walkway, flying over the deep pit, and the cliffside hurricane ride are anything but boring. With the added charm of the Smurfs, we had a blast playing and taking photos. Although it’s more suited for family travel, many rides are also perfect for us big kids. Especially in the Smurfs Park, when scenes from the cartoon are recreated right before your eyes—wow, it feels absolutely awesome!

Since the Shanghai Shimao Smurf Wonderland is located in Songjiang District, quite far from the city center, a round trip is tight on time and doesn’t allow for fully enjoying the fun. So we simply chose to stay one night at the Deep Pit Hotel for a two-day, one-night getaway in Songjiang. Day 1: Arrive at the hotel on Saturday noon, check in, snap photos with the hotel’s giant Smurf inflatables, then head to the Smurfs Park in the afternoon to hug these cute little guys. Day 2: Sleep in on Sunday morning, then go to the Deep Pit Wonderland, and head home after playing in the afternoon.

The full name of the Deep Pit Hotel is the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland. Its most iconic feature is its architectural design—the hotel extends 88 meters below ground, clinging to the quarry’s cliff face, and is hailed by National Geographic as one of the ‘World’s Ten Architectural Wonders’.

We stayed in a rock-view room. The decor is simple yet design-forward. Stepping onto the balcony, you can take in the magnificent deep pit views—so refreshing! At night, the hotel puts on a light show; with spotlights illuminating the building, the entire hotel seems to transform into a futuristic stage, glowing with color.

The room amenities are also top-notch: a Dyson hairdryer, JBL speakers, and voice-activated electric curtains via Xiaodu. Before bedtime, we put on some music and soaked in the bathtub—so relaxing! The hotel also provides disinfectant, which is very thoughtful!

Out of boredom, we went down to the hotel’s lower levels to admire the grandeur of the deep pit from the bottom up. Interestingly, we encountered a giant Smurf inflatable at the hotel, and we simply couldn’t move on—we went on a photo-taking spree right there.

We spent a lot of time trying to get the perfect shot with the Smurf, striking all kinds of poses—sometimes pinching his little toes, sometimes staring into his eyes, sometimes shaking his paw, sometimes poking him, sometimes kissing him. We even had a blast with forced-perspective photos!

Smurfs Park is magical because it recreates the scenes from the Smurfs cartoon one by one, making it the first Smurfs park in the Asia-Pacific region. Classic characters like Papa Smurf, the lovely Smurfette, Brainy Smurf, Clumsy Smurf, Handy Smurf, and the evil Gargamel break through the second dimension to become part of the ‘Smurf Wonderland’, coming to life before your eyes.

Entering the Smurfs Park, you’re completely immersed in the Smurfs theme. There are four zones: the Forest, the Village, Gargamel’s House, and the Outdoor Area. Stepping into this fantasy world, we couldn’t resist taking a stroll and snapping photos first before fully enjoying the rides. As advertised, the entire venue is designed around scenes from the Smurfs cartoon. The names, experiences, and interactions of the attractions are all tightly linked to the Smurfs. Walking around, you might just forget you’re not one of the Smurf family.

We were lucky—right after entering the Smurf zone, we encountered a float parade. The characters from the cartoon were marching toward us, and many kids couldn’t resist asking for photos.

But we big kids preferred the Mushroom Houses. There are so many mushroom-shaped houses in various colors, shapes, and functions, all faithfully recreated from the cartoon and highly interactive.

Inside the Mushroom Houses, two fun spots: the Berry-Go-Round roller coaster and the Magic Paintbrush. The Berry-Go-Round is a real roller coaster! The cart design is so cute and pink, bursting with girly charm. Kids can ride it too, accompanied by an adult. Although it’s not huge, it packs a little thrill—the carts speed along the track, drawing many squeals of delight.

The Magic Paintbrush is much calmer. Kids can draw, doodle, and build blocks here. We even saw some children patting a projection wall—it was an interactive game projected onto the wall. Ah, why didn’t we have such fun things when we were little?

Next up: the Dark Laboratory—Gargamel’s turf. I thought it might be scary, like a haunted house, but the staff assured us it wasn’t. So we queued up and went in, and indeed it wasn’t scary at all. Through scene and sound design, it recreates the villain’s lair from the cartoon, and it’s quite interesting. At the end, you slide down a slide—fun!

In front of the Dark Laboratory is Swamp Adventure, a slightly intense game. Have you played Plants vs. Zombies? Here, the weapon is a cute pink pea. In groups of four, you enter battle mode. Your in-game stats can be seen from outside, along with rankings—pretty cool.

There’s also an expedition area in Smurfs Park. We made a point to try the Journey to the Center of the Earth. Inside, there are many science exhibits about geology, presented through light projections. The coolest part is that the mine cart can rotate 360 degrees—whizzing and spinning around inside was quite fun.

Apart from these, Smurfs Park is basically a giant indoor amusement park. Starry Sky Flight and Candy World can be enjoyed by both adults and kids. It feels like if you bring children, they’d be over the moon.

The next day, we visited the Deep Pit Wonderland. Though we came for the Smurfs, we wanted to make our trip complete. The Deep Pit Wonderland is Phase 1 of the Shanghai Shimao Smurf Wonderland, a viewing platform and amusement park built around the Deep Pit Hotel.

Connecting the Deep Pit Wonderland and Smurfs Park is a quiet little path where the park’s little train passes by. But personally, if the weather isn’t too hot, walking it is quite pleasant. Looking at Shanghai’s sky, as blue as a plateau—the sky is blue, the Smurfs are blue, and I’m blue (from the Smurfs, I mean).

The Deep Pit Wonderland is right next to the hotel. As soon as we entered, everyone rushed to the glass walkway, eager to catch a glimpse of the hotel. But seeing the crowd, we first tried the Cliffside Hurricane ride at the entrance of the glass walkway—the legendary pendulum ride. There weren’t many people, and with crowd limits in place, we got on without queuing, so thrilling!

We also wanted to try the ‘Flying Over the Deep Pit’ ride, but unfortunately it was under maintenance that day, so we had to line up for the glass walkway. Stepping onto it, the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland and the vast deep pit unfolded before us. This glass walkway offers the best and most direct view of the hotel and the quarry.

On one side, the roar of waterfalls plunging down; on the other, the chatter of people on the glass walkway. Only our little Smurf sat quietly on the hotel terrace, waving at us. We spent a long time on the glass walkway, mostly because it’s perfect for photos. A few kids were also having a ball there. The Deep Pit Wonderland has many other attractions, but we spent too much time on the glass walkway. With limited time, we’ll just have to come back next time with a bunch of friends.

Address: No. 5088 Chenhua Road, Songjiang District, Shanghai

Public transportation: Take Metro Line 9 to Dongjing Station, then transfer to Songjiang Bus 96 to the West Gate of Nano Magic City Station.

Tickets: Combo ticket for Deep Pit Wonderland + Smurfs Park: Adult 189 yuan/person, Parent-child ticket (1 adult + 1 child) 249 yuan, Family ticket (2 adults + 1 child) 399 yuan.

Health & safety measures: Due to the pandemic, the park has implemented health protocols. Be sure to make a reservation before visiting. Follow the park’s rules for each ride; all rides are disinfected, so you can play with peace of mind.