Where to go ice skating in Shanghai this winter

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Photograph: courtesy All Star Skating Club

The bruises and ripped pants aren't for everyone, but when it comes to cold weather exercise, nothing quite beats the thrill of completing your first twirl around an ice-skating rink. Although Shanghai isn’t a winter sport destination, there's still more than enough places to here practice your figure eights. Whether you have NHL aspirations or are just happy to stand on both feet, here's where you can go ice skating in Shanghai.

Photograph: courtesy All Star Skate Club

All Star Skating Club

Housing Shanghai’s arguably plushest skating rink, the Mercedes-Benz Arena’s All Star Skating club has a whopping 1,200sqm of top-quality ice. This bigger space and flashier atmosphere can make for a very fun and seasonal outing, however, peak weekend hours can turn the rink into People’s Square station on ice. Weekday evenings are generally a good time to go.

For the quality of the venue, it is still reasonably priced, starting at 100RMB which gives you 90 minutes on weekends and unlimited time during weekdays. Several different coaching levels and packages are offered including ice hockey lessons and private classes for beginners.

Hours: 10am-10pm daily.

1200 Shibo Da Dao

Photograph: courtesy Snow1

Snow1

Not quite a romantic date-spot or a scenic family-outing destination, but the New World Ice Rink is a good bit of fun all the same. The rink is quite small compared to its competitors at about 500sqm and the two sizable columns directly in the middle of the ice aren’t ideal. But still, it’s big enough to practise your skills, as long as those skills don’t involve lots of speed or aerial manoeuvres (the ceilings are quite low).

Also, on the plus side, it’s centrally located, right by People’s Square, easy to find and offers reasonably good rental equipment and a pretty handy skate sharpening service. Admission is 100RMB for two hours.

Hours: 10am-9pm daily.

2 Nanjing Xi Lu

Photograph: courtesy Feiyang On Ice

Feiyang Skating Center

Critics' pick

There are two rinks at the Feiyang Skating Center: one on the ground floor for the public and one directly above it for members only. The private area is home to the Kunlun Redstar’s Hockey Club with a beautiful Olympic-size rink and stadium seating, it is however still open to skaters of all levels after joining the Shanghai Hockey Club.

Both areas are geared more towards sport than leisure, with the public rink often partially allocated to children’s hockey practice. Still, the public venue has plenty of equipment, decent facilities and decent prices at 60RMB (Mon-Fri 4.45-7.30pm) and 80RMB (weekends) for two hours. There's also a night session: 30RMB (Mon-Thu; 7.30-9pm) for one-and-a-half hours.

Hours: 5-9pm (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday); 2.30-9pm (Wednesday), 4.30-10pm (Friday); 10am-9pm (Saturday); 11am-9pm (Sunday).

201 Yunlian Lu

Photograph: courtesy S.U.S International Arena

S.U.S International Arena

Even if you’re someone who ends up spending most of their time on the floor when it comes to ice skating, you can’t help but feel at least a little professional under the lights of this 8,000-seater stadium – once the site for qualifying for the 2010 Winter Olympics women’s hockey event. As you’d expect of a space that’s hosted elite-level competition, the 1,860sqm ice surface is well-maintained, but you'll have to share half of it with athletes training or people taking sport classes like figure skating or ice hockey.

Aside from a lengthy journey into Songjiang, a three-hour session will set you back 60 RMB or 40RMB if you have student ID (plus 15RMB for shoe rental). Also be aware that before heading out, you must first book a slot through the WeChat account '松江大学城体育馆滑冰馆'.

Hours: 5-8pm (Monday, Friday); 3-8pm (Tuesday, Thursday); 1-8pm (Saturday, Sunday).

2000 Wenxiang Lu

Photograph: cottonbro on Pexels

Century Star Skating Club

After dusting off a bit of holiday shopping in this mall out by Hongqiao Airport, strap on a pair of skates and transfer that stress into tackling this decently sized rink on the fourth floor. Don’t get too carried away with the axel jumps though, the ice here is heavily populated with children and split into two zones: one for classes and the other for free roaming (100RMB for two hours). That’s probably for the best so you don’t end up unintentionally ruining a kid’s hockey game.

And, if you're a beginner who's seen one too many smirks from little Elsa-lites, there's a range of private lessons you can take starting from 80RMB for 30 minutes.

Hours: 10am-10pm daily.

1599 Wuzhong Lu

Photograph: Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels

Champion Rink

Another rink located in a mall (Bailian New Era in Yangpu), which isn't a bad thing because that means there’s options in the food and drink department after calling it a day. The arena itself isn’t Shanghai's most scenic (although the view of Songhu Lu is worth a pause from practicing your moves) but it's serviceable enough in a casual environment that’s suitable for all skillsets: the graceful who glide in the centre of the rink and the less graceful who prefer the comfort of the barrier.

The equipment isn't state of the art but does the job and kneepads are also provided by staff. Two hours costs 100RMB and if you want to extend the time to however long you feel (or your ankles can take), it's an extra 10RMB.

Hours: 10am-9.30pm (Monday to Thursday); 10am-7.30pm (Friday); 10.30am-9.30pm (Saturday).

8 Songhu Lu

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