Laboratory experiments and field tests of urban flooding are important approaches for model validation to improve the accuracy of simulation results. Advances in the research of urban flood characteristics by laboratory experiments were reviewed in three aspects, including the urban runoff generation process, the surface flood evolution, and the interaction of surface runoff with pipe network flow. Aiming at the shortcomings in the current study, it is necessary to improve the research on the mechanism of the surface runoff process through physical experiments and to intensify the research on the vertical interaction process between surface and pipe network flow. Quantitative experimental research on the associated processes closely intertwined with flow behavior during urban flooding should be strengthened.