Transportation
Air
Shanghai is the only city in China with two civilian airports – Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao International Airport.
You can fly direct from Shanghai to many of the major cities in the world. It is most important to check your ticket to be sure from which airport your flight departs.
Hongqiao International Airport (SHA)
Hongqiao airport is the domestic hub for Shanghai, via which you can fly to most Chinese cities.
Although handling mainly domestic flights, Hongqiao functions as a standby airport for international flights, in case dense fog or other unexpected situations close Pudong airport.
Hongqiao has two terminal buildings. Building B is a special terminal of China Eastern Airlines.
Pudong International Airport (PVG)
Pudong airport is the new and the bigger airport in Shanghai. It's an international hub, but also handles many domestic flights.
The airport has only one terminal building, but a second is under construction and further expansion has also been planned.
You can fly direct from Shanghai to many of the major cities in the world. It is most important to check your ticket to be sure from which airport your flight departs.
Hongqiao International Airport (SHA)
Hongqiao airport is the domestic hub for Shanghai, via which you can fly to most Chinese cities.
Although handling mainly domestic flights, Hongqiao functions as a standby airport for international flights, in case dense fog or other unexpected situations close Pudong airport.
Hongqiao has two terminal buildings. Building B is a special terminal of China Eastern Airlines.
Pudong International Airport (PVG)
Pudong airport is the new and the bigger airport in Shanghai. It's an international hub, but also handles many domestic flights.
The airport has only one terminal building, but a second is under construction and further expansion has also been planned.
Bus and trolley bus (to be mentioned as just bus below) may be not the best transport for oreigners, but having some knowledge about it will give you an option when you come across a traffic problem, especially when you cannot find a taxi on a rainy day or have no idea where the Metro station is.
Shanghai buses can be extremely crowded in rush hours and some of them are not totally clean. But buses on busy shopping streets or connecting major attractions are in excellent condition and during off-peak hours it is a pleasure to ride in them. Plus, the bigger windows of a bus will give you a better view of the city than taking taxis or subways.
Shanghai buses can be extremely crowded in rush hours and some of them are not totally clean. But buses on busy shopping streets or connecting major attractions are in excellent condition and during off-peak hours it is a pleasure to ride in them. Plus, the bigger windows of a bus will give you a better view of the city than taking taxis or subways.
Five Metro lines operate in Shanghai. Line 1 stretches from Xinzhuang to Gongfu Xincun, Line 2 from Zhongshan Park to Zhangjiang High-Tech District, Line 3 from Jiangwan Town to Shanghai South Railway Station, Line 5 from Xinzhuang to Minhang Development District. The section of Line 4 from Damuqiao Road Station to Lancun Road Station is still under construction.
Reaching almost every corner of the city, covering all the prosperous areas, the Metro is the fastest and most convenient way to move about in the downtown area. It takes no more than half an hour from Xinzhuang to People's Square. Of course, it is much cheaper than taxis.
There are stations where several Metro lines meet. An interchange station is a station where you can change for other lines without meeting a ticket barrier. A transfer station, however, is one where you have to leave the first line through a ticket barrier and then be charged for another line.
However, the Metro has its disadvantages. It is extremely crowded in rush hours and Line 1 is crowded in whatever hours.
Be wary of thieves, both on the train and on the platform, especially when it is extremely crowded.
Shanghai is going to build 10 new Metro lines from 2005 to 2012, stretching 389 kilometers. Total kilometrage of Shanghai
Metro System is expected to reach 510 kilometers by 2012, among which 400 kilometers are going to put in use before 2010 Expo. Construction of four of the lines will start this year.
Taking a taxi is a fast and convenient way to get around Shanghai. The city, has the best-managed taxi service in China.
Most cabbies know their way around and expertly negotiate the city's busy traffic. Taxis are usually readily available, but hailing one in rush hours is difficult and on rainy days almost impossible.
Reaching almost every corner of the city, covering all the prosperous areas, the Metro is the fastest and most convenient way to move about in the downtown area. It takes no more than half an hour from Xinzhuang to People's Square. Of course, it is much cheaper than taxis.
There are stations where several Metro lines meet. An interchange station is a station where you can change for other lines without meeting a ticket barrier. A transfer station, however, is one where you have to leave the first line through a ticket barrier and then be charged for another line.
However, the Metro has its disadvantages. It is extremely crowded in rush hours and Line 1 is crowded in whatever hours.
Be wary of thieves, both on the train and on the platform, especially when it is extremely crowded.
Shanghai is going to build 10 new Metro lines from 2005 to 2012, stretching 389 kilometers. Total kilometrage of Shanghai
Metro System is expected to reach 510 kilometers by 2012, among which 400 kilometers are going to put in use before 2010 Expo. Construction of four of the lines will start this year.
Taking a taxi is a fast and convenient way to get around Shanghai. The city, has the best-managed taxi service in China.
Most cabbies know their way around and expertly negotiate the city's busy traffic. Taxis are usually readily available, but hailing one in rush hours is difficult and on rainy days almost impossible.
Shanghai's taxis are colorful, unlike New York City's, which are all yellow. Cyan, yellow, white, green, blue, red, dark blue and dark red are the main colors of the taxis in Shanghai and the colors denote different taxi companies. Dark blue and dark red are the colors for the city's hundreds of small and medium taxi companies.
Real taxis have a logo light on the top of the car. Around the driver's seat is a transparent shield protect the driver from robbery. A meter and an illuminated vacancy disk on the dashboard are also necessities for a cab. Without all these things, the taxi is probably unlicensed and you should avoid it, even if the driver solicits you. You have no rights if injured in an unlicensed taxi.
The vacancy disk will help you know which cab is available. When the disk is upright and lluminated showing two Chinese characters -- 空车 -- it means the cab is vacant.
Real taxis have a logo light on the top of the car. Around the driver's seat is a transparent shield protect the driver from robbery. A meter and an illuminated vacancy disk on the dashboard are also necessities for a cab. Without all these things, the taxi is probably unlicensed and you should avoid it, even if the driver solicits you. You have no rights if injured in an unlicensed taxi.
The vacancy disk will help you know which cab is available. When the disk is upright and lluminated showing two Chinese characters -- 空车 -- it means the cab is vacant.
The city of Shanghai has several railway stations, among which Shanghai Railway Station, Shanghai South Railway Station and Shanghai West Railway Station are the main ones. It connects with many main cities of China.
Maglev Train
No doubt the maglev train is the fastest way to get to the Pudong airport.
Shanghai's maglev line, linking Longyang Road subway station and the Pudong airport, is the world's first operational maglev link. If you want to experience traveling at more than 400 kilometers an hour, give it a try. A round trip on the train takes less than 15 minutes.
A one-way ticket costs 50 yuan. If you produce a flight ticket for that day, you will get a 10-yuan discount. But you can buy only one discounted train ticket with one flight ticket.
The operation from Longyang Road Station starts at 7am and ends at 9pm at intervals of 15 minutes.
The operation from Pudong lasts from 7:02am to 9:02pm at the same intervals
Shanghai's maglev line, linking Longyang Road subway station and the Pudong airport, is the world's first operational maglev link. If you want to experience traveling at more than 400 kilometers an hour, give it a try. A round trip on the train takes less than 15 minutes.
A one-way ticket costs 50 yuan. If you produce a flight ticket for that day, you will get a 10-yuan discount. But you can buy only one discounted train ticket with one flight ticket.
The operation from Longyang Road Station starts at 7am and ends at 9pm at intervals of 15 minutes.
The operation from Pudong lasts from 7:02am to 9:02pm at the same intervals
