Transportation in Shanghai

 

Shanghai is one of China's important travel hubs to get in from properly much anywhere is very convenient. Besides, in the city, there are also many convenient means of transportation for you to choose for your travel.

 

By air

There are two major airports in Shanghai-- Pudong and Hongqiao, the former is the main international gateway but the latter serving most of the domestic flights. Ensure to check which one your flight is leaving from before you leave and allow at least one hour, preferably 1.5 hours to transfer to if needed!

Domestic airplane tickets should be booked ahead not less than two days at one of the many travel agencies. Fares are generally cheap, but vary depending on the season. When backpacking, it may often be better to book a flight along a big traffic line(Beijing-Shanghai,Beijing-Chongqing,Shanghai-Shenzhen,Guilin-Shanghai ...) and travel the rest by bus or train.

 

Pudong International Airport(PIA)

Pudong international airport is located 40 km to the east of the city. Arrivals are on the first floor, departures are on the third. The first floor has all the features you'd expect - but head up to the 3rd if the sole ATM in the arrivals hall is out of order.

The most convenient, but the most expensive mean to get to the city centre is by taxi, but it will take you RMB145yuan and up to an hour to get there. You'd better always check with your taxi driver before enter a taxi. Check that they know where you would like to go and the estimated cost to get there. Usually, the Shanghai taxi drivers can not speak English. Some Taxi drivers also use finders to wander the airport and bring you to their cab (who often have a driver waiting - this means you ride with two drivers if you agree to this). Use caution and double check the charges as some will try to charge up to 10 times the normal fare.

Airport buses are considerably cheaper (¥15-22), but take up to an hour and a half and stop serving at 9 PM. There are a number of routes, but two particularly convenient ones connect to the Airport City Terminal on Nanjing West Road (#2, ¥19) and Shanghai train station (#5, ¥18).

 

 

More a tourist attraction and prestige project than practical means of transport, the Transrapid maglev train is now open to the public and shuttles between Pudong and Longyang in 8 minutes flat at a blazing speed of 430 km/h. However, it's then another half hour by subway to get to Puxi, and it's a bit of a hike both in the airport (2nd floor) and to transfer to the subway. That said, the maglev to Longyang and a taxi from there is the fastest way to get to the city, and the ride is definitely an experience in a rollercoasterish way. Services currently operate from 7 AM to 9 PM daily and cost ¥50 one way (¥40 if you have a same-day ticket) or ¥80 same-day return. You can also opt to pay double for "VIP Class", which gets you a soft drink and bragging rights

Hongqiao Airport

Shanghai's older airport Hongqiao now services only domestic flights. 18 km away from the center, a taxi can manage the trip in 20 minutes on a good day but allow an extra 30 minutes for the taxi queue. Public buses (numbers 925 and 505) run to Renmin Square regularly and cost only ¥4, but take around an hour. An extension of Metro Line 2 to Hongqiao Airport is under construction.

By train

Shanghai Railway Station
 Shanghai's largest and oldest, located in Zhabei district, on the intersection of Metro Lines 1, 3 and 4. Practically all trains used to terminate here, including trains to Hong Kong. But southern services are being shifted out to the new South Station.
Shanghai South Railway Station
A new, greatly expanded terminal opened in July 2006 and is set to take over all services towards the south. On Metro lines 1 and 3.
Shanghai West Railway Station
The smallest of the three, with limited services to Yantai,Zaozhuang,Hengyang,Ganzhou and Chengdu. Not reachable by metro.

Train tickets are also most conveniently booked in advance at one of the many travel service agencies. If urgent, they could also be directly booked at the train stations and the Shanghai Railway Station even has an English counter.

By car

In recent years many highways have been built, linking Shanghai to other cities in the region, including Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, etc. It only takes 2 hours to reach Shanghai from Hangzhou.

By bus

There are several long-distance bus stations in Shanghai, but most buses only go to small towns nearby the city. And you should try to get the tickets as early as possible.

 

By ship

Shanghai ranks third in the largest ports in the world and the largest port city in China. Any ship clears the Shanghai port can reach the rest of more than 400 ports in the worldwide. Now, there is only a ship route (board on the Gongpin Road Wharf )is open but only can reach Dalianin every four day in Shanghai. All coastal and riverine ship routes had been canceled as a result of the slow speed. In addition, there are many international cruise ships (board on Wai Hongqiao Wharf)set off for Inchon, Pusan (South Korea) and Osaka, Kobe (Japan).

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By metro

The fast-growing Shanghai Metro network now has 5 lines with another 4 under construction. The trains are fast, cheap and fairly user-friendly with most signs also in English, but the trains can get very packed at rush hour. Fares range from ¥2 to ¥9 depending on distance and you'll need plenty of ¥1 or ¥0.5 coins or cash for the ticket vending machines, although most stations also have staff selling tickets. You can now transfer between lines freely with a single ticket. The metro can also use Shanghai's public transportation card (non-contact).

By taxi

Taxi is generally a good choice for transportation in the city. It is affordable (only RMB11yuan for the first 3km) and saves you a lot of time, but try to get your destination in Chinese characters as communication can be an issue. Drivers, while generally honest, are sometimes genuinely clueless and sometimes out to take you for a ride. Insist on using the meter and, if your fare seems out of line, demand a printed receipt before paying. If you come across a row of parked taxis and have a choice of which one to get in to, you may wish to check the number of stars the driver has. These are displayed below the driver's photograph on the dashboard in front of the passenger seat. The amount of stars indicates the length of time the driver has been in the taxi business and the level of positive feedback received from customers, and range from zero stars to five. Drivers with one star or more should know all major locations in Shanghai, and those with three stars should be able to recognize even lesser-known addresses. Remember that it takes time to build up these stars, and so don't be panic if you find yourself with a driver who doesn't have any - just have them assure you that they know where they are going and you should be fine. Taxi colors in Shanghai are strictly controlled and indicate the company the taxi belongs to. Turquoise taxis operated by Dazhong, the largest group, are often judged the best of the bunch. Watch out for dark red taxis, since this is the 'default' color of small taxi companies and includes more than its fair share of bad apples; bright red taxis, on the other hand, are unionized and quite OK.

 

By sightseeing bus

There are several different companies offering sightseeing buses with various routes and packages covering the main sights such as the Shanghai Zoo, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, and Baoyang Road Harbor. Most of the sightseeing buses leave from the Shanghai stadium's east bus station.

On foot

Shanghai is a good city for walking, especially in the older parts of the city across the Huangpu from Pudong. Of course, given the large population, you should expect heavy concentrations of pedestrians and vehicles, but that is part of the excitement. Crossing large roads, in particular, can be pretty hairy and it's advisable to follow the locals.