To And From The Airport

Shanghai has two major airports: most international flights go through the newer Pudong International Airport (PVG), which is 45 km (30 mi) east of the city, whereas many domestic routes operate out of the older Hongqiao International Airport (SHA), 15 km (9 mi) west of the city center.

Taking a taxi is the most comfortable way into town from Pudong International Airport. Expect to pay around Y160 to Y180 for the hour-long or so trip to Puxi; getting to the closer Pudong area takes 40 minutes, and should cost no more than Y100. At rush hour, journey times can easily double. Speed demons may wish to catch the Maglev train, which tops out at 431 km/h (268 mph) and connects at Longyang Road metro station in Pudong to Lines 2 and 7, which can get you downtown in about 25 minutes. It costs Y50 for a single trip, Y80 per round-trip and Y40 if you present your boarding pass or ticket from a same-day flight. For a mere Y5 you can hop on Line 2 at Pudong International Airport, cross the platform at Guanlan Road Station, and be downtown in just under an hour. Note that the Maglev runs 6:30 am-9:30 pm and the metro 9:30 am-9:15 pm.

From Hongqiao a taxi to Puxi will cost you Y30-Y60 and takes 30 to 40 minutes; expect an hour for the costlier trip to Pudong hotels. A taxi from one airport to the other takes about an hour and costs Y200 to Y240. You can take metro Line 2 from Hongqiao for Y5, though note that you'll have to hop a shuttle bus from one terminal to another. Line 2 now runs from Hongqiao Airport to Pudong Airport, making runs between the two significantly cheaper.

Many hotels offer free airport transfers to their guests. Otherwise, shuttle buses link Pudong Airport with a number of hotels (routes starting with a letter) and transport hubs (routes starting with a number) in the city center. Most services run every 10 to 20 minutes between roughly 7 am and the last flight arrival (usually around midnight). Trips to Puxi take about 1½ hours and cost between Y19 and Y30. From Hongqiao, Bus 925 runs to People's Square, but there's little room for luggage. It costs Y4.