Shanghai Transportation

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Shanghai Sightseeing Bus is a red color double-decked bus that stops at major tourist locations in Shanghai both Puxi and Pudong area. They come with a free audio guide in 8 different languages. The day pass will cost Y30 for unlimited ride and children under 1.4m ride for free accompany with an adult.

Puxi Route: April- Oct (9:00-21:30); Nov-March (9:00-19:00)

1) Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center (People's Avenue)
2) Nanjing Road (west), opposite to the New World Department Store
3) Century Square
4) Nanjing Road (east), Exit 2 Henan Middle Road station
5) Garden Bridge on the Bund
6) Customs House on the Bund
7) Huangpu River Cruise Terminal on the Bund
8) Chenghuang Miao, or Yuyuan Garden
9) Shanghai Ancient City Wall
10) Former Provisional Government Site of the Republic of Korea
11) First National Congress of the Communist Party of China
12) Huaihai Middle Road
13) Shanghai Museum

Pudong Route:

1) Shanghai Museum
2) Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center (People's Avenue)
3) The Oriental Pearl TV Tower
4) The Jin Mao Tower

You can buy ticket on board!!

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I didn't use public transportation in Shanghai, and only used the bus in a couple of short trips, but found the traffic much more organized and fluent than expected.

Lots of people, of course, but not the mess seen in the films; some narrow streets, yes, but also many large avenues, where the traffic seems to flow in an intense but efficient sequence.

Incorrect idea, born from a quick observation? Maybe! But my general idea about Shanghai's traffic was very positive.

Shanghai has one of China's largest airports so flying in from Europe, even directly, should not be a problem. If you are prepared to change planes, you should be able to shave off 25% to 33% off the fare - and possibly get better service to boot. Best connections from Europe in terms of price are probably via Switzerland, Germany or Russia. For best quality/price I'd have to say 'Middle East'. Depending on the season and on whether there are any sales, we paid ca. GBP 2,100 for a return business class fare on Qatar Airways (regular fare without sales). During sales, economy flights from major European cities can work out at as little (considering the distance) as EUR 450-500.

Shanghai is also well-connected with major Chinese cities with scores of flights daily to Beijing, Xi'An, Chengdu as well as others. Importantly for us, there were also flights to Lhasa available. Major domestic airlines serving Shanghai are Air China, China Southeastern and China Southern. Of these, Air China had the most modern planes from what I could observe.

The airport - both international and domestic - is efficient (unless you're going to Lhasa) though probably somewhat lacking in facilities if you're used to the likes of Heathrow. Electronic check-in is possible for most destinations which allows to save a bit of time.

If you havn't guessed yet this pic is at the top of Nanjing Rd West and also from the same metro station on the #2 line. These buses are everywhere, so if your short on time jump aboard and take in some of Shanghai's amazing sights and attractions. Prices will very depending on what you want to do and see.

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The CRH Bullet trains are conveniently located underneath the Hongqiao International Airport which is easily accessible on metro #2 line. They travel at 300 km an hour which does not take long to get to places such as Nanjing, stopping along the way at Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou and Zhenjiang. The seating is comfortable and you can purchase drinks and hot Chinese meals on board. One thing that we found unusual was the computer selected your seat number and not necessarily next to each other, but in the same carriage therefore a lot of seat swapping went on..lol. They also have started travelling to Beijing this year which is an alternative to flying and offer first class seating.

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Shanghai has one of the fastest growing rapid transit systems in the World. Currently it has 13 lines servicing the entire city of Shanghai. It grows every year with new lines and station. It is fast and easy to get around Shanghai. All the stations come with signboards and announcements in English translation. It makes sense cause there are diverse populations from different countries living in Shanghai now. And the city often hosts important international events like the Shanghai Expo.

Below are some of the important stations and lines might be useful:

Line 1:
Shanghai Railway Station ( connect train to Hangzhou, Suzhou)
Shanghai South Railway Station ( connect line 3 as well)
Dashijie (Huaihai Road)

Line 2:
Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2
Hongqiao Raiway Station ( connect speed train to Suzhou)
Jing' An Temple ( Old Shanghai)
People's Square (Shanghai Museum, Shopping, Shanghai Exhibition Building)
Nanjing Road (East) (Shopping, The Bund Riverfront)
Lujiazui (The Bund Riverfront Pudong Side, Pearl Tower)

Line 8 & 7:
Yaohua Road (World Expo)
Yuntai Road (World Expo)

Line 10:
Xintiandi (Shopping, Old Town)
Laoximen (Shopping, Old Town)
Yuyuan Garden (Shopping, Old Town)

Above stations are important locations not to be missed..

ALERT: If you are using Shanghai Transit Card, you can only get refund at certain stations. Check the stations with them, if you wish to get refund before you leave to the airport. They don't do refund at Hongqiao Airport. Refund: Y20 each card.

In Chinese: 地铁 (di tie) - subway

If taking a taxi to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway, you must specify because there is another
station. The station is about 45 minutes from the Bund area. You must go through security/metal detector, so figure this in with timing. Boarding depends on what train car you are in. Entrance to the train are on opposite sides of the station. There are English announcements but departure boards are all
in Chinese, so you must know the train# and departure time. Your passport# will appear on your ticket not the name. This was done to discourage theft, since the ticket can't be used if the
passport# on the ticket does not match your passport. To avoid lines at the station, I ordered online and had them deliver to my hotel. Worked like charm.

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We used the metro on 2 days during our 5 day visit to Shanghai. The station was about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. No problem walking the street daytime, we took taxi during the evening.

The ticketing is similar to most large cities, electronic machines where you touch screen the destination and ticket is printed upon payment.

All stations are displayed in both Chinese and English. There are helpful English speaking metro employees who assist should you have a problem.

On our second day we experienced a problem when changing lines the electronic entrance rejected our ticket. An assistant checked our ticket and then opened a door for entry.

The metro trains we traveled on were all new looking and very clean.