Getting There By Air:Pudong Airport (PVG)
Tel: (21) 3848 4500.
Website:
www.shanghaiairport.com Pudong Airport is located 30km (19 miles) southeast of Shanghai. Officially opened on 1 October 1999 and growing at a rapid pace, the airport is Shanghai’s international hub as well as serving some domestic routes and all Hong Kong and Macau flights. A second runway opened in 2005, with a second terminal and third runway scheduled for completion in late 2007, and a further five runways planned by 2015.
The penalty for this modernity is that Pudong is about a 45-minute drive from downtown (traffic permitting). In early 2004, a prestigious flagship infrastructure project, the 431km/hour magnetic levitation shuttle train, was opened, which covers the 30km distance between the airport and Longyang Lu metro station in Pudong in just short of 8 minutes.
Airport facilities: Facilities include banks, ATMs, bureaux de change, post offices, car hire, restaurants and tourist information. Most of the major city hotels have reservation desks, left-luggage, souvenir stalls and other shops, cafés and public telephones. Business facilities, including fax, internet and long-distance calls, are available between the international and domestic arrival halls. Fully-equipped meeting and conference rooms are provided by the
Jinjiang Inn Pudong Airport Hotel (tel: (21) 6835 3568) and the
Ramada Pudong Airport Shanghai Hotel (tel: (21) 3849 4949; website:
www.ramadaairportpd.com).
Transport to the city: Shanghai Airport Bus Co. and the
Shanghai Dazhong Bus Corporation shuttle buses depart every 30 minutes 0600-2100 (journey time – 60-90 minutes) from outside the arrivals hall, between doors 7 to 15. Routes are well distributed across the city and detailed on Traffic Guide boards at each arrivals lounge exit door. One-way fares cost between RMB19 and RMB30. Buses take eight routes into the city, with only route five going to Pudong itself. Other routes include a dedicated hotel shuttle, People’s Square and Hongkou in the city’s northwest district. Transfer buses to Hongqiao Airport cost about RMB30 and depart regularly 0720-2300. Further information is available from
Airport Shuttle Bus Services (tel: (21) 6834 6912
or 6645).
The magnetic levitation (Maglev) train (tel: (21) 2890 7777; website:
www.smtdc.com) runs daily every 15 minutes between 0700-2100, linking the airport with Longyang Lu metro station in Pudong, from where you will need to catch a connecting cab or Line 2 metro train to your final destination.
Metered taxis are available at the official stand outside the arrivals hall (ignore the touts) – the fare to downtown Puxi/Pudong is about RMB120/RMB150 (journey time – 45-60 minutes).
Hongqiao Airport (SHA)
Tel: (21) 6268 8918
or 8899.
Website:
www.shanghaiairport.com Formerly the principal airport, Shanghai’s Hongqiao Airport is now used for domestic departures and arrivals (NB: Hong Kong and Macau flights are considered to be ‘international’ and use Pudong International Airport). The airport is situated 13km (9 miles) southwest of central Shanghai, about a half-hour taxi ride away.
Airport facilities: Facilities include bureaux de change, banks, ATMs, post office, luggage lockers, car hire, duty-free and other shops, cafés, restaurants and tourist information. There are also hotel reservation services.
Transport to the city: A number of public bus routes run from Hongqiao to central Shanghai (see
Public Transport section in
Getting Around). There is also a blue and white airport shuttle bus that leaves from outside the domestic arrivals.
Shanghai Airport Bus Co. and the
Shanghai Dazhong Bus Corporation operate regular shuttle buses, between 0600-2100 (journey time – 30-45 minutes). Luggage space is limited. Tickets are sold on the bus. Transfer buses to Pudong Airport leave from outside domestic arrivals every 30 minutes 0600-2100 (journey time – 60 minutes). Further information is available from
Airport Shuttle Bus Services (tel: (21) 6834 6912 or 6645). A metro line 2 extension linking the airport and a new bus terminus is due to be completed in time for the 2010 World Expo.
Metered taxis are available from outside the arrivals hall,. The fare is about RMB70 to downtown Puxi, and RMB100 to Pudong, including toll fees (journey time – 30-50 minutes). It is best for tourists either to have the destination written in Chinese or a map handy.
Getting There By Road:Foreign visitors are not encouraged to drive cars in China. Foreign residents can bring their own cars into the country but this involves a huge bureaucratic effort. Expat drivers may need a physical examination and a written exam of local traffic rules to obtain a local license from the vehicle administrative department (VAD) under the Municipal Public Security Bureau. They must already possess a valid International Driving Permit. The license is temporary for residents staying less than a year, permanent if longer. To obtain it, they must present their original driving license and a translated version, passport and local residence certificate.
All foreign visitors who want to travel within China by car are advised to hire a car with a local driver.
Emergency breakdown service: There is no breakdown service in China. Drivers have to rely on assistance from other passing vehicles.
Routes to the city: Main routes out of Shanghai are denoted by city names such as the Shanghai-Nanjing Highway. The Shanghai-Beijing Expressway provides a (relatively) fast artery to the north. There are fast-improving road links to Zhouzhuang, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo and most of the other regional centers.
Coach services: Coach and bus travel can be very slow, but are improving as domestic travel increases. Nevertheless, bus tickets are cheaper than rail fares and, as the number of services increases, more readily available. There are many service providers, including
Shanghai Dazhong Bus Corporation (tel: (21) 5651 3313). Information on coach travel is available from a passenger information and complaint hotline (tel: (21) 3424 1999). There are few facilities at the bus stations and travelers should purchase tickets in person at the ticket office. There are many bus stations around the city, but the main hub is across from the
Shanghai Stadium, 666 Tianyaoqiao Lu (tel: (21) 6426 5558) – where buses leave frequently for several local and long-distance locations In the north, the key station is Hengfeng Lu Bus Station, 270 Hengfeng Lu (tel: (21) 6317 3912), which has buses for Nanjing, Ningbo and Wuxi. In the south, Xujiahui Bus Station, Hongqiao Lu (tel: (21) 6469 7325), located behind Grand Gateway, has departures to Nanjing and Yangzhou.
Getting There By Rail:The national railway service within China, which is operated by the
Ministry of Railways (website:
www.chinamor.cn.net), has developed rapidly and is very extensive. Shanghai Railway Station, 385 Meiyuan Lu (tel: (21) 6317 9090), is the main terminus and point of arrival for the hordes of provincial workers and travelers descending on the city. The station has left-luggage facilities, ATMs, tourist information, shops and restaurants.
Rail services: All long-distance Chinese express trains have four different classes – soft sleeper, soft seat, hard sleeper and hard seat. Tickets are available at the station itself, at the
Longman Hotel next to the rail station and at the sales office at 77 Wanhangdu Lu (corner Beijing Xi Lu) near Jing’an Temple. Reservations, especially for sleepers, should be made three to five days in advance. Some of the most popular routes include Shanghai to Beijing (journey time – 8 hours), the overnight sleeper from Shanghai to Hong Kong (journey time – 25 hours 45 minutes) and the short hop to Hangzhou (2 hour 30 minutes).
Getting Around:Public TransportThe public
buses are rarely used by foreign visitors without a good understanding of Mandarin Chinese. Travel by
metro or taxi is by far the easier option.
Shanghai Municipal Public Transportation Administration operates a cheap and comprehensive system.
City
buses (tel: (21) 1608 8160) run 0500-2300 and can get very crowded during rush hours (0630-0830 and 1700-1900). Fares are paid to the conductor. Major city-center routes are numbered – suburban and long-distance buses only have their destination in characters.
Shanghai
metro (operating 0500-2300) is clean, efficient, and easy to navigate. Stations have a red sign resembling an ‘M’. Tickets are available from machines and ticket offices near the entrance. Prices vary depending on the number of stops. Integrated metro, bus, ferry and taxi travel cards are also available if you think your Mandarin is up to asking for one. Signs and station announcements in trains are in Mandarin Chinese and English. Four lines are running to date, with at least seven more being built. The
Number 1 Line operates north–southwest from Gongfu Xincun (passing through Shanghai Railway Station and People’s Square) to the southwestern suburb of Xinzhuang. The
Number 2 Line runs east-west from Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in Pudong to Zhongshan Park (an extension to Hongqiao Airport is due to open late-2006). The
Pearl Line (3) runs a curious-shaped route from north–south from Jiangwan Zhen in the north to Shanghai South Station. A new circular line (4) passes through Pudong, eastern and western suburbs and the city’s northern districts.
Please note: Four Line 2 metro stations were renamed in 2006: Shimen No 1 Road is now West Nanjing Road; Henan Middle Road is Nanjing East Road; Dongfang Lu is Shiji Avenue; and Century Park is now Shiji Park.TaxisDespite the alarming metal cages around the drivers, Shanghai taxis are actually reliable, plentiful, cheap and safe. A variety of fleet companies operate Shanghai taxis, which are almost uniformly locally manufactured Volkswagens. All taxis are metered. Maps and addresses written in Chinese characters are essential tools for foreigners, as taxi drivers rarely speak any English.
Taxis can be pre-booked from some of the major fleets, including
Friendship Taxi (tel: (21) 6258 4584) or
Dazhong Taxi (tel: (21) 6320 7207). The
Shanghai Municipal Taxi Association (tel: (21) 6368 1055) can provide further information.
Driving in the CityThe efficiency of Shanghai’s public transport combined with the prevalence of taxis and the difficulties of obtaining a local license means there is little sense in hiring a vehicle without very good reason. Bicycles are very common and many accidents involve them – drivers are advised to remember this
Car HireIf a car of your own is essential, hiring a driver is recommended, given the dense traffic, the Chinese road signs and the general chaos involved. If you still want to hire and drive your own vehicle, an International Driving Permit, air ticket, passport and a credit card to cover the large deposit are required.
Avis has a joint venture with
Anji Car Rental & Leasing, (tel: (21) 6229 1119; website:
www.avischina.com).
Shanghai Angel Car Rental (tel: (21) 6229 1118) is one of the biggest local agencies, with offices at both airports.
Dazhong (tel: (21) 6318 5666; website:
http://dzzc.96822.com/en/index) is another reputable company.
Bicycle HireAlthough bikes are available for rent in some backpacker hostels in Shanghai, it is a very dangerous city in which to cycle.
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