Shanghai Airport to the City: PVG, SHA, Metro and Maglev Checks
Shanghai has two airports: Pudong (PVG) and Hongqiao (SHA). Choose the transfer only after checking both the airport and the exact address of your accommodation. A fast first leg is not useful if it leaves you with a difficult late-night connection.
Start with the airport and your final address
Check the three-letter airport code on your booking rather than relying on a city name. PVG and SHA are different airports, and a terminal or rail connection that works at one may not suit the other.
Save your hotel or first destination with its full Chinese address and the nearest station or entrance. The final walk, luggage and time of day should shape the route as much as the train or road journey itself.
Compare the main transfer choices
- Metro: use the current Shanghai Metro and airport route information for your airport and terminal. Metro is often useful during normal service hours, but station walking, security checks and interchange time still matter.
- Maglev from Pudong Airport: the Maglev reaches Longyang Road, where you need to continue by metro, taxi or another transfer. Compare the full journey to your address rather than only the airport-to-Longyang leg.
- Airport Link Line: use it when its current stations and operating information genuinely reduce a cross-airport or onward connection. Check the operator's current route before relying on it.
- Taxi or ride-hailing: follow airport signs to the official taxi queue or designated pickup area. Show the saved Chinese address and avoid unsolicited offers from people approaching you inside the terminal.
A safe default when you are carrying luggage
- Choose the route that keeps total walking, station changes and the final walk manageable with your actual luggage.
- Check the operator's current service hours and work backwards from your planned arrival after immigration, baggage collection and terminal walking.
- Save a screenshot of the Chinese address, the airport and terminal name, and a backup payment method.
- If the final metro connection is close to the last service, choose the official taxi or ride-hailing pickup instead of gambling on a tight interchange.
If plans break
- Wrong airport or terminal: stop and confirm the booking before paying for another transfer.
- Late arrival or missed last train: use a signed taxi queue or designated ride-hailing pickup area; do not follow an unsolicited driver.
- Hotel address unclear: call the property or ask airport information staff for help before leaving the terminal.
- Payment problem: check that the first transaction did not complete before trying another method.
Sources and rechecking
These sources were checked for the current guide edition. Confirm the linked page again before acting on a changing route, price, opening rule or booking procedure. Read how ChinaTrip checks its guides.
- Airport metro connectionsOfficial/operator source · Shanghai Airport Group · checked 19 Oct 2026
- Traveling between Shanghai's airports and city centerOfficial/operator source · Shanghai Municipal Government · checked 18 Oct 2026
- How to take Airport Link LineOfficial/operator source · Shanghai Municipal Government · checked 18 Oct 2026
- Pudong Airport Maglev operating hoursOfficial/operator source · Shanghai Airport Group · checked 18 Oct 2026
- Metro fares and route informationOfficial/operator source · Shanghai Metro · checked 19 Oct 2026
- Metro timetableOfficial/operator source · Shanghai Metro · checked 19 Oct 2026
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Shanghai in three days
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