Shanghai Airport is famous for having the fastest transport to the city thanks to the Maglev magnetic railway, which reaches speeds of up to 300 km/h. However, the Maglev doesn't go to the city centre and you have to change to the metro at the terminus.

You can also get to the city centre by taking the regular metro line 2 and several special bus lines without changing but with longer journey times.

The 10 best hotels in Shanghai

Maglev

The Maglev high-speed magnetic train goes to "Longyang" station, where you have to change to Shanghai Metro lines 2 or 7 for the direction to the city centre, or to line 18 for the eastern parts of the city.

Prior to 2021, the Maglev ran at speeds of up to 431 km/h, but it currently runs no faster than 300 km/h.

• Price - 50 cny one way / 80 cny return / 85 cny pass for one Maglev journey and unlimited metro travel for 1 day
• Journey time - 12 minutes (+ approx. 30 more minutes by metro to the city centre)
• Frequency - 20 minutes
• Official Information: service.shmetro.com

The first Maglev from Longyang station leaves at 6:45am and the last train from the airport leaves at 9:42pm.

Metro

The airport is also served by the green metro line number 2, which is the best value for money when travelling to the city centre.

In addition, the journey to the centre is non-stop, unlike Maglev.

Tickets and transport cards

The price of a single metro ticket is calculated according to the distance travelled and you can also buy a ticket for a station on another metro line. There are no turnstiles for transfers.

Single tickets can be purchased at the cash-only machines at each station. To calculate your fare, visit: service.shmetro.com.

• Central Shanghai fares - 4 cny to 8 cny

You can only purchase transit passes (all-day and multi-day) at the manned ticket office at each subway station.

• One-day pass - 18 cny
• 3-day pass - 45 cny

You can also use the SH MaaS mobile app to pay for tickets, which is only available in English via the App Store and payment is only possible via WeChatPay or Alipay.

Route and timetable

The Green Line 2 subway goes directly to downtown Shanghai at Peoples Square or East Nanjing Road and continues on to the cities west to Hongqiao Airport.

• Travel time - 65 minutes
• Frequency - 4 to 10 minutes
• First subway from People's Sq station - 6:01am
• Last subway from airport - 10:30pm
• Official Information: service.shmetro.com

Buses

There are also several official airport bus routes to various locations in Shanghai. The first services usually leave between 5 and 6am, and the last one leaves at 11pm. The journey time depends on traffic congestion and ranges from 60 to 120 minutes.

Tickets cost between 20 cny and 30 cny to the centre and are calculated according to distance.

For official information on individual routes, visit the airport's website: shanghaiairport.com.

• Airport Line 1 - Hongqiao Airport
  • Price - 36 cny
  • Frequency - 30 to 60 minutes
  • Operating Hours - 6:00 am to 11:00 pm
• Airport Line 2 - to People's Square in downtown Shanghai
  • Price - 28 cny
  • Frequency - 120 to 135 minutes
  • Operating Hours - 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
• Airport Line 4 - at the railway station "Shanghai Station"
  • Price - 28 cny
  • Frequency - 30 to 60 minutes
  • Operating Hours - 5:00 am to 11:00 pm
• Airport Line 7 - at the railway station "Shanghai South Station"
  • Price - 20 cny
  • Frequency - 20 minutes
  • Operating Hours - 6:30 am to 11:00 pm
• Airport Line 8 - To Nanhui regional bus station south of the airport and completely outside Shanghai
  • Price - 10 cny
  • Frequency - 15 to 60 minutes
  • Operating Hours - 6:00 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.
• Airport Line 9 - At the railway station "Shanghai Xinzhuang Station"
  • Price - 28 CNY
  • Frequency - 30 to 45 minutes
  • Operating Hours - 6:00 am to 11:00 pm

Taxi

Only official taxis will take you to the airport. Services like Uber, Grab or Bolt do not work here.

There are clearly marked taxi ranks outside both terminals. Please note that queues of up to 45 minutes often form due to the extreme popularity of this mode of transport.

However, taxi travel is the most convenient and can be the cheapest if you are travelling with more than 3 people. The normal price to downtown Shanghai is around 200 cny to 250 cny, depending on traffic and time of day.

Most taxi drivers don't speak English at all, so ideally have your destination written in Chinese on your mobile phone to show the taxi driver.

To Hongqiao Airport

If you are transferring to Hongqiao Airport, the fastest transport will be Metro Line 2. The journey takes over an hour, you pay 8 cny and it is definitely a more reliable way than the direct bus line 1, which can get significantly delayed in traffic jams.