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Shanghai Travel Guide 2026: 3 Days, Metro Fares and Where to Stay

Last updated: 16 September 2026 · Fares, timings and booking rules below are dated and linked to an official source · Metro fares and airport services change, so re-check before you travel · Jump to sources

Shanghai at a glance

How to get to Shanghai

Two airports, two very different arrivals. Pudong International (PVG) handles most long-haul traffic and sits about 30 km from the centre, on the far side of the Huangpu River. Hongqiao International (SHA) is only about 13 km out and is the one most domestic flights use. They are roughly 40 km apart, which matters if you are connecting between them.

From Pudong, you have three sensible options. The Maglev gets you from the airport to Longyang Road — where you join metro Line 2 — in about eight minutes, and it is the only way to travel that fast in the city. The Airport Link Line is the newer option and connects Pudong and Hongqiao airports in about 40 minutes. Ordinary metro Line 2 also runs into town, which is the cheapest and slowest of the three. Taxis wait outside arrivals, but Pudong is a long way out and a cross-town run in traffic is neither quick nor cheap.

From Hongqiao, everything is easier: the airport sits on metro Lines 2 and 10 as well as the Airport Link Line, so you are usually one connection from your hotel. The Airport Link Line is worth remembering on the return leg, because it lets you reach Pudong for a long-haul flight without crossing town by taxi.

By train. Shanghai is a hub on the national high-speed network and has several main stations, including Shanghai Hongqiao, Shanghai and Shanghai South. High-speed services mostly leave from Hongqiao, but do read your ticket: arriving at the wrong Shanghai station is an expensive mistake. Our 12306 booking guide covers how to buy tickets as a foreign visitor.

Getting around Shanghai

The metro does nearly everything, and it is priced by distance rather than by zone: CNY 3 for journeys up to 6 km, then CNY 1 for every additional 10 km. Where more than one transfer route exists between two stations, the fare is calculated on the shortest route, which is good news for visitors who accidentally take the scenic way round.

Three things about tickets are worth knowing before you arrive:

• Passes suit short trips. A one-day pass costs CNY 18 and a three-day pass CNY 45, both giving unlimited metro rides within 24 or 72 hours of first entry. Neither covers the Maglev, and neither covers suburban lines opened in 2024 or later — which includes the Airport Link Line.
• Contactless works. Tap to Ride gate readers accept eligible contactless UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB cards, plus eligible e-CNY hardware wallets, as long as the card has enough balance and password-free small payments switched on. Card payment terminals at station service centres take foreign cards too, covering Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, Diners Club and JCB.
• Apps cover the rest. The Metro Daduhui app handles QR-code gates and links to Alipay, WeChat Pay or Mastercard; the Suishenxing city app sells 1-day, 3-day and 7-day travel passes and can link international cards. If you arrive by train, the Suishenma code inside the 12306 platform also works on the metro, buses, the Airport Link Line, the Maglev and the ferries — but not on the Jinshan rail line.

Two small discounts exist if you travel like a local: a CNY 1 discount when you enter a metro station within 120 minutes of a bus ride, and 10 percent off after CNY 70 of metro spending in a calendar month. Taxis, ride-hailing and the Huangpu ferries fill the gaps, and the ferry is the cheapest river view in the city.

Three days in Shanghai

Day 1 — the classic loop. Start with Yu Garden and the City God Temple area in the old city, walk the Bund while it is still light, then work up Nanjing Road in the late afternoon and take a Huangpu River evening cruise. This is the route Shanghai's own tourism authority recommends to first-time visitors, and it works because everything is walkable or one metro stop apart. The Shanghai History Museum slots in neatly if it rains.

Day 2 — museums and old lanes. Pick your museum: the Shanghai Museum or its newer east branch for the collections, or the Museum of Art Pudong for the rooftop view. Then spend the afternoon on foot — Xintiandi, Tianzifang and the Wukang Road area are where the plane trees, shikumen lanes and old apartment blocks live. This is the day to leave the itinerary loose.

Day 3 — Pudong or a water town. Cross to Pudong for the skyline: the Shanghai Tower observation deck and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower both sit there, and the towers are the point of the visit rather than the interiors. If you would rather trade height for canals, Zhujiajiao Ancient Town is the classic half-day water town, or you can use the high-speed network for a day trip and be back in the evening.

Where to stay in Shanghai

Think about which half of the river you want. Staying on the Huangpu side, around People's Square and the Bund, puts you inside the day-one loop on foot, close to the museums, and on Lines 1, 2 and 8. The former concession streets — Wukang Road and its neighbours — are quieter, greener and better for slow mornings, at the cost of one more metro hop. Pudong is the choice if you are flying long-haul from Pudong, taking the Maglev or the Airport Link Line, or simply want the skyline outside your window. Hongqiao side suits anyone arriving by high-speed rail, since the rail station, both terminals and Lines 2 and 10 are all there.

We do not rank hotels or quote room rates: no official rate data was available for this update and online prices move daily. Decide by transport and walking distance, then compare live prices yourself.

Eating in Shanghai

Shanghai's food reputation rests on small, specific things — xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and pan-fried buns above all. The tourism authority's own itineraries pair its classic sightseeing loop with the City God Temple and Yu Garden area for eating, and with Yunnan Road Food Street for a full evening of it. Beyond that, our advice is the same as in any Chinese city: eat near your hotel, follow the queue, and do not treat a shopping-centre food hall as a meal.

Before you go

Data. Sort out an eSIM before you fly. Metro QR apps, ride-hailing, maps and translation all want a live connection the moment you land, and that is the wrong time to be hunting for a SIM — see our Best eSIM for China guide.

Entry rules. We state no visa or visa-free rules here, because they turn on nationality and change often. Check the current NIA list for your nationality at en.nia.gov.cn before you book.

Advice on this page is editorial. We take no payment for rankings, and no hotel or transport operator paid for a mention.

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Sources

All sources retrieved 16 September 2026 unless marked as carried over from the 2026-09-15 research handover and not re-opened this round. Rows S5 and S6 were re-filed on 19 September 2026 from primary sources: the climate row now cites the Shanghai Municipal Government’s English guide to the seasons, and the rail row cites the municipal culture-and-tourism station page together with China Railway’s official station register. Fares, timings and booking rules change — check the current figure at the official source before you rely on it.

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