Shanghai - Essential Information
Airport
Shanghai has two airports: the international airport in Pudong, 35 km from the city centre, and Hongqiao Airport, which handles domestic flights, 15 km from downtown.
From the Pudong Airport, the most enthralling way to travel is on the Maglev to Longyang Road in Pudong (RMB 50, runs from 7 am to 9 pm and leaves every 15-20 minutes.) There’s an underground station and a taxi rank at Longyang Road for onward travel.
A taxi from Pudong Airport to the city centre takes up to an hour and a taxi from Hongquiao Airport will take 30-45 minutes. Make sure you have your destination written in Chinese.
Both airports have regular shuttle buses to many areas in the city the major hotels have desks at the airport and will arrange transfer.
Public Transport
One of the best ways to travel is by the rapidly expanding Metro network, which is reliable, good value and easy to negotiate (all directions are in English as well as Chinese).
Buses are usually busy and the network can be complicated to negotiate for non-speakers of Chinese. The 911, which runs along Huaihai Road, can be useful.
A more courageous - and, arguably, interesting - way to tour Shanghai is by bicycle. Most hotels and hostels can rent you a pair of wheels.
Taxis
The traffic in Shanghai can be heavy, but taxis are easy to flag down - tariffs start at RMB 14. Be aware that most taxi drivers only speak Chinese and may not understand English. A great solution comes from a set-up called Guanxii: you text the English name of your destination to 885 074 and back it comes in Chinese characters. Just show your phone to your taxi driver.
Post
The main post office is at 276 Sichuan Road North (between Tiantong Road and Beisuzhou Road, but there are branches all over town. The Shanghai Centre branch (1376 Nanjing Road West) and the branch at 212 Xinhua Road have staff who speak some English. Open 8 am-5 pm.
Dentist
Parkway Health
Pharmacy
For medical problems go to English-speaking Parkway Health, which has branches across the city.
Telephone
Country code: +86
Area code: (0)21
Electricity
220 V / 50 Hz
