Shanghai is one of the easiest cities in Asia to get around, with one of the world’s largest metro networks, a 300 km/h Maglev from the airport, plentiful taxis and an excellent ride-hailing app with an English interface. The main surprise for first-time visitors is the phone: many of the apps you use at home do not work in mainland China, and daily life runs on mobile payments. This guide covers both.
Download Alipay and link your Visa or Mastercard. It pays for almost everything, including the metro, taxis and DiDi.
Buy an international eSIM or confirm roaming, so Google, WhatsApp and Gmail keep working.
Save the hotel name and address in Chinese on your phone. You will show it to every driver.
| Option | Typical cost | Best for | Pay with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro | ¥3 to ¥10 per trip | Fast, cheap city travel; avoiding traffic | Tap Visa/Mastercard, Alipay, transport card |
| Maglev | ¥50 one way | Pudong Airport to Longyang Road in about 8 minutes | Tap card, Alipay, WeChat Pay, cash |
| Taxi | From about ¥14 to ¥16 (first 3 km) | Door to door, groups of up to 4 | Alipay, WeChat Pay, cash |
| DiDi | Similar to taxis, shown upfront | Booking a car with an English app | Foreign card in app, Alipay |
| Walking | Free | The Bund, Nanjing Road, French Concession | Your feet |
Prices are in Chinese Yuan (RMB, ¥). As a rough guide, US$1 is about ¥7. Checked September 2026; treat as estimates.
Pudong International (PVG) handles most long-haul flights, 50–70 minutes from the centre. Hongqiao (SHA) is mainly domestic, 20–35 minutes out. They are about 50 km apart, so check your ticket.
Around 20 lines and more than 800 km of track, with English signs and announcements. Fares from ¥3. Tap a contactless card or the Alipay ride code at the gate.
Taxis are metered and inexpensive; show your destination in Chinese. DiDi is China’s Uber, with an English interface, upfront prices and in-app translation. Uber is not available.
High-speed rail reaches Suzhou, Hangzhou and Nanjing in about 30 minutes to 1.5 hours — ideal for the optional day trips. Tickets are tied to your passport, so carry it.
China is largely cashless. Locals pay for almost everything by scanning QR codes with Alipay or WeChat Pay. Both now let visitors link a foreign Visa or Mastercard, so you do not need a Chinese bank account. Carry a little cash (say ¥300 to ¥500 in small notes) as a backup, and tell your bank you are travelling to China.
Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and many other foreign services are blocked on local Chinese internet, including most hotel Wi-Fi. The simplest solution is your home carrier’s roaming or an international travel eSIM: because the data is routed outside mainland China, these services normally keep working without a VPN. Check with your company IT team before you travel.
Install and set these up at home, on Wi-Fi, before departure. Some need a verification text, which is much easier to receive before you land.
| Alipay | Payments everywhere, the metro QR code, DiDi and taxi booking, bike unlocking. Verify your identity with your passport and link a card before travel. |
|---|---|
| The messaging app everyone in China uses, plus WeChat Pay. Useful for staying in touch with local guides and drivers. | |
| DiDi | Ride-hailing with upfront prices and in-app translation. Add your credit card and test it before you land. |
| Amap or Apple Maps | The most accurate maps in China, both working without a VPN. Download the Shanghai offline map. |
| Trip.com | Train, flight and hotel bookings in English with foreign cards — the easiest way to book bullet trains yourself. |
| Translation app | Speech, text and camera translation for menus and signs. Download the Chinese offline pack before you go. |
Pudong Shangri-La, Shanghai
33 Fu Cheng Road, Pudong, Shanghai 200120, China
上海浦东香格里拉大酒店 · 上海市浦东新区富城路33号
From Pudong Airport (PVG), allow about 45 minutes by taxi or private car, or take the Maglev to Longyang Road and change to Metro Line 2 for Lujiazui, a short walk from the hotel. From Hongqiao (SHA) it is around 35 minutes.
Show this address to your driver in Chinese. Open it in Amap or Apple Maps, which both work in mainland China without a VPN.
| Police | 110 |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | 120 |
| Fire | 119 |
| Transport hotline | 12319 |