Shanghai and Pudong airport

So you want to visit Shanghai ... or get to or from Pudong Airport? There are a number of ways to do it!

But note that there is no direct bus between Shaoxing and Pudong airport. There is one from Pudong to Hangzhou that runs 4 or 5 times daily, but we would not recommend it, as it leaves you at an inconvenient and taxi-less location in the West of Hangzhou! So we think travelling via Shanghai is the best option. However, if anyone has other suggestions do let us know.

1 Getting to Shanghai

You can go by train. Currently there are only 5 sensible trains a day, leaving Shaoxing at: 7.50, 8.31, 11.11, 12.59 and 16.46. These all go to Shanghai South station. They take between 2 hours 22 minutes and 3 hrs 12 minutes. The cost is RMB 38 hard class, RMB 57 soft class, and you need to get tickets in advance at the station ticket office. Train timetables can be found here (in Chinese but with place names also in pinyin). Trains return to Shaoxing at 6.01, 11.15, 11.21, 14.33, 17.56 and 19.37.

You can go by bus. Buses run about every half an hour from 8am to 7pm (NB - check these times) from the Shaoxing long distance bus station at the terminus of the 106 and 35 bus routes. These buses go to the Shanghai South bus station which is just outside the South Railway station. The cost is RMB 80 for most of the services, and journey time is about 2 hours 30 minutes, though obviously this can depend on traffic. You do not need to book in advance.

There are also buses to other places in Shanghai, but in our opinion it is better to go to the South station, so that you do not have to travel across the city in the bus - better to use the metro for this.

From Shanghai South station, metro line 1 runs to the City centre (People's Square) and Shanghai Station north of the centre. Metro line 3 runs around the west side of the centre and also goes to Shanghai station. See here for a metro map.

2 Shanghai South station to Pudong airport

Also 2 options. There is a direct bus service, airport bus line number 7. This runs every half an hour from 06.30 to 21.30 and costs RMB 20. It takes 1 hour - though again this may be dependent on traffic conditions. The bus leaves from the South Square Bus station (urban) which is accessed from the underground passage that links the train station and the long distance bus station. None of the information is in English, but here is the bus. Pay on board.

Or you can take the metro and the maglev. This means taking metro line 1 to People's Square, then changing onto metro line 2 (a lengthy walk to make this connection) to get to Longyang Road station, which is the terminus of the maglev. The maglev station is just outside the metro station. The maglev runs every 15-20 minutes from 07.00 to 21.30 and takes just 8 minutes to Pudong. It costs RMB 50 for a single journey. Of course you could also take a taxi from the South Station to Longyang Road. If you have a lot of luggage, the metro/maglev option is not so convenient.

Bon voyage!