Shanghai's older airport Hongqiao (虹桥机场 IATA: SHA) services domestic flights, the only exception being the city shuttle services to Tokyo-Haneda, Seoul-Gimpo, Hong Kong, and Taipei-Songshan. There are two terminals: the shiny, new and enormous T2, used by virtually all airlines, and the old, dingy and comparatively small T1, used by only by low-cost operator Spring Airlines and the international city shuttle services. If Pudong airport is an option for a flight it is vastly preferable to Hongqiao as it is difficult to determine if a departing flight is from Terminal 1 or Terminal 2; a mistake involves a 20-minute ride between the terminals. At the time of this writing neither the Hongqio airport's English website nor Shanghai airlines website stated which flights depart from which terminal.
T2 is served directly by Metro Line 2, which connects the airport to People's Square and all the way east to Pudong Airport. Trains operate from 5:35AM to 10:50PM (service to and from Pudong Airport has limited hours). Line 10 serves both T1 and T2.
A taxi can manage the 12-km (7.5 mi) trip to the city in 20 minutes on a good day but allow an extra 30 minutes for the taxi queue, especially when arriving after 7PM. Be sure to determine from which terminal your flight departs before you go to the airport as the English signage is confusing, taxi drivers will not be able to help you, and the shuttle between the terminals leaves on a half-hourly schedule with another twenty minute drive. If you miss your flight at terminal one and need a flight out of Pudong, you will have to take a shuttle back to Terminal Two, then navigate that labyrinthine terminal to find the shuttle to Pudong, costing you another ¥40.
The Hongqiao Airport Special Line bus (机场专线) goes directly to Jing'an Temple every 10-30 min for ¥4. There is no sign posting in English so it is advisable to print out the Chinese characters and then consult one of the airport staff, or look for one of the buses without a bus number (only Chinese Characters). Tickets are purchased inside the bus shortly before it departs, once departed there are no stops until arriving right in front of Jing'an Temple Metro Station (Line 2).
Bus:
Although Hongqiao airport has fewer airport bus lines than Pudong, more public bus lines are linked to Hongqiao. All buses below run to T1, take the free shuttle to connect to T2 if needed.
No. 806: These buses run from Hongqiao airport to the Lupu Bridge between 6AM-9:30PM at intervals of 5-15 min. The line also has a stop at Xujiahui, and the whole trip costs ¥5.
No. 807: These buses operate between 6AM-9:30PM from Hongqiao airport to the Zhenguang New Village in Putuo District, stopping at the Shanghai Zoo and some other places of interest. ¥4.
No. 925: Most of the route is along Yang'an Road and the buses link Hongqiao airport and People's Square between 6AM-9PM. ¥4.
No. 938: These buses run from Hongqiao airport to Yangjiadu in Pudong at intervals of 5-15 min, and the one-way fare is ¥7. This service operates from 6AM until the arrival of the last passenger flight.
No. 941: Linking Hongqiao airport and Shanghai Railway Station, the line runs from 6:30AM-8:30PM. ¥4. Interval between services is 10-12 min.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Shanghai
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Shanghai Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
