Pudong Airport (PVG) is well connected, but the quickest train is not always the quickest way to your hotel. For central Shanghai, I usually take the Maglev to Longyang Road and change to Metro Line 2. Line 2 alone costs less. The Airport Link Line is for Hongqiao, not a shortcut to People’s Square.
I have used the Maglev-and-metro combination for the last six years. When I first moved here, I rode Line 2 the whole way. It works, but with luggage I would rather pay more to cut out the long airport stretch. If I land after the trains have finished, I take a car.
Pudong Airport to Shanghai: which route should you take?
| Your plan | Take | Time and fare to the point shown |
|---|---|---|
| Central Shanghai, save time on rail | Maglev + Line 2 | 8 min to Longyang Road, then a metro ride; ¥50 for Maglev (or ¥40 with an eligible same-day flight ticket), plus metro fare. |
| Central Shanghai, spend less | Metro Line 2 | About 1 hour to People’s Square station; around ¥7, with no change for that journey. |
| Hongqiao Airport T2 or Hongqiao Railway Station | Airport Link Line | About 40 min to Hongqiao Airport T2 for ¥26; allow an onward transfer to the railway station. |
| Hotel door, large bags or a late arrival | Official taxi or ride-hailing | Around 50 min and ¥180 to People’s Square in ordinary traffic; your hotel, traffic and night surcharge change this. |
These are train or road times, not arrivals-to-hotel times. Add the walk from your terminal, waiting, any transfer and the last stretch to your address. Check where your hotel actually is before choosing a line: the Airport Link heads west to Hongqiao, while the Maglev and Line 2 head towards the centre from the east. The city’s airport transport overview is useful for checking the current options.
This is a schematic, not a journey planner. It shows where the routes split; use a live planner for your hotel and travel date.
Pudong Airport Maglev to Longyang Road: the quickest rail leg
The Maglev does eight minutes of work, not your whole airport transfer. It runs from Pudong Airport to Longyang Road. From there, change to Line 2 for People’s Square, Jing’an Temple or another central stop. Longyang Road is not downtown, which is the detail that gets lost in a lot of “eight minutes to Shanghai” advice.
The view from my Maglev ride. This is the fast rail leg, not the whole journey into central Shanghai.
- From arrivals, follow signs for Maglev at Pudong Airport Terminal 1&2.
- Buy the appropriate Maglev ticket or use an accepted payment method, then take the train to Longyang Road.
- Follow Metro Line 2 signs, pay the separate metro fare and board towards your hotel area. Check the exit number for your final stop.
At Longyang Road, look for the metro connection after leaving the Maglev. This photo shows a Maglev entrance at Longyang Road, not the airport boarding point.
An economy single is ¥50; a return valid within seven days is ¥80. The Maglev operator’s passenger notice says a same-day flight ticket gets one single ticket 20% off, bringing it to ¥40. Ask at the ticket counter how to claim that discount rather than assuming a gate tap applies it automatically. The operator lists the last train from Pudong at 21:42, but check the current timetable before relying on it.
For me, this is worth the change at Longyang Road. It is a better first ride than standing on Line 2 for the airport stretch with a suitcase. But if your next destination is Hongqiao, skip the Maglev: it first takes you in the wrong direction.
Metro Line 2 from Pudong Airport: the cheapest direct ride
Metro Line 2 is the simple budget choice for a hotel near People’s Square, Jing’an Temple or another stop on the line. The airport authority’s guide puts Pudong Airport to People’s Square at about one hour station to station and about ¥7. Door to door takes longer.
- Follow Metro Line 2 signs at Pudong Airport Terminal 1&2, then tap an eligible bank card or buy a single-journey ticket.
- Board a city-bound train and check its displayed destination. Get off at the stop that makes sense for your hotel, not automatically at People’s Square.
- Check your exit before you reach the station; some central stations have long underground walks.
Old guides may still tell you to change at Guanglan Road. That is not an automatic change for an ordinary airport-to-centre journey now. Still, not every Line 2 train runs the full line, so read the destination display rather than relying on the line colour alone. My Shanghai Metro guide covers payment, exits and the last useful train in more detail.
I would use Line 2 with a backpack and an unhurried arrival. With large cases at commuter time, the saving is less appealing. The train also continues towards Hongqiao, but for an airport-to-airport transfer the Airport Link is much faster.
Pudong Airport to Hongqiao: take the Airport Link Line
The Airport Link Line solves a different problem. It gets you from Pudong Airport to Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2 in about 40 minutes for ¥26. The city’s Airport Link guide lists trains at roughly 15-minute intervals, with a last departure from Pudong at 22:15. Check the live schedule for your travel day.
- Follow Airport Link Line signs at Pudong. This is a separate railway with its own gates and fare, not Metro Line 2.
- Ride towards Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2. There is luggage space on board.
- If you are catching a train, Hongqiao Railway Station is your next destination, not the Airport Link platform. Follow the station signs or a live route planner and leave time for the onward transfer.
The line also stops at Shanghai International Resort, but that station is not the Disneyland entrance. If Disney is your destination, check the last mile before boarding. Shanghai Disney Resort identifies Disney Resort on Metro Line 11 as its park-access metro station.
Taxi or ride-hailing from Pudong Airport: when door to door wins
A car is not only a fallback after the last train. It can make sense during the day if you are travelling as a group, have large bags or are staying well away from a useful rail stop. The airport authority’s benchmark is around 50 minutes and ¥180 to People’s Square. That is an estimate, not a fixed fare to every hotel; traffic, distance and night charges matter.
For an official taxi, the airport lists the Terminal 1 stand outside Arrival Gate 12 and the Terminal 2 stand outside Arrival Gate 25. For a booked ride, follow the app’s designated pickup instructions rather than waiting at the taxi queue. Set up your payment method before you land; my paying-in-China guide covers the options visitors can use.
Landing late or leaving on an early flight
Do not choose a late-night rail route from a timetable screenshot alone. Check the last useful departure on SH MaaS, including the metro connection after the Maglev or Airport Link. Seasonal and event services can change; arriving before a train’s last departure is not enough if your onward connection has already stopped.
A station timetable for the Maglev. The times on this board may change: check the current schedule before you travel, especially for a late arrival.
If you have missed the trains, compare the airport night bus’s current stops and hours with your hotel address. A taxi or ride-hailing car is more direct, and an airport hotel can be the calmer choice before a very early departure. For a 07:00 flight, I would plan a car or stay near the airport rather than make the first train my whole strategy. Which costs less depends on your hotel and the car fare that day.
One Hongqiao detail to check before booking a train
Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2 and Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station are not the same station. If your onward ticket says Hongqiao Railway Station, budget for the transfer after the Airport Link. If you are going to Hongqiao Airport Terminal 1, it is served by Metro Line 10, not Line 2. The airport authority’s guide confirms which terminal each metro line serves.
Shanghai also has other railway stations. Do not assume every high-speed train leaves from Hongqiao: read the exact station name on your ticket before planning an airport-to-rail connection. For the train-booking side, see my China transport guide.
Once the transfer is settled, Shanghai’s destination page is a useful starting point. If you have not picked a hotel yet, choose an area that works for the rest of the trip, not just the airport ride; I compare those bases in where to stay in Shanghai on a first visit.