Getting There

By Plane

Shanghai has air connections with all of China's main cities and many international destinations as well. All international departures and some domestic flights as well leave from Pudong International Airport. If you're leaving on a domestic flight, be sure to confirm in advance which airport serves your flight. Arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before departure for international flights, and 1 hour before departure for domestic flights (more if there's a current SARS or other health alert in force, as you'll be required to fill in a health form and have your temperature taken). Note that check-in for international flights officially closes 30 minutes before departure, so budget plenty of time. Visitors no longer need to pay a separate departure tax as this is now included in the cost of the plane ticket. Remember to fill out a departure card, then proceed to emigration with passport, boarding card, and departure card. At Pudong Airport, there are exchange counters just inside the departure hall to convert your remaining ¥RMB to your home currency, but you will have to show proof of the initial exchange (either the exchange receipt from the bank or hotel desk, or the ATM withdrawal receipt), and there is now a ¥50 ($6.25) service fee.

Airport-bound passengers not wanting to splurge on a taxi can take the airport bus from the Shanghai Airport City Terminal (Shanghai Jichang Chengshi Hangzhan) at Nanjing Xi Lu 1600. Buses (¥19/$2.50) leave for Pudong Airport every 15 minutes between 6am and 7:30pm. Buy your ticket on the bus. Buses for Hongqiao Airport (¥4/50¢) leave just to the east at the intersection of Nanjing Xi Lu and Changde Lu, with departures every 20 to 30 minutes between 6am and 8pm.

Tickets for domestic flights (and international flights) on Chinese airlines can be purchased at the airport, through travel agencies such as CITS (at either Beijing Xi Lu 1277, Guolu Dasha, tel. 021/6289-4510 or 021/6289-8899, ext. 263; or the branch at the Bund at Jinling Dong Lu 2, tel. 021/6323-8770); or at the Shanghai Spring International Travel Service, Dingxi Lu 1558 (tel. 021/6251-5777), though there will be a service charge. There are a plethora of other travel agencies all over town offering discounted airline tickets, but you'll usually need some Chinese to get the best deals from them. Whatever you do, shop around. You can also go directly to the airlines and specifically ask for the lowest discounted (dazhe piao) ticket (they may not automatically give you the lowest rate, so you have to ask). Besides having ticket booths at both airports, Shanghai Airlines has an office in town at Jiangning Lu 212 (tel. 021/6255-8888; www.shanghai-air.com), and China Eastern has offices in town at Yan'an Xi Lu 200 (tel. 021/6247-5953 or 021/6247-2255).

By Train

Shanghai is well connected by train to many major Chinese destinations, including Beijing (12-14 hr.), Guangzhou (12 hr.), Hong Kong (12 hr., Train K100), and the nearby towns of Hangzhou (2 hr.) and Suzhou (45 min.). At press time, plans had just been announced for the building of a high-speed rail line between Beijing and Shanghai, though details were sketchy about when construction would take place. For now, five dedicated soft-sleeper express trains (Z2, Z6, Z8, Z14, or Z22) run every evening between 6:45pm and 7:28pm to Beijing Zhan, arriving between 7 and 7:30am. (12 hr., ¥478-¥499/$60-$63). The return trips depart every evening between 7 and 7:30pm. Round-trip Beijing-Shanghai tickets (return trip within 3-20 days) can now be purchased up to 20 days in advance.

At Shanghai's main train station, Shanghai Huoche Zhan (tel. 021/6317-9090, ext. 4), which is located north of the Suzhou Creek in Zhabei District and is accessible by taxi or the subway's Metro Line 1, a Soft Seat/Sleeper ticket office (daily 8am-10pm) is located at the western end of the station, just east of the Longmen Hotel. In general, train tickets can be purchased up to 10 days in advance at the train station or at any number of satellite ticket offices around town, including the one at Beijing Dong Lu 230. Soft seat and soft sleeper tickets only can be purchased at Xizang Nanlu 121 (tel. 021/6374-3886; 8am-10pm daily), just north of the YMCA Hotel, including round-trip tickets for Shanghai-Beijing (return trip within 3-20 days), Shanghai-Suzhou (return trip within 3-8 days), and Shanghai-Hangzhou (return trip within 3-8 days). Tickets can also be bought through CITS, through any other travel agency, or through your hotel ticket desk, though fees will of course accrue, ranging from ¥5 (60¢) at CITS if you purchase it yourself to ¥50 ($6) from some hotel ticket desks. As well, tickets can be bought at the Longmen Hotel, Hengfeng Lu 777 (tel. 021/6317-0000), just southwest of the train station.

Some Hangzhou-bound trains also depart from the newly opened Shanghai South Railway Station (Shanghai Nan Zhan; tel. 021/6317-9090) in the southern part of town. The station is reachable by Metro Lines 1 or 3 (Light Rail).

At press time, the first Shanghai-Tibet train (52 hr. on the Qi[lin]nghai-Tibet railway) was just rolling out, though it appears that foreigners will have to purchase a 10-day Tibet tour package in order to travel this way.

Warning: Larger bags will be x-rayed when you enter the train station departure hall, so keep any film in your hand luggage.

By Ship

The Shanghai Ferry Co. Ltd (tel. 021/6537-5111; www.shanghai-ferry.co.jp) has a weekly sailing to Osaka on Tuesday at 11am, while the Japan-China International Ferry Co. (Chinajif; tel. 021/6325-7642; www.fune.co.jp/chinjif/jikoku.html) operates a ship bound for either Osaka or Kobe every Saturday at 1pm. Ships depart from the International Passenger Terminal (Guoji Keyun Matou) at Yangshupu Lu 100 (tel. 021/6595-9529), not far north of the Bund. Tickets are available at the terminal or at travel agencies such as CITS.

Domestic boats bound for Ningbo (12 hr.), Dalian (36 hr.), Wuhan (4 days), Chongqing (7 days), and Putuo Shan (13 hr.) now depart from the Wusong Passenger Terminal (Shanghai Gang Wusong Keyun Zhongxin, Songbao Lu 251; tel. 021/5657-5500), about a 30- to 45-minute taxi ride northeast of the Bund at the mouth of the Yangzi River. Tickets can be bought at the terminal or at travel agencies such as CITS. For general inquiries about ships, call tel. 021/6326-0050.