Shanghai Attractions
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Subway 地铁
Transportation: Subway
The subway is a great, reliable way to get around Shanghai....Transportation: Subway
The subway is a great, reliable way to get around Shanghai. Its cheap (from 3 – 7RMB), quick, clean, and pretty easy to navigate. There are maps near the ticket booths that tell you your fare in English, making it easy to simply hand over the exact change to the ticket seller (therefore comfortably avoiding language barriers). The automated machines next to the booths are also user friendly and in English. Just select the line and then choose the station. The machines accept notes and coins. You can also purchase a public transportation card at the subway ticket windows, which you can use at all the subways, bus routes and in all of the taxis. The card is free, but you must pay a 30RMB deposit that you will get back when you return the card. During rush hour this can make a huge difference, as lines can be really long at the ticket windows.
A word of warning: The Shanghai metro system is expanding, but is currently still only 5 lines that transport a HUGE number of people everyday. During rush hour these trains can be stiflingly crowded. The crowds can certainly reach a level of unbearable for those who are even somewhat claustrophobic. Actually, experiencing the metro at these hours could theoretically cause one to develop claustrophobia. I’ve personally witness a train that was fuller than that of Tokyo, which I had previously believed to be impossible.
Links:
A map of the Shanghai Subway
The official Shanghai Metro Website (no English)
To and From the Airport (Pudong and Hongqiao Airports) 往返机场 (浦东国际机场和虹桥国际机场)
Pudong International Airport (浦东国际机场)
Traveling in China, particularly for the first time, is not the easiest thing. Luckily the Pudong International Airport is well organized and makes the first experience here a little easier than...
Pudong International Airport (浦东国际机场)
Traveling in China, particularly for the first time, is not the easiest thing. Luckily the Pudong International Airport is well organized and makes the first experience here a little easier than you might expect.
If you are staying at a hotel that has shuttles, which many of them do, you will find the desks immediately after you have left baggage claim. Often these hotels will want your flight information before you arrive, so get on their website and find out what their rules are. If your hotel does not offer this service, head past these desks, all the while ignoring offers for “good deals” into the city (they will usually quote you at about 500RMB, ridiculous), to the taxi stand at the end of the arrivals area. At the taxi stand an airport employee will ask you where you are going (in English), then he will tell the taxi driver in Chinese while you get in the cab. The ride should cost no more than about 150 – 200RMB all the way to Puxi and takes about an hour.
Another increasingly popular way to get into the city is the MagLev, or the magnetic levitation train (50RMB). The train will take you to the Longyang (龙阳) subway station (line 2) in Pudong in 8 minutes. It is extremely easy, but keep in mind that it will still be another 20 – 30 minutes from the stop to Puxi in a taxi. Otherwise you can get on the subway and take it all the way into town. With line changes and hundreds of people on the subways, this is often a lot more trouble than it is worth… so keep in mind what you will have to deal with if you are thinking about doing it that way. On the plus side the train travels at a top speed of 431kph which is really quite exciting.
The ride back to the airport from Puxi in a taxi is somehow cheaper; It usually costs about 125RMB from the French Concession. You can also catch a shuttle bus from various points around the city that go to the airport every 30 minutes. Departure points include Jing’an Temple, under the Portman Hotel, Zhonghsan Park, Hongkou Football stadium and both Shanghai Railway Station and South Railway Station Tickets are 16-20RMB. Shuttle bus number 1 connects to Hongqiao Airport (30RMB).
Hongqiao International Airport (虹桥国际机场)
Most internal flights arrive and depart from Hongqiao Airport, which is in Puxi and will be no more than 30 minutes by taxi from any destination within Puxi. The exceptions are most flights to Hainan Island, and some flights to Beijing and Guilin which leave from Pudong airport. Be sure to check with your travel agent or on your ticket which airport you are fliying from.
Don’t forget to check out the option of a private car company.
External Links
Check out the Shanghai Airport site to get exact pricing and location information for ground transportation to and from both airports.
A bit more information on the MagLev train.
Kunming Introduction
As one of China’s most diversified provinces, Yunnan is certainly one of China’s most alluring destinations....
As one of China’s most diversified provinces, Yunnan is certainly one of China’s most alluring destinations. Yunnan is home to more than one third of China’s ethnic minorities and over half of the country’s plant and animal species. The province is blessed by its mixture of traditional folk cultures as well as breath-taking scenery. Kunming, Yunnan’s capital, resides at an elevation of 1890m and boasts a milder climate than most other Chinese cities. Celebrated as the "Spring City," Kunming has neither severe winters nor extremely hot summers and can be visited at any time of the year.
| Numerous areas of Yunnan exhibit strong local identities and have successfuly resisted Chinese influence. Ethnic minority culture has survived and thrived despite the government’s best efforts to encourage the relocation of Han Chinese into predominately ethnic regions. Thus, Kunming has developed a distinctive multi-cultural feeling that seems a world apart from other major Chinese cities. The city retains an individuality that has earned it a reputation as a laid-back, yet cosmopolitan provincial capital in southwest China. However, this is in light of the fact that rapid economic growth currently transforms Kunming into a modern Chinese city with wide roads, massive shopping malls, and skyscrapers. |  |
Kunming has been inhabited for 2000 years. The town was a remote Chinese outpost until the 8th century when the kingdom of Nanzhao captured it and made it a secondary capital. In the 14th century, the Ming Dynasty set up shop, building a walled town in Yunnanfu, as Kunming was then known. The middle of the 19th century saw the intrusion of the West into Kunming from British Burma and French Indochina. In 1910 the French Indochina railway was completed, linking the city with Hanoi. The new train line allowed the French to exploit the region’s copper, tin, and timber resources. Kunming’s true modern expansion began during World War II when factories were established and refugees fleeing the Japanese poured in from eastern China. The face of Kunming has since radically changed, with streets widened and office buildings and housing projects erected.
Major tourist sites in Kunming include two Tang Dynasty Pagodas, Yuantong Temple, Yunnan Provincial Museum, Kunming City Museum, and Green Lake Park. Aside from Kunming’s array of tourist attractions, the city serves as a great jumping-off point for Dali, Lijiang, and Tiger Leaping Gorge to the north as well as Jinghong, Xishuangbanna, Pu’er and Yuanyang to the south.
Synotrip welcomes travelers, students, teachers, and explorers to Kunming and encourages visitors to our site to contact the Kunming manager with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Top Shanghai Tours
$238 Per Day
Private Hangzhou Day Trip from Shanghai by Bullet Train
Take in the highlights of beautiful Hangzhou on a private full-day tour from Shanghai. After hotel pickup and transfer by high-speed train to Hangzhou, your private guide takes you to see some city attractions, such as Faxi temple. Moreover, enjoy a tasty lunch at a local restaurant before heading to Longjing village. There, learn about the process of farming and producing dragonwell tea, the region’s most famous product. Finally, enjoy a scenic boat cruise on UNESCO World Heritage-listed West Lake before returning to Shanghai.
...Read more
Take in the highlights of beautiful Hangzhou on a private full-day tour from Shanghai. After hotel pickup and transfer by high-speed train to Hangzhou, your private guide takes you to see some city attractions, such as Faxi temple. Moreover, enjoy a tasty lunch at a local restaurant before heading to Longjing village. There, learn about the process of farming and producing dragonwell tea, the region’s most famous product. Finally, enjoy a scenic boat cruise on UNESCO World Heritage-listed West Lake before returning to Shanghai.
This is a private, full-day trip from Shanghai to Hangzhou. After you are picked up in your hotel lobby in the early morning, you will take a bullet train to Hangzhou. This is the fastest way to Hangzhou and you can experience train speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour. Your tour begins at one of Hangzhou's signature sites, the West Lake. Enjoy a lake cruise to see the top ten West Lake scenic views. You will then be taken to experience the wonderful cuisine of Hangzhou at a local restaurant. After lunch, you will visit Faxi temple, a well-known Temple dating back to the Jin Dynasty. See its famous wooden Buddha. Here, you will see fewer tourists and more locals. Finally, enjoy a cup of green tea when you visit the famous Longjing village to see wild fields of Longjing tea bushes where the locals produce the world famous green tea- Longjing Tea. In the village, all locals are tea farmers and you will see the entire procedure of making the famous tea and will get the chance to taste the best quality emperor tea. Afterwards, you will take the bullet train back to Shanghai and you will be returned to your hotel.
$70 Per Day
Bike Tour - "Shanghai by Night"
What would be a better way to experience the “City That Never Sleeps” than hopping on one of our vintage Forever bicycles and explore a whole New World after dark?...Read more
What would be a better way to experience the “City That Never Sleeps” than hopping on one of our vintage Forever bicycles and explore a whole New World after dark? Follow our foreign expert Tour Leader on a multi-themed route from the narrow streets of the Old Town all the way to the dazzling lights of the Bund. Meanwhile, cycle around the famous landmark Yu Garden, learn about Ghost Wedding rituals, visit a Traditional Chinese Medicine outlet and get to learn more about the "Paris of the East". Finally, tickle your taste buds with some delicious street food in order to immerse yourself deeper into local life. In just one evening, we'll explore the many faces of Shanghai that make this city so unique. Easy and accessible ride for all!
USEFUL INFORMATION
- English-speaking (for other languages, please contact us)
- About 9 km ride, easy ride for all.
- From 18:15pm to 21:30pm
- Up to 6 participants
- Departure and arrival at our Culture Shock Office in Xintiandi district.
- Minimum height is 1.50m. Tandem bikes are available for kids below 12
- Prices are all inclusive (Snack food, a bottle of water, a foreign experienced guide, a helmet and single-gear vintage bike rental with all lights)
- Join-in Group every Tuesday/Friday/Saturday (USD 70 per person)
- Private Tour possible every day (USD 210 in total for 2 participants)