Air China or other Chinese airlines offer many cheap connections via Chinese cities like Shanghai. When you have a connection extending a few hours you may ask youself, can I go out and visit the city? Yes, you can!
Depending on the region and city you have to apply for a 72-hour or 144-hour visa-free stopover. But this only applies to a few countries. When your stay doesn’t exceed 24 hours you can apply for a visa-free transit. This applies to every country and is easier to obtain than the other options. It was also my choice as both my layover in Beijing and Shanghai were in this time frame. In this post I tell you about my experience of a 12-hour layover in Shanghai
Arriving at the airport
My flight from Frankfurt landed in Shanghai-Pudong around midday. It was actually my worst flight experience so far. Being in the middle seat in the middle row of a plane for 12 hours is no fun. Since then I know that aisle seats are the keys of success for me.
Anyways, I arrived at the airport and the next step was the transit row for foreigners. I had to fill out an arrival and departure card for immigration. The immigration officer was very helpful and told me that I have to put the airport name in the address field when I apply for a visa-free transit. The line was nearly non-existent and I immediately went through immigration.
After I got out of customs, I had to get my luggage as it wasn’t automatically transferred. You have the option of leaving your luggage at a storage area to freely explore the city. I also freshened myself up in a bathroom and off I went to the city centre.
You have to be aware that most social media and websites don’t work in China due to their firewall which tries to block any negativity about the government. So try to download an offline map to be on the safe side.
The way to the city
The special attraction about Pudong Airport is the maglev train which brings you to the city in 15-20 minutes depending on the time. Sometimes it runs at 430 km/h and the other times at 300 km/h. Unfortunately, I missed the fastest time and traveled more ‘slowly’. I purchased a one-way ticket for 50 Yuan. When you travel on a budget you can also use the normal metro which takes longer. I used this option for my later return to the airport.
The maglev train stops at Longyang Road where you have to switch to the metro. From there, I took Line 2 to East Nanjing Road where I changed to Line 10 to get off at Yuyuan Garden. That was the first destination on my layover in Shanghai.
Shanghai's old town
I had luck with the weather and was greated by the spring sun when I left the metro station. I quickly checked the map for the way to the old town. It’s a very beautiful area with many big traditionally styled buildings. Unfortunately, some historcial buildings have been demolished by the government to make room for new projects.
In the center of the old town is a big pond with the famous zigzag bridge. Furthermore, there’s the beautiful Huxinting Teahouse in the middle of the pond.
Visiting Yuyuan Garden
As I arrived in the area, it was already getting late, and I had to be quick to enter Yuyuan Garden. The opening times are 8:45-16:45 while the entrance is 30 Yuan in off season and 40 Yuan in main season.
I entered the garden and was immediately greeted by the amazing design of the 500 year old garden area. The garden consists of different areas including pavilions, landscape gardens and ponds. It’s a paradise in one of the biggest cities of the world. Luckily, I still had enough time to explore all open areas. The Great Rockery near the entrance was closed during my visit. You can enjoy a great view of the garden from there.
At the end of my journey through the garden, I visited the most famous sight of it, the Exquisite Jade Rock. It’s a 3.3m tall rock with 72 holes and even more special is the fact that smoke or water flows out of all holes when you fill it with them.
My advice for you is to randomly walk around the garden to admire its full beauty. I also found a few more secluded spots which aren’t that busy in comparison to other parts.
After I left Yuyuan Garden, I continued to walk around the old town of Shanghai with its impressive architecture. You have many food options there as there are many restaurants and food vendors.
Walking along the Bund
It was already late afternoon when I went to my last stop in Shanghai, the famous Bund Promenade next to Huangpu River. Because it’s in walking distance from the old town, it’s the perfect addition. On my way there I got more and more excited to finally see the famous skyline. The first skyscraper I saw is also the biggest one, the 630m tall Shanghai Tower. It’s still breathtaking even when you stand a few hundred metres away from it on the opposite river side.
I started to walk along the Bund which is actually a quite wide promenade, Although the weather was perfect not too many people were walking on it. I just wondered why people offered me to drink tea with them, but as I haven’t had too much time I declined the offers. Nevertheless, I still wondered later when I already left Shanghai and searched for it online. I found out that it’s a very common scam in which you’re lead to a very expensive tea house. In the worst case you could loose several hundred euros or dollars. So better directly decline. The same applies to special massages which were offered to me. But I think that’s obvious…
Anyways, I continued to walk along the Bund, and I just let the scenery play in front of me. The golden evening sky reflecting in the skyscrapers of Pudong, the local tourists climbing on things to take better photos, the police trying to stop them, the busy rush hour next to me on the street.
Evening at the Bund
What makes the Bund special is the contrast between new and old. On one side the famous skyline of Pudong and on the other side the old early 20th century buildings of the foreign companies. Overall, it stretches for several kilometres and ends at the People’s Heroes Memorial. From there, I turned left to the historical Waibaidu Bridge from 1908 to get a nice sunset view before I went back to enjoy the skyline in the dark.
When I got back at the Bund, I was simply amazed by all the colors and lights which shone from across the river. I just stood there for a few minutes and admired the view before I had to return to the airport.
The way back to the airport
The closest metro station from the promenade is East Nanjing Road Station. You just have to walk up the famous shopping street until you see the metro entrance. Unfortunately, I haven’t had any time left to see more of the neighborhood. As mentioned earlier, Line 2 which departs from this station goes all the way back to the airport. So I decided to stay on the train and don’t use the maglev one.
