The best things to do on a layover at Shanghai’s Pudong airport, from street eats and vintage bike tours to dizzying heights
If you’re laid over in Shanghai, here are some fun activities to get you out of the airport and give you a taste of the city, its cuisine and people, whether you are there for four hours or half a day
Shanghai’s Pudong airport ranks as the fifth busiest airport in Asia and the ninth busiest in the world. According to Airports Council International, the airport moved more than 66 million passengers in 2016 – about nine times Hong Kong’s population.
With anything less than three hours to kill your best bet is to stay at the airport. Foot massages, lounge passes and hourly hotel rooms are available, but if you have more than a few hours to kill between flights, there’s nothing better than to venture into central Shanghai.
The best things to do on a Singapore layover, from airport jacuzzis and street food to tropical exploration
Here are a few suggestions on how to make the most of your layover in the Paris of the East.
Four to six hours: eat your way around the city
The high-speed Shangahi Maglev train flies through the 30km from Pudong to the outskirts of central Shanghai in fewer than eight minutes. From there, connect to the city’s extensive – and bilingually signposted – metro network and you can be wandering through the historic Jing’an temple on West Nanjing Road (Jing’an Temple Station, lines two and seven) or slurping broth from xiao long bao at Yu Garden on the edge of Shanghai’s Old Town (Yuyuan Garden Station, line 10) within 30 minutes.
