How to transit airports in Shanghai
It’s travel time again and I’m on a rather challenging tour right now.
From Tokyo to Singapore via Shanghai. After a week in Singapore on to Germany and back to Japan another week later via Vietnam.
The journey started at Haneda airport, which I rarely use. Somehow I am mostly ending up at Narita. This time though the route was Haneda – Hongqiao, which is only an hour from Tama-Plaza station, my “airport hub”, and not two like Narita.
The weather was glorious, typical Tokyo winter weather, cold but clear blue skies and blinding sunshine. From Yokohama Bay Bridge Mt.Fuji presented itself in winter glory with the Yokohama landmark tower in the foreground. Always a great sight!
The short flight to Shanghai was packed, but with only three hours of flight time it wasn’t too bad.
Arrived at Hongqiao airport a little adventure ensued for the cheap ticket traveler. My flight to Singapore would leave from Pudong airport, not Hongqiao…
First of all, I had no visa for China. I had checked in the Internet and it said, if you are transiting, you don’t need a visa but can apply for a 72 hour one directly at the airport. So I boldly stepped to the immigration desk telling them I had no visa. The immigration officer lady checked a bunch of things, wanted to see my eticket and called someone else whom I had to follow to a separate desk where documents were filled out and I ended up getting a 24 hour visa, not a 72 hour one. Well, fine by me, as long as they let me in!
I collected my suitcase and stepped onto Chinese soil. Now, how to get to Pudong?
I had arrived at Terminal 1 of Hongqiao and already knew that I needed to go to terminal 2, I had once phoned China eastern airlines in Tokyo who had told me so. But there was no sign, nothing, and I asked a guard guy – he spoke no English, however, some very friendly lady stepped in and gave me instructions. Go up to departure level, take the free shuttle to terminal 2, there, ask for the bus to Pudong. I found the shuttle to terminal 2 which takes a full twenty minutes. Terminal 1 is very old, terminal 2 much newer. Arrived there I asked for the bus to Pudong at a sort of information desk and the lady there said, oh, but it takes 90 min with the bus, taxi only one hour, taxi is 500 RMB. Ha! I was glad for previous China experience. That is a ridiculous price. I asked how much the bus is, well, 30….. I demanded to be told where the bus was – she reduced the taxi price to 350. I told her, I’ve been to China before, I know it costs around 150 by taxi from near Hongqiao to Pudong. That shut her up and she told me where the bus was and was so kind to exchange 20 euros into 110 RMB so that I could pay the bus. I bet she gave me a ridiculous rate, but for twenty euro I shall be quiet. So she probably made at least a tiny bit of profit of me.
I had to meander around a bit until I found the bus and one full bus left in front of my nose. But the next one came only 15 min later. And guess what. The ride to Pudong with the bus took under one hour! Just don’t let them mess with you 
The traffic was insane. Tokyo is big, but Shanghai is a behemoth by now with fully packed 8 lane highways where you drive truly at your own risk…. So better in a big bus than in a rickety VW Santana taxi.
Weather in Shanghai wasn’t that bad actually, I had expected more smog. Seems I caught a low smog day. Arrived in Pudong, things went smoothly and I had three hours to kill before the flight to Singapore, which went smoothly as well and with the luxury of having two seats to myself. Upon arrival in Singapore it was raining badly, but more about Singapore later 
