Which airport · Shanghai
Pudong vs Hongqiao: which Shanghai airport — and what if it’s the wrong one?
Shanghai’s two airports sit on opposite sides of the city, ~40 km apart — one is the international gateway, the other lives inside the high-speed-rail hub. Here is the decision in one table, plus the transfer that saves you when a booking lands you at the wrong one.
China for Travelers EditorialUpdated Published Fares & timings re-verified Jul 2026
Pudong International 上海浦东国际机场
~30 km east · Maglev, Metro 2, Link Line
nearly all long-haul lands here
Hongqiao International 上海虹桥国际机场
~13 km west · Metro 2/10 under the terminals
walk to Hongqiao Railway Station
The one-line rule: long-haul international = PVG, east side · domestic or Japan/Korea/HK/Taipei regional = usually SHA, west side, next to the HSR station. Never assume “Shanghai” on a ticket means the airport you expect — check the code.
Flying into Shanghai — PVG or SHA?
Most travellers do not actually choose — the route chooses for them. But when both airports serve your leg (common on regional hops and domestic connections), here is the split:
Pick PVG (Pudong) when: You are on an international long-haul — most land at PVG, 30 km east. It also holds the Disneyland card — the Airport Link Line stops at Shanghai International Resort en route. Full ground detail in the PVG airport guide.
Pick SHA (Hongqiao) when: Domestic or regional flight (Japan/Korea/HK/Taipei), or a multi-city HSR trip — SHA shares one complex with Hongqiao Railway Station. Landing here and walking to a bullet train is the smoothest arrival move in Shanghai. Full detail in the SHA airport guide.
Booking tip: on regional routes (Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei) airlines often sell both airports at similar fares — the SHA departure saves roughly an hour of ground time each way, which usually beats a small fare difference.
PVG vs SHA, side by side
| PVG · Pudong | SHA · Hongqiao | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | ~30 km EAST of the center | ~13 km WEST, inside the Hongqiao hub |
| What lands there | Nearly all international long-haul (T2 = most international check-in; T1 = China Eastern/SkyTeam side) | Domestic bulk + regional international only (Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, HK, Taipei from T1) |
| Fastest into town | Maglev ~8 min to Longyang Rd (¥50, then metro) · Link Line to the west side ~40 min | Metro Line 2/10 under the terminals — People's Square ~35-40 min |
| Cheapest into town | Metro Line 2, ¥3-9, ~70-90 min downtown | Metro, ¥4-5, ~35-40 min |
| Taxi to the center | ¥140-260 · ~50-70 min | ¥50-75 · ~25-40 min |
| Onward high-speed rail | Airport Link Line to Hongqiao Railway Station, ~40 min train time (¥26) | Same complex — walk to the HSR platforms in ~10-15 min |
| After the trains stop | 守航夜宵线 night bus 23:00 → last flight (~05:30) + 24 h taxis | Taxis (short ¥50-75 hop) — metro done by ~22:30-23:00 |
| Airport hotels | Dense airport-belt cluster with shuttles (30 km from the sights) | Hongqiao business hotels (Hilton/Marriott/Cordis) — handy for early HSR too |
Numbers are the same verified bands our two airport guides carry (fares and timetables re-checked July 2026) — see those pages for door-by-door detail: ranks, pickup garages, night buses, SIM counters.
Which airport by scenario
First trip, long-haul arrival. You will land at PVG — no decision needed. Spend the choice-energy on the ride instead: Metro Line 2 for the cheapest seat, the Maglev for the fastest 30 km in China, or a taxi (¥140-260) after a red-eye. The PVG guide walks every option.
Shanghai is a stop on a rail itinerary (Suzhou / Hangzhou / Nanjing). Fly SHA when the route allows: you land ~10-15 min on foot from Hongqiao Railway Station — Suzhou is 23 min away, Hangzhou 45. Landing at PVG instead? The Airport Link Line delivers you to the same station in ~40 min of train time (¥26), no city crossing.
Regional hop: Tokyo · Osaka · Seoul · Hong Kong · Taipei. The one route family where you genuinely choose. SHA’s T1 serves exactly these cities and saves ~1 h of ground time versus PVG — at similar fares, take Hongqiao.
Disneyland-first trip. PVG — the Airport Link Line stops at Shanghai International Resort en route into the city, and the airport-to-park taxi is the shortest of any pairing.
Late-night landing. Both work. PVG: trains stop ~22:15-23:00 but the 守航夜宵线 night bus (23:00 until the last flight, ¥18-34) and 24 h taxis cover the gap. SHA: after the metro winds down (~22:30-23:00) it is a short ¥50-75 taxi. Pre-booking a car removes the queue either way.
Whichever side you land on, a pre-booked private transfer is the no-thinking option after a long flight — driver at arrivals, fixed price:
Wrong airport — or a PVG-in, SHA-out itinerary?
Arriving at one airport with a departure from the other is the most common Shanghai aviation mistake — a 40 km cross-city hop that used to mean an expensive taxi gamble. Since December 2024 the fix is simple:
Airport Link Line 市域机场线: ~40 min train time, ~1 h all-in, ¥26, every ~15 min (roughly 05:45-22:15). PVG-side the station is 浦东1号2号航站楼 in the transport hub between the terminals; SHA-side it lands inside the Hongqiao hub. A taxi between the airports runs ¥200+ and 60-90 min in traffic.
Connection maths: for a same-day cross-airport connection, keep at least 4 hours between scheduled arrival and departure — an hour for immigration and bags, an hour for the crossing, and check-in margin. Tighter than that, ask the airline to reroute rather than risk it. Booking both legs on one ticket through one airport is always the safer itinerary.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Pudong (PVG) and Hongqiao (SHA) airports?
Role, mostly. Pudong (PVG), 30 km east of the city, is Shanghai's international gateway — nearly every long-haul from Europe, North America or Australia lands there, split across T1 (China Eastern/SkyTeam side) and T2 (Air China/Star Alliance/oneworld and most international check-in). Hongqiao (SHA), 13 km west, is the domestic workhorse plus short regional international — Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei from its T1 — and it shares one complex with Hongqiao Railway Station, so it is the airport that connects straight into the high-speed-rail network.
How far apart are PVG and SHA — and how do I transfer between them?
About 40 km, on opposite sides of the city. The clean link is the Airport Link Line (市域机场线, opened December 2024): ~40 minutes of train time terminal-to-terminal, about an hour all-in, ¥26, every ~15 minutes from roughly 05:45-06:00 to ~22:15. A taxi runs ¥200+ and 60-90 minutes depending on traffic. For a same-day PVG-arrival → SHA-departure connection, leave at least 4 hours between flights: an hour for immigration and bags, an hour crossing, and check-in margin at the other end.
Which airport is closer to downtown Shanghai?
Hongqiao, and it is not close: SHA is ~13 km west of the center — Metro Line 2 or 10 reaches People's Square in ~35-40 minutes and a taxi is ¥50-75. Pudong is ~30 km east: Metro Line 2 takes ~70-90 minutes downtown, the Maglev covers its 30 km in ~8 minutes but lands you at Longyang Road (still a metro transfer from the sights), and a taxi runs ¥140-260. If both airports serve your route at similar prices, SHA wins on ground time almost every time.
Does Hongqiao airport have international flights?
A short, premium list — regional only: Tokyo (Haneda), Osaka, Seoul, Hong Kong and Taipei fly from SHA's T1, which restarted international service in March 2023. Everything longer-haul — Europe, North America, Australia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia beyond the near region — uses Pudong. If you are booking a regional hop and see both airports offered, the SHA departure usually saves an hour of ground travel each way.
Which airport should I use for Shanghai Disneyland?
Pudong — and specifically because of the Airport Link Line: it stops at Shanghai International Resort (the Disney station) on its way between PVG and Hongqiao, so from PVG you are a short direct ride from the park. From SHA, ride the same line the other way (~30+ min longer overall). A PVG taxi to the resort is also the shortest taxi hop of any airport-to-Disney pairing.
I am landing late at night — does the choice change?
Yes, in Pudong's favour less than you would hope. PVG's rail options all stop by ~22:15-23:00 (Maglev even earlier, ~21:40), but its 守航夜宵线 night bus runs from 23:00 until the last flight lands (~05:30, ¥18-34) and the taxi rank is 24 h — a red-eye at PVG is fine. SHA's metro also winds down around 22:30-23:00, after which it is taxis (¥50-75 to the center — short and cheap). Late arrival at either airport works; just do not count on trains after ~22:30.
Related Shanghai guides
- Pudong Airport (PVG) guide — every transfer option, terminals, SIM counters, VAT refund.
- Hongqiao Airport (SHA) guide — the airport-to-HSR walk, step by step.
- Shanghai Maglev — is the 300 km/h ride worth it?
- Hongqiao Railway Station — the HSR mega-hub SHA lives inside.
- Where to stay in Shanghai — pick the neighbourhood before the airport.
- Shanghai city hub — attractions, transport, essentials.
Verification scope
Editorially verified (not first-hand): this page renders the same verified dataset as our PVG and SHA airport guides — Airport Link Line fares/hours from official announcements, metro/taxi bands from Amap (高德地图) routing and operator tables, terminal roles and late-night patterns from aggregated 2026-07 traveller reports cross-checked against operator notices. All blocks re-dated 2026-07-24.
Not verified first-hand: airline airport assignments shift with seasonal schedules — the booking itself is authoritative for which airport your flight uses; fares drift with annual adjustments. Treat bands as planning figures.