Shanghai Hongqiao Airport (SHA) is on Shanghai’s western side, with an air-to-rail connection at Terminal 2. Before planning your arrival, confirm two things on your ticket: that you are flying to Hongqiao (SHA), not Pudong (PVG), and which terminal you use. Your terminal determines how you reach the metro and Hongqiao Railway Station.
Read the airport code on every flight booking, including your onward flight, rather than guessing from its origin. If a train follows your flight, read its full station name too. This guide covers the terminals, city transfers and the separate steps between getting off a plane and boarding a train.
Key takeaways
- T1 has Metro Line 10; T2 has Lines 2 and 10.
- T2 connects with Hongqiao Railway Station within the wider hub. T1 needs a separate transfer.
- Shanghai Hongqiao, Shanghai and Shanghai South are different railway stations.
- The Airport Link Line goes to Pudong, not to the intercity train platforms.
- A published train ride time is not a full airport connection time.
Hongqiao terminals: T1 and T2, and why the difference matters
Hongqiao has two terminals. Treat a terminal change as a planned move, not an assumed walk across a shared arrivals hall. Use your airline’s terminal information before leaving for the airport and check the flight display again on arrival.
Terminal 1 (T1) has Metro Line 10. For a train connection at Hongqiao Railway Station, the same line provides a route onward; make sure the train is heading towards Hongqiao Railway Station.
Terminal 2 (T2) has Metro Lines 2 and 10. It is connected with the railway station within the wider hub. These terminal-specific metro connections are listed in Shanghai Airports’ rail transport guidance.
Metro Line 10 also links the terminals. If considering the airport’s terminal shuttle, ask at the information desk for its current stop and service hours. A terminal shuttle should not be assumed to deliver you to the railway departure hall.
| Feature | Terminal 1 (T1) | Terminal 2 (T2) |
|---|---|---|
| Metro | Line 10 | Lines 2 and 10 |
| Railway-station link | Line 10 towards Hongqiao Railway Station, or a separate road transfer | Signed walking connection within the hub; metro is another option |
| Planning point | Include the move from the terminal to the station | Include the walk plus railway entry and boarding checks |
From Hongqiao Airport to the city
Compare metro, taxi and app-based ride-hailing against your hotel address, luggage and arrival time. Setting up a payment app does not guarantee that a particular card, transport code or ride booking will work. Keep another payment option available and ask station staff for help if a machine or app rejects your payment.
Metro Line 2 is the workhorse from Terminal 2 and the railway station. It runs east through People’s Square, East Nanjing Road (a short walk from the Bund) and Lujiazui, and continues all the way to Pudong Airport. Fares are distance-based; check the exact fare and time for your stop on a live planner or our Shanghai metro fare guide.
From T1, do not assume Line 2 stops at your terminal: start with Line 10 and plan any interchange.
Metro Line 10 serves both terminals and passes areas such as Xintiandi and Yuyuan Garden, which is useful if your hotel sits along that line.
Taxi or ride-hailing is the most direct door-to-door choice, especially with heavy luggage or a late arrival. Use the official taxi rank outside arrivals or the designated ride-hailing pickup area, and ignore anyone offering a ride inside the terminal. Treat any quoted fare as an estimate, since traffic, time of day and drop-off point all change the total.
Hongqiao Airport vs Pudong (PVG): make sure you are at the right one
Shanghai’s two airports are not interchangeable. "Shanghai" alone on a booking is not enough: check the three-letter code for each flight, including the departure after an overnight stay or domestic connection.
Pudong (PVG) is on the city’s eastern side; Hongqiao (SHA) is on the western side. Which is more convenient depends on your hotel or next connection, not an unspecified distance to "downtown." See the Pudong Airport guide if PVG is on your ticket.
| Hongqiao (SHA) | Pudong (PVG) | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Western Shanghai | Eastern Shanghai |
| Metro at terminals | T1: Line 10; T2: Lines 2/10 | Line 2 |
| Link relevant to this guide | T2 connection to Hongqiao Railway Station | Airport Link Line to Hongqiao T2, followed by any onward transfer |
From your terminal to Hongqiao Railway Station, without missing your train
This is Hongqiao’s real advantage: the airport and Hongqiao Railway Station share one integrated hub, so you can move from a flight to a high-speed train without crossing the city. But the handoff still takes real time, so plan it rather than assume it.
From Terminal 2, first finish your arrival procedures and collect any checked bags. Then follow signs for Hongqiao Railway Station, not just "rail" or "metro." The Hongqiao CBD government’s transfer guide describes a walking connection between T2 and the railway station, with a one-stop Line 2 ride as an alternative. Its walking estimate is not a total connection allowance.
From Terminal 1, follow signs to Line 10 and take the direction for Hongqiao Railway Station. Alternatively, arrange a road transfer with the full station name as the destination. If using the terminal shuttle to reach T2, you still need the T2-to-railway-station step. Do not treat a shuttle arrival as arrival at your train’s gate.
Watch the names carefully. Hongqiao Railway Station is not Shanghai Railway Station and not Shanghai South Railway Station — they are three separate stations in different parts of the city, and a ticket names exactly one. The airport’s own Airport Link Line is a suburban rail service to Pudong, not the high-speed railway station, so do not follow "airport line" signs when you actually want a bullet train.
Build in a boarding buffer. A Chinese railway station runs its own security screening and a ticket-and-ID check, both separate from anything you did at the airport, and boarding gates close several minutes before departure. As an editorial planning allowance, aim to be inside the railway station well before your train, not just before the departure minute. For platform and ticketing specifics, see the dedicated Hongqiao Railway Station guide, and to arrange seats in advance, our guide to booking China train tickets on 12306.
Transferring between Hongqiao and Pudong airports
If your itinerary switches between SHA and PVG, plan it as a cross-city airport connection. The Airport Link Line is a separate suburban railway option; it is not the same service as Metro Line 2.
The municipal Airport Link guide, updated in March 2026, describes an approximately 40-minute ride between Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2 and Pudong Airport Terminals 1 and 2. That excludes arrival procedures, the walk to the platform, waiting and onward check-in. Check current service times and the last service for your direction; any connecting metro line has its own cutoff.
Compare a road transfer if rail is not operating or your luggage and mobility needs make it unsuitable. Do not assume rail is faster door to door for every passenger. An international arrival switching airports requires entry formalities and baggage collection before leaving the airport; confirm that your documents permit the landside transfer. Allow separately for the next airline’s check-in and bag-drop deadlines. A transport link does not by itself protect a separately booked flight connection.
What to sort before you land
A few checks before departure make the next decisions easier:
- Confirm the airport (SHA vs PVG) and your terminal on the ticket.
- Set up a mobile payment app; see our Alipay guide for foreigners.
- Sort data and maps before arrival so apps work the moment you land.
- If a train follows your flight, book the seat early and note the correct station name.
- Save your hotel name and address in Chinese to show a driver, and note which of Shanghai’s airports and stations your itinerary actually uses.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hongqiao airport international or domestic?
Hongqiao is an international airport that also handles domestic flights. For your journey, the important information is the airport code SHA and the terminal on the airline’s booking. Do not infer either from the city of origin or an old airline list.
How do I get from Hongqiao airport to the Bund?
From T2, Metro Line 2 to East Nanjing Road is an option, followed by a walk to the waterfront. From T1, begin with Line 10 and check the route to East Nanjing Road. Use your actual waterfront destination to estimate the final walk; taxi timing depends on traffic and the exact drop-off.
How far is Hongqiao airport from Hongqiao Railway Station?
T2 has a walking connection within the hub. From T1, Line 10 can take you to Hongqiao Railway Station; a terminal shuttle requires a further transfer from T2. Include baggage collection, station security, ticket checks and the walk to your gate, not just the distance between buildings.
Can I take a train from Hongqiao airport to Hangzhou or Suzhou?
Search 12306 for your travel date with Shanghai Hongqiao as the departure station and your intended Suzhou or Hangzhou station as the destination. Those cities also have multiple stations. Confirm an available departure before committing to the connection, and leave time to reach and enter the railway station.
How do I get from Hongqiao to Pudong airport?
The Airport Link Line leaves from the Hongqiao T2 station and serves Pudong T1/T2. Its published ride time is around 40 minutes, but your full connection takes longer. From T1, first include the transfer to the correct Airport Link station. Check your direction’s current last train and your next flight’s deadlines.
The practical takeaway
For a trip through Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, confirm SHA (not PVG) and your terminal first, then match the transfer to your party: metro for value, taxi for door-to-door ease, and the in-hub railway station for onward high-speed trains. Read station names carefully, keep the airport’s Airport Link rail separate from the high-speed station in your mind, and give every security and boarding check a real time buffer. Do that, and Hongqiao’s biggest feature, the train link next door, becomes a genuine shortcut rather than a missed connection.
Sources: Shanghai Municipal Government: how to take the Airport Link Line; Shanghai Airport (Group) official site; terminal metro-line detail cross-checked against the Shanghai Airports rail information.
