Shanghai on a layover: what fits in 8, 12 or 24 hours

The short answer. Whether you can leave the airport depends on your passport, not the length of the layover. If you are from one of the 57 countries on the 240-hour transit list, or one of the 50 on the 30-day visa-free list, you can go into the city. Otherwise, a transit of up to 24 hours is visa-free only if you stay inside the airport’s restricted area. Allow about an hour each way between Pudong airport and the centre, plus check-in and security on the way back. On my arithmetic, under about 8 hours it is rarely worth going out; with 12 hours you can see one area; with 24 hours you can have an evening and a morning. To do the sums for your own flights, use the layover calculator.

Can I leave the airport?

1. You are on the 240-hour list (the United States, Mexico, Canada, most of Europe, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and others; the full list is in the entry guide). You need an ordinary passport and an onward ticket with a confirmed seat to a third country or region, departing within 240 hours. Shanghai’s airports are among the covered ports (NIA list, Shanghai government FAQ). A return to the country you came from does not count, but a London, Shanghai, Hong Kong itinerary does (Shanghai government FAQ).
2. You are on the 30-day list (the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, most of the EU and others). No onward ticket is required. Use this option if you qualify; it is simpler.
3. Neither applies. The NIA’s 24-hour transit rule lets foreigners passing through to a third country or region stay up to 24 hours without a visa, with valid documents and onward international tickets with confirmed seats. But passengers must not leave the port’s restricted area; anyone who has to leave it needs a temporary entry permit from the port’s immigration inspection authority. In practice that means you stay airside. If you want to see the city, get a visa in advance.

The arrival card. If you enter China, you complete the arrival card, now online or on the spot at immigration. The NIA exempts passengers transiting directly within 24 hours without leaving the restricted area (NIA announcement). Details are in the entry guide.

What do I do with my bags?

First ask your airline whether your checked bags go through to your final destination or whether you must collect them in Shanghai. If you do, the Shanghai Airport Authority lists left-luggage counters at Pudong:

• Terminal 1: arrivals hall (first floor), opposite Door 7; departures hall (third floor), between Doors 4 and 5.
• Terminal 2: arrivals hall, next to International Arrivals Exit 2A; departures hall (third floor), near Island A, open 24 hours.
• Hours: 6 am to midnight unless a location says otherwise.

Source: Shanghai Airport Authority FAQ. That page says nothing about Hongqiao or about prices or ID, so check at the counter. At Hongqiao, Guangming Online reported in July 2026 that transit visa-free passengers can leave one bag, of any size, free for up to 72 hours at the luggage service centre in the Terminal 1 departures public area, opposite Gate 6; opening hours were not given. For urgent help, the airport service hotline is 021-96990.

How long does it take to get into town?

The Shanghai government’s airport page gives these figures (source):

From	To the centre	Time	Cost
Pudong, Metro Line 2	People’s Square	about 1 hour	about 7 yuan
Pudong, taxi	People’s Square	about 50 minutes	about 180 yuan
Hongqiao, taxi	city centre	about 30 minutes	100 to 150 yuan

Hongqiao Terminal 2 is on Metro Lines 2 and 10, and Terminal 1 on Line 10. Pudong is 30 km from downtown and Hongqiao 13 km. The page gives no time to the Bund itself; it is a short further ride from People’s Square, so add some margin. The Airport Link Line between the two airports takes about 40 minutes (source), which matters if you arrive at one and leave from the other. Full options and the taxi ranks are in Getting around Shanghai.

A simple way to plan the time

Count backwards. Start with the time your next flight leaves, then subtract your airline’s recommended check-in time, immigration on the way back and a margin for delays. What is left, minus the travel in both directions, is your time in the city. These plans are my own arithmetic using the times above; they are not official schedules, so check opening hours on the day.

Under 8 hours. Stay at the airport. A round trip from Pudong takes about two hours on the metro, before you add check-in, security and a margin for delays, so little time is left. From Hongqiao, which is closer to the centre, a short visit is more realistic.

About 12 hours. Choose one area. The Bund is the classic first look: take Line 2 to the centre, walk the waterfront and the historic bank buildings, and go back with a comfortable margin. Alternatively People’s Square, which is on the Line 2 route you are already on.

24 hours or an overnight. Stay in the city. Use the afternoon for the Bund, sleep near the centre (see where to stay), and use the morning for the former French Concession, then return to the airport with a buffer. The map lets you pick places by area.

Practical notes

• Keep your passport and onward ticket with you; you will go through departure checks again when you leave.
• Set up payment before you leave the airport; see how to pay in Shanghai.
• Show taxi drivers the Chinese address card on each place page.
• If your onward ticket is on a different booking, confirm with the airline that you will be allowed to check in; the entry guide explains what to do when staff do not recognise the transit rule.