Shanghai: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Shanghai is a city of 24.9 million people in China, 12 m (39 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA), 12 km (7 mi) from the centre. Our booking partner lists 1,740+ places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Shanghai runs from about 10 h 10 min a day in late December to 14 h 13 min in late June (computed for 31.22° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Shanghai is served by 3 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA), 12 km (7 mi) from the centre, whose 11,154-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG, 34 km), Jiaxing Nanhu Airport (JNH, 96 km).
Flights to Shanghai: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Shanghai · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 1,740+ places to stay in Shanghai (statistics below are from the first 1,000). Of the 962 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (335), and 201 are five-star. Across 338 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.6 out of 10. Guests have left 177,257 reviews in total.
Hotels in Shanghai: the full picture, and book
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Hangzhou, 161 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Nanjing, 270 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Suzhou, 83 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Pudong, 5 km
- Yangzhou, 231 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Huai'an, 349 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Wuxi, 118 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Ningbo, 150 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Puyang, 247 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Changzhou, 155 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
Common questions
Which airport serves Shanghai?
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA), 12 km (7 mi) from the centre, plus 2 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Shanghai?
About 24.9 million people live in Shanghai (GeoNames).
What time zone is Shanghai in?
Asia/Shanghai, currently UTC+8.
What currency is used in Shanghai?
The Yuan Renminbi (CNY). Traffic drives on the right.
How many hotels are there in Shanghai?
Our booking partner lists 1,740 or more places to stay in Shanghai, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Shanghai?
Hangzhou (161 km), Nanjing (270 km), Suzhou (83 km), Pudong (5 km), Yangzhou (231 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.