How to Get from Beijing or Shanghai Airports to the City Center (2026)

You have collected your suitcase, walked into the arrivals hall, and suddenly every sign seems to offer a different answer: Metro, Airport Express, Taxi, Ride-Hailing.

Before you follow any of them, check the three-letter airport code on your boarding pass or baggage tag.

• PEK — Beijing Capital International Airport

• PKX — Beijing Daxing International Airport

• PVG — Shanghai Pudong International Airport

• SHA — Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport

This matters more than it sounds. Beijing Capital and Daxing are on different sides of the city. Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao also have completely different routes into town.

Here is how I would guide a visiting friend from each arrivals hall to the city, without making the journey more complicated than it needs to be.

Quick answer: With light luggage during metro hours, take the airport or metro train. With several bags, young children, limited mobility, or a late-night arrival, use the official taxi queue or book a DiDi from the marked ride-hailing area.

Which route should you take?

Times can change during holidays, maintenance work, and temporary timetable adjustments. Check the airport signs or your map app again on arrival, especially if you land near the last-train time.

First, save your hotel address in Chinese

Do this before leaving the terminal.

Save a screenshot showing:

• the hotel name in Chinese;

• the full Chinese address;

• the hotel telephone number; and

• the nearest metro station, if the hotel provides one.

“City center” is not one single stop in either Beijing or Shanghai. A hotel near Wangfujing needs a different Beijing transfer from one near Sanlitun. In Shanghai, People’s Square, the Bund, Jing’an and Lujiazui are all central, but they are not the same destination.

The Chinese address is useful even if you plan to use the metro. If you get tired halfway through the journey, you can show it to a taxi driver without trying to pronounce the street name.

From Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) to the city center

Once you enter the arrivals hall, follow the signs for Airport Express. Do not follow “Airport Shuttle” unless you have deliberately chosen a bus.

The Capital Airport Express runs from the airport to Sanyuanqiao and Dongzhimen. Both are interchange stations:

• Get off at Sanyuanqiao if your hotel is around the northeast side of Beijing, such as Chaoyang, Sanlitun or the embassy area.

• Stay on until Dongzhimen if you need a wider choice of subway connections or want to take a short taxi for the final part.

The airport express fare is a fixed RMB 25, according to the Beijing Municipal Government’s subway passenger information. Allow roughly 35–40 minutes to reach Dongzhimen, then add the time for your final transfer.

If this is your first time in Beijing, I would avoid making two or three metro changes while carrying large suitcases. Take the Airport Express to Sanyuanqiao or Dongzhimen, come out of the station, and use a taxi or DiDi for the last few kilometres.

When a taxi makes more sense at PEK

Use a taxi if you arrive after the trains have stopped, have several heavy bags, or are travelling as a group. Follow the overhead signs to the official taxi queue outside the terminal.

Ignore anyone inside arrivals who walks up and asks, “Taxi?” Official drivers wait in the managed queue; they do not need to search for passengers beside the baggage exit.

For DiDi, place the order only after you have reached the marked ride-hailing pickup area. Airport pickup points can be on a different floor or in a parking area, so check the building, level and zone shown in the app before confirming.

From Beijing Daxing Airport (PKX) to the city center

Daxing is the airport that catches people out. The terminal is modern and easy to navigate, but it is much farther south than many visitors expect.

After arrivals, follow Rail Transit / Daxing Airport Express signs down to the B1 rail transit hall. Take the airport express to Caoqiao. The ride itself is about 20 minutes; ordinary-class fare for the full route is RMB 35.

At Caoqiao, you can transfer to Beijing Metro Line 10 or Line 19. If you are tired or your hotel is not close to a convenient station, Caoqiao is also a sensible place to switch to a taxi or DiDi.

The airport’s current transport information places the Daxing Express in the B1 rail hall and shows connections at Caoqiao; the airport publishes updated operating hours on its official Daxing Airport Express page.

Should you take a taxi all the way from Daxing?

It is convenient, but the journey is long. Traffic and the exact location of your hotel make a big difference to both time and cost.

If you have two to four people and several suitcases, the extra cost may be worth it. Go to the official taxi area: Daxing Airport directs passengers through Gate 18 on the first floor, or via the east corridor near Gate 14 on the second floor, down to the waiting area. Beijing taxi fares start at RMB 13 for the first 3 km during daytime, with distance, night, waiting-time and possible toll charges added. See the airport’s official taxi guidance.

If you arrive late at night, check both the airport express timetable and the airport bus board before deciding. The official airport bus page lists current routes, but a direct taxi or DiDi is normally simpler when you do not know Beijing well.

From Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) to the city center

At Pudong, the main decision is not “train or no train.” It is Metro Line 2 or Maglev.

Option 1: Metro Line 2 — the easiest budget choice

Follow the signs for Metro and take Line 2 toward central Shanghai. Both Pudong terminals use the same line, and Line 2 continues across the city toward Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2, according to the Shanghai Airport metro guide.

This is usually the best choice if:

• you have manageable luggage;

• your hotel is near a Line 2 station; and

• you arrive well before the last train.

Line 2 serves useful central stations including Century Avenue, East Nanjing Road, People’s Square and Jing’an Temple. Expect the airport-to-central journey to take around an hour or more, depending on your destination and whether you need another transfer.

The Line 2 train from the airport is a normal metro, not an airport luggage train. At busy times, space can be tight. If you have two large cases, paying more for a taxi may be a much better start to the trip.

Option 2: Maglev — fast, but not a direct train to downtown

The Maglev is the fun option, and its airport section takes only about eight minutes. But here is the detail that is often missed: it ends at Longyang Road, not at the Bund, People’s Square or your hotel.

At Longyang Road, change to the metro or take a taxi for the rest of the journey. A regular one-way ticket costs RMB 50. The airport currently lists departures from Pudong from 07:02 to 21:42, but check the display when you arrive in case the timetable has changed. Full fares and operating hours are on the official Shanghai Airport Maglev page.

Take the Maglev if you want the experience, want to avoid the slow outer section of Line 2, or are staying somewhere convenient from Longyang Road. Do not take it simply because you expect it to deliver you directly into the center.

Option 3: Taxi or DiDi — best with luggage or late at night

At Pudong Terminal 1, the official taxi stand is outside Arrivals Gate 12. At Terminal 2, it is outside Arrivals Gate 25. The stands operate 24 hours, according to the airport taxi page.

Show the driver your hotel’s Chinese address. Make sure the meter is used, and keep the printed receipt; it includes information that can help identify the vehicle if you leave something behind.

For DiDi, do not request the car while you are still wandering through arrivals. First reach the signed online ride-hailing pickup area, then select the exact terminal, parking section and pickup point shown around you. Confirm the licence plate before getting in.

If you land after the metro and Maglev have closed

You still have two practical choices: taxi/DiDi or the airport’s late-night bus.

The late-night bus currently leaves Terminal 1 from 23:00 to 05:30 and Terminal 2 from 23:03 to 05:33. It stops at useful points including Longyang Road, Century Avenue and central Yan’an Road before continuing toward Hongqiao. Fares are RMB 18–34, and the maximum stated interval is 30 minutes. Shanghai Airport last updated this timetable in June 2026; see its official night-bus information.

The bus is cheaper, but it will not take you to every hotel. Check which stop is closest, then plan the last section before boarding.

From Shanghai Hongqiao Airport (SHA) to the city center

Hongqiao is closer to central Shanghai, so this part is usually straightforward.

First check your terminal:

• Terminal 1: take Metro Line 10.

• Terminal 2: take Metro Line 2 or Line 10.

These terminal connections are confirmed by Shanghai Airport’s official metro page.

Line 2 is normally convenient for Jing’an Temple, People’s Square, East Nanjing Road and Lujiazui. Line 10 can be useful for areas around Xintiandi, Yuyuan Garden and northeastern Shanghai, depending on your hotel.

Do not choose a line only because its name appears on a travel blog. Put your hotel into Amap or Apple Maps, confirm the nearest station, and follow the route shown for your arrival time.

With luggage, a taxi from Hongqiao is often reasonable because the airport is already on the western side of the city. As at the other airports, use the official taxi queue or the designated ride-hailing pickup point—not a driver offering a private ride inside the terminal.

How to pay for the train, taxi or DiDi

Alipay and WeChat Pay are widely used for transport in China, and international visitors can link eligible overseas bank cards. Set up at least one payment app before the flight if possible.

For the metro or airport express, you can buy a ticket at the station if you do not yet have mobile transport activated. Keep a physical bank card and some RMB cash as backups. A payment app can fail at exactly the wrong moment because of roaming, card verification or a weak airport connection.

Taxi drivers in Beijing and Shanghai should accept RMB cash. If you pay in cash, carry smaller notes; the driver may not have convenient change for a RMB 100 note early in a shift.

What I would choose in each situation

Landing in daylight with one suitcase: take the airport train or metro, then use a short taxi for the last section if necessary.

Travelling with children, elderly parents or several bags: take an official taxi or DiDi from the airport. Saving money is not helpful if everyone is exhausted before reaching the hotel.

Arriving close to midnight: do not depend on a last train you may miss during immigration and baggage collection. Check the live timetable when you land and keep taxi/DiDi as the backup.

First visit and worried about transfers: take the airport train to its main city interchange, then take a taxi. This avoids both the long airport taxi fare and a complicated journey through several metro stations.

A final check before you leave arrivals

Before walking out of the terminal, make sure you have:

• confirmed PEK, PKX, PVG or SHA;

• saved your hotel name and address in Chinese;

• checked the last train, not just the usual daytime route;

• chosen the correct terminal and pickup zone in DiDi; and

• ignored unofficial drivers approaching passengers inside arrivals.

Once those five things are sorted, getting from Beijing or Shanghai airports to the city center is not difficult. The airport signs are bilingual, the rail systems are reliable, and there is always a taxi option if the train route stops being convenient.