Should I stay near People’s Square, the Bund or the former French Concession?

At a glance

• Shanghai's airport guide puts Pudong to People's Square at about 1 hour on Metro Line 2, with a listed RMB 7 fare. [1]
• Hongqiao Terminal 1 uses Metro Line 10; Terminal 2 has Lines 2 and 10. Confirm the actual terminal before judging a hotel by airport access. [1]
• The Airport Link Line takes about 40 minutes between its Hongqiao and Pudong airport stops, with a listed RMB 26 full fare. It is not a downtown hotel shuttle. [2]
• Shanghai, Shanghai South, Shanghai West and Hongqiao are distinct rail stations in the city's guide. [3]

What to do next

1. Before booking, choose between a central sightseeing base and a departure-focused night. Compare People’s Square or the Nanjing Road corridor for the first, and the actual Hongqiao departure route for the second; add Jing’an or Xuhui if everyday neighbourhood time is a priority.
2. Compare three door-to-door routes from each actual hotel: arrival terminal to hotel, hotel to the day's main reservation and hotel to the next departure. Use the correct airport or railway-station name, then inspect the last walk rather than relying on straight-line distances.
3. Open the specific room and property policies. Confirm foreign-passport acceptance, reception hours, non-smoking status, windows, beds and luggage storage. Ask about the exact entrance and lift route if steps or long corridors would cause difficulty.
4. Price the room together with the transport you expect to use. Keep the booking cancellable while an essential access or room question is unanswered, and compare the saving with the time and effort of repeated journeys.
5. After booking, save the Chinese branch name, full address and entrance instructions offline. Send the hotel your actual late or early arrival time and obtain a reply when room access depends on a special arrangement.
6. If the itinerary changes, recalculate the routes before moving hotels. Count packing, checkout, luggage storage and the interruption to the day; change bases when the new location solves a substantial problem rather than a small map-distance difference.

If your situation is different

You mainly want the Bund and old-city sights: compare a central hotel with straightforward routes to those stops and a comfortable evening return. A river-view room is a separate purchase from being well located for sightseeing.

You plan a Suzhou day trip: compare the exact departure station before choosing a hotel. Do not move the entire Shanghai stay to Hongqiao solely because one train uses it.

You arrive at Pudong late: confirm the transport available after your actual airport exit and the hotel's night access. The daytime metro example is not the plan for every landing time.

Common mistakes

• Booking by a central-city label alone: compare the property with your actual morning, evening and departure routes.
• Assuming the nearest station exit is the easiest one: inspect stairs, crossings and the final approach with bags.
• Choosing a room from the hotel's headline photograph: check the exact room's window, bed and non-smoking description.
• Moving for a small nightly saving: count the cost and lost time of changing hotels before replacing a useful base.

Quick questions