10 Best Shanghai Pudong Airport Hotels

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Landing at Pudong after dark or flying out at dawn? Sleep at the airport. Downtown Shanghai is about an hour away by road, and the maglev into town stops running in the evening, so a city hotel buys you a long taxi ride at both ends. Most airport hotels sit a short shuttle ride from the terminals, and two are close enough to walk. Here’s where I’d book, depending on your flight time.

Shanghai Pudong Airport Hotels

Matching a Hotel to Your Flight Time

Your landing or departure time decides which shuttle hotel works, because the buses don’t all run through the night.

• Shuttles That Run All Night: Shanghai JOYFUL YARD Hotel and SHANGHAI-DECO Hotel run their airport shuttles around the clock, and Shanghai Rui Deng Hao Hotel lists a round-the-clock service too. They suit a landing after midnight or a check-in before dawn.
• Hours Worth Confirming: Other shuttle hotels set their own hours, and some send the bus only on request after you land. Ask Holiday Inn Express Shanghai Pudong Airport by IHG, Manli Hotel Shanghai Pudong Airport Branch, Shanghai Pudong Airport Wenju Road Atour Hotel and Yunboye Hotel Pudong Airport for the first and last runs before you book a flight outside daytime hours.

Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 at Pudong

Pudong has two terminals side by side, and the one on your ticket decides which shuttle door or walk you need.

• SkyTeam and China Eastern: China Eastern’s international flights and SkyTeam partners such as Air France, KLM and Korean Air use Terminal 1. Air China, Star Alliance and most Oneworld airlines use Terminal 2. Codeshares muddy this, so go by the operating airline printed on the ticket.
• Moving Between Terminals: The two buildings sit 500 to 600 metres apart, joined by a walkway with the metro and maglev station between them. A free bus also links them, which helps with heavy bags.
• Finding the Right Door: Hotel shuttles pick up from numbered doors at each terminal, and the door varies by hotel. Send the hotel your terminal and flight number when you book, and save its reply with the door number on your phone.

Before an Early Departure

Early international departures leave little slack, and a shuttle timetable adds a fixed wait on top of the drive.

• Working Back From the Counter: Start from the time the airline closes check-in, then subtract the ride and the gap between shuttles. A bus that leaves once an hour turns a 15-minute drive into a 75-minute window if you just miss one.
• App-Based Taxis at Dawn: Book an app-based taxi the night before and you skip the shuttle wait altogether. Have the front desk write the terminal number in Chinese for the driver.
• Packing the Night Before: Leave the room ready to walk out of, with passports and boarding passes in one pocket. Settle any bar or restaurant bill the night before, so check-out takes a minute.

Landing Late at Night

The rail links into the city stop running in the late evening, so a late landing is the strongest reason to sleep at the airport.

• Calling the Shuttle: Contact the hotel when you land and again once you have your bags. Some shuttles leave on a timetable, others come out on request, and neither will know about a delay unless you tell them.
• Taxis From the Rank: Official taxis wait in marked lanes outside both terminals through the night. Show the driver the hotel’s name and address in Chinese, because many airport hotels sit on small roads a driver doesn’t know by an English name.
• Checking the Date: An arrival after midnight still needs the room booked for the night before, or you’ll land to a booking that starts tomorrow. Tell the hotel your arrival time so it holds the room.

Transit Stays and Immigration

The airport hotels sit on the arrivals side of passport control, so a night in one means entering China.

• Visa-Free Transit: Many passports qualify for China’s visa-free transit with an onward ticket to a third country, and some for visa-free entry outright. Check yours on the official immigration list before you book a room.
• Bags on a Connection: Ask at your first check-in whether your bags go straight through. If you leave the airport overnight, collect them and check in again the next day.
• When You Have to Stay Airside: Passengers who can’t enter China stay in the terminal, where free rest areas and shower rooms are open in both buildings. Paid rest pods sit inside the terminals too.

A Few Hours in the City Between Flights

Pudong Airport sits about 30 kilometres from downtown Shanghai, and two rail lines make a short trip in possible on a long layover.

• The Maglev: The maglev covers the 30 kilometres to Longyang Road in about eight minutes. Change there to Metro Line 2 for Lujiazui and East Nanjing Road.
• Line 2 All the Way: Metro Line 2 runs from the airport station to Lujiazui and East Nanjing Road with no maglev transfer. It takes 45 to 65 minutes and costs a fraction of the maglev fare.

FAQs

1. Is it better to stay at the airport or in the city before a Pudong flight?

Stay at the airport for a flight before mid-morning, because the maglev’s first trains leave too late for a dawn check-in. A midday or evening flight is the time to sleep in the city and ride out by rail. Build in a buffer either way, and more if you’re checking bags.

2. How do you get from Pudong Airport to Hongqiao Airport?

The Airport Link Line is the quickest way, running from the Pudong Airport Terminal 1&2 station to Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2 in about 40 minutes. Metro Line 2 also links the two airports but takes about an hour and a half. Airport Line 1 buses run between them as well. Give yourself plenty of time between flights when you’re changing airports, since you’ll clear security again.

3. How long is a taxi from Pudong Airport to downtown Shanghai?

Plan on about an hour to People’s Square or the Bund, and longer at weekday rush hours. Late in the evening a night surcharge applies to metered taxis. A pre-booked transfer waits at arrivals, even after midnight. An app-based taxi follows the same roads and drops you at the hotel door.

4. Is there a night bus from Pudong Airport?

Yes, a night airport bus leaves Pudong after the metro and maglev stop, crossing the city along Yan’an Road to the Hongqiao transport hub. It keeps running until after the last flights land, with fewer departures than the daytime lines. The bus stops sit on the arrivals level. For an airport hotel, a taxi or the hotel shuttle is still the easier ride.

5. Can you leave luggage at Pudong Airport?

Left-luggage counters in both terminals hold bags for a day trip into the city, or for as long as two months. None of the counters stays open through the night, so collect bags before a late hotel check-in. Bring your passport, since staff ask for ID and X-ray each bag before storing it. Counters sit in the arrivals and departures halls, so follow the airport signs to the nearest one.

6. How do you get from the Pudong airport hotels to Shanghai Disneyland?

Several airport-area hotels run shuttles to the park as well as to the terminals, among them SHANGHAI-DECO Hotel, Shanghai Rui Deng Hao Hotel and Manli Hotel Shanghai Pudong Airport Branch. Ask the front desk for the park bus times when you check in. From the city side, Metro Line 11 ends at Disney Resort station beside the park.

7. Which is closer to downtown Shanghai, Pudong or Hongqiao Airport?

Hongqiao is far closer, on the west side of the city, with Metro Lines 2 and 10 running straight in. Pudong sits out on the coast to the east. Hongqiao handles mainly domestic flights and sits beside Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, while most long-haul international flights use Pudong. Check which airport is on your ticket before booking a hotel.