How to Get Around Shanghai as a Foreigner: Metro, Didi, and Everything In Between

Shanghai is one of the most navigable cities in China for foreigners. The metro is fast, cheap, and easy to use. Didi works reliably. Most taxi drivers have a QR code you can scan to pay. You don't need to speak Chinese to get around—but you do need to know which tools to use and what to expect when they fail.

This guide covers every realistic way to move around the city, in order of what most visitors actually use.

The Metro: Your Default for Almost Everything

Shanghai's metro is the backbone of getting around. As of 2026, it has 20+ lines covering virtually every major area you'd want to visit—Pudong, the Bund, Yu Garden, Xintiandi, Jing'an Temple, Hongqiao, Pudong Airport, Hongqiao Airport. If you're staying anywhere central, the metro gets you there.

How to pay:

The easiest method for foreigners is the Alipay Metro QR code. Open Alipay, tap the transport section, and scan the QR code at the turnstile. It works instantly and deducts from your Alipay balance.

Alternatively, you can:

Buy a single-journey ticket from the vending machines (accepts cash and some cards; English interface available)
Get a Shanghai Public Transport Card (交通卡) from convenience stores or customer service windows—reloadable, works on metro, buses, and some taxis

What it costs: Fares start at ¥3 for short trips, up to about ¥10 for cross-city journeys. Cheap by any standard.

Practical tips:

Peak hours (7:30–9:30 AM, 5:30–7:30 PM) are genuinely crowded on core lines—Line 1, 2, 9 especially
Signs are in English. Announcements are in Mandarin and English. You won't get lost if you can read the map
Platform screen doors are standard. Wait for passengers to exit before boarding
Last trains on most lines run around 11 PM–midnight. Check the app or signage for your specific line

Didi: The Go-To for Door-to-Door

Didi is the default taxi app in China. For foreigners in Shanghai, it works better than flagging down a street taxi for one main reason: you don't need to communicate the address—you type it in the app, the driver navigates to it, and payment is automatic.

Setting up Didi:

Download the app; it's available on the international app store
Register with your phone number and a foreign card or link Alipay
As of 2026, the international version accepts Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal in addition to Chinese payment methods

How to use it:

Open Didi and tap the pickup address field—it defaults to your current location
Type your destination. You can type in English (for landmarks and hotels) or paste a Chinese address
Choose Express (快车) for standard rides, Premier for slightly higher-end cars
Confirm and wait. Drivers typically arrive in 3–7 minutes in central Shanghai

What to expect:

Fares are calculated by distance and time. A 5 km trip within central Shanghai usually runs ¥20–35
Drivers may call you if they can't find you. If you don't speak Chinese, send a text message like: "I'm at the entrance of [X building], wearing [color]." You can use a translation app to write it in Chinese and paste it into the chat
Didi shows the driver's name, photo, car model, and plate number—standard verification before you get in

Street Taxis: Still Useful, but Secondary

Shanghai has a large fleet of licensed taxis (typically Buick Excels or similar). They're safe and metered. The challenge for foreigners:

Drivers rarely speak English
Payment in cash is traditional, though most drivers now have Alipay/WeChat Pay QR codes on the dashboard
Rush hour flagging can be slow, especially near tourist areas

If you want to take a street taxi, the practical approach:

Have your destination written in Chinese—use Google Maps, Amap, or Baidu Maps to find the address, then copy the Chinese name
Show the driver, or type it into your phone and show the screen
Pay by scanning the driver's QR code, or with cash (have ¥5–100 bills; drivers sometimes struggle with large bills)

Starting fare is ¥16 for the first 3 km. Each additional kilometer runs around ¥2.5–3.

Buses: Cheap, But Low Utility for Tourists

Shanghai buses are comprehensive and cheap (¥2 flat fare), but navigating them is harder without Chinese. The routes aren't all intuitive, stops aren't always named clearly in English, and real-time information is harder to access than the metro.

Use buses if:

You're going somewhere on a direct line and you've verified the route in Amap
You're comfortable with basic navigation and have a local SIM or data connection

Skip them if:

You're in a hurry
You're unfamiliar with the area and don't read Chinese

Payment: You can pay by cash (exact change preferred), Alipay QR, or Shanghai Public Transport Card.

The Maglev: Pudong Airport to Longyang Road

If you're arriving at Pudong International Airport (PVG), there's one more option worth knowing: the Shanghai Maglev.

Route: Pudong Airport → Longyang Road station (Line 2 and 7)
Speed: up to 431 km/h; trip takes about 8 minutes
Cost: ¥50 one-way (¥40 with same-day flight ticket)
Hours: 6:45 AM – 9:40 PM

From Longyang Road, you connect directly to the metro and can reach most of the city within 30–40 more minutes.

It's not significantly faster than the metro if you're staying in Puxi (west side), but it's a genuine experience if you've never been on a maglev.

Getting Between Pudong and Puxi

Shanghai is split by the Huangpu River. Pudong is east (the skyscrapers); Puxi is west (the Bund, French Concession, most of the historic city).

Ways to cross:

Metro Line 2: crosses the river and connects both sides efficiently
The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel: a tourist attraction more than transport—skip it for actual commuting
Ferry: cheap (¥2) and scenic; runs from the Bund (Jinling Ferry Terminal) to Pudong (Dongchang Road Ferry Terminal); pleasant if you're not in a hurry
Taxi or Didi via bridge/tunnel: takes longer during peak hours due to traffic, but door-to-door

For most daily transit, Metro Line 2 is the answer.

Amap vs Google Maps in Shanghai

If you want turn-by-turn navigation in Shanghai, Amap (高德地图) is the most accurate option. Google Maps works in China but shows limited real-time transit info and sometimes outdated walking directions.

For metro route planning specifically, both Amap and the official Metro Shanghai app give accurate results.

If you want to share a location or get directions using something familiar, here's the practical workaround with Google Maps:

Search your destination in Google Maps to get the name and address
Paste the Chinese address into Amap or Didi for navigation
Or use Amap entirely—it has an English language mode

What to Do When Transport Fails

Didi can't find your location: Move to a nearby street corner with clear signage. Type the nearest landmark name (hotel, mall, metro station) as your pickup point instead of your door address.

Metro turnstile rejects your QR code: Try closing and reopening Alipay. If it still fails, buy a single-trip ticket from the machine. You can always troubleshoot the app later.

Taxi driver won't accept your destination: This sometimes happens during peak hours or if the driver is ending their shift. Don't argue—open Didi and book instead.

You're lost: Open Amap and tap the blue dot (your location). Most Shanghai metro stations have security staff or ticketing staff near the entrance who can point you in the right direction, even without a common language.

Practical Costs at a Glance

| Method | Typical fare (central Shanghai) | Best for | |---|---|---| | Metro | ¥3–10 | Most daily movement | | Didi Express | ¥20–50 | Door-to-door, nights, baggage | | Street taxi | ¥20–60 | Quick flagging, familiar experience | | Bus | ¥2 flat | Known fixed routes | | Maglev | ¥50 | Pudong Airport arrival/departure only | | Ferry | ¥2 | Scenic Puxi–Pudong crossing |

Internal Links

Planning your time in Shanghai? Read our guide on how to use Alipay as a foreigner in China and what apps you need before going to China. If you're also planning medical treatment during your visit, see our guide to best hospitals in Shanghai for foreigners.

The Bottom Line

Getting around Shanghai as a foreigner is genuinely manageable. The metro handles 80% of your needs. Didi handles the rest. Cash is an optional backup. You don't need to speak Chinese to use any of these tools effectively.

The only thing that trips up most visitors: not setting up Alipay before they arrive. Do that before you land and you'll have access to metro QR codes, Didi payments, and restaurant payments from day one.

Get the complete setup guide: What apps do I need before going to China?