Overview & preparation
Getting around: the basic options
Use metro, DiDi, taxis or buses for the main journey. A shared pedal bicycle can cover a short final leg if your account, route and return point all work.
Before you set off
- ✓Keep your destination address available in Chinese as well as English.
- ✓Expect app, ticketing and payment requirements to vary.
- ✓A metro station can have several exits; a pickup location can differ from the address you searched for.
When you need the actual next step
- ✓Use the ride or metro action guide for booking, pickup, tickets, entry and recovery.
- ✓For a shared bicycle, check a permitted destination parking point before unlocking. After locking, confirm the order has ended; a parked bike can still be charging.
- ✓Do not accept unsolicited rides from strangers. Use recognized services and official airport or station signage.
Free sample · From the complete guide
Try this part of your Shanghai journey
Practical steps
Pick one entry method and use it consistently
For the least setup, tap an eligible contactless international card at a gate marked for bank-card entry. Use that same physical card at the exit; do not enter with a card and try to exit with a phone wallet. If direct tap fails, ask the staffed service center to sell a single ticket with a major international card, or use a Shanghai transport QR in Alipay, WeChat, Metro Daduhui or SH MaaS.
- Direct gate tap
- Fastest for one traveler One person per card; tap the same card in and out.
- Alipay / WeChat QR
- Best after app setup Select Shanghai before activating the transport code.
- Single ticket
- Best no-app fallback Buy from the staffed service center if the machine is confusing.
- 1-day / 3-day pass
- ¥18 / ¥45 Unlimited metro rides for 24/72 hours; Maglev and newer suburban lines are excluded.
About this excerpt
Selected from Use the Shanghai Metro without guessing. Guide updated October 5, 2026. App labels and local arrangements can change.
Inside the Full Guide
Included in the Full Shanghai Guide, together with this city’s Quick Cards.
- Use the Shanghai Metro without guessing
- Take a Shanghai taxi or DiDi with the pickup under control
- Related Quick Cards
All three journey stages
Full Shanghai Guide
$39 / city · One-time purchase
All Shanghai guides, step-by-step instructions, troubleshooting, backup options and Quick Cards. Other cities are sold separately.
Use it on your phone and one other device. Emergency help is always free.
Access & purchase details
Personal access tied to your account, on up to 2 registered browsers. Sharing a link does not share your purchased guide. You may show and screenshot Quick Cards for your own trip.
No downloadable offline pack is available. Live human support is not included. Save stores a link on this browser, not an offline copy.
Login sessions last up to 30 days. Sign in again with your email to recover your guides. Each browser counts separately; you can manage registered browsers in your account.
Checkout is not live. Purchase and refund terms will be published before payments open. For an access problem, use Help; do not buy again.