Shanghai Flights
Flying from all major UK airports on all major airlines, we have loads of discounted flights to Shanghai, so simply use our search box below to book the cheapest available Shanghai flight.
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from £216 - China Highlights
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Beijing from £1580 - Adderley Hotel - 3* - Cape Town
from £83
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For the second city of the worlds oldest surviving ancient civilisation, Shanghai is surprisingly new. Literally Above the Sea, Shanghai is a port city on the Huangpu River, where the Yangzi River empties into the East China Sea. The area was marshland until the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1126), when refugees from Mongol and other northern nomad invasions settled the area. By 1291, Shanghai had become a county capital. The growing city got its wall in 1553 (prophetically, against Japanese pirates) and a customs house in 1685. Shanghai was only thrust into the spotlight in June 1842, when a British seaborne force captured it during the First Opium War. One of five cities pried open to Western colonial trade by the Treaty of Nanjing, Shanghai gained foreign districts controlled by the colonial powers the British and American Concessions (soon combined as the International Settlement) and the French Concession. This hybrid city boomed as the focus of Chinese colonial trade and Qing Dynasty China uneasily coexisted with Western power for almost a century.
Today, the Yuyuan Gardens in Shanghais Old Town is all that remains of the citys pre-colonial past. Colonialism is visible in the period architecture of the former French Concession, as well as the grand old buildings along the river-front Bund. Across the river from the original settlement of Puxi is Shanghais future, the Pudong New Area, with its emblematic Orient Pearl Tower, and soaring modern art-deco JinMao Tower.
By 1937, Shanghai was the worlds fifth largest city and Chinas most advanced, home to a rich ethnic mix of East and West and protected by its colonial status from the political storms ravaging the rest of China. In August that year, bombs (actually Chinese) fell on the foreign concessions for the first time. The Westerners began pulling out and by the start of the Pacific War in 1941, there were few Western nationals left for the Japanese to intern. The British and Americans gave up their colonial rights in 1943, to their new allies, the Nationalist Chinese, who took over Shanghai after the Japanese surrender in 1945. However, four years later, the city again fell to the Red Army.
Under the Communists, Shanghais businesses were nationalised but the city remained quiet until the Cultural Revolution, when Mao Zedong made it his new power base for his Gang of Four and his campaign against the Beijing leadership. Shanghai remained a centre for Cultural Revolution excesses until Maos death in 1976. Reconstruction proceeded slowly afterwards. From 1990, Shanghai has developed at breakneck speed, experiencing massive-scale investment and urban regeneration and an economic renaissance assisted by Chinas accession to the World Trade Organisation in 2001.
In 2004, Shanghai hosted the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix and will also benefit from the knock-on effects of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Centre-stage status will follow, in 2010, when Shanghai hosts World Expo. Easily Chinas richest city, Shanghai is now a showcase for modern China - replete with hundreds of futuristic skyscrapers, increasing urban affluency and restaurants, bars, hotels and levels of brand awareness that compete with New York, Paris and London.
Shanghai experiences climatic extremes, with bitter winters and hot and humid summers. The best time for visitors to plan a trip to the city would be during the autumn or spring months.
- Shanghai Circus World
Set in a conspicuous shining superdome of aluminium and titanium alloy, Shanghai Circus World is a state-of-the-art modern circus venue in the northern suburbs of Shanghai. It was inaugurated in 1999 with a two-month, sold-out circus fiesta starring the notorious Shanghai Acrobat Troupe. It now hosts regular performances from the world's leading circus artists on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. - Shanghai Zoological Park
Formerly known as Western Suburb Park, the Shanghai Zoological Park contains roughly 3000 creatures of more than 500 different species. Add that to the 65,000 specimens of 385 different species of plant and you're looking at an extremely impressive collection of wildlife. - Shanghai Museum
Located on People's Square, the Shanghai Museum is one of the city's main highlights, housing over 120,000 historical artefacts and covering a period spanning from prehistory to the last imperial dynasty. - Yu Yuan Garden
Once a private Ming dynasty garden, Yu Yuan (or Jade Garden) is typical of the careful elegance and optical brilliance favoured by the Chinese for classical gardens. The land is divided into six scenic areas - the Grand Rockery, the Ten Thousand-Flower Pavilion, the Hall of Heralding Spring, the Hall of Jade Magnificence, the Inner Garden, and the Lotus Pool. - Jade Buddha Temple
The large jade Buddha inside this Shanghai temple, also called Yufu Si, is one of Shanghai's major tourist attractions.
Airport Guide
Hong Qiao International Airport
Airport Information
Country
China
Address
Hong Qiao International Airport, Hong Qiao Lu 2550, Shanghai, China 200335
Country code
86
Telephone
(0)21 6268 8899 or 6268 8918/9
Fax
(0)21 6269 0027
Website
www.shanghaiairport.com (Chinese only)
Location
The airport is located 13km (8 miles) southwest of Shanghai city centre.
Time zone
GMT + 8
Number of terminals
1
Driving directions
Hongqiao Lu (road) is a continuation of the Yanan Road, the main east-west street in Shanghai, connecting Hongqiao Special Zone with Pudong New District and dividing the city into north and south. Hongqiao Lu is the only main road with connections to the airport. A highway is currently being constructed to ease congestion.
Car parking
There is a long- and short-term car park with space for 580 vehicles in front of the terminal building.
Car Hire
Self-drive cars are not currently available, but these services may be initiated by international companies as foreign business opportunities expand in China. Most visitors hire a car with a driver (often from their hotel) on a daily or weekly basis. Angel Car Rental is based at the airport.
Public Transport
Road: Taxi: Taxis are readily available outside arrivals; the driver should use the meter, however, if it is not working, agree on the fare before leaving the airport (journey time: approximately 25-40 minutes). Travellers should make sure that they join the correct taxi queue, as which queue to join depends on the distance of the journey. A taxi trip into the centre includes a toll, upon exiting the airport, which is added to the fare. It is best to have the destination required written in Chinese or indicated on a map. Bus: Public buses run regularly to city destinations including the city ticket office. Bus 925 runs to People's Square, Bus 938 runs to Pudong Yangjiadu, Bus 806 runs to Zhong Shan Nan Yi, Bus 807 runs to Shanghai West Railway Station, and airport Bus 1 runs to Shan Xi Lu. There is little space on buses for luggage. Most major hotels run shuttle buses to/from the airport. Coach: Long-distance coach services run to Suzhou, Nan Jing and Hongzhou.
Information and help desks
Tourist information is available by telephone (tel: (0)21 6439 0630). All signs are in English and Chinese, as are the intercom announcements.
Airport facilities
Money and communications: There are bureaux de change, banks and ATMs throughout the terminal, as well as postal and telecommunication services. International direct dial telephones are available in arrivals, while public telephones take local coins and phone cards. Eating and drinking: There are a few restaurants, bars and coffee shops. Shopping: There is duty-free shopping available, as well as a shopping market located just outside the airport entrance. Chinese specialities, such as silk clothing and scroll paintings, are available for purchase. Luggage: Trolley hire is available at both departures and arrivals. Uniformed porters can also be hired, although travellers should note that tipping is not allowed. Luggage lockers are available. Other facilities: These include smoking areas throughout the terminal, a fitness centre in the Shanghai International Airport Hotel (see below), a medical centre and a beauty salon.
Conference and business facilities
The Shanghai International Airport Hotel (tel: (0)21 6268 8888) offers 24-hour business facilities, including various meeting rooms, telephone, fax, photocopying and telex facilities, and catering services. VIP lounges are also available.
Disabled Facilities
There are disabled toilets in the terminal building and the airport is equipped with lifts, elevators and ramps to provide easy access for disabled travellers.
Airport Hotels
The Shanghai International Airport Hotel (tel: (0)21 6268 8888) offers remote check-in for flights to Japan and a shuttle transfer to the international terminal. Hotels close to the airport include the Hengshan Hotel, Hilton Shanghai, Hotel Equitorial Shanghai, Marriot Shanghai Hongqiao, New Garden Hotel, Nikko International Airport Hotel, Novotel Atlantis Shanghai, Shanghai Jo Mandarin, Sheraton Grand, Sofitel Hyland Shanghai, Regal Shanghai East Asia Hotel and Tai Ping Yang Hotel. Many major hotels have shuttle buses from the airport, enquire at the hotel desks in the airport Arrivals hall.
City
Shanghai
Full Airport Name
Hongqiao International Airport
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