Layover in Shanghai: 24-Hour Transit Visa

As mentioned before, if you have a layover in Shanghai you can get a temporary transit visa. This is not a full visa to the country and you are restricted to an area within the city. There is a 24-hour visa and a 144-hour visa. They both work the same and can be acquired at the airport without an application. The 144-hour version can be applied for in advance, however. 

We needed to get out of the airport area quickly so we could explore Shanghai. Therefore, we decided to ride the fastest train in the world, the Maglev Train. If you have a 24-hour layover in Shanghai we really recommend this option over the normal train. When we rode the train it hit the speed of 301km/h, although it has a max speed of 460km/h. We purchased our tickets at the counter, who spoke English. The train comes about every 20 minutes and make sure you keep your ticket because you need it to enter and exit.

After stopping at our hotel, we took the subway and headed to our first-night destination The Bund! If you search for pictures of Shanghai this waterfront comes up often. This is an area along the Huangpu River in Pudong. If you have a layover in Shanghai, almost everything you will have time to do will be in this area. The Bund has many interesting buildings, diverse architecture, and brightly lit skyscrapers. When you imagine a high-tech city in Asia, this is it, even more than Seoul or Tokyo.

We went during a Chinese holiday so it was packed. I have never seen such a sea of people in my life. It was lovely to see all the illuminated boats, colors, and crowds of people. I was surprised to see buildings that had European architecture. This is due to the colonial British influence in the 1800’s. On one side of the river is old baroque buildings, and on the other side are some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. The Bund is definitely a place to check out but I recommend going at night to see it light up!

Michael has loved playing music and has been involved in the live music scene since he was young. As I was searching for things to do I came upon the House of Blues & Jazz, which seemed like the perfect choice. They are open til 2 am so that was a huge plus because we knew we would land late. They have live performances during the night from great musicians and bands.

We were lucky to see the 7 Countrymen whose style was New Orleans Blues. You will pay a ticket fee, and when you get inside you can order drinks and food from the bar. The establishment is a bit small compared to other places we’ve been to, but the vibe is there. The music fills the air and you can just feel the passion from the musicians, and the bartenders were great as well. We had a blast and would love to go back again.

If you want to see a stunning view of Shanghai check out Flair Rooftop Restaurant & Bar. This is one of the highest rooftop bars in the world located on the 58th floor of the Ritz Carlton. I recommend making a reservation in advance and dressing smart casual.

You can step outside to the patio and just be blown away by the views of the city and the famous Oriental Pearl Tower. Don’t visit too late because the city lights will turn off around 11. The service and staff were amazing, and it became one of our favorite rooftop bars for interior, view, food, and staff. If you have a 24-hour layover in Shanghai this is the must-see view.

Before coming to China download Alipay and make an account. It was so helpful when we re-entered the second time. Alipay is a payment platform for transfers and cardless payments. You can connect your card to the app, and when it’s time to pay the app brings up a barcode, which can be instantly scanned with the scanner on the counter. Literally everywhere had Alipay. It’s basically Apple Pay but without NFC, so it’s a bit more secure. We really utilized it to pay for things as it’s fast and easy to use. The app also has DiDi Ride for Taxis, which I’ll explain in a bit.

Shanghai has a few good transport options. As we mentioned, the Maglev is by far the fastest and easiest way to get into the city during your transit. You get dropped off at Longyang Road Station, which connects with the very important 2 line which can take you to Century Ave, with the 4 and 6 lines. These 3 lines will probably take you everywhere you need to go in the city. We found the subway to be quick, easy, clean, and very safe. You can buy tickets in cash for quite cheap at each subway, and there are usually helpful workers around. 

Aside from the subways, taxis are the only other option. Of course, since it’s China, google does not work, and other common ride-shares like Grab and Uber aren’t available. This is why we highly recommend Alipay because it has ride-hailing through DiDi Ride, which is part of the app. Shanghai taxi drivers don’t seem to have much English skills which is reasonable, but using the app means there is no confusion on address, price, or pickup location. Once we figured out the app we couldn’t go back.