Land softly
Arrival guides
The practical side of arriving in China — payments, connectivity, transport — kept current, with the date we last checked on every page.
Getting in & around
Visa doors, airports, trains, and the ride into town.
Visa-free China in 2026: which door you qualify for
Around 50 nationalities now enter China visa-free for 30 days, and 55 more qualify for the 240-hour transit rule. Which door you fit changes what you can do — here is the map.
Last verified: 2026-08-28
The Airport Link Line: Pudong to Hongqiao in 40 minutes
Shanghai’s newest railway connects both airports directly — 40 minutes, ¥26, and you can tap through the gate with a foreign bank card.
Last verified: 2026-08-28
Pudong Airport into the city, with luggage and jet lag
Four real options — taxi, Maglev, Metro Line 2, and the new Airport Link Line — and the honest trade-offs between them at 11pm with two suitcases.
Last verified: 2026-08-28
Metro taps and train tickets: paying your way around China
Your foreign card now taps straight through Shanghai’s metro gates, and high-speed rail tickets are e-tickets tied to your passport. Here is the whole ticketing stack.
Last verified: 2026-08-28
Shanghai in a wheelchair: what the English internet gets wrong
The top English answer about Shanghai metro accessibility is twelve years old and says every station has a lift. That is not what the rules require. Here is what the Chinese-language sources actually say — including two services almost no visitor knows about.
Last verified: 2026-08-29Staying connected
eSIM, roaming, and what works behind the firewall.
Paying for things
The two apps that run daily life, set up before you land.
Staying longer
The rules that start mattering after the first week.
Registering where you sleep: the 24-hour rule, explained properly
Every foreign visitor has to be registered with the police within 24 hours of arrival. Hotels do it for you. Everywhere else, it is your job — and it is the most common mistake first-timers make.
Last verified: 2026-08-28
Renting in Shanghai for one to six months
Landlords want a year. Hotels charge by the night. The middle — the stay that is too long for a hotel and too short for a lease — has its own rules, and knowing them saves both money and weeks.
Last verified: 2026-08-28
Seeing a doctor in Shanghai
Public hospitals take walk-ins, cost less than you expect, and need nothing but your passport. Private ones speak your language and cost what you expect. Knowing which to pick, before you need one, is the whole trick.
Last verified: 2026-08-29
Arriving in Shanghai with a pet
One animal per person, a quarantine rule that turns on which country you left, and a city ordinance that most English guides get wrong. Cats and dogs are not the same problem.
Last verified: 2026-08-29The character collection
While you're planning — somewhere to stay
Since Airbnb left the mainland, places with real character that still take foreign guests are rare. We collect the survivors.