Eligible ordinary passports allow stays of up to 30 days. Entry deadlines vary by nationality: check the official country list and your embassy’s current notice.
City guide
Shanghai: what to arrange, and when
This is not a sightseeing guide. It lists the things in Shanghai that need arranging ahead as a foreign visitor. We have only just started on this city, so every local task is still unchecked.
Film
Shanghai in 45 seconds
What not to miss, set to original music. No narration. Captions are in English.
Every number in this film2 checked
- Shanghai Tower is 632 m tall with 127 floors and twists 120 degrees.SmartShanghai list of Guinness records
- The airport Maglev runs at 300 km/h and covers 30 km in about 8 minutes. Its former 431 km/h top speed has not been offered since May 2021.Wikipedia · two 2026 traveller guides
Book before you go
Shanghai Museum reservationBeing checked
Shanghai Disneyland: tickets and what to prepareBeing checked
Hotel check-in as a foreign guestBeing checked
Getting around
Get from Pudong Airport into the cityBeing checked
Choose between metro, taxi and ride-hailingBeing checked
Before you fly
Link a supported foreign card to Alipay or WeChat Pay. Government guidance describes no standard platform fee up to CNY 200 and 3% above it; promotions and issuer charges can differ.
Bring your passport to an operator-run shop for a local SIM. Choose a plan with a phone number and SMS; a data-only eSIM does not supply them. Exact payment acceptance and delivery of every verification code are not established.
Register on the official 12306 English site or app with your passport, pass identity verification, then buy. Do the verification days ahead.
Turn this into a day-by-day plan
The planner puts these stops in a sensible order, keeps visits off closed days, and works out each booking deadline in your time zone.