Many daily flights connect Hong Kong and Shanghai, usually making it possible to make a reservation even at the last moment, providing you are flexible about the carrier - China Eastern has more daily flights than Dragonair. Those with time on their hands might even consider taking the train. The super-deluxe option has just two sleeper berths, and the trip takes about 24 hours. International flights (and some domestic) touch down at the Pudong International Airport, about 30km from downtown Shanghai. Taxis are readily available and take 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the traffic, for about 100 yuan. The famous Maglev does not travel all the way into town, unfortunately, but it does make it as far as Pudong's Longyang metro station in a heady eight minutes.

Out and about

Shanghai's metro is a crowded, push-and-shove experience, and given the economy of using Shanghai's taxis, is best left to local commuters. It is a good idea to have addresses written in Chinese when travelling by taxi because levels of English are still poor compared with Hong Kong. The downtown city area - in particular the Jing'an district - is suitable for walking, and the major hotels scattered around the city area make good landmarks.