A layover in China: what you can actually do
Six hours in Shanghai is not the same as six hours in Beijing. Here is how to work out whether to leave the airport, and what the 240-hour transit rule does and does not give you.
The short answer
Match the connection to the airport, not to the city.
| Connection | What it supports | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Under 4 hours | Nothing beyond the terminal. Eat, shower, find a quiet gate | Clearing immigration at all |
| 4 to 6 hours | One stop, and only where the airport is inside the city: Hongqiao, Shuangliu | Pudong, Daxing or Tianfu, where the transfers alone consume it |
| 6 to 8 hours | One neighbourhood near a metro terminus, with a meal | Any plan with two stops |
| 8 to 12 hours | A real half day: the Bund from Pudong, or Dongzhimen from Capital | Anything that needs a second city |
| Over 12 hours | A night in town, if your entry permission allows it | Assuming the airport is a hotel |
That is the decision, but it rests on three things people rarely check before they commit: how long immigration takes, whether the bag is checked through, and whether they are allowed out at all.
How much time you actually have
The connection on your ticket is not the time you have.
| Stage | Realistic allowance |
|---|---|
| Landing to the gate | 10 to 20 minutes |
| Immigration, if you are entering | 20 to 60 minutes, longer at peak arrivals |
| Baggage, if it is not checked through | 20 to 40 minutes |
| Getting to the city | 20 to 65 minutes each way, by airport |
| Return check-in, security and exit immigration | 2 hours for an international flight |
A six-hour connection into Pudong gives you roughly two and a half hours in the city, not six. A six-hour connection into Hongqiao gives you closer to three and a half, because the airport is already inside Shanghai and sits on the metro.
The return leg is where people misjudge. International check-in closes 60 minutes before departure, security can take 40, and exit immigration adds another 20. Two hours before departure is the working number, not thirty minutes.
Can you leave at all
Three tests, in this order.
1. Your entry permission
A visa, a visa-free entry, or the 240-hour transit exemption. If you hold none of the three, you stay in the terminal and the time bands above stop mattering.
2. Your bag
If it is checked through to the final destination, you walk out with hand luggage. If not, you join the reclaim belt, and the left-luggage counter becomes your first stop rather than the metro.
3. Your ticket structure
One ticket with a protected connection behaves differently from two separate tickets. On separate tickets the airline owes you nothing if the first leg is late, and you absorb the miss.
Self-transfer is a legitimate way to save money and a poor way to save time. If the connection is under four hours and the bags are not through-checked, the risk is not worth the saving.
The 240-hour transit rule, in one screen
More generous than most travellers assume, and narrower than the headlines suggest.
- Who: nationals of 57 countries.
- How long: up to 240 hours, which is ten days, counted from the day after entry.
- Where you can enter: 65 ports across 24 provincial-level regions.
- Where you can go: anywhere within those 24 regions. Shanghai to Beijing, or Kunming to Chengdu, is permitted as long as both ends are on the list.
- The condition that fails most often: a confirmed onward ticket to a third country, not back to where you came from.
- Where it does not apply: Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia and Xinjiang sit outside the scheme and need a separate visa.
Airport by airport
Nine airports where a layover is long enough to matter, with the fastest city option and the taxi alternative.
| Airport | Fastest into town | Time | Fare | Taxi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Pudong (PVG) | Maglev to Longyang Road, then Line 2 | 40 to 65 min | ¥7 to ¥50 | ¥180 to ¥250, 45 to 80 min |
| Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) | Metro Lines 2, 10 or 17 | 25 to 50 min | ¥5 to ¥8 | ¥80 to ¥150, 30 to 60 min |
| Beijing Capital (PEK) | Airport Express | 20 to 35 min | ¥25 | ¥120 to ¥180, 30 to 60 min |
| Beijing Daxing (PKX) | Daxing Airport Express to Caoqiao | 20 to 40 min | ¥35 | ¥150 to ¥250, 45 to 90 min |
| Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) | Metro Line 3 | 40 to 60 min | ¥7 | ¥100 to ¥180, 40 to 70 min |
| Shenzhen Bao'an (SZX) | Metro Line 11 | 30 to 45 min | ¥7 | ¥100 to ¥180, 30 to 60 min |
| Chengdu Tianfu (TFU) | Metro Line 18 | 40 to 55 min | ¥10 | ¥120 to ¥200, 40 to 80 min |
| Chengdu Shuangliu (CTU) | Metro Line 10 | 20 to 35 min | ¥6 | ¥60 to ¥100, 25 to 45 min |
| Chongqing Jiangbei (CKG) | Metro Line 10 | 35 to 55 min | ¥6 | ¥60 to ¥120, 30 to 60 min |
Two of these airports are also railway stations. Hongqiao and Shuangliu share a building with the high-speed rail terminal, which makes a five-hour connection there unusually useful.
Daxing and Pudong are the opposite case: both are far out, and the metro ride is a real part of the trip rather than a formality.
Six hours, concretely
A six-hour connection at Pudong, arriving mid-morning, hand luggage only, permitted to enter.
You have roughly three hours on the ground. Keep the bag with you and take the Maglev to Longyang Road for ¥50. It takes seven minutes and reaches 431 km/h, which is the only part of the trip anyone photographs.
From Longyang Road, Line 2 reaches the Bund in about 25 minutes. Walk from the river to Nanjing Road, eat something standing up, and turn back. That is an hour and forty minutes in the city, with an hour of margin.
What the same six hours buys elsewhere
- Hongqiao — a proper meal and a walk along the river, because the airport is already inside the city.
- Beijing Capital — Airport Express to Dongzhimen in 20 to 35 minutes, then Sanlitun on foot. Ring-road traffic is the only thing that ruins it.
- Guangzhou or Shenzhen — one neighbourhood, one meal, and back. Both metros are quick enough to make that honest.
What not to attempt on six hours: the Great Wall, the terracotta army, or any plan that involves a second city.
Money, data and the small stuff
The two things worth sorting before you land.
Payment is the one. Alipay and WeChat Pay both accept foreign cards, and both need to be set up while you have data. Airport wifi exists, but it usually wants a Chinese phone number for the verification code. Our payment guide covers the setup.
If you are out of the airport for a few hours, do not buy a SIM. Roaming works, and the setup time is better spent in the city.
Left luggage at the major airports costs ¥10 to ¥30 per item per day, and the counters are usually on the arrivals level.
Metro services generally stop between 22:30 and 23:30. If your onward flight leaves after midnight, plan the return by taxi or ride-hailing rather than assuming the last train will still be running.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Four ways a long layover becomes a missed flight.
Two separate tickets, a checked bag and a three-hour gap.
The fix: you will clear immigration, wait at the belt and re-check the bag, and the three hours will be gone before you reach the train.
Treating a return trip as a transit.
The fix: the 240-hour exemption needs a third country on the onward ticket. A flight home does not qualify.
Leaving the airport on a four-hour connection at Pudong.
The fix: the metro alone is 40 to 65 minutes each way. There is no version of that plan that ends comfortably.
Forgetting which airport and which terminal.
The fix: Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu each have two airports. A connection that moves between them is a 90-minute drive from Capital to Daxing, and no airline will hold the second flight.
Frequently asked questions
Can I leave the airport during a layover in China?
Yes if you have a visa, a visa-free entry, or qualify for the 240-hour transit exemption, and if the connection is long enough for the return to be comfortable. Under four hours, stay inside.
How long does a layover need to be to see Shanghai?
About eight hours at Pudong if you want two hours in the city without watching the clock. From Hongqiao, six hours is enough for a short visit, because the airport is close to the centre.
Does the 240-hour visa-free transit apply to a return flight?
No. It requires a confirmed onward ticket to a third country, so London to Shanghai to London does not qualify, while London to Shanghai to Tokyo does.
Do I need to collect my bag on a layover?
Only if it is not checked through to your final destination. On separate tickets, assume you do, and budget 20 to 40 minutes for the belt.
Can I leave the airport if my connection is under four hours?
It is possible at Hongqiao or Shuangliu, where the airport sits inside the city. At Pudong, Daxing or Tianfu, the transfers alone will consume the connection.
What happens if I miss my connection because I left the airport?
On a single protected ticket the airline will usually rebook you. On separate tickets you are buying a new flight, which is the reason so many people stay airside.
Compiled 23 October 2026 from the operators, airport guides and the entry rules as published. Transfer times and fares follow our airport guide, last checked 24 August 2026. Transit policy changes by announcement, so confirm the current conditions before you rely on them.