Free

Pudong or Hongqiao, and how do I get into the city?

From the airport to your seat at Qizhong

Two separate arrivals matter for this trip: landing in Shanghai, and getting into Qizhong itself once you're there. Unlike a fully-reserved-seating event, Shanghai Masters sells a genuine Grounds Pass alongside numbered seats — so which gate you use and how early you show up both actually matter, not just which airport you land at.

Which airport you'll land at

Pudong (PVG)

Primary international hub, ~60% of Shanghai flights, ~30km from the city centre. Expect this if you're flying internationally direct into Shanghai.

Hongqiao (SHA)

More domestic/regional East Asian flights, ~13km from the city centre. More convenient for onward city travel if you land here.

The Maglev and the Airport Question

A genuine 300km/h world record — and why it doesn't get you all the way home

Most airport-to-city transport is purely functional — nobody plans a trip around riding the train from the airport. The Shanghai Maglev is a real exception: a genuine world-record-holding piece of transport infrastructure that happens to also be the fastest way off the tarmac. Riding it isn't just logistics, it's arguably its own small experience, the same way flying Concorde once was for a different generation of travellers.

Pudong

Worth knowing

—Sit on the right-hand side of the carriage facing forward if you want the clearest view of the speedometer display showing your current km/h — it's mounted at the end of each carriage and genuinely worth watching climb toward 300.
—Confirm which airport your specific flight uses before booking a hotel — Pudong and Hongqiao are on opposite sides of the city, and assuming the wrong one changes your realistic transfer time significantly.

Getting into the venue itself

Will-call ticket collection is at Gate #2 — if you're picking up physical tickets rather than using a mobile ticket, build that into your timing. The tournament shuttle from Xinzhuang and Zhuanqiao metro stations terminates between Gates 1 and 2, so most fans arriving by public transit will naturally come in through that side of the 80-hectare complex regardless of which court they're headed to. See the Getting There guide for the full shuttle route and timing.

When to actually arrive

A Grounds Pass has no reserved seat, so arriving early genuinely earns you better viewing at the outer courts and Court 17's practice sessions — this is the one part of Shanghai Masters where showing up early has a real payoff, unlike a fully-reserved event. If you're holding a numbered Grandstand or Center Court ticket, your seat is yours whenever you arrive, so the early-arrival advantage is about getting through Gate 1-2, browsing the wider complex, and settling in before your session — not about claiming a spot.

Gate-by-ticket-type mapping and opening times

Unlike some Masters 1000 venues, the official site doesn't publish which specific entrance each ticket tier uses, or exact gate-opening times ahead of a session — we won't invent either. Check en.rolexshanghaimasters.com closer to the event, or contact the tournament directly, for confirmed details.

Sources: travelchinaguide.com, remitly.com, letstraveltochina.com (airport split and distances, cross-checked across 2 sources); 247tickets.com (Gate #2 will-call location). Verified 10 Aug 2026.