Don’t worry about sounding Shanghainese, it isn’t necessary (but obviously doesn’t hurt). If your Mandarin is fine and you’re able to sound confident about where you’re going, you’ll be okay. The key is to avoid sounding like you don’t know where you’re going, which is a dead giveaway for being a tourist.

1. Hop into taxi. Try to sound understandably tired after your late night flight with a sigh and an an audible remark to yourself along the lines of “I’m beat” (”lei si le…”);

2. Without sitting forward or speaking too earnestly to the driver, casually instruct the driver that you’re headed towards People’s Square (”ren min guang chang”).

3. Once the car starts moving, narrow down the destination to the cross street you’re headed towards. At the beginning of the trip, cross-streets suggest familiarity, addresses suggests otherwise. You want him to feel like you know where you’re going.

4. As you get near People’s Square (which you’ll hopefully notice as you get off the elevated highways or by road signs), then give him the street number, “Nanjing Dong Lu 680 hao.” Again, keep it casual and disinterested.

5. Arrive, pay your <200 RMB fare, and don’t leave a tip. Gratuity is not customary here.

Cheers.

Thanks - 200 RMB sounds a lot more decent than the 350 RMB or the 39 USD quotes I’ve received from typical airport transfers. I do speak Mandarin, but it won’t sound very much like a Shanghainese and I’d be caught as a tourist in 5 seconds flat I think

But thanks loads for your suggestions and advice. Very useful for clueless people like me. The power of the internet

If so, Airport Shuttle Line 5 (People’s Square stop) looks like it’ll get you closest to where you need to go. You may still need to take a taxi to your hotel’s door front, if you’re not inclined to walk.

Will you have enough time? Hard to say but its possible. I’ve had people arrive earlier and actually got through customs, claimed their luggage, and on their way out of the terminal by their “arrival time.”

If you miss the bus, you should definitely get to your hotel in under 200 RMB. My mother just made a late-night taxi trip from the airport to my place in Pudong for 138 last night…and getting to your hotel should not take much longer or be much further.

Do you speak Chinese? If you do, just try not to appear ignorant and lost and you’ll minimize the chances of getting taken for a ride. Good luck and welcome to Shanghai!

Thanks for your useful information you posted! I’m visiting Shanghai soon, but my flight is due to arrive at only 10.25 pm. Do you think I’ll still be able to catch the shuttle bus my 11 pm? I’d definitely have missed the Maglev by then. Also, even if I am able to, do you know which bus line goes to East Nanjing Road? My hotel is East Asia Hotel found along there.

Lastly, if I fail to catch the bus (as is very likely the case), and given that the cab fare will be higher at night, would it be safe to assume that it will be at most 200 RMB? The airport transfer arranged by my agent costs too much (350 RMB) and I prefer to take a taxi.

Thanks a lot in advance for your help. It is my first time in Shanghai and like you said, I don’t really want my trip to start off on a bad note by meeting a nasty taxi driver