I have a 14 hour layover in Shanghai Pudong International Airport in January... any suggestions/advise/recommendations? Should I stay in the airport? Venture out? Where to?

I'd suggest to venture out. The Airport does'nt have much to offer for such a long layover. (Spoken from experience when I had a layover for the same amount of time and stayed. I regretted it.)

During daylight hours, the Jade Buddha Temple is beautiful. There is also shopping nearby. If you are there after dark, the Bund walkway is beautiful. There are fine restaurants walking distance from the Bund.

Are cabs easy to get to and from the airport...?

Laura take the maglev! It's the fastest operating train in the world and will get you to a closer subway station in 8 minutes.

Laura The bullet train is awesome.

Laura they can be expensive. China has a uber type taxi service called didi. It might take a bit to get set up bc payment is online. The maglev and transit might be best if you don’t have much baggage to carry.

China Town nothing compare to North American

I would definitely recommend venturing out of the airport and exploring the city! Must-see's would be the Bund, Yu Yuan Garden, Xintiandi and Tianzifang.

Make sure you have the visa though!
Correction: sorry you don’t need a visa for 72 hours as long as you have an outbound flight.

Allison do you know if the rules have changed for Canadians? I thought you can enter China without a visa as long as you're not staying longer than 72 hours and have a ticket for an outbound flight? I'm flying thru Shanghai in december and also have a long layover

Thanks that's helpful as I've read conflicting information... government of Canada site updated the rules...reads very vague.

It's actually 144 hours now, or 6 full days.

Wow good to know!

just budget a lot of time returning to the airport and customs....not the fastest or easiest to navigate in the world , could take a long time

We had a 12 hour layover in Shanghai last year and it was more than enough time to check some of the sites out. Store your luggage, get a visa on arrival, hop on the Maglev and enjoy!

Well, while it's an experience (431 kms/hour) itself the Maglev goes between 2 stops. It's not a hop on, hop off tourist bus. I would forgo this and take a taxi (but it depends on your budget as well). Nanjing Road and the The Bund let you get a taste of the culture, shopping, restaurants and sights (The Bund at night is an awesome walk). If you're more looking for Museums, I can't help as that's not really my jam. Ohhh, Peking duck is a great option for a meal while there.

Do not waste this opportunity by staying at the airport! Hire a guide to pick you up and take you to a few stops. By having a guide with transportation, you will take the guesswork out of getting around ...visit the Bund, Pearl Tower, The Bottle Opener, Yuyuan Garden, and maybe a trip into one of the markets. Shanghai is a great city - after spending a few hours you will likely want to plan to go back!

I hear the Chinese food is good

Robert apparently it's just called food there though.

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Find out if u r allowed to leave the airport while in transit

It will blow your freaking mind.

Do the maglev train, just because. I believe it's the fastest in the world? Or at least in the top few. Then take local transit into town and do some sight seeing.

you will absolutely need a transit visa to clear customs. depending on how long that takes (recently some people experienced 6 hours wait) you may only have a couple hours to explore, but yes for sure try to see something cool. the subway from airport is easy to the Bund if you want to see classic shanghai cool spots or get something to eat. Stay away from Western food and go for local fare. its cheap and delicious