THERE are altogether 13 entrances at the Expo site, including one subway entrance, which is the Madang Road Station on Metro Line 13.
The eight ground entrances are: Luban Road Entrance, Xizang Road S. Entrance, Bansongyuan Road Entrance, Bailianjing Road Entrance, Gaoke Road W. Entrance, Shangnan Road Entrance, Changqing Road Entrance and Houtan Entrance. The four water entrances are the Dongchang Road Water Gate, Qichangzhan Water Gate, Shiliupu Water Gate and the Qinghuangdao Road Water Gate.
If you drive
Although 31 new one-way routes and 38 roads have been added around the Expo site, visitors are strongly discouraged from driving as there are no parking lots for private cars within 500 meters of the grounds.
Only vehicles with Expo passes will be allowed into the site and the immediate vicinity.
Nonetheless, visitors who drive can find parking lots at Shanghai`s nine major P+R (park and ride) areas, which have 1,750 parking spaces, and Jiading District`s Shanghai International Circuit, Hongqiao Transport Hub and Songjiang District where there are more than 10,000 parking spaces for private cars. Visitors can park their cars at these locations before taking public transport to the Expo.
If you go by ferry
Four boarding areas, or "water gates," alongside the Huangpu River will enable visitors to take vessels to the Expo site after passing security and ticket checks.
Three docks, in Pudong`s Qichangzhan area, Puxi`s Shiliupu area and on Qinghuangdao Road, are reserved for group tours. The fourth, on Pudong`s Dongchang Road, will be open to individual travelers. They can handle 18,000 visitors a day.If you go by bus
Direct bus services to the Expo have been set up at 16 transport hubs in the city. These hubs include Shanghai`s two airports, railway stations and several shopping districts. Twenty Expo Express bus routes which have been upgraded from existing key routes will service another 10 percent of Expo visitors.
If you go by taxi
Currently, Shanghai has nearly 50,000 cabs in service.
About 4,000 new cabs - 3,650 Volkswagen Tourans and 350 Buick LaCrosse Hybrids - have been put into service for World Expo. Only these taxis are permitted to enter the 7-square-kilometer controlled area of the Expo site 24 hours a day. Other taxis are barred from the area between 7am and 9pm.
The booking hotline for the special Expo taxi is 96822.
Language will not be an obstacle for foreign visitors as the hotline will provide English and Chinese services. Expo cab drivers can also speak simple English. Visitors looking for further language help can dial another hotline, 962288.
How to avoid rush hour
Delay your visits to the Expo site until after 10am to avoid rush hour traffic.
Enter the site from the five entrances in Pudong rather than the three in Puxi. This is because about 75 percent of the ticket machines are located on the Pudong side.
Organizers will inform visitors which entrances have fewest people by sending short messages and displaying the information on large screens at the entrances to the site.
Travel inside the park
There are bus stops every 250 meters within the 5.28-square-kilometer Expo site with frequent services. A total of 120 buses will roll by every three minutes to take about 220,000 visitors between Pudong and Puxi Expo sections.
Paid bus
Besides free shuttle services, visitors can also pay to tour the site on golf cart-like vehicles with a capacity of eight people. They will run mainly on the elevated pedestrian roads and will carry around 10,000 visitors a day.
Metro Line 13 with three stations provides transport within the site and operates every six minutes during non-peak and every three minutes during peak hours. Visitors can travel for free on presentation of the Expo ticket.
Ferry
Twenty-two ferry boats and 13 tour ships will take visitors across the river. The boats will run about 600 times to take 240,000 visitors each day.
Reminder
General
May 1, 2 and 3 are so-called "designated days." You need to have a "designated ticket" to visit. Regular ticket holders can enjoy the Expo after May 3.
Free guide maps are available at each entrance.
Reservation tickets for the China Pavilion are available at each entrance, as well.
Wear comfortable walking shoes - be prepared for a day of walking, as seating around the site is sparse.
Bring an umbrella (collapsible) in the event of rain.
Bring cash and coins.
The Expo site offers services such as information inquiry, tour guide, renting services, Lost & Founds, carting stations for lost children, temporary nurseries, services for the disabled and financial services.
Arriving at the Expo site
Attempt to avoid Metro line 8, as it is heavily crowded; try to approach Yaohua Road Station from line 7.
Consider taking an entrance other than Yaohua Road Station if looking for shorter lines.
If meeting up with people to go into the site, it is best to meet up beforehand, as huge crowds and cell phone congestion make it difficult to contact and locate people.
Entering
Keep belongings close at hand - big crowds make people vulnerable to pickpockets.
If you have a backpack, consider wearing it in front when in a big crowd, both to protect your belongings and to avoid accidentally knocking people next to you with it.
Small children and the elderly, beware of much pushing/shoving at the entrance gate.
Keep your children close to avoid being separated by the crowd.
Be aware that there are no bathrooms in the vicinity of the entrance gates when waiting in line.
Food/Drink
All of the five zones and areas surrounding the Expo Axis are equipped with restaurants, offering all types of food including classic Chinese and Western cuisines, coffee and snacks, and fast food.
Bring your own lunch to save time from waiting in long queues to buy food within the site.
No liquid is allowed to be brought in. So consider bring an empty water bottle to fill inside the site at one of the water fountains, or buy a bottled drink from a vending machine.
Bathrooms
Bring your own toilet paper and hand sanitizer, as bathrooms may not be stocked with paper and soap.
The eight ground entrances are: Luban Road Entrance, Xizang Road S. Entrance, Bansongyuan Road Entrance, Bailianjing Road Entrance, Gaoke Road W. Entrance, Shangnan Road Entrance, Changqing Road Entrance and Houtan Entrance. The four water entrances are the Dongchang Road Water Gate, Qichangzhan Water Gate, Shiliupu Water Gate and the Qinghuangdao Road Water Gate.
If you drive
Although 31 new one-way routes and 38 roads have been added around the Expo site, visitors are strongly discouraged from driving as there are no parking lots for private cars within 500 meters of the grounds.
Only vehicles with Expo passes will be allowed into the site and the immediate vicinity.
Nonetheless, visitors who drive can find parking lots at Shanghai`s nine major P+R (park and ride) areas, which have 1,750 parking spaces, and Jiading District`s Shanghai International Circuit, Hongqiao Transport Hub and Songjiang District where there are more than 10,000 parking spaces for private cars. Visitors can park their cars at these locations before taking public transport to the Expo.
If you go by ferry
Four boarding areas, or "water gates," alongside the Huangpu River will enable visitors to take vessels to the Expo site after passing security and ticket checks.
Three docks, in Pudong`s Qichangzhan area, Puxi`s Shiliupu area and on Qinghuangdao Road, are reserved for group tours. The fourth, on Pudong`s Dongchang Road, will be open to individual travelers. They can handle 18,000 visitors a day.If you go by bus
Direct bus services to the Expo have been set up at 16 transport hubs in the city. These hubs include Shanghai`s two airports, railway stations and several shopping districts. Twenty Expo Express bus routes which have been upgraded from existing key routes will service another 10 percent of Expo visitors.
If you go by taxi
Currently, Shanghai has nearly 50,000 cabs in service.
About 4,000 new cabs - 3,650 Volkswagen Tourans and 350 Buick LaCrosse Hybrids - have been put into service for World Expo. Only these taxis are permitted to enter the 7-square-kilometer controlled area of the Expo site 24 hours a day. Other taxis are barred from the area between 7am and 9pm.
The booking hotline for the special Expo taxi is 96822.
Language will not be an obstacle for foreign visitors as the hotline will provide English and Chinese services. Expo cab drivers can also speak simple English. Visitors looking for further language help can dial another hotline, 962288.
How to avoid rush hour
Delay your visits to the Expo site until after 10am to avoid rush hour traffic.
Enter the site from the five entrances in Pudong rather than the three in Puxi. This is because about 75 percent of the ticket machines are located on the Pudong side.
Organizers will inform visitors which entrances have fewest people by sending short messages and displaying the information on large screens at the entrances to the site.
Travel inside the park
There are bus stops every 250 meters within the 5.28-square-kilometer Expo site with frequent services. A total of 120 buses will roll by every three minutes to take about 220,000 visitors between Pudong and Puxi Expo sections.
Paid bus
Besides free shuttle services, visitors can also pay to tour the site on golf cart-like vehicles with a capacity of eight people. They will run mainly on the elevated pedestrian roads and will carry around 10,000 visitors a day.
Metro Line 13 with three stations provides transport within the site and operates every six minutes during non-peak and every three minutes during peak hours. Visitors can travel for free on presentation of the Expo ticket.
Ferry
Twenty-two ferry boats and 13 tour ships will take visitors across the river. The boats will run about 600 times to take 240,000 visitors each day.
Reminder
General
May 1, 2 and 3 are so-called "designated days." You need to have a "designated ticket" to visit. Regular ticket holders can enjoy the Expo after May 3.
Free guide maps are available at each entrance.
Reservation tickets for the China Pavilion are available at each entrance, as well.
Wear comfortable walking shoes - be prepared for a day of walking, as seating around the site is sparse.
Bring an umbrella (collapsible) in the event of rain.
Bring cash and coins.
The Expo site offers services such as information inquiry, tour guide, renting services, Lost & Founds, carting stations for lost children, temporary nurseries, services for the disabled and financial services.
Arriving at the Expo site
Attempt to avoid Metro line 8, as it is heavily crowded; try to approach Yaohua Road Station from line 7.
Consider taking an entrance other than Yaohua Road Station if looking for shorter lines.
If meeting up with people to go into the site, it is best to meet up beforehand, as huge crowds and cell phone congestion make it difficult to contact and locate people.
Entering
Keep belongings close at hand - big crowds make people vulnerable to pickpockets.
If you have a backpack, consider wearing it in front when in a big crowd, both to protect your belongings and to avoid accidentally knocking people next to you with it.
Small children and the elderly, beware of much pushing/shoving at the entrance gate.
Keep your children close to avoid being separated by the crowd.
Be aware that there are no bathrooms in the vicinity of the entrance gates when waiting in line.
Food/Drink
All of the five zones and areas surrounding the Expo Axis are equipped with restaurants, offering all types of food including classic Chinese and Western cuisines, coffee and snacks, and fast food.
Bring your own lunch to save time from waiting in long queues to buy food within the site.
No liquid is allowed to be brought in. So consider bring an empty water bottle to fill inside the site at one of the water fountains, or buy a bottled drink from a vending machine.
Bathrooms
Bring your own toilet paper and hand sanitizer, as bathrooms may not be stocked with paper and soap.