Getting to and from the F1 track

Once you've arrived in Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix, getting around is no problem. The city is littered with taxis, bus lines and subway stations, and the eleven separate subway lines alone do a pretty bang-up job of covering all the transportational-bases. The Shanghai Metro is easy to use and entirely bi-lingual (Chinese and English), so it's an easy solution for those with limited Chinese skills. For the most part, the stations are clean, the trains run on time, the transfers are well marked and easy to follow, and if you avoid the rush hour before and after regular working hours, the trains are not particularly crowded.

The most effective way to get to the Shanghai F1 track is to take Line 11 out to the Shanghai Circuit (Shànghǎi Sàichē Chǎng, 上海赛车场) stop, in the far northwestern part of town. Rest assured that once you get to the station there will be sufficient signage to locate yourself and get to the track, which is within walking distance of the station. But there are two things to keep in mind when taking the subway to the Shanghai Grand Prix. First, Line 11 splits into two separate tracks one stop before the Shanghai Circuit station at Jiading Xincheng (Jiādìng Xīnchéng, 嘉定新城). Each individual train will be destined for either Anting (Àntíng, 按亭) or North Jiading (Jiādìng Běi, 嘉定北); they will be identified on the front of the train and over the loudspeaker (in English and Chinese) at various moments. The train to Anting is the train you want to be on, and the Shanghai Circuit station is only one stop beyond the interchange.

The other thing you'll want to keep in mind is that last year on race day the Shanghai Circuit station was closed. In case this happens, make sure you have the Chinese characters of the track written out (Shànghǎi Guójì Sàichēchǎng, 上海国际赛车场) so that you can hail a cab and show them where you need to go. We'll be sure to keep our transportation page up to date, so if this happens we'll make sure to let you know.

There are other ways to get out to the Shanghai F1 circuit if the subway isn't your thing. Cabs will be in the ballpark of RMB 150-200, there's a wealth of parking space at the venue if you choose to drive or hire a car, and there are a number of bus routes that run specifically for the Chinese Grand Prix every year. This year's bus plans haven't yet been confirmed, but we'll be updating regularly and will post information as it becomes available.

How the Shanghai Metro works

The system operates with both single use ticket purchases and prepaid transportation cards. The single trip tickets can be purchased from any of the unmanned kiosks (with an English option), or from the service centers on the ground level. The prepaid card requires a RMB 20 deposit, but with the time you save by not buying tickets every time makes it well worth it;  additionally, you can use the cards in taxis and on buses. Plus, you can swipe the cards across the sensors without taking them out of your wallet or your purse, which I think is pretty cool and spy-like. Fares range from RMB 3 to just over RMB 10, and fluctuate based on the distance traveled.

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