# Spending your layover inside Pudong airport

There's no hotel past security at Pudong, but 30 sleep pods in the international departure areas, rest areas and free showers serve passengers changing planes. Aerotel, in Terminal 2, rents rooms by the hour, before passport control.

- Web page: https://shanghailayover.com/airport/
- Guide: [Shanghai Layover](https://shanghailayover.com/), an independent layover guide to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), part of City Layover
- Updated 10 November 2026; facts checked 8 November 2026

## Can you sleep at Shanghai airport during a layover?

Yes, past security, if you're on a through ticket: Pudong's 30 sleep pods in the international departure areas cost 35 yuan for 30 minutes, 65 yuan for an hour and 299 yuan for 8 hours (seen November 2026), with no booking. There's no hotel on that side. Aerotel's hourly rooms in Terminal 2 are before passport control, so you need to be able to enter China to use them.

## At a glance

- **Hotels at the terminals**: Aerotel in Terminal 2, Holiday Inn by walkway; both before passport control
- **Airside rooms**: Sleep pods, 35 yuan for 30 minutes to 299 yuan for 8 hours
- **Showers**: Free for passengers changing planes, 24 hours
- **Lounge**: Aerotel's, in Terminal 2, open to non-guests
- **Left luggage**: Aerotel, Terminal 2, before passport control
- **Wi-Fi**: Free; log in with a photo of your passport

## Sleeping past security

Most passengers changing planes at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) never pass the border: on a through ticket, leaving China within 24 hours, you stay past security. There's no hotel on that side, but there are sleep pods, rest areas and free showers, and you need no visa to use them.

**Sleep pods.** Thirty private cabins in the international departure areas, open 24 hours:

| Where | Cabins |
| --- | --- |
| Terminal 1, near Gates 25 and 26 | 15 |
| Terminal 2, near Gate 64 | 15 |

| Time | Price (seen November 2026) |
| --- | --- |
| 30 minutes | 35 yuan |
| 1 hour | 65 yuan |
| 90 minutes | 95 yuan |
| 8 hours | 299 yuan |

There's no booking: cabins go first come, first served, so on a busy night have a back-up in mind. Pay at the cabin door with Alipay or WeChat Pay, or in yuan cash; with a foreign card, pay at the counter nearby and staff open the door for you. Foreign cash has to be changed into yuan first. A child under 12 and under 1.4 metres tall can share a cabin with one adult. Use the pods in the terminal your next flight leaves from, so you wake up near your gate.

**Free rest areas.** The airport has rest areas with sofa seating and private rest cabins for passengers changing planes, with nothing to pay. Ask at a transfer or information desk for the nearest to your gate.

## Hotels in and next to the terminals

| Hotel | Where | Airside or landside | How you get there |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Aerotel Shanghai Pudong Airport | Terminal 2, levels 6 and 7 | Landside, before passport control | Behind check-in counter G in Terminal 2, to the food court on level 4, then the lift to level 6 |
| Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Airport | Beside the airport, 6009 Yingbin Avenue | Landside, before passport control | A covered walkway from Terminals 1 and 2 |

Aerotel has 82 rooms, rented by the hour, so it doubles as Pudong's day-room hotel. Because it's before passport control, you need to be able to enter China to reach it: on the 240-hour transit, the 30-day entry or a visa ([visa and transit rules](https://shanghailayover.com/visa-and-transit/)). It suits a night landing before a morning in town, separate tickets, or a rest before checking in for an early flight. Book ahead.

The Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Airport is the other hotel you can walk to: a covered walkway links it to Terminals 1 and 2. It's outside the terminals, so it too needs you to be able to enter China. It suits a full night before an early flight, or separate tickets.

## Showers

Pudong offers free 24-hour showers to passengers changing planes; ask at a transfer or information desk where to find them. Before passport control, Aerotel sells showers to people who aren't staying.

## Lounges you can pay for

Aerotel's lounge in Terminal 2, before passport control, is open to people who aren't staying, along with its restaurant and co-working space. Past security, ask at your airline's transfer desk which lounge your ticket or card gets you into.

## Left luggage

Aerotel, landside on levels 6 and 7 of Terminal 2, stores bags for people who aren't staying; ask there for the price. On one ticket you won't need it: your checked bags go through to your next flight. On separate tickets, leave them there before you head into town, so they're waiting where you'll check in.

## Connections, money and Wi-Fi

- **Wi-Fi.** Free throughout the terminals: join #AirportPVG-Free-WiFi and log in with a photo of your passport, a code sent by text, a passport kiosk, or the Shanghai Airports mini-program in WeChat.
- **Foreign apps.** Many, Google's and WhatsApp among them, don't work on China's networks, the airport's Wi-Fi included. Download an offline map and save your bookings before you fly, and ask your mobile provider or eSIM seller what will work in China.
- **SIM cards.** Shops in the terminals sell Chinese SIM cards and rent portable Wi-Fi, some of them 24 hours.
- **Paying.** Most of China pays by phone. Install Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly and link your own bank card; payments of 200 yuan or less usually carry no fee, and 3% above that. The airport also has ATMs, currency exchange and desks that help foreign visitors set up mobile payment. ATMs usually allow up to 3,000 yuan a withdrawal on a foreign card.
- **Between terminals.** A free shuttle bus runs between Terminals 1 and 2, 24 hours a day.
- **Checking in.** Check-in for most international flights closes 60 minutes before departure; Ethiopian Airlines closes at 90, and your airline's own deadline is the one that counts. This guide's rule is to be back 90 minutes before.

## Questions people ask

### Can I sleep at Shanghai airport on a layover?

Yes. On a through ticket you can stay past security, where 30 sleep pods in the international departure areas cost 35 yuan for 30 minutes to 299 yuan for 8 hours (seen November 2026), first come, first served. There are also free rest areas with sofa seating. There's no hotel past security.

### Is there a hotel inside Shanghai airport?

Yes, Aerotel, on levels 6 and 7 of Terminal 2, with rooms by the hour. It's before passport control, so on a through ticket you'd have to enter China to use it, on the 240-hour transit, the 30-day entry or a visa. Past security there's no hotel, only sleep pods.

### Can I take a shower at Shanghai airport?

Yes. Pudong has free 24-hour showers for passengers changing planes; ask at a transfer or information desk for the nearest. Before passport control, Aerotel in Terminal 2 sells showers to people who aren't staying.

### Is there free Wi-Fi at Shanghai airport?

Yes. Join #AirportPVG-Free-WiFi and log in with a photo of your passport, a code sent by text, or at a kiosk that reads your passport. Many foreign apps, Google's and WhatsApp among them, don't work on China's networks, so download an offline map before you fly.

### Can I leave luggage at Shanghai airport?

Yes, at Aerotel, before passport control on levels 6 and 7 of Terminal 2, which stores bags for people who aren't staying; ask there for the price. On one ticket you won't need to: your checked bags go through to your next flight.

## Sources (checked 8 November 2026)

- [Official Shanghai tourism: sleep cabins at Pudong Airport (1 Mar 2026, checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.meet-in-shanghai.net/en/news/pudong-airport-details-sleep-cabin-guide-for-international-travelers-590365/)
- [China Daily: Pudong Airport rest areas and showers (1 Jul 2025, checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202507/01/WS6863c5c9a31000e9a5739984.html)
- [Pudong New Area government: updated transit services, transit hotel not yet available (2 Jul 2025, checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://govt.chinadaily.com.cn/s/202507/02/WS68883e6e498edec913cdf5cb/pudong-airport-unveils-updated-services-to-enhance-transit-experience.html)
- [Shanghai Municipal People's Government: layover facilities and free tours (7 Aug 2026, checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Latest-WhatsNew/20260807/8797f93e18e24e86ad35f46e1202dbea.html)
- [Shanghai Municipal People's Government: visa-free transit FAQ, no airside hotels, Aerotel landside (3 Sep 2026, checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Visafreetransit/20260903/6fe4653a8b7447ba86fcf0c883db0143.html)
- [Aerotel: Shanghai Pudong Airport factsheet (25 Jun 2025, checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.myaerotel.com/MyAerotel/media/assets/City/Mainland%20China/Shanghai/Factsheet/Aerotel-Factsheet_PVG_0625_EN-1-1.pdf)
- [IHG: Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Airport, covered walkway to Terminals 1 and 2 (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/shanghai/shapt/hoteldetail)
- [Shanghai Airport Authority: facilities and services (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.shanghaiairport.com/enpd/fuwusheshi/index.html)
- [Shanghai Airport Authority: free Wi-Fi (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.shanghaiairport.com/enpd/fuwusheshi/index_lcid_418.html)
- [Shanghai Airport Authority: SIM cards and Wi-Fi rental (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.shanghaiairport.com/enpd/fuwusheshi/index_lcid_402.html)
- [Shanghai Airport Authority: check-in deadlines (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://www.shanghaiairport.com/ensh/jzsj/index.html)
- [Shanghai Municipal People's Government: getting from the airports to the city, terminal shuttle (updated 4 Jun 2026, checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Transportation/20231214/649e06ea38f74aaeb573fa2debbe97d3.html)
- [Shanghai Municipal People's Government: paying with overseas cards (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Individuals-BankingandPayments-Payments/20260921/c2c94d06a0454c8fa05386b80d0ae865.html)
- [Airalo: China eSIM (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.airalo.com/china-esim)