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.

Source: Shanghai Daily