Originally Posted by
JPDM
I often do something similar. Fly into Pudong then I take the rain in Hongqiao to Nanjing.
I usually book a train at a comfortable time and if I arrive early in Hongqiao then I go to the counter and exchange for an earlier train. This way I am sure of having something.
Last time it was fairly quick. I was out of the airport in 45 minutes. I jumped on the Maglev then switched to the subway. All in less than 2 hours. Travel time via Maglev-subway is quite predictable. Getting through immigration can take an additional 15 minutes if things are bad. The wild card is time of arrival of your flight.
The bus is a bit faster; the travel time isn't quite as predictable as Maglev/subway (which is more or less exact), but is pretty solid because traffic is almost never an issue on the outer ring. Apart from speed, the strongest arguments in favor of the bus are: 1) no need to transfer; 2) luggage goes underneath; 3) you get a seat; and 4) avoidance of Line 2.