Originally Posted by
travelinmanS
I think People’s Square in Shanghai is getting a bad rap on here. It’s not too bad distance wise if you can put up with the crowds. Pre-Covid I had no issues changing from line 1 to 2 coming or going to PVG. I’d even say the line 1 to line 10 transfer at Shanxi South station is worse. The absolute worst in shanghai is Xujiahui line 1 to line 9. Gotta be at least a KM.
Beijing Guomao I remember being a pain as well as Xizhimen line 2 to line 13. Shenzhen has some pretty long connections as far as I remember. HK Central station is also rough going from Island line to the one that goes to the Airport.
I was planning on completing the (initial) Shanghai part of this discussion before moving on to other cities myself before moving onto Beijing (where my knowledge is a bit stale), but since you mentioned Guomao, I feel compelled to chime in:
1. While Guomao Line 10 to Line 1 isn't especially long transfer in terms of distance, the hallway linking the two is so narrow/crowded that I simply leave the station and go above ground when trying to pull off this drill; sure, this costs me an extra Y3, and I realize that we want to avoid going outside during these winter months, but I will gladly send Y3 to any of our FT bros if doing so prevents them from being trampled
2. Line 6 (in Beijing) is an awesome reliever for Line 1 because it has fewer people, and is faster (i.e. it is dubbed as an "express train")
3. The problem with Line 6 for tourists is that it is not a good way to kick off your Forbidden City experience because it stops near the north gate, which is an exit only
4. But, you guys can take a taxi to Tian'an Men (or Wangfujing if you fancy eating decent food) after morning rush hour, do the drill, and take Line 6 back to your hotel on 3rd Ring, or even 4th Ring
ETA: Today and tomorrow is great time to stock up on DIdi coupons because all of them are priced at Y1. The best coupon is 50% of 5 Express rides. They one is released randomly, and it sells out within minutes. The second best coupon is Y5 off of 7 Express rides. In either case, you can transport yourself, plus 2-3 others from Shaungjing to Wangfujing for around Y9, which is less than the cost of the subway drill