- Flight
- about 12.5 to 14.5 hours westbound
- Departs
- Shanghai Pudong International
- Lands at
- Heathrow
- Time difference
- London is 7 to 8 hours behind
- Currency
- Pounds sterling, in cash
Shanghai to London takes between twelve and a half and fourteen and a half hours westbound, and which end of that range you get depends entirely on the airline. London is seven or eight hours behind Shanghai.
Two hours, for the same city pair
This is the clearest example anywhere of the airspace question showing up on your boarding pass. Chinese carriers fly over Russia and reach Heathrow in about twelve and a half hours. British Airways goes around it and takes nearly fifteen. Same two cities, same day, over two hours apart.
If the fare and the times are close, the shorter flight is worth taking. Two hours in a seat is not nothing, and it also changes when you arrive.
Heathrow, mostly
Most services use Heathrow, though China Eastern and Air China also run Pudong to Gatwick. Check which one your ticket says before you book a hotel or a car, because the two airports are on opposite sides of London and an hour and a half apart in traffic.
You will need a visa
This is the part to settle first. A Chinese passport needs a Standard Visitor visa for the United Kingdom, not the lighter electronic authorisation that many nationalities use. Applications take time and cost money, so start before you buy a ticket you cannot change.
The gap works for you beforehand
Eight hours means your evening is London’s lunchtime. That is a good window for arranging anything in advance, and arranging in advance is the normal way here. Turning up and hoping is not.
The flight home
The flight home is the quicker one. Heading east you have the jet stream behind you rather than against you, which is worth about an hour on a route this long, so London back to Shanghai is shorter than the flight you took to get here. Pleasant, and easy to forget when you are working out how much of the day the return will eat.
Before you book
Most visitors travelling on a Chinese passport need a Standard Visitor visa before they fly. Applications take time and carry a fee, so settle it before you buy a ticket you cannot change. The official check if you need a UK visa service tells you what applies to your passport.
When to get in touch
London runs 8 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 7pm and 7am your time land during London working hours, which is when replies actually come. For most people that is the evening and the night, so send in the evening and expect the answer to be waiting when you wake.
Areas near where you land at Heathrow
The big figure is the straight line distance from the airport in miles, and nothing about travel time, which in London is always longer. Each page has the stations, the route from Heathrow and the measured rates.
Also close to where you land, with no profiles of their own but a guide to getting there and how outcall works: Feltham, Hayes, Hounslow, Southall.
Other cities in East Asia
See every departure city
Cities with a similar flight time
Common questions
How long is the flight from Shanghai to London?
The flight from Shanghai Pudong International takes about 12.5 to 14.5 hours westbound. Add the connection time if your fare has a stop, and allow for getting to and through the airport at both ends.
What is the time difference between Shanghai and London?
London is 7 to 8 hours behind. The United Kingdom and most other countries change their clocks on different dates, so for a few weeks each spring and autumn the gap shifts by an hour.
What time should I message from Shanghai?
London runs 8 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 7pm and 7am your time land during London working hours, which is when replies actually come. For most people that is the evening and the night, so send in the evening and expect the answer to be waiting when you wake.
Which London airport do flights from Shanghai land at?
Most land at Heathrow, about fifteen miles west of central London and on the Piccadilly line and the Elizabeth line. Some services use Gatwick, to the south, so check the airport on your ticket before you book a hotel.
Do I need a visa to fly from Shanghai to London?
Most visitors travelling on a Chinese passport need a Standard Visitor visa. Use the official GOV.UK check if you need a UK visa service for your own passport, and apply well before you book flights you cannot change.
Do I need to arrange things before I fly?
It helps. Good diaries fill days ahead, and arranging from home means you are doing it awake and unhurried instead of jet lagged in an unfamiliar city.
Is escorting legal in the UK?
Yes, in England and Wales it is legal for two consenting adults to exchange sex or company for money. What is illegal is the activity around it, such as soliciting in the street, running a brothel or controlling someone else's work. The Crown Prosecution Service sets this out in its published guidance.
Is prostitution legal in the UK?
Selling and buying sex between consenting adults is not itself a crime in England, Wales or Scotland. Northern Ireland is the exception, where paying for sex has been an offence since 1 June 2015. Public soliciting, brothel keeping and exploiting another person's work are offences in different forms across the UK.