Terminal 1

Gate 6 sits in the older side of PVG: Terminal 1

Terminal 1 at Shanghai Pudong (PVG) is the compact, older hall used by Spring Airlines, Air China, China Southern, plus some Japan and Taiwan carriers like Japan Airlines and China Airlines. It feels like legacy PVG: long linear concourses, low ceilings in spots, and fewer dining and shopping options than T2. If your connection runs 3–4 hours here, plan ahead instead of expecting a mega-hub full of distractions.

Layout: smaller footprint, split levels

T1 is organized over several floors: departures and security on Level 3, most gates and some cafés on Level 3 airside, and a restaurant strip on Level 4 above the main concourse. Domestic and international gates share the same basic shell but separate into different wings once you pass security, so check your boarding pass for the correct pier before you walk 10–15 minutes down the wrong side.

Food: go up to Level 4, not along the gates

After security in T1, regulars bypass the gate-level Starbucks and head straight to the fourth-floor restaurant level, reached by escalators near several mid-terminal gate clusters. Up there you’ll find chains like McDonald’s and KFC alongside local spots such as Kungfu, Xiaonanguo, Yoshinoya, and Dumpling House, giving you actual hot meals instead of just coffee and pastries. Prices sit in the 40–80 CNY range for most combo or noodle sets, higher than in the city but normal for a Chinese airport.

Public area food: Subway near Gate 6 and basic chains

In the public (landside) area on Level 3 of T1, a Subway outlet sits near Gate 6 check-in counters, handy if upstairs airside restaurants are slammed or closed. You’ll also see Starbucks and local cafés scattered near the check-in islands and between doors, with typical coffee prices around 30–40 CNY. If you land hungry on a late arrival before 22:00, it is usually easier to grab something here landside than to count on every airside spot staying open.

Lounges: check the hours, not just access

Terminal 1’s main lounges cluster near the mid and end sections of the concourses, with names like China Eastern No. 36 Lounge, China Eastern No. 39 Lounge, China Eastern No. 36 First Class Lounge, No. 1 Passenger Lounge, and VIP Lounge 144. Several of these lounges reportedly close overnight or run reduced hours, so a 01:00–05:00 layover can leave you camped in the general seating even if you hold priority access. Do not assume 24/7 operation just because your card or ticket lists “PVG T1 lounge access.”

Shops: basic duty free and boredom killers

Sunrise Duty Free is the main airside shop in T1, selling liquor, cosmetics, and cigarettes at prices that usually undercut downtown by at least a small margin on imported spirits. For reading material and last-minute snacks, Relay and C-Store outlets are scattered along the concourse with bottled water often around 10 CNY and instant noodles a bit higher. Old Shanghai Gifts carries magnets, tea, and qipao-style souvenirs that actually match the name on the storefront.

Landside services: left-luggage between Gates 8 and 9

In the T1 arrivals hall, the left-luggage counter sits between Gates 8 and 9, and regulars use it to drop larger suitcases before heading into the city. Storing a medium bag for the day costs roughly what you’d expect at a big Chinese station and frees you up to ride the Maglev or Metro Line 2 from PVG without dragging rollers. This setup makes a 6–10 hour layover far easier than sitting in the dated gate areas.

What regulars do with long layovers

For layovers above 5–6 hours, frequent PVG flyers often leave T1 entirely instead of sitting by the gates that Skytrax reviewers call “tired” and “like a time warp.” The usual move: drop bags at the arrivals left-luggage between Gates 8 and 9, hop the Maglev to Longyang Road in about 8 minutes, then use Metro Line 2 or a taxi for food and coffee in town. Many also avoid planning an overnight in T1 unless they have a nearby hotel, because some lounges shut and shops go dark, leaving only vending machines and the odd café past midnight.

Watch out for: boring waits and weak late-night options

FlyerTalk and Skytrax reviews line up on two points: older parts of PVG, including T1, feel empty on amenities and thin on late-night services. After roughly 22:00, many fourth-floor restaurants and some shops close, so a delayed 23:30 departure may mean you are hunting for the last open Starbucks or relying on C-Store snacks. Wayfinding signs toward “restaurants” can also point you downstairs to the gate level even though the better food sits one floor up.

Quick tip

Plan on 45–60 minutes from landing at a domestic gate in T1 to reaching the Maglev or Metro with a bag drop stop at the left-luggage counter between Gates 8 and 9, and front-load any real meals on the fourth-floor restaurant level before your boarding time hits T‑60.