CHINA

Beijing

With 27 lines,  over 700 stations and more than ten million riders on a busy day, Beijing’s metro is a world beneath the city, teeming with history and culture.

Several stations feel like mini-galleries. At Nanluoguxiang Station, murals and designs highlight old hutong alleyways, while Beihai North Station features artwork inspired by traditional ink painting. During rush hour you might be shoulder to shoulder with commuters, but look up and you’ll see details celebrating the city’s heritage.

The metro also has quirky superlatives. Xizhimen Station is so large and maze-like that locals joke it’s a “fitness test” to walk from one end to the other. Meanwhile, Guomao Station connects Beijing’s business district with one of the busiest transfers in Asia, moving nearly a million people through its corridors each day.

For travelers, the metro is often the easiest way to reach iconic sites: Beigongmen Station for the Summer Palace, Tiantandongmen Station for the Temple of Heaven and Qianmen Station right at the southern gate of the old city. Fast, affordable and surprisingly artistic, Beijing’s metro is more than transportation – it’s a moving museum of the city’s past and present.

Shanghai

Shanghai’s metro stretches further than any other in the world – over 830 kilometers – but beyond the record books are stories that surprise even locals.

One hidden gem is the Station of Literature. At Longyang Road Station, commuters once discovered vending machines filled not with snacks, but with books – part of a city project encouraging passengers to read during their rides. Other stations still feature poetry on walls, blending culture with commutes.

Design enthusiasts love Lujiazui Station, which delivers you directly into Shanghai’s futuristic skyline. But not everyone knows about West Nanjing Road Station, where the platforms are styled with art celebrating Shanghai’s fashion and nightlife, a nod to its reputation as the “Paris of the East.”

And then there’s People’s Square Station – so enormous that three metro lines crisscross like a subterranean city. With more than 20 exits, it’s nearly impossible to meet someone here without careful planning; locals joke that losing friends in People’s Square is a rite of passage.

The metro is also famous for its speed of expansion: in just 30 years, Shanghai went from having no metro at all to operating one of the busiest systems on Earth. On a peak day, it carries more than 13 million riders, nearly the population of an entire country.

Whether you’re chasing art, literature or pure efficiency, Shanghai’s metro is proof that a daily commute can be a cultural journey.