The World Expo 2010 Shanghai is shaping up as the grandest in history. It's already one of the busiest and held in a country with the world's largest population. It has taken a monumental effort from the organizers to assemble and is proving to be a test for visitors to find their way through the maze of queues and pavilions. Pan Zheng offers some valuable suggestions and tips on how to tour the Expo site so visitors can get the best experience possible.Make queuing easier

When you get into the Expo site, the long lines you see and the prospect of queuing can be frustrating.

However, if you have no plan of what pavilions to visit, listen carefully to the public broadcasting system which provides information about the status of queues, such as where the waiting time has been two hours or longer.

By disregarding the popular pavilions, you'll see more on your visit in the limited time you have available.

If you decide to queue, we suggest you take a partner so that you can take a break or go to the toilet in turn during the wait.

In addition, bring an MP3, PSP or even a little folding chair to make the experience easier and comfortable.

For some pavilions, you can also enjoy the sights while in a queue. The Israel Pavilion is one of them. Different from many others, visitors to the Israel Pavilion queue in the Enlightening Garden in front of the main building.

It's a quiet garden with 54 orange trees forming a long green corridor. Sit on a chair in the garden and listen to the birds singing and the time will pass quickly.

Ask volunteers for help

You can find volunteers in green T-shirts anywhere inside the Expo site.

No matter what you want to know, like where's the nearest restaurant or toilet, or how to save queuing time, they have the answers.

But if the question can't be answered satisfactorily, the volunteers will refer you to the nearest consulting station. The staff there are better informed and offer other services, such as providing wheelchairs and free drinking water.

Where to get some dinner

Most restaurants on the site are all full at meal times.

If you have difficulty in finding a seat inside, you can buy takeaway meals from the special service lanes. Many national pavilions also have their own special restaurants, such as the Australia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Uruguay, France and Malaysia pavilions.

All the food reflects their national cuisine styles, and they're often less crowded than the public restaurants outside. The only point you need to consider is the costs, which range from 20 yuan (US$2.93) to 200 yuan.

Pick the right time

To get into the Expo site, it is not possible to avoid the security inspection. It may take more than an hour to get past the security check at some main entrances during busy periods. However, if you plan your route properly, you can save a lot of time.

Choosing the right entrance is one way of effectively saving time. At entrances on Yuntai Road, Bailianjing Road and most water points, there are often fewer people waiting than in other areas so you can get through much faster. In addition, we suggest you get to the Expo site around 10am, because 9am is the peak time for arrivals.

If you arrive at 10am, it feels like you're one hour late but by this time the queues have shortened so you don't need to wait so long and when you get into the site you won't be far behind those who arrived at 9am.

Puxi for the morning, Pudong for the afternoon

After several visits, we find that starting with Puxi section in the morning and then doing Pudong in the afternoon is a good way to avoid the crowds. Many visitors often rush to the four pavilions along the central axis once they get in.

Even if they cannot get into the China Pavilion immediately, they probably wait in other national pavilions nearby.

In the morning there are fewer people in the Puxi section which hosts the Urban Best Practices Area, the City Footprint Pavilion and the enterprise pavilions. Although all these pavilions and areas have plenty of highlights, they're not always as popular as the central area of the Pudong site in the morning.

Therefore, it's a good option to visit Puxi area when you first arrive.

Around 3pm is a good time to get to the Pudong section by ferry boat, Metro line or bus. At night, the magnificent night views are also very impressive.

Convenient transit

The Expo site occupies an area of about 3.28 square kilometers. To walk around such a huge area, it's obviously tough on your feet.

However, take advantage of transit services inside the site to make things a little easier on yourself.

The transit system covers about 95 percent of the Expo site. There's a bus stop every 200-300 meters and three bus lines -- Expo Yuejiang Line, Expo Avenue Line and the East Longhua Road Line. If it's your first visit, use the buses to get to your desired pavilions and save energy.

In addition, you can also choose to take the ferry boat to cross the Huangpu River. To take a boat, you don't have to wait in a long queue but can also enjoy the views along the river banks, especially at night when all the lights are on.

There are six ferry piers on the Expo site, three in Puxi and three in Pudong, respectively near the Africa Joint Pavilion, Baosteel Stage, the Japan Pavilion, the China Aviation Pavilion, the Korea Enterprise Pavilion and the Expo Museum.

Beautiful views outside

The beauty of Expo does not only exist inside the pavilions, but also can be found outdoors. During your tour, if you need a break from being inside, spare some time to wander around the site.

Many famous Expo exhibits are not actually inside the pavilions, such as the bronze statue of the "Little Mermaid" at the Denmark Pavilion and the "Golden Beauty" of the Luxembourg Pavilion.

Both are national treasures of their country and sit outside the pavilion. The "Little Mermaid" is displayed in the half-opened part of the Denmark Pavilion and the "Golden Beauty" is on a 3-meter-high steel pillar at the entrance of the Luxembourg Pavilion.

Many pavilions, such as the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy, have been designed by world-leading architects and should be appreciated from all angles, particularly from outside and you don't have to queue to do that.

Also, wandering along the skywalk or sitting in ferry boats and buses are also good ways to appreciate the site's attraction and full size.

The skywalk, especially along the Central Axis, allows views of the most popular pavilions, including the China Pavilion from both sides.