Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Shanghai to Toronto. The Toronto approach on the left side delivers the most dramatic single view of the flight — the CN Tower and downtown skyline framed against Lake Ontario is a genuinely striking arrival. The Shanghai departure on the right is excellent but the left side wins overall because the Lake Ontario approach is one of the cleaner urban arrival views in North America, and for much of the transpacific routing the left side also faces south toward the Aleutian Islands chain and the Gulf of Alaska coastline during the polar arc.

During takeoff from Shanghai Pudong International (PVG), sit on the Right side for the best views. Pudong departures on runway 16R/34L typically head northeast or north over the Yangtze River estuary. The right side gives you a clear view of the Huangpu River confluence, the sprawling Pudong financial district skyline, and the vast mudflats and shipping lanes of the Yangtze mouth. The left side faces inland toward flat agricultural Jiangsu with little of visual interest. Notable sights include: Yangtze River estuary and its broad muddy delta, Pudong skyline including the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Tower visible to the southwest, Chongming Island's flat agricultural expanse, dense container port facilities at Yangshan visible to the south.

When landing at Lester B Pearson International (YYZ), sit on the Left side for the best views. Pearson typically lands from the east or northeast on runways 05/23 or 06L/24R. On approach from the east, the left side faces south over Lake Ontario, giving you the Toronto waterfront, the CN Tower, and the downtown skyline clearly visible across the water. The right side looks north over flat suburban sprawl of the 905 belt with little visual interest. Notable sights include: Lake Ontario's blue expanse, Toronto downtown skyline with CN Tower clearly identifiable, Toronto Islands and Billy Bishop Airport in the harbor, the Scarborough Bluffs along the lake's north shore.

The flight from Shanghai Pudong International (PVG) to Lester B Pearson International (YYZ) takes Approximately 13 to 14.5 hours depending on winds and routing.

The great circle route arcs northeast over the East China Sea, crosses southern Hokkaido or Sakhalin Island, then tracks across the Sea of Okhotsk toward the Kamchatka Peninsula — a volcanically active range visible on clear days. The route then crosses the Gulf of Alaska, passing south of the Alaska Range and the Kenai Peninsula, before crossing the Canadian Rockies in British Columbia and Alberta, where the jagged peaks of the Rockies are visible below on clear days, then descending across the flat Canadian Shield and Great Lakes region into Toronto.