Atlas of China
Beijing to Shanghai 北京 – 上海
Door to door, the high-speed train comes out ahead: about 4½ hours against about 5 hours by flight, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. Fares run ¥661 against about ¥660. The stations are in or near the city centres, which is what tips it.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed trainBeijing South 北京南 → Shanghai Hongqiao 上海虹桥 | 4 h 18 minG25, fastest | 4½ hours | ¥661standard class | 5006:18–21:21 |
| FlightBeijing Capital (PEK) → Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) | 2 h 15 minin the air | 5 hours | about ¥660varies by day | 6507:00–21:35 |
By train
50 direct high-speed trains a day run from Beijing South to Shanghai Hongqiao, between 06:18 and 21:21. The fastest, G25, takes 4 h 18 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥661. Coming back, 48 trains a day, the fastest 4 h 24 min (G12, 06:31 to 21:15).
Beijing: Several main stations: South (Shanghai), West (Xi'an, Wuhan), Chaoyang (north-east) and North or Qinghe (Datong, Hohhot); flights use Capital (PEK) or Daxing (PKX). Shanghai: Hongqiao station adjoins Hongqiao Airport (SHA); most international flights use Pudong (PVG).
By air
65 nonstop flights a day from Beijing Capital (PEK) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA), 2 h 15 min in the air, 07:00 to 21:35, with China Eastern Airlines, Air China and Hainan Airlines. 68 fly back. Door to door, with the airports at each end, count about 5 hours; fares vary by day and are typically about ¥660.
Stops on the way
Cities between the two with direct trains from Beijing and on to Shanghai, so the trip can be broken there.
At the other end
Featured places around Shanghai.
-
The Bund & Lujiazui Skyline 外滩与陆家嘴
1920s banks on one bank of the river, a sci-fi skyline on the other
-
Shanghai Disney Resort 上海迪士尼度假区
Mainland China's first Disney theme park, with a castle, rides and nightly shows
-
Lujiazui 陆家嘴
Shanghai's skyline in a loop of river: spheres, a twisting tower and the Bund opposite
-
Shanghai Museum 上海博物馆
Ancient Chinese bronzes, ceramics, painting and jade, now shown at Shanghai Museum East
Around Beijing: Forbidden City, Ming Tombs, Summer Palace, Fragrant Hills Park, Universal Beijing Resort.
On the map
Open either city on the illustrated map, or put both in a trip and let the planner lay out the days and the legs between them, with the same tables these numbers come from.
Book
About Beijing · About Shanghai · Where Beijing reaches in a day · Where Shanghai reaches in a day · All routes
Trains are every direct train on 2026-10-28 or 2026-11-11 in the 12306 timetable, with standard-class fares; one weekday, so weekend and holiday services differ, and the fastest train may not run every day. Flights are the airlines' schedules for 2026-10-28, plus routes Wikipedia lists for small airports. Drives are routed on OpenStreetMap roads (extract of 2026-10-21) where the pair was routed, else estimated from the distance. Door-to-door times add about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time to a flight. How to book is in the guide to trains and 12306; the rail times are open data on the data page.