Atlas of China
Chengdu to Shanghai 成都 – 上海
Door to door, the flight comes out ahead: about 5 hours against about 10½ hours by high-speed train, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. Fares run about ¥950 against ¥1074.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed trainChengdu East 成都东 → Shanghai Hongqiao 上海虹桥 | 10 h 6 minG239, fastest | 10½ hours | ¥1074standard class | 1606:10–22:12 |
| FlightChengdu Shuangliu (CTU) → Shanghai Pudong (PVG) | 2 h 35 minin the air | 5 hours | about ¥950varies by day | 4307:00–20:50 |
By train
16 direct high-speed trains a day run from Chengdu East to Shanghai Hongqiao, between 06:10 and 22:12. The fastest, G239, takes 10 h 6 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥1074. Coming back, 16 trains a day, the fastest 10 h 31 min (G237, 06:01 to 20:45).
Chengdu: Tianfu (TFU), about 50 km south-east, is the busier airport; Shuangliu (CTU) is closer in, and Trip.com's CTU city code covers both. Shanghai: Hongqiao station adjoins Hongqiao Airport (SHA); most international flights use Pudong (PVG).
By air
43 nonstop flights a day from Chengdu Shuangliu (CTU) to Shanghai Pudong (PVG), 2 h 35 min in the air, 07:00 to 20:50, with China Eastern Airlines, Air China and Sichuan Airlines. 49 fly back. Door to door, with the airports at each end, count about 5 hours; fares vary by day and are typically about ¥950.
At the other end
Featured places around Shanghai.
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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
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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
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Lujiazui 陆家嘴
Shanghai's skyline in a loop of river: spheres, a twisting tower and the Bund opposite
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Shanghai Museum 上海博物馆
Ancient Chinese bronzes, ceramics, painting and jade, now shown at Shanghai Museum East
Around Chengdu: Chengdu Giant Panda Base, Sanxingdui Museum, Dujiangyan Irrigation System, Mount Qingcheng, Wuhou Shrine & Jinli Street.
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 Chengdu · About Shanghai · Where Chengdu 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.