How far is Nanjing from Shanghai?

270 km in a straight line and 285 km by rail.

Shanghai to Nanjing 上海 – 南京

Door to door, the high-speed train comes out ahead: about 1½ hours against about 3½ hours by flight, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. A standard-class seat is ¥162. The stations are in or near the city centres, which is what tips it.

Way	Time	Door to door	Fare	A day
High-speed trainShanghai Hongqiao 上海虹桥 → Nanjing South 南京南	59 minG94, fastest	1½ hours	¥162standard class	29005:45–23:40
FlightShanghai Pudong (PVG) → Nanjing Lukou (NKG)	1 h 5 minin the air	3½ hours		122:50
By road364 km, estimated	7 h	7 hours

By train

290 direct high-speed trains a day run from Shanghai Hongqiao to Nanjing South, between 05:45 and 23:40. The fastest, G94, takes 59 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥162. Coming back, 288 trains a day, the fastest 1 h (G35, 05:13 to 22:51).

Shanghai: Hongqiao station adjoins Hongqiao Airport (SHA); most international flights use Pudong (PVG).

By air

One nonstop flight a day from Shanghai Pudong (PVG) to Nanjing Lukou (NKG), 1 h 5 min in the air, at 22:50, with China Eastern Airlines. One flies back.

By road

Roughly 364 km by road and about 7 hours of driving, estimated from the distance.

Stops on the way

Cities between the two with direct trains from Shanghai and on to Nanjing, so the trip can be broken there.

Suzhou 苏州 80 km from Shanghai · 21 min there, 44 min on
Changzhou 常州 160 km from Shanghai · 35 min there, 29 min on

At the other end

Featured places around Nanjing.

Purple Mountain & Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum 南京钟山风景区

A forested mountain on Nanjing's edge, crowned by a blue-roofed hilltop tomb

Best time: Apr–May, late Oct–Nov · Time needed: 1 day · 5A scenic area · National heritage site
Fuzimiao and the Qinhuai River 夫子庙—秦淮风光带

Nanjing's lantern-lit Confucius Temple quarter, beside painted boats on the Qinhuai

Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: Half a day · 5A scenic area
City Wall of Nanjing 南京城墙

The Ming capital's brick ramparts, anchored by the vast fortress of Zhonghua Gate

Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1–2 hours · National heritage site

Around Shanghai: The Bund & Lujiazui Skyline, Shanghai Disney Resort, Lujiazui, Shanghai Museum, Yu Garden & City God Temple.

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.

Open Shanghai on the map Open Nanjing Add both to a trip

Book

About Shanghai · About Nanjing · Where Shanghai reaches in a day · Where Nanjing 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.