Atlas of China
Shanghai to Zhengzhou 上海 – 郑州
Door to door, the high-speed train comes out ahead: about 4 hours against about 4½ hours by flight, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. Fares run ¥515 against about ¥550. 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 → Zhengzhou East 郑州东 | 3 h 42 minG94, fastest | 4 hours | ¥515standard class | 6306:09–20:45 |
| FlightShanghai Pudong (PVG) → Zhengzhou Xinzheng (CGO) | 2 hin the air | 4½ hours | about ¥550varies by day | 1006:50–22:25 |
By train
63 direct high-speed trains a day run from Shanghai Hongqiao to Zhengzhou East, between 06:09 and 20:45. The fastest, G94, takes 3 h 42 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥515. Coming back, 63 trains a day, the fastest 3 h 43 min (G96, 06:50 to 21:54).
Shanghai: Hongqiao station adjoins Hongqiao Airport (SHA); most international flights use Pudong (PVG).
By air
10 nonstop flights a day from Shanghai Pudong (PVG) to Zhengzhou Xinzheng (CGO), 2 h in the air, 06:50 to 22:25, with China Southern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines and China Eastern Airlines. 11 fly back. Door to door, with the airports at each end, count about 4½ hours; fares vary by day and are typically about ¥550.
Stops on the way
Cities between the two with direct trains from Shanghai and on to Zhengzhou, so the trip can be broken there.
At the other end
Featured places around Zhengzhou.
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Henan Museum 河南博物院
Zhengzhou's treasure house of Central Plains bronzes, jades and Neolithic finds
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.
Book
About Shanghai · About Zhengzhou · Where Shanghai reaches in a day · Where Zhengzhou 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.