Atlas of China
Xi'an to Shanghai 西安 – 上海
Door to door, the flight comes out ahead: about 5 hours against about 6 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 ¥740 against ¥756.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed trainXi'an North 西安北 → Shanghai Hongqiao 上海虹桥 | 5 h 50 minG96, fastest | 6 hours | ¥756standard class | 3306:13–21:41 |
| FlightXi'an Xianyang (XIY) → Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) | 2 h 20 minin the air | 5 hours | about ¥740varies by day | 3006:30–21:30 |
By train
33 direct high-speed trains a day run from Xi'an North to Shanghai Hongqiao, between 06:13 and 21:41. The fastest, G96, takes 5 h 50 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥756. Coming back, 33 trains a day, the fastest 5 h 39 min (G94, 06:09 to 18:33).
Xi'an: Trains to Shiyan and on to Wuhan via the new line use Xi'an East, opened in June 2026. Shanghai: Hongqiao station adjoins Hongqiao Airport (SHA); most international flights use Pudong (PVG).
By air
30 nonstop flights a day from Xi'an Xianyang (XIY) to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA), 2 h 20 min in the air, 06:30 to 21:30, with China Eastern Airlines, Juneyao Air and Spring Airlines. 29 fly back. Door to door, with the airports at each end, count about 5 hours; fares vary by day and are typically about ¥740.
Stops on the way
Cities between the two with direct trains from Xi'an and on to Shanghai, so the trip can be broken there.
- Nanjing 南京 950 km from Xi'an · 4 h 41 min there, 1 h on
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 Xi'an: Terracotta Army, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Huaqing Palace, Xi'an City Wall, Han Yangling Mausoleum.
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 Xi'an · About Shanghai · Where Xi'an 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.