Is it better to fly or take the train in China?

For most routes under about 1,500 km, high-speed rail beats flying door to door. Shanghai-Beijing takes 4 hours 30 minutes by train against a 2h20m flight plus airport time. For long distances such as Shanghai-Chengdu (10.5 hours by rail versus a 3-hour flight), flying is the better choice.

How long is the train from Shanghai to Beijing?

The fastest high-speed trains cover Shanghai to Beijing in about 4 hours 30 minutes, with second-class fares around 576-697 CNY. The flight takes 2h20m, but door-to-door the train is usually the better choice between the two city centres.

When is flying better than taking the train in China?

Flying wins on long distances. Shanghai-Chengdu is 10 hours 30 minutes by rail versus a 3-hour flight; Shanghai-Guangzhou is 6h50m by rail versus 2h30m in the air. For routes under about 1,500 km, the train is usually faster door to door.

How do I book Chinese train tickets as a foreigner?

You can register on the official 12306 platform with a foreign passport, or book through Trip.com. See the EVENTURUS Train Ticket Booking Guide for the full step-by-step walkthrough.

China City Transit Matrix

Every route, compared

Of the 120 city pairs here, the train is the better choice on 56 and flying on 64. Distance alone does not settle it: rail wins from 85 km to 1,400 km, and flights win from 460 km up, so the two overlap between roughly 500 and 1,400 km. What decides those is line speed and how far the airport sits from town. Zhengzhou to Guangzhou is 1,400 km and still a train at 5h30m, while Dalian to Beijing is only 460 km and still a flight, because the rail leg takes 4h30m. 12 pairs have no usable flight and 16 have no high-speed line.

120 city pairs, with the rail and air option side by side. Distances are in kilometres, fares in yuan.
From	To	Train	Train fare	Flight	Air fare	Distance	Better
Shanghai	Beijing	4h30m	¥576 - 697	2h20m	¥800-1,200	1,318	Train
Shanghai	Nanjing	1h05m	¥135	—	—	295	Train
Shanghai	Hangzhou	45m	¥73	—	—	165	Train
Shanghai	Suzhou	30m	¥40	—	—	100	Train
Shanghai	Guangzhou	6h50m	¥793	2h30m	¥600-1,000	1,500	Flight
Shanghai	Shenzhen	7h30m	¥820	2h30m	¥600-1,100	1,500	Flight
Shanghai	Chengdu	10h30m	¥1,000	3h00m	¥700-1,300	1,980	Flight
Shanghai	Xi'an	5h30m	¥670	2h30m	¥600-1,100	1,370	Train
Shanghai	Wuhan	4h30m	¥520	1h50m	¥500-800	839	Train
Shanghai	Changsha	5h00m	¥550	2h00m	¥500-900	1,050	Train
Shanghai	Kunming	9h35m	¥1,150	3h30m	¥600-1,200	2,100	Flight
Shanghai	Guilin	9h00m	¥800	2h30m	¥500-900	1,500	Flight
Shanghai	Qingdao	5h00m	¥550	1h30m	¥400-800	814	Flight
Shanghai	Xiamen	7h00m	¥630	1h50m	¥500-900	1,100	Flight
Shanghai	Harbin	10h30m	¥1,100	3h00m	¥600-1,200	2,300	Flight
Shanghai	Chongqing	9h00m	¥950	2h45m	¥500-1,100	1,900	Flight
Shanghai	Lhasa	—	—	4h30m	¥1,500-2,500	2,900	Flight
Beijing	Nanjing	3h20m	¥445	2h00m	¥500-900	1,020	Train
Beijing	Hangzhou	4h30m	¥540	2h15m	¥500-1,000	1,280	Train
Beijing	Xi'an	4h20m	¥515	2h10m	¥500-1,000	920	Train
Beijing	Guangzhou	8h00m	¥960	3h00m	¥600-1,300	2,100	Flight
Beijing	Shenzhen	9h00m	¥1,050	3h00m	¥600-1,300	2,100	Flight
Beijing	Chengdu	7h30m	¥780	2h50m	¥600-1,200	1,800	Flight
Beijing	Wuhan	4h00m	¥520	2h15m	¥500-900	1,200	Train
Beijing	Changsha	5h30m	¥650	2h30m	¥500-1,000	1,500	Flight
Beijing	Harbin	5h00m	¥540	2h00m	¥400-900	1,280	Train
Beijing	Qingdao	3h00m	¥315	1h30m	¥400-800	670	Train
Beijing	Kunming	10h30m	¥1,200	3h30m	¥700-1,400	2,600	Flight
Beijing	Guilin	8h30m	¥950	3h00m	¥600-1,100	2,100	Flight
Beijing	Xiamen	9h00m	¥1,000	3h00m	¥600-1,200	2,100	Flight
Beijing	Lhasa	—	—	4h00m	¥1,500-3,000	2,600	Flight
Beijing	Chongqing	9h00m	¥950	2h45m	¥600-1,200	1,900	Flight
Beijing	Suzhou	4h30m	¥520	—	—	1,100	Train
Guangzhou	Shenzhen	30m	¥75	—	—	140	Train
Guangzhou	Guilin	2h30m	¥310	1h10m	¥400-700	480	Train
Guangzhou	Changsha	2h30m	¥315	1h30m	¥400-800	650	Train
Guangzhou	Wuhan	3h30m	¥465	2h00m	¥500-900	1,000	Train
Guangzhou	Chengdu	8h00m	¥820	2h30m	¥500-1,000	1,500	Flight
Guangzhou	Kunming	6h30m	¥660	2h20m	¥500-1,000	1,300	Train
Guangzhou	Xiamen	3h30m	¥370	1h30m	¥400-800	550	Train
Guangzhou	Nanjing	6h00m	¥700	2h40m	¥500-900	1,300	Flight
Guangzhou	Hangzhou	6h00m	¥680	2h10m	¥500-900	1,200	Flight
Chengdu	Chongqing	1h30m	¥155	—	—	280	Train
Chengdu	Xi'an	3h30m	¥440	1h30m	¥400-800	700	Train
Chengdu	Kunming	4h30m	¥480	1h20m	¥400-800	800	Train
Chengdu	Lhasa	—	—	2h20m	¥800-1,800	1,300	Flight
Chengdu	Lijiang	—	—	1h15m	¥400-900	500	Flight
Chengdu	Zhangjiajie	—	—	1h40m	¥400-800	600	Flight
Chengdu	Guangzhou	8h00m	¥820	2h20m	¥500-1,000	1,500	Flight
Chengdu	Wuhan	7h00m	¥750	2h10m	¥500-900	1,130	Flight
Chengdu	Changsha	6h30m	¥680	2h00m	¥400-800	1,000	Flight
Nanjing	Hangzhou	1h00m	¥115	—	—	240	Train
Nanjing	Suzhou	30m	¥50	—	—	85	Train
Nanjing	Wuhan	3h00m	¥350	1h30m	¥400-700	600	Train
Wuhan	Changsha	1h30m	¥200	—	—	350	Train
Xi'an	Wuhan	4h00m	¥500	1h40m	¥400-800	750	Train
Xi'an	Chongqing	5h00m	¥550	1h30m	¥400-800	650	Flight
Xi'an	Guilin	6h00m	¥600	2h00m	¥500-900	1,200	Flight
Kunming	Lijiang	3h00m	¥230	1h00m	¥300-600	500	Train
Kunming	Guilin	4h00m	¥450	1h30m	¥400-700	800	Train
Guilin	Zhangjiajie	5h00m	¥500	—	—	500	Train
Hangzhou	Xiamen	5h00m	¥550	1h45m	¥500-900	850	Flight
Qingdao	Beijing	3h00m	¥315	1h30m	¥400-800	670	Train
Chongqing	Guilin	4h30m	¥450	1h30m	¥400-700	560	Train
Chongqing	Xi'an	5h00m	¥550	1h30m	¥400-800	650	Flight
Dalian	Beijing	4h30m	¥261	1h20m	¥400-900	460	Flight
Dalian	Shanghai	10h	¥612	1h50m	¥500-1,100	1,060	Flight
Dalian	Guangzhou	12h	¥872	3h20m	¥700-1,500	2,400	Flight
Dalian	Chengdu	11h	¥776	3h	¥600-1,300	2,200	Flight
Dalian	Harbin	4h30m	¥244	1h10m	¥300-800	660	Flight
Dalian	Zhengzhou	7h	¥448	1h50m	¥400-1,000	1,300	Flight
Dalian	Qingdao	4h	¥240	1h10m	¥300-600	500	Train
Tianjin	Beijing	30m	¥55	—	—	130	Train
Tianjin	Shanghai	4h30m	¥508	2h	¥400-900	1,000	Train
Tianjin	Guangzhou	9h	¥642	3h	¥600-1,400	2,000	Flight
Tianjin	Chengdu	8h	¥571	2h50m	¥500-1,200	1,900	Flight
Tianjin	Xi'an	5h30m	¥371	1h50m	¥300-800	1,100	Flight
Zhengzhou	Beijing	2h30m	¥252	1h30m	¥300-700	690	Train
Zhengzhou	Shanghai	4h	¥343	1h40m	¥400-800	820	Train
Zhengzhou	Guangzhou	5h30m	¥426	2h	¥400-1,000	1,400	Train
Zhengzhou	Chengdu	5h	¥370	1h50m	¥400-900	1,100	Train
Zhengzhou	Xi'an	2h	¥187	1h	¥200-500	480	Train
Zhengzhou	Wuhan	2h	¥176	1h	¥200-500	450	Train
Changchun	Harbin	1h	¥94	50m	¥200-500	260	Train
Changchun	Beijing	5h30m	¥341	1h40m	¥400-900	980	Flight
Changchun	Shanghai	11h	¥653	2h30m	¥500-1,100	1,700	Flight
Changchun	Dalian	3h	¥143	1h	¥300-600	600	Train
Changchun	Guangzhou	13h	¥880	3h40m	¥700-1,600	2,600	Flight
Jinan	Beijing	1h30m	¥168	1h	¥200-500	400	Train
Jinan	Shanghai	3h	¥252	1h20m	¥300-700	650	Train
Jinan	Guangzhou	9h	¥680	2h40m	¥500-1,200	1,800	Flight
Jinan	Nanjing	2h	¥194	1h10m	¥300-600	480	Train
Jinan	Qingdao	1h30m	¥117	—	—	310	Train
Fuzhou	Shanghai	3h30m	¥258	1h20m	¥300-700	780	Train
Fuzhou	Guangzhou	4h30m	¥293	1h30m	¥300-800	820	Train
Fuzhou	Beijing	8h	¥600	2h30m	¥500-1,100	1,800	Flight
Fuzhou	Chengdu	10h	¥560	2h40m	¥500-1,200	1,600	Flight
Fuzhou	Xiamen	1h30m	¥88	50m	¥200-400	230	Train
Fuzhou	Shenzhen	5h	¥325	1h20m	¥300-700	820	Flight
Guiyang	Guangzhou	4h30m	¥271	1h30m	¥300-700	730	Train
Guiyang	Chengdu	3h30m	¥263	1h10m	¥300-600	640	Train
Guiyang	Beijing	8h30m	¥700	2h50m	¥500-1,200	2,100	Flight
Guiyang	Shanghai	8h	¥560	2h30m	¥400-1,000	1,600	Flight
Guiyang	Kunming	2h	¥165	1h	¥200-500	350	Train
Guiyang	Guilin	2h30m	¥149	50m	¥200-500	400	Train
Lanzhou	Xi'an	3h	¥229	1h10m	¥300-600	550	Train
Lanzhou	Beijing	8h	¥540	2h30m	¥500-1,200	1,750	Flight
Lanzhou	Shanghai	11h	¥630	2h50m	¥500-1,200	1,700	Flight
Lanzhou	Chengdu	6h30m	¥407	1h20m	¥300-700	700	Flight
Lanzhou	Lhasa	—	—	2h30m	¥800-1,600	1,400	Flight
Sanya	Guangzhou	—	—	1h30m	¥300-800	800	Flight
Sanya	Beijing	—	—	4h	¥800-1,800	2,600	Flight
Sanya	Shanghai	—	—	3h	¥600-1,400	2,000	Flight
Sanya	Shenzhen	—	—	1h20m	¥300-700	750	Flight
Sanya	Chengdu	—	—	2h30m	¥500-1,200	1,500	Flight
Ürümqi	Beijing	—	—	4h	¥700-1,800	2,400	Flight
Ürümqi	Shanghai	—	—	5h	¥800-2,000	3,200	Flight
Ürümqi	Chengdu	—	—	3h20m	¥600-1,500	2,000	Flight
Ürümqi	Lanzhou	—	—	2h20m	¥400-1,000	1,780	Flight
Ürümqi	Lhasa	—	—	2h40m	¥500-1,200	1,300	Flight

China City Transit Matrix

Is it better to fly or take the train in China?

Quick reference

Popular routes

Every route, compared

How this was compiled

Frequently asked questions

Is it better to fly or take the train in China?

How long is the train from Shanghai to Beijing?

When is flying better than taking the train in China?

How do I book Chinese train tickets as a foreigner?

China City Transit Matrix

Is it better to fly or take the train in China?

Quick reference

Popular routes

Every route, compared

How this was compiled

Related Tools

Frequently asked questions

Is it better to fly or take the train in China?

How long is the train from Shanghai to Beijing?

When is flying better than taking the train in China?

How do I book Chinese train tickets as a foreigner?