Route guide · High-speed rail
Shanghai to Nanjing by High-Speed Train (2026)
301 km from Shanghai to Nanjing — about 1h on the fastest G-train, with around 346 departures a day.
China for Travelers EditorialUpdated Rail data refreshed monthly
- 2nd class
- ¥55 – ¥171
- what everyone buys
- Frequency
- 346/day
- 00:19–23:51
- Train types
- G
- G = fastest
- Flight
- —
- train wins
Train wins vs flying — door-to-door about 2h by train. No commercial flights. G-trains every ~15 min.
The route at a glance
The Shanghai to Nanjing corridor is 301 km of G-class high-speed rail. Trains run from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station to Nanjing South Railway Station, with the fastest service taking 1h and most in the 1h – 1h 45m range. Second-class seats start at ¥55 – ¥171. No commercial flights. G-trains every ~15 min.
Train vs flight
Both stations are in town, so the train is door-to-door; the flight adds airport transfers and security each end. Here is the trade on this corridor:
| High-speed train | Flight | |
|---|---|---|
| Fastest | 1h | — in the air |
| Door-to-door | ~2h | — |
| Price | ¥55 – ¥171 | — |
Editor: No commercial flights. G-trains every ~15 min.
Classes and price
Fares are dynamically priced — peak departures trend to the high end of each band, the cheapest seats go to off-peak mid-week trains. The seat is identical across trains in the same class.
| Class | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Second classmost buy | ¥55 – ¥171 | 3+2 seating, a tray table and power at every seat. |
| First class | ¥238 – ¥274 | 2+2 seating, wider and quieter — worth it on a longer ride. |
| Business class | ¥459 – ¥497 | Lie-flat / deep-recline pods at the front of the train. |
Stations on this route
- Departing fromShanghai Hongqiao Railway StationShanghai · G/D/C-class · ~35 min to city centre
Co-located with Hongqiao Airport. Huge; budget 20 min from metro to platform.
- Arriving atNanjing South Railway StationNanjing · G/D/C-class · ~25 min to city centre
One of Asia's largest HSR stations. Beijing–Shanghai G-trains stop here.
How to book with a foreign passport
12306 English app — the official China Railway channel: face-value fares, no booking fee. The trade-off is hassle — passport registration must be approved before you can buy (often slow), and customer service is Chinese-first and limited if a booking goes wrong.
Trip.com ↗ — the same China Railway seats, booked in English with a foreign Visa or Mastercard, no verification wait and 24/7 multilingual support. Prices track 12306, and with new-customer promotions Trip often comes out level or cheaper. As China’s largest OTA you can also add hotels, attraction tickets and tours to the same trip. See the booking walkthrough.
Still deciding? Read the full 12306 vs Trip.com comparison. Tickets open exactly 15 days before departure, and the good daytime slots sell first.
Book on Trip.comNASDAQ: TCOM
One of the few platforms selling real China Railway tickets in English, to a foreign passport and card. (Is it legit? — 12306 vs Trip.com.)
Booking through our Trip.com links costs you nothing extra and helps fund our independent research — we earn a small commission. How we’re funded.
Deep guide available. We have a full editorial write-up for this route — when to go, which class to pick, station tips, things to do at both ends. Read the Shanghai ↔ Nanjing guide →
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Shanghai to Nanjing train?
The fastest high-speed train covers the 301 km in 1h, with most services in the 1h–1h 45m range. Trains are G-class.
How much is a Shanghai to Nanjing train ticket?
Second class is ¥55 – ¥171, first class ¥238 – ¥274, business class ¥459 – ¥497. Fares are dynamically priced — peak departures trend to the high end of each band.
How many trains run from Shanghai to Nanjing each day?
About 346 trains a day each way, with the first around 00:19 and the last around 23:51.
Is there a flight between Shanghai and Nanjing?
There is no practical commercial flight on this corridor — the high-speed train is the standard way to travel between Shanghai and Nanjing.
How do I book Shanghai to Nanjing tickets with a foreign passport?
Two ways: the official 12306 English app (face price, passport-bound account, no booking fee) or Trip.com (English UI, foreign cards accepted, 24/7 multilingual support; new-customer promos often bring the price level with or below 12306). Tickets open exactly 15 days before departure.
Verification scope
Route data — distance, journey time, fare bands and daily frequencies — is sampled from China’s national rail system and refreshed monthly. This is an auto-generated route record in our curated 25-city dataset.
Confirm before booking: exact schedules and fares vary by train and season under dynamic pricing. For the hand-written editorial guide, see the Shanghai ↔ Nanjing guide.