Beijing to Shanghai by High-Speed Train
Fastest 4h 18m · from ¥626 second class · 51 daily trains · Comparable vs flight
Verified against 12306 on 2026-04-30.
The Beijing to Shanghai corridor is 1,318 km of G-class high-speed rail. Trains run from Beijing South Railway Station to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, with the fastest service taking 4h 18m and the longest about 6h. Second-class seats start at ¥626 – ¥695. Flight ~30 min faster door-to-door, but train arrives downtown and can be half the price.
Quick facts
- Distance
- 1,318 km
- Train types
- G
- Duration
- 4h 18m – 6htypical mainline services
- Daily departures
- 51 trains
- Service window
- 06:18 → 21:22
- Second class
- ¥626 – ¥695
- First class
- ¥1035 – ¥1111
- Business class
- ¥2158 – ¥2318
- Scenery
- ★★☆☆☆our editorial rating
Train vs flight
| Metric | Train | Flight |
|---|---|---|
| Fastest | 4h 18m | 2h 15m |
| Door-to-door | ~5h 18m | 5h |
| Price | ¥626 – ¥695 | ¥750 – ¥1800 |
Editor: Flight ~30 min faster door-to-door, but train arrives downtown and can be half the price.
Stations
- Departing fromBeijing South Railway StationBeijing · G/D/C-class · ~25 min to city centre
Use passport at orange automated gates. English signage available. Allow 30 min before departure.
- Arriving atShanghai 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.
How to book
Two paths for foreign travelers — either the official Chinese system at face price, or a Western OTA for an English-first checkout with a small markup.
- 12306 (official): face price, no booking fee. Requires a passport-bound account. Step-by-step 12306 walkthrough →
- Trip.com: English UI, foreign cards work, small markup. Best when 12306 frustrates you. Search Beijing → Shanghai on Trip.com →
- Compare the two: read 12306 vs Trip.com →
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 Beijing ↔ Shanghai guide →
Related routes
Other trips from Beijing
- Beijing → Tianjin · 33m
- Beijing → Wuhan · 4h 20m
- Beijing → Datong · 1h 40m
- Beijing → Xi'an · 4h 10m
Or explore the full interactive HSR map with all 24 cities and 36 corridors.