Route guide · High-speed rail
Hangzhou to Nanjing by High-Speed Train (2026)
270 km from Hangzhou to Nanjing — about 1h 15m on the fastest G-train, with around 153 departures a day.
China for Travelers EditorialUpdated Rail data refreshed monthly
- 2nd class
- ¥115 – ¥249
- what everyone buys
- Frequency
- 153/day
- 06:06–23:56
- Train types
- G
- G = fastest
- Flight
- —
- train wins
Train wins vs flying — door-to-door about 2h 15m by train. No direct flights worth considering. Train every 15–30 min.
The route at a glance
The Hangzhou to Nanjing corridor is 270 km of G-class high-speed rail. Trains run from Hangzhou East Railway Station to Nanjing South Railway Station, with the fastest service taking 1h 15m and most in the 1h 15m – 1h 45m range. Second-class seats start at ¥115 – ¥249. No direct flights worth considering. Train every 15–30 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 15m | — in the air |
| Door-to-door | ~2h 15m | — |
| Price | ¥115 – ¥249 | — |
Editor: No direct flights worth considering. Train every 15–30 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 | ¥115 – ¥249 | 3+2 seating, a tray table and power at every seat. |
| First class | ¥187 – ¥400 | 2+2 seating, wider and quieter — worth it on a longer ride. |
| Business class | ¥368 – ¥831 | Lie-flat / deep-recline pods at the front of the train. |
Stations on this route
- Departing fromHangzhou East Railway StationHangzhou · G/D/C-class · ~20 min to city centre
45 min from Shanghai Hongqiao. West Lake is 20 min by metro Line 1.
- 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.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Hangzhou to Nanjing train?
The fastest high-speed train covers the 270 km in 1h 15m, with most services in the 1h 15m–1h 45m range. Trains are G-class.
How much is a Hangzhou to Nanjing train ticket?
Second class is ¥115 – ¥249, first class ¥187 – ¥400, business class ¥368 – ¥831. Fares are dynamically priced — peak departures trend to the high end of each band.
How many trains run from Hangzhou to Nanjing each day?
About 153 trains a day each way, with the first around 06:06 and the last around 23:56.
Is there a flight between Hangzhou and Nanjing?
There is no practical commercial flight on this corridor — the high-speed train is the standard way to travel between Hangzhou and Nanjing.
How do I book Hangzhou 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.