Shanghai to Guilin by High-Speed Train
Fastest 11h · from ¥317 second class · 4 daily trains · Flight wins vs flight
Verified against 12306 on 2026-04-30.
The Shanghai to Guilin corridor is 1,900 km of G/D-class high-speed rail. Trains run from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station to Guilin North Railway Station, with the fastest service taking 11h and the longest about 15h. Second-class seats start at ¥317 – ¥761. 11-hour train vs 3-hour flight — flight wins unless scenery is the point.
Quick facts
- Distance
- 1,900 km
- Train types
- G, D
- Duration
- 11h – 15htypical mainline services
- Daily departures
- 4 trains
- Service window
- 07:50 → 12:30
- Second class
- ¥317 – ¥761
- First class
- ¥1214 – ¥1218
- Business class
- ¥2096 – ¥2396
- Scenery
- ★★★★★our editorial rating
Train vs flight
| Metric | Train | Flight |
|---|---|---|
| Fastest | 11h | 2h 50m |
| Door-to-door | ~12h | 5h 50m |
| Price | ¥317 – ¥761 | ¥700 – ¥1500 |
Editor: 11-hour train vs 3-hour flight — flight wins unless scenery is the point.
Stations
- 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 atGuilin North Railway StationGuilin · G/D-class · ~20 min to city centre
No metro; take bus 100 or taxi (~¥25) to downtown. For Yangshuo, use Yangshuo HSR station (~30 min south).
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 Shanghai → Guilin 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 Shanghai ↔ Guilin guide →
Related routes
Other trips from Shanghai
- Shanghai → Suzhou · 23m
- Shanghai → Nanjing · 1h
- Shanghai → Hangzhou · 45m
- Shanghai → Xiamen · 5h
Other trips to Guilin
- Guangzhou → Guilin · 2h 35m
- Chengdu → Guilin · 11h 30m
- Beijing → Guilin · 10h
Or explore the full interactive HSR map with all 24 cities and 36 corridors.