Route guide · High-speed rail
Shanghai to Guilin by High-Speed Train (2026)
1,900 km from Shanghai to Guilin — about 11h on the fastest G-train, with around 4 departures a day.
China for Travelers EditorialUpdated Rail data refreshed monthly
- 2nd class
- ¥317 – ¥761
- what everyone buys
- Frequency
- 4/day
- 07:50–12:30
- Train types
- G · D
- G = fastest
- Flight
- 2h 50m
- flight wins
Flight wins vs flying — door-to-door about 12h by train vs 5h 50m flying. 11-hour train vs 3-hour flight — flight wins unless scenery is the point.
The route at a glance
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 most in the 11h – 15h range. Second-class seats start at ¥317 – ¥761. 11-hour train vs 3-hour flight — flight wins unless scenery is the point.
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 | 11h | 2h 50m in the air |
| 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.
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 | ¥317 – ¥761 | 3+2 seating, a tray table and power at every seat. |
| First class | ¥1214 – ¥1218 | 2+2 seating, wider and quieter — worth it on a longer ride. |
| Business class | ¥2096 – ¥2396 | 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 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 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 Shanghai to Guilin train?
The fastest high-speed train covers the 1,900 km in 11h, with most services in the 11h–15h range. Trains are G/D-class.
How much is a Shanghai to Guilin train ticket?
Second class is ¥317 – ¥761, first class ¥1214 – ¥1218, business class ¥2096 – ¥2396. Fares are dynamically priced — peak departures trend to the high end of each band.
How many trains run from Shanghai to Guilin each day?
About 4 trains a day each way, with the first around 07:50 and the last around 12:30.
Is the train or the flight better for Shanghai to Guilin?
11-hour train vs 3-hour flight — flight wins unless scenery is the point. Door-to-door the train is ~12h vs ~5h 50m flying.
How do I book Shanghai to Guilin 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.