Route guide · High-speed rail
Shenzhen to Guangzhou by High-Speed Train (2026)
130 km from Shenzhen to Guangzhou — about 30m on the fastest G-train, with around 507 departures a day.
China for Travelers EditorialUpdated Rail data refreshed monthly
- 2nd class
- ¥72 – ¥75
- what everyone buys
- Frequency
- 507/day
- 06:00–23:26
- Train types
- G · C
- G = fastest
- Flight
- —
- train wins
Train wins vs flying — door-to-door about 1h 30m by train. No flight route. Train every few minutes.
The route at a glance
The Shenzhen to Guangzhou corridor is 130 km of G/C-class high-speed rail. Trains run from Shenzhen North Railway Station to Guangzhou South Railway Station, with the fastest service taking 30m and most in the 30m – 50m range. Second-class seats start at ¥72 – ¥75. No flight route. Train every few minutes.
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 | 30m | — in the air |
| Door-to-door | ~1h 30m | — |
| Price | ¥72 – ¥75 | — |
Editor: No flight route. Train every few minutes.
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 | ¥72 – ¥75 | 3+2 seating, a tray table and power at every seat. |
| First class | ¥90 – ¥100 | 2+2 seating, wider and quieter — worth it on a longer ride. |
| Business class | ¥200 | Lie-flat / deep-recline pods at the front of the train. |
Stations on this route
- Departing fromShenzhen North Railway StationShenzhen · G/D/C-class · ~30 min to city centre
Main HSR gateway to Hong Kong. Passport self-service machines on ground floor.
- Arriving atGuangzhou South Railway StationGuangzhou · G/D/C-class · ~40 min to city centre
Main HSR hub for the Pearl River Delta. Connects to Hong Kong West Kowloon in ~50 min.
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 Shenzhen ↔ Guangzhou guide →
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Shenzhen to Guangzhou train?
The fastest high-speed train covers the 130 km in 30m, with most services in the 30m–50m range. Trains are G/C-class.
How much is a Shenzhen to Guangzhou train ticket?
Second class is ¥72 – ¥75, first class ¥90 – ¥100, business class ¥200. Fares are dynamically priced — peak departures trend to the high end of each band.
How many trains run from Shenzhen to Guangzhou each day?
About 507 trains a day each way, with the first around 06:00 and the last around 23:26.
Is there a flight between Shenzhen and Guangzhou?
There is no practical commercial flight on this corridor — the high-speed train is the standard way to travel between Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
How do I book Shenzhen to Guangzhou 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.
Once you reach Guangzhou
The train is the easy part — here’s what to do at the other end.
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 Shenzhen ↔ Guangzhou guide.