Route guide · High-speed rail
Xiamen to Shanghai by High-Speed Train (2026)
1,100 km from Xiamen to Shanghai — about 5h on the fastest G-train, with around 30 departures a day.
China for Travelers EditorialUpdated Rail data refreshed monthly
- 2nd class
- ¥495 – ¥580
- what everyone buys
- Frequency
- 30/day
- 06:20–15:15
- Train types
- G · D
- G = fastest
- Flight
- 1h 50m
- comparable
Comparable vs flying — door-to-door about 6h by train vs 4h 50m flying. 5-hour train is tolerable; flight is ~1 hr faster door-to-door. Pick on price.
The route at a glance
The Xiamen to Shanghai corridor is 1,100 km of G/D-class high-speed rail. Trains run from Xiamen North Railway Station to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, with the fastest service taking 5h and most in the 5h – 7h range. Second-class seats start at ¥495 – ¥580. 5-hour train is tolerable; flight is ~1 hr faster door-to-door. Pick on price.
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 | 5h | 1h 50m in the air |
| Door-to-door | ~6h | ~4h 50m |
| Price | ¥495 – ¥580 | ¥500 – ¥1400 |
Editor: 5-hour train is tolerable; flight is ~1 hr faster door-to-door. Pick on price.
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 | ¥495 – ¥580 | 3+2 seating, a tray table and power at every seat. |
| First class | ¥797 – ¥941 | 2+2 seating, wider and quieter — worth it on a longer ride. |
| Business class | ¥1491 – ¥1867 | Lie-flat / deep-recline pods at the front of the train. |
Stations on this route
- Departing fromXiamen North Railway StationXiamen · G/D-class · ~40 min to city centre
Far from Gulangyu ferry (~45 min). For short trips, Xiamen (main) station is closer.
- 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 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 Xiamen to Shanghai train?
The fastest high-speed train covers the 1,100 km in 5h, with most services in the 5h–7h range. Trains are G/D-class.
How much is a Xiamen to Shanghai train ticket?
Second class is ¥495 – ¥580, first class ¥797 – ¥941, business class ¥1491 – ¥1867. Fares are dynamically priced — peak departures trend to the high end of each band.
How many trains run from Xiamen to Shanghai each day?
About 30 trains a day each way, with the first around 06:20 and the last around 15:15.
Is the train or the flight better for Xiamen to Shanghai?
5-hour train is tolerable; flight is ~1 hr faster door-to-door. Pick on price. Door-to-door the train is ~6h vs ~4h 50m flying.
How do I book Xiamen to Shanghai 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 Shanghai
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.