China High-Speed Rail: Journey Times Between Key Cities
Typical fastest journey times on the routes travellers use most — so you can decide where the train beats a flight.
- Rule of thumb
- Under ~5 hours, the train usually wins
- Top speed
- Up to 350 km/h on main lines
- Classes
- Second, first and business class
- Times shown
- Fastest typical services — many trains are slower
Typical fastest journey times
Times below are approximate fastest services; stopping trains on the same route can take considerably longer. Always check the timetable for your date on 12306.
- Beijing → Shanghai: about 4.5 hours (fastest services around 4 h 20 min)
- Beijing → Xi’an: about 4.5–6 hours
- Xi’an → Chengdu: about 3–4 hours
- Chengdu → Chongqing: about 1–1.5 hours
- Shanghai → Suzhou: about 25–35 minutes
- Shanghai → Hangzhou: about 45–60 minutes
- Hangzhou → Huangshan North: about 1.5–2 hours
- Guangzhou → Guilin: about 2.5–3 hours
- Hong Kong West Kowloon → Guangzhou South: under 1 hour
- Kunming → Dali: about 2 hours; Dali → Lijiang: about 1.5 hours
- Beijing → Harbin: about 5–7 hours
- Xi’an → Luoyang: about 1.5–2 hours
When to fly instead
For Beijing or Shanghai to Chengdu, Guilin, Kunming, Xi’an–Dunhuang or anywhere in the far west, a flight is usually faster door to door. Domestic flights do have earlier check-in and more frequent delays, so give yourself a buffer.
Which class?
Second class is comfortable for most journeys (2+3 seating). First class (2+2) is worth it for trips over 3 hours. Business class has lie-flat seats and is priced closer to a flight.
FAQ
Is it faster to take the train or fly from Beijing to Shanghai?
Door to door the train is usually comparable or faster — about 4.5 hours city centre to city centre, with no airport security queues.
Related briefings
Sources
Rules change often. If something here no longer matches the official source, the official source wins — and please tell us at [email protected].
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