How to Travel from Beijing to Shanghai | 2023 Travel Tips

What is the fastest way to travel from Beijing to Shanghai? How about the cheapest? Here we cover all the different ways to get from Beijing to Shanghai by train, plane or bus to help plan your trip.

As you plan your travel from Beijing to Shanghai, you thankfully have a number of options to choose from. The transportation method you choose really depends on your budget and time frame.

The most common way to make the journey is by high-speed train. Of course, you can also make the trip by airplane, bus, and a select few even make a road trip out of it.

Having made this trip many times, I’d like to share with you the best ways you can travel from Beijing to Shanghai by train, plane and bus.

It boils down to the following options (click to jump down to that section):

Below I’m going to walk through the pros and cons of each option.

If you’re looking for even more detail for your China planning, check out my highly-reviewed book Travel to China | Everything You Need to Know Before You Go, available for both Kindle and as a paperback.

**Note: All the travel methods below are applicable whether you travel from Beijing to Shanghai or you travel from Shanghai to Beijing by train.

Note: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you, I may be compensated if you choose to use one of the services listed below. Thank you for your support of this free resource!

Travel from Beijing to Shanghai by Train (Recommended)

Traveling from Beijing to Shanghai by train is the fastest and arguably the best method out there.

If I had to make a recommendation to you, this is the way I would go.

Because the high-speed train travels up to 350 km/hr, it can finish the 819 miles within 4.5 hours.

While the actual travel time from Beijing to Shanghai by train is longer than by plane, it’s so much easier to get through train station security than airport security.

Trust me!

It’s also worth mentioning that most train stations in China are located in very convenient parts of the city, while airports are often an hour outside of town, adding additional travel time.

Ticket prices vary on the class you purchase but thankfully the prices don’t fluctuate like flight prices do.

Most trains are broken up into 2nd class, 1st class and business class sections, but generally speaking, they’re all pretty comfortable.

You can use the train ticket booking widget to the right or try to purchase China train tickets directly online. The primary thing to remember is to choose a “G” train, which specifically refers to high-speed trains.

Another reason for choosing this option is to experience the fastest passenger trains in the world. Going from Beijing to Shanghai by train is a fun experience and a speedy ride!

Travel From Beijing to Shanghai by Airplane (Easiest)

The second fastest option is to travel from Beijing to Shanghai by plane.

In most cases, this will also be the most expensive option (there are exceptions), but for most travelers it might also be the easiest.

The flight is only around 2 hours, but you need to factor time for traveling to the airport, checking-in, getting through security and hoping your flight is not delayed.

When all added together, I’d venture to guess there’s a high probability that you will travel from Beijing to Shanghai faster by high-speed train.

The only circumstance where I recommend taking a plane is if you need to be at your destination on the same day and tickets for the bullet train are all sold out.

Should flying sound like the best option for you, I recommend booking travel from Beijing to Shanghai via Trip.com, which has the best prices in my experience.

Travel Beijing to Shanghai by Overnight Train (i.e. “Slow Train”)

If speed is not overly important and you are traveling on a tight budget, taking a 12-hour overnight sleeper train is a great means of travel.

Sleeper trains run through the evening and you have your own private bunk to sleep away the journey.

The biggest perk from traveling by sleeper train is that it is incredibly budget friendly. Although the costs are similar to the bullet train – especially if you opt for a soft sleeper ticket – you save a night’s worth of hotel expenses with the overnight train.

You can also save more money by opting for a hard sleeper ticket, which lacks the luxury of a private compartment and has six beds in a single space rather than four.

READ MORE: Learn about different classes of China trains, including how comfortable they may be and what to expect.

Whatever you do, please don’t take the hard seat for the sake of saving money. Picture yourself sharing seats with hundreds of people in a single carriage without being able to get a single wink of sleep during the entire journey. You are likely to be in plenty of pain from sitting in the hard seat all night long too.

This is not at all worth the savings.

While there are many pros to doing Beijing to Shanghai by train overnight, there are a number of cons to be aware of including:

• Tickets should be purchased well in advance. Often times, both soft sleeper and hard sleeper tickets sell out a week or more before the train leaves. This gives you no choice but to brave the hard seats. Don’t let this happen to you and get your tickets bought early!
• Don’t plan on having a perfect night’s sleep. While the bunks are comfortable enough, I always managed to be stuck with someone who snored obnoxiously throughout the night. (pro tip: bring earplugs!)

The last thing to remember here is when buying train tickets is that most of the standard (i.e. slow) China trains are labeled with a “T”, a “K” or just numbers.

Travel Beijing to Shanghai by Long-Distance Bus (You’re Crazy!)

More adventurous travelers may see the appeal in taking a long distance commuter bus from Beijing to Shanghai as a means of exploring the countryside and conversing with locals along the way.

However, this is arguably the worst way to travel from Beijing to Shanghai.

The journey takes around 18 hours and since there are a number of different kinds of buses (some with beds, some with seats), there are varying levels of comfort to consider.

Just a quick FYI: testimonials from foreigners that have made the journey claimed the trip was horrible.

The most recent comments I can find on TripAdvisor dated back to 2007, making me think that no one makes this trip by bus anymore (I know I haven’t!).

So do yourself a favor and avoid the long distance bus from Beijing to Shanghai.

Travel from Beijing to Shanghai by Car

Traveling from Beijing to Shanghai by private car, while possible, can be complicated. It’s also not cheap and can be more expensive than taking a plane.

In many cases, you’ll be required to pay for the round trip between the two cities, even if you only need one way. The driver needs to get back home!

Should you be planning to drive yourself from Beijing to Shanghai, you would have to first get your drivers license and then rent a car, which are both reasonably easy but do take time.

In short, this isn’t a cost-effective way to travel from Beijing to Shanghai.

Although refundable, you can expect to fork over a hefty deposit to rent a car. You can also expect to pay many tollway fees throughout your trip.

Final Thoughts: Travel from Beijing to Shanghai

Honestly, you cannot beat traveling from Beijing to Shanghai by train, particularly high-speed train. Similar to travel between Beijing and Xian, it is the fastest and easiest way to make the journey.

For budget travelers, I recommend taking a sleeper train overnight. This way you save money and can reduce your hotel expenses by a full day.