Atlas of China
Changsha to Haikou 长沙 – 海口
Door to door, the flight comes out ahead: about 5 hours against about 20½ hours by train, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. Fares run about ¥610 against ¥210.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TrainChangsha 长沙 → Haikou 海口 | 20 h 7 minK457, fastest | 20½ hours | ¥210standard class | 210:38–21:38 |
| FlightChangsha Huanghua (CSX) → Haikou Meilan (HAK) | 2 h 15 minin the air | 5 hours | about ¥610varies by day | 1107:20–21:30 |
By train
2 direct trains a day run from Changsha to Haikou, between 10:38 and 21:38. The fastest, K457, takes 20 h 7 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥210. It runs overnight, so a sleeper berth saves a hotel night. Coming back, 2 trains a day, the fastest 19 h 55 min (Z502, 13:50 to 20:15).
Haikou: Hainan's ring high-speed line is not linked to the mainland network; trains to the mainland cross the strait by ferry.
By air
11 nonstop flights a day from Changsha Huanghua (CSX) to Haikou Meilan (HAK), 2 h 15 min in the air, 07:20 to 21:30, with Hainan Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Donghai Airlines. 11 fly back. Door to door, with the airports at each end, count about 5 hours; fares vary by day and are typically about ¥610.
Stops on the way
Cities between the two with direct trains from Changsha and on to Haikou, so the trip can be broken there.
At the other end
Around Changsha: Hunan Museum.
On the map
Open either city on the illustrated map, or put both in a trip and let the planner lay out the days and the legs between them, with the same tables these numbers come from.
Book
About Changsha · About Haikou · Where Changsha reaches in a day · Where Haikou reaches in a day · All routes
Trains are every direct train on 2026-10-28 or 2026-11-11 in the 12306 timetable, with standard-class fares; one weekday, so weekend and holiday services differ, and the fastest train may not run every day. Flights are the airlines' schedules for 2026-10-28, plus routes Wikipedia lists for small airports. Drives are routed on OpenStreetMap roads (extract of 2026-10-21) where the pair was routed, else estimated from the distance. Door-to-door times add about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time to a flight. How to book is in the guide to trains and 12306; the rail times are open data on the data page.