Atlas of China
Chengdu to Kunming 成都 – 昆明
Door to door, the flight comes out ahead: about 4 hours against about 6 hours by high-speed train, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. Fares run about ¥410 against ¥527.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed trainChengdu East 成都东 → Kunming South 昆明南 | 5 h 51 minG2803, fastest | 6 hours | ¥527standard class | 2407:05–23:46 |
| FlightChengdu Tianfu (TFU) → Kunming Changshui (KMG) | 1 h 25 minin the air | 4 hours | about ¥410varies by day | 2107:30–23:00 |
By train
24 direct high-speed trains a day run from Chengdu East to Kunming South, between 07:05 and 23:46. The fastest, G2803, takes 5 h 51 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥527. Coming back, 26 trains a day, the fastest 5 h 49 min (G2822, 07:00 to 16:54).
Chengdu: Tianfu (TFU), about 50 km south-east, is the busier airport; Shuangliu (CTU) is closer in, and Trip.com's CTU city code covers both.
By air
21 nonstop flights a day from Chengdu Tianfu (TFU) to Kunming Changshui (KMG), 1 h 25 min in the air, 07:30 to 23:00, with China Eastern Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and Air China. 20 fly back. Door to door, with the airports at each end, count about 4 hours; fares vary by day and are typically about ¥410.
Stops on the way
Cities between the two with direct trains from Chengdu and on to Kunming, so the trip can be broken there.
At the other end
Featured places around Kunming.
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Chengjiang Fossil Site & Fuxian Lake 澄江化石地与抚仙湖
Half-billion-year-old fossils of early animals beside one of China's deepest lakes
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Green Lake Park 翠湖公园
Kunming's favourite park, where wintering gulls wheel over willow-lined causeways
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Western Hills & Dragon Gate 西山龙门
Taoist grottoes and a single-file ledge path cut into a cliff high above Dianchi Lake
Around Chengdu: Chengdu Giant Panda Base, Sanxingdui Museum, Dujiangyan Irrigation System, Mount Qingcheng, Wuhou Shrine & Jinli Street.
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 Chengdu · About Kunming · Where Chengdu reaches in a day · Where Kunming 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.