Atlas of China
Chengdu to Songpan 成都 – 松潘
Door to door, the high-speed train comes out ahead: about 2 hours against about 3½ hours by flight, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. Fares run ¥135 against about ¥400. The stations are in or near the city centres, which is what tips it.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed trainChengdu East 成都东 → Songpan 松潘 | 1 h 33 minC5782, fastest | 2 hours | ¥135standard class | 2606:01–18:38 |
| FlightChengdu Tianfu (TFU) → Jiuzhai Huanglong (JZH) | —in the air | about ¥400varies by day | listedmay not fly daily | |
| By road308 km | 5 h | 5 hours |
By train
26 direct high-speed trains a day run from Chengdu East to Songpan, between 06:01 and 18:38. The fastest, C5782, takes 1 h 33 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥135. Coming back, 26 trains a day, the fastest 1 h 34 min (C9468, 07:59 to 21:31).
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. Songpan: C and D trains from Chengdu East take about 1.5 hours; Huanglong Jiuzhai station, one stop north, is nearer Huanglong, Jiuzhaigou and Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport.
By air
A nonstop route is listed between Chengdu Tianfu (TFU) and Jiuzhai Huanglong (JZH), but it may not fly every day: check your date.
By road
308 km by road, about 5 h of driving: routed on OpenStreetMap, with speeds calibrated on measured trips.
At the other end
Featured places around Songpan in Aba.
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Huanglong Scenic Area 黄龙
Thousands of terraced travertine pools spill down a mountain valley like a golden dragon
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Songpan Ancient Town 松潘古城
A walled market town of the old tea-and-horse trade, and a base for horse treks
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 · Aba, with Songpan · Where Chengdu 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.