Atlas of China
Shanghai to Guangzhou 上海 – 广州
Door to door, the flight comes out ahead: about 5 hours against about 6½ 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 ¥730 against ¥855.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed trainShanghai Hongqiao 上海虹桥 → Guangzhou North 广州北 | 6 h 14 minG251, fastest | 6½ hours | ¥855standard class | 1106:51–17:43 |
| FlightShanghai Hongqiao (SHA) → Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) | 2 h 35 minin the air | 5 hours | about ¥730varies by day | 5706:55–22:55 |
By train
11 direct high-speed trains a day run from Shanghai Hongqiao to Guangzhou North, between 06:51 and 17:43. The fastest, G251, takes 6 h 14 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥855. Coming back, 10 trains a day, the fastest 6 h 11 min (G252, 08:27 to 20:30).
Shanghai: Hongqiao station adjoins Hongqiao Airport (SHA); most international flights use Pudong (PVG).
By air
57 nonstop flights a day from Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) to Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN), 2 h 35 min in the air, 06:55 to 22:55, with China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Juneyao Air. 58 fly back. Door to door, with the airports at each end, count about 5 hours; fares vary by day and are typically about ¥730.
Stops on the way
Cities between the two with direct trains from Shanghai and on to Guangzhou, so the trip can be broken there.
At the other end
Featured places around Guangzhou.
-
Canton Tower & Pearl River 广州塔
A slim-waisted tower glowing over the Pearl River in China's Cantonese food capital
Around Shanghai: The Bund & Lujiazui Skyline, Shanghai Disney Resort, Lujiazui, Shanghai Museum, Yu Garden & City God Temple.
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 Shanghai · About Guangzhou · Where Shanghai reaches in a day · Where Guangzhou 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.