Atlas of China
Shanghai to Qingdao 上海 – 青岛
Door to door, the high-speed train comes out ahead: about 5 hours against about 4 hours by flight, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. Fares run ¥302 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 trainShanghai Hongqiao 上海虹桥 → Qingdao North 青岛北 | 4 h 45 minD2162, fastest | 5 hours | ¥302standard class | 1207:05–16:32 |
| FlightShanghai Pudong (PVG) → Qingdao Jiaodong (TAO) | 1 h 35 minin the air | 4 hours | about ¥400varies by day | 1806:50–22:30 |
By train
12 direct high-speed trains a day run from Shanghai Hongqiao to Qingdao North, between 07:05 and 16:32. The fastest, D2162, takes 4 h 45 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥302. Coming back, 13 trains a day, the fastest 4 h 51 min (D2125, 06:52 to 18:19).
Shanghai: Hongqiao station adjoins Hongqiao Airport (SHA); most international flights use Pudong (PVG). Qingdao: Qingdao North also has many high-speed trains.
By air
18 nonstop flights a day from Shanghai Pudong (PVG) to Qingdao Jiaodong (TAO), 1 h 35 min in the air, 06:50 to 22:30, with China Eastern Airlines, Shandong Airlines and Juneyao Air. 16 fly back. Door to door, with the airports at each end, count about 4 hours; fares vary by day and are typically about ¥400.
At the other end
Featured places around Qingdao.
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Qingdao Old Town & Seafront 青岛
Red roofs, German-era villas, sea breezes and the home of Tsingtao beer
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Mount Lao (Laoshan) 崂山
A granite Taoist mountain rising straight from the Yellow Sea, east of Qingdao
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 Qingdao · Where Shanghai reaches in a day · Where Qingdao 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.