Atlas of China
Shanghai to Tianjin 上海 – 天津
Door to door, the high-speed train comes out ahead: about 4½ hours against about 4½ hours by flight, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. Fares run ¥607 against about ¥610. 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 → Tianjin South 天津南 | 3 h 59 minG22, fastest | 4½ hours | ¥607standard class | 3406:31–21:15 |
| FlightShanghai Hongqiao (SHA) → Tianjin Binhai (TSN) | 2 h 10 minin the air | 4½ hours | about ¥610varies by day | 1508:20–21:55 |
By train
34 direct high-speed trains a day run from Shanghai Hongqiao to Tianjin South, between 06:31 and 21:15. The fastest, G22, takes 3 h 59 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥607. Coming back, 30 trains a day, the fastest 4 h 2 min (G17, 07:25 to 23:19).
Shanghai: Hongqiao station adjoins Hongqiao Airport (SHA); most international flights use Pudong (PVG). Tianjin: Intercity trains from Beijing South reach Tianjin station in about 30 minutes.
By air
15 nonstop flights a day from Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) to Tianjin Binhai (TSN), 2 h 10 min in the air, 08:20 to 21:55, with Shanghai Airlines, Air China and China Eastern Airlines. 15 fly back. Door to door, with the airports at each end, count about 4½ hours; fares vary by day and are typically about ¥610.
Stops on the way
Cities between the two with direct trains from Shanghai and on to Tianjin, so the trip can be broken there.
- Yancheng 盐城 270 km from Shanghai · 1 h 44 min there, 4 h 11 min on
- Lianyungang 连云港 430 km from Shanghai · 2 h 56 min there, 3 h 59 min on
At the other end
Featured places around Tianjin.
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Five Great Avenues 五大道
Leafy lanes of century-old villas from Tianjin's treaty-port days
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 Tianjin · Where Shanghai reaches in a day · Where Tianjin 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.