Atlas of China
Xi'an to Nanjing 西安 – 南京
Door to door, the flight comes out ahead: about 4½ hours against about 5 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 ¥610 against ¥600.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed trainXi'an North 西安北 → Nanjing South 南京南 | 4 h 41 minG92, fastest | 5 hours | ¥600standard class | 2906:13–21:41 |
| FlightXi'an Xianyang (XIY) → Nanjing Lukou (NKG) | 2 hin the air | 4½ hours | about ¥610varies by day | 1107:55–22:05 |
By train
29 direct high-speed trains a day run from Xi'an North to Nanjing South, between 06:13 and 21:41. The fastest, G92, takes 4 h 41 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥600. Coming back, 29 trains a day, the fastest 4 h 38 min (G94, 07:38 to 21:19).
Xi'an: Trains to Shiyan and on to Wuhan via the new line use Xi'an East, opened in June 2026.
By air
11 nonstop flights a day from Xi'an Xianyang (XIY) to Nanjing Lukou (NKG), 2 h in the air, 07:55 to 22:05, with China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Juneyao Air. 11 fly back. Door to door, with the airports at each end, count about 4½ hours; fares vary by day and are typically about ¥610.
At the other end
Featured places around Nanjing.
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Purple Mountain & Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum 南京钟山风景区
A forested mountain on Nanjing's edge, crowned by a blue-roofed hilltop tomb
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Fuzimiao and the Qinhuai River 夫子庙—秦淮风光带
Nanjing's lantern-lit Confucius Temple quarter, beside painted boats on the Qinhuai
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City Wall of Nanjing 南京城墙
The Ming capital's brick ramparts, anchored by the vast fortress of Zhonghua Gate
Around Xi'an: Terracotta Army, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Huaqing Palace, Xi'an City Wall, Han Yangling Mausoleum.
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 Xi'an · About Nanjing · Where Xi'an reaches in a day · Where Nanjing 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.