Beijing and Xi'an to Chongqing: train or flight?

Quick answer

Checked September 2026.

• From Beijing, most people fly: about 40 direct flights a day go from Beijing Capital and Beijing Daxing airports to Chongqing, and the flight takes about 3 hours. There are also direct high-speed trains: about 7 hours at the fastest, about 9.5 hours on most. Second class is about 830–1,040 yuan. There is also a sleeper bullet train: board in the early evening and arrive at midday the next day.
• From Xi'an, take the high-speed train: about 25 a day, most taking 5 hours 10 minutes to 5 hours 35 minutes. Second class is about 300–530 yuan. There are only a few direct flights a day. Most trains from Xi'an stop at Chengdu East, so it is easy to see Chengdu on the way.

Beijing to Chongqing: train or flight?

Short on time, lots of luggage or travelling with older parents: fly. There are about 40 flights a day and the flight takes about 3 hours. Add getting to the airport, security and getting into the city after you land, and door to door it takes most of a day. If you want to see the country on the way, are staying near Beijing West station, or would rather not take another flight: take the high-speed train. The two fastest take about 7 hours, the rest 9.5–11 hours. To save a night in a hotel, take the sleeper bullet train: board in the early evening and arrive around midday the next day.

Beijing to Chongqing, checked September 2026

High-speed and overnight trains: 12306, checked on 30 September 2026 for trains on 1–9 October. Flights: Chongqing Jiangbei Airport official site, arriving flights on 30 September.

• Flights from Capital Airport are mostly Air China, Hainan Airlines and Sichuan Airlines. Flights from Daxing are mostly China Eastern, China Southern and Chongqing Airlines. When you book, check which airport it is: the two are a long way apart.
• All flights at Jiangbei Airport use T3. For getting into the city after you land, see "After you get off" below.

How long is the Beijing to Chongqing high-speed train, and how much is it?

The two fastest trains take about 7 hours. G329 leaves Beijing West at 06:55 in the morning and arrives at Chongqing North at 13:55. G331 leaves at 15:10 in the afternoon and arrives at 22:04. China's railways change their timetable in mid-October. Whether these two still run after the change, and at what time, check on 12306 for your date before you buy. The other trains take 9 hours 25 minutes to 11 hours 15 minutes. Second class is about 830–1,040 yuan, first class about 1,340–1,670 yuan and business class about 2,630–3,260 yuan.

Direct high-speed trains, Beijing to Chongqing (12306, trains on 8 October 2026)

Fares change by date and by train; go by the price when you buy. China's railways change their timetable nationwide in mid-October, so check again for your date before you set off.

• The fast and slow trains differ in their stops: G331 stops only at Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou East and Xiangyang East on the way, while G1197 stops at 15 stations.
• These trains all run via Zhengzhou and Xiangyang, then cross the mountains of western Hubei into Chongqing, with many tunnels on the way. Some of the slower trains also stop at Fengjie and Wanzhou North.
• Going back (Chongqing to Beijing), the fastest are G330, leaving Chongqing North at 07:21 and reaching Beijing West at 14:31, and G332, leaving at 14:33 and arriving at 21:44. Both take about 7 hours 10 minutes. After the timetable change, go by 12306 for these too.

Is there an overnight train from Beijing to Chongqing?

Yes, a bullet train with sleeper berths. D95 leaves Beijing West at 17:52 in the early evening and D3 at 18:04. They reach Chongqing North at 11:27 and 12:02 the next day, about 18 hours. A second-class berth is about 520 yuan and a first-class berth about 720–770 yuan. The sleeper bullet train from Beijing Fengtai at 20:41 (numbered D967 or D997, depending on the date) reaches Chongqing West at 10:22 the next day. It takes 13 hours 41 minutes, and a sleeper berth is about 1,100 yuan.

• The Fengtai train stops at Xi'an North at 05:14 and Chengdu East at 08:46, then goes on to Chongqing West.
• D49 leaves Beijing West at 11:07 in the morning and reaches Chongqing North at 05:17 the next morning, before the first metro train.
• The slower conventional trains (K507, T9) take more than 24 hours. We do not recommend them.

Xi'an to Chongqing: train or flight?

Take the high-speed train. On 9 October there were 26 trains, 24 of them from Xi'an North, with trains through the day from 07:38 to 17:43. Most take 5 hours 10 minutes to 5 hours 35 minutes. Second class is about 420–490 yuan on G trains and about 300–330 yuan on D trains. On the same day there were only 4 direct flights. The flight takes about 1.5 hours, but you also have to get to Xianyang Airport and go through security early.

Xi'an to Chongqing, a few typical trains (12306, trains on 9 October 2026)

Fares change by date and by train; go by the price when you buy.

• Most stop at Chengdu East: 21 of the 26 trains run via Hanzhong, Guangyuan and Chengdu East to Chongqing, and Chongqing West is where most of them arrive. If you want to see Xi'an, Chengdu and Chongqing one after another, this line already takes you that way. For how to plan Chengdu and Chongqing together, see our Chengdu and Chongqing itinerary.
• D trains go via Nanchong: D1979, D1711 and D1991 do not go through Chengdu. They run via Nanchong North to Chongqing, and their tickets are the cheapest.
• Xi'an East station: opened on 30 June 2026. G3894 from here runs via Shiyan, Wushan and Fengjie to Chongqing North, about 6 hours. G3898 runs via Shennongjia and Wanzhou North, about 5 hours 35 minutes. Wushan and Fengjie are where you see the Three Gorges without a cruise. If you want to stop off on the way, we can fit it into your private itinerary. For how, see the Three Gorges without a cruise.
• It will get faster: on the new Xi'an to Chongqing high-speed line, the Xi'an to Ankang section opened on 28 September 2026, and the Ankang to Chongqing section is still being built. Once the whole line is open, the trip will take about 2.5 hours.
• The other way (Chongqing to Xi'an) also has about 25 trains a day, leaving at any time from 06:41 to 17:59. Most take 5.5 to 6 hours.

Is there an overnight sleeper train from Xi'an to Chongqing?

Yes, but it is a conventional train, not a high-speed one. K507 leaves Xi'an East at 23:06 and reaches Chongqing North at 08:33 the next day, about 9.5 hours. A soft sleeper is about 270 yuan and a hard sleeper about 180 yuan. The other way, Z140 leaves Chongqing West at 22:09 and reaches Xi'an East at 06:15 the next day, and K508 leaves Chongqing North at 20:14 and arrives at 05:55. The daytime high-speed trains take only just over 5 hours, so most people do not need the night train.

Beijing, Xi'an and Chongqing in one trip: which order works best?

The smoothest order is Beijing, then Xi'an, then Chongqing, by high-speed train all the way. Beijing West to Xi'an North takes about 4 hours 10 minutes at the fastest, and Xi'an North to Chongqing about 5 hours. If you are short on time, fly direct from Beijing to Chongqing, about 3 hours, and save Xi'an for another trip. Beijing, Shaanxi (Xi'an) and Chongqing are all among the provinces covered by 240-hour visa-free transit. Travellers from eligible countries can enter at Beijing and leave from Chongqing, with an onward ticket to a third country or region with a confirmed date and seat. For which countries qualify and how the time is counted, see our Chongqing airport layover guide.

• Arriving around midday works best: G329 gets in at 13:55, and the trains leaving Xi'an between 07:38 and 09:41 get in between 13:11 and 15:30. You can start the same afternoon, then see Hongya Cave and the riverside night views in the evening.
• Arriving at night: G331 reaches Chongqing North at 22:04. Go straight to your hotel and start early the next morning.
• Sleeper bullet train: D95 and D3 arrive around midday, so you can carry on in the afternoon and save a night's hotel in Beijing.
• After Chongqing: for a Three Gorges cruise to Yichang, see our Three Gorges cruise boarding guide. For the high-speed train to Zhangjiajie, see Chongqing to Zhangjiajie. For the high-speed train to Chengdu, Shapingba and Chongqing West are the fastest: half the trains from Chongqing West take 1 hour 30 minutes or less, while half of those from Chongqing North take more than 2 hours. See Chengdu to Chongqing by bullet train. For how long to stay in Chongqing, see how many days in Chongqing.
• With older parents: fly the Beijing leg rather than take a high-speed train of more than 9 hours. See Chongqing for seniors.

Can foreigners buy train tickets themselves? What do I need to bring?

Yes. The 12306 website and app accept foreign passports. Since November 2023 you can verify your passport online, or at a station ticket window. Tickets go on sale 15 days ahead. On the day you travel, bring the original of the passport you used to buy the ticket: your passport is your ticket. Each person can carry 20 kg of luggage free. On high-speed and bullet trains, the length, width and height of each item must add up to no more than 130 cm.

• Popular trains sell out once sales open. When we checked on 30 September for trains from Xi'an to Chongqing on 9 October, 5 of them were already sold out. Once your dates are fixed, buy early.
• Stations stop letting passengers through the ticket gates some time before departure. The exact time is on the station's notice, so do not cut it fine.
• You can also let us buy them. We can buy your train tickets for you (we need your passport details). Just send us the date and the train you want.

After you get off: which Chongqing station, and how do I get into the city?

Most trains from Beijing arrive at Chongqing North, and most from Xi'an at Chongqing West; some also arrive at Shapingba. All flights land at Jiangbei Airport T3. Go by the station printed on the ticket, both for waiting and for meeting someone: the stations are a long way apart. By metro to the city centre, it is 14–26 minutes on the train and 3–5 yuan. Chongqing North has two squares, South and North. You can enter the station from either side, but they connect to different metro lines, so check before you leave the station.

By metro from the stations and the airport to the city centre (official Chongqing Rail Transit route planner, 30 September 2026; time on the train only, walking to change lines not included)

T3 to Jiefangbei is about 21–25 km, about 40 minutes by car with no traffic. For which exit to use at each station, see our Chongqing metro guide. For which area is the easiest base, see where to stay in Chongqing.

Once you reach Chongqing, how do we meet you?

Send us your train or flight number. We send a car to the station or terminal on your ticket, at your train or flight time. The driver waits for you at the station exit or at arrivals with a name sign and takes you to your hotel. You can also book just a pickup or a drop-off on its own. We check your actual arrival time by train or flight number and move the car to match. A guide comes in the car only if you have sightseeing planned on the day you arrive. On sightseeing days, a private car, a driver and a licensed English-speaking guide stay with you (a Chinese-speaking guide can also be arranged): the car is yours until 23:00, and the guide stays with you for the plan we agreed.

• Chongqing has several railway stations, and at the airport all flights use T3. We go only by what is on your ticket, not by guessing where trains "usually" arrive.
• Vehicle by group size: two guests with a pickup only get a 5-seat car. Two guests with a guide, or 3–4 guests: a 7-seater. 5–6 guests: a 9-seater. 7–8 guests: a 15-seater. For larger groups, tell us how many of you there are and we match the vehicles to the group.
• Lots of luggage: tell us how many large suitcases you have, and we choose the vehicle to fit.
• If you arrive after 11 pm, the metro may already have stopped. If you arrive a little after 5 am, it has not started yet. Send us your train or flight time, and we send the car for that time.
• On the day you leave, we work back from your train or flight to set the time you leave, and take you to the right station and the right terminal.

Where each figure comes from

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