Shanghai to Chongqing: bullet train or flight?

Quick answer

Checked September 2026.

• Short on time: fly. There are more than 30 direct flights a day from Shanghai to Chongqing. The scheduled flight time is about 2 hr 45 min, and door to door takes about 6–7 hours.
• Want the views on the way, don't want to be at the airport two hours early, or don't want another flight: take the bullet train. There are about 20 direct trains a day. The fastest takes 8 hr 59 min, most take 10.5–14 hours, and second class costs about 590–1,190 yuan.
• A middle way: board the sleeper train at Shanghai Hongqiao in the early evening, sleep the night, and reach Chongqing North at about 5:30 the next morning. You save a night in a hotel.

Bullet train or flight: how big is the difference?

On travel time alone, flying is much faster: about 2 hr 45 min in the air, against 8 hr 59 min on the fastest train. Add getting to the airport, arriving early, collecting your bags and getting into town, and flying takes about 6–7 hours door to door, while the fastest train takes about 11 hours. Flying suits people with only a week or two and a tight plan. The train suits people with time to spare, who want to look out of the window, or who are staying near Shanghai Hongqiao.

Shanghai to Chongqing, checked September 2026

Trains and fares: 12306, for trains running 1–14 October 2026. Flights: the Shanghai airports' official site, scheduled flights on 30 September and 1 October. Fares change with the date. Door to door is our estimate: 45–70 minutes to the airport, arriving about 2 hours early, and about 40 minutes into town after landing.

How long is the bullet train from Shanghai to Chongqing?

The fastest is G241. It leaves Shanghai Hongqiao at 11:56 and reaches Chongqing West at 20:55: 8 hr 59 min, once a day. Most other direct trains take 10.5–14 hours. In the first half of October 2026 there were 17–22 direct trains a day from Shanghai to Chongqing, mostly G and D trains, and the first one left just after 6 in the morning.

The two lines take different routes, so it depends on what you want to see:

• Southern line (G241): stops at Hangzhou East, Nanchang West, Changsha South, Huaihua South and Guiyang East. Only 5 stops, which is why it is the fastest.
• Yangtze line (for example G3390): leaves Hongqiao at 07:04 and runs via Nanjing South, Hefei South, Hankou, Yichang North and Wanzhou North, reaching Chongqing North in about 9 hr 53 min at the fastest. This line crosses the mountains of western Hubei and the Three Gorges area, with a lot of tunnels.
• Ordinary train: there is also the K71 from Shanghai Songjiang, which takes more than 27 hours. We don't usually suggest it for first-time visitors.

The other way, Chongqing to Shanghai, is different. Over the National Day holiday (1–8 October), G243 leaves Chongqing West at 07:53 and reaches Hongqiao in about 9 hours. After the holiday it does not run, and the fastest train back takes 9 hr 50 min to 10 and a half hours (for example G3392, leaving Chongqing North at 08:38 and reaching Hongqiao at 18:28). That is nearly an hour slower than going. If you have a flight to catch on the way back, check the trains for that day first.

How much is the bullet train from Shanghai to Chongqing?

Second class: about 590–670 yuan on D trains, about 820–1,190 yuan on G trains, and about 870 yuan on the fastest, G241. First class is about 950–1,930 yuan and business class about 2,700–4,100 yuan. A berth on the sleeper train is about 700 yuan. These are fares checked on 12306 for October 2026 trains, and they differ by day and by train.

Shanghai to Chongqing, second class (checked on 12306 for trains on 12 October 2026)

A few things to know before you buy:

• Tickets go on sale 15 days ahead. When we checked on 30 September 2026, second class, first class and business class on the fastest train, G241, were already sold out for 10, 11 and 13 October. If you want this train, buy on the day sales open.
• You can buy with a passport. The 12306 website and app accept foreign passports. Since November 2023 you can verify your passport online, with no need to go to a station ticket window first.
• Or let us buy them. We can buy train tickets for you (we need your passport details). Just send us the date and the train you want.
• Your passport is your ticket. To enter the station and at the ticket gates, you scan or show the passport you bought the ticket with. Keep it on you, not packed in your big case.
• Ticket checks close before the train leaves. Stations stop checking tickets some time before departure, and how long before is posted in the station.

Sleep your way there: is the Shanghai to Chongqing sleeper train worth it?

Yes, if it runs on the day you want to travel. D982 at 18:22 and D986 at 18:44 leave Shanghai Hongqiao and reach Chongqing North at 05:25 and 05:30 the next morning, then Chongqing West about half an hour later. A berth is about 700 yuan. It does not run every day: from 1 to 14 October 2026, it ran on only 6 days.

• How you sleep: the sleeper train has berths in compartments, so you lie down through the night. That is easier than sitting for 11 hours.
• What you save: a night in a hotel in Shanghai or Chongqing, and you get the whole of the next day.
• What to watch: when you arrive at 5:30 in the morning, the Chongqing metro has not started running yet (the first trains are after 6:00), so you need a taxi or someone to meet you. Hotels usually only let you check in in the afternoon, so when you arrive in the morning, leave your bags there first.
• It runs the other way too: D984 at 20:13 and D988 at 20:26 leave Chongqing North and reach Shanghai Hongqiao at 08:04 and 08:58 the next morning.
• A slower, cheaper night train: D57 leaves Shanghai South at 19:40 in the evening and reaches Chongqing North at 12:51 the next day, more than 17 hours. A second-class sleeper is about 438 yuan and a first-class sleeper about 665 yuan.

What we do: once you have booked the sleeper, send us the train number. We send the car to match the train time, and the driver meets you at the exit with a name sign and takes you to your hotel to drop off your bags first.

How long is the flight from Shanghai to Chongqing, and how many are there a day?

The scheduled flight time is about 2 hr 45 min, mostly between 2 hr 15 min and 3 hr 15 min. On 30 September 2026 there were 32 flights from Shanghai to Chongqing (counting the flights actually operated, not codeshares): 20 from Pudong and 12 from Hongqiao. The first left at 07:40 and the last at 22:55. The other way, Chongqing to Shanghai, is scheduled at about 2 hr 30 min.

• Airlines: China Eastern has the most flights. There are also Air China, Spring Airlines, Juneyao Air, Sichuan Airlines, West Air, Chongqing Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Xiamen Airlines and others.
• Fares: they change every day. In the low season, discounted economy fares are often cheaper than second class on the train. Around the National Day Golden Week and Spring Festival they go up clearly. Before you book, compare the air fare with the train fares above.
• Watch the last flight: the 22:55 from Pudong only reaches Chongqing at about 2 in the morning. By then the metro has stopped, so you need a taxi or a car booked ahead.

Fly from Pudong or from Hongqiao?

• Just flown in to Pudong from abroad: you can fly on to Chongqing from Pudong the same day. Pudong has about 20 flights a day, so there is no need to change airports.
• Staying in central Shanghai: Hongqiao Airport is much closer to the city centre, and Hongqiao Airport T2 is joined to Shanghai Hongqiao railway station. You can walk from one to the other.
• Between the two airports: the Airport Link Line (Hongqiao T2 ↔ Pudong T1 and T2) runs about every 15 minutes. If you have an early or late flight, go by the first and last train times Shanghai Metro publishes for that day.
• When you book, check whether it is PVG (Pudong) or SHA (Hongqiao). Go to the wrong one and you will miss your flight.

Which station do I leave from in Shanghai, and which do I arrive at in Chongqing?

In Shanghai, most bullet trains leave from Shanghai Hongqiao station, and a few D trains leave from Shanghai station or Shanghai South. Chongqing has three stations: Chongqing North, Chongqing West and Shapingba. Most trains arrive at Chongqing North, and the fastest, G241, arrives at Chongqing West. Get off at the station printed on your ticket, and wait for your pickup at that station.

• Shanghai Hongqiao is not Shanghai station: the names look alike, but they are far apart. Check your ticket before you set out.
• Chongqing North has two squares, North and South: since 20 January 2021 they have been linked by an underground passage, and you can enter the station from either side. But the two squares connect to different metro lines, so when you come out, check which side you are leaving from.
• Chongqing West: in Shapingba District on the west side of the city, on Metro Line 5 and the Loop Line.

After you arrive: by metro from the station to the city centre (Chongqing Rail Transit official route search, 30 September 2026)

Coming by air: since 23 December 2025, all flights at Jiangbei Airport use T3. T3 to Jiefangbei is about 21–25 km, about 40 minutes by car with no traffic. By metro, take Line 10 to Qixinggang and change to Line 1 for Jiaochangkou, 6 yuan. For the ways into town after landing, see Chongqing airport to the city centre. For which exit to use at each station, see the Chongqing metro guide.

Lots of luggage: train or plane?

With lots of luggage and big cases, flying is less hassle: you check the big cases in and pick them up from the belt when you land. On the train you lift your cases on and off yourself and find somewhere to put them. Railway rules let each passenger carry 20 kg free. On bullet trains (G and D trains), each piece must be no more than 130 cm in length, width and height added together, and no more than 20 kg. Folding wheelchairs and pushchairs do not count. For a family with several big cases, flying is smoother.

• Bullet train carriages have racks for large luggage at each end, and racks above the seats for small bags.
• Your checked baggage allowance on the plane depends on the ticket you bought. An international-to-domestic connecting ticket and a separately bought domestic ticket may give different allowances, so check when you book.

What is the smoothest way to fit Shanghai and Chongqing together?

Most people do Shanghai first, then Chongqing: fly in to Pudong, spend three days in Shanghai, fly to Chongqing for three days, and leave China from Chongqing. Shanghai and Chongqing are both covered by the 240-hour visa-free transit policy. Travellers from eligible countries can enter at Shanghai and leave from Chongqing, with a confirmed onward ticket, date and seat fixed, to a third country or region. For which countries qualify and how the time is counted, see the Chongqing airport layover guide.

• Reaching Chongqing by day: land before noon and you can start that afternoon, then see Hongya Cave and the riverside night views in the evening.
• Reaching Chongqing in the evening: G241 arrives at Chongqing West at 20:55. Go straight to your hotel and start early the next day.
• Want to see the Three Gorges on the way: the Yangtze line trains stop at Yichang North (about 7 hours on G3390). Upstream cruises board at Maoping Pier, above the dam at Yichang, and take 4 nights and 5 days to Chongqing. You step off the boat in Chongqing. For how to plan boarding day and landing day, see the Three Gorges cruise boarding guide.
• The other way round, Chongqing first and then Shanghai: if you leave on a morning train or a flight before noon, spend the night before in a hotel on the way to the station or airport. For which area, see where to stay in Chongqing.
• Travelling with older people: fly rather than take an 11-hour train. In Chongqing, we drive you between sights, and the guide sets how far and how fast you walk to suit their strength and pace. See Chongqing for seniors.

Once you reach Chongqing, how do we meet you?

Send us your train or flight number. We send the car to the station or terminal on your ticket, at your train or flight time, and the driver waits 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. If your train or flight is late, we move the car to your actual arrival time. On arrival day, a guide only comes along if you have sightseeing planned. On sightseeing days, a private car, driver and 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 whole agreed itinerary.

• Chongqing has three bullet train stations, and all flights at the airport use T3. We go only by what is on your ticket, never by guessing where trains usually arrive.
• The car depends on group size: 2 people with transfers only get a 5-seat car; 2 people with a guide, or 3–4 people, get a 7-seat car; 5–6 people get a 9-seat car; 7–8 people get a 15-seat car. For more people, tell us how many of you there are and we match the vehicle.
• If you have lots of luggage, tell us how many big cases, and we match the car to your luggage.
• If you arrive after 11 at night, the metro may have stopped. If you arrive at 5:30 in the morning, it has not started. 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 set off, and take you to the right station and the right terminal.

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