Take the train
Beijing to Shanghai is about four and a half hours city-centre to city-centre, on time, for roughly the price of a budget flight. For almost every pair of major Chinese cities, rail beats flying once you count airports.
Where to book
- 12306 is the official railway site and app. It does take passports and foreign cards now, but the interface is unforgiving and verification can stall.
- An English reseller (Trip.com being the main one) is the pragmatic choice. Small markup, English throughout, and the booking is tied to the same passport number.
Either way, your passport is your ticket: you scan it at the gate. There is no paper ticket to collect for most journeys.
Timing
Tickets generally go on sale around two weeks ahead. Popular routes and anything near a public holiday do sell out — and Chinese public holidays move enormous numbers of people, so check the calendar before you plan a travel day.
Book second class. It is comfortable and the price difference to first is not worth it. Choose a seat away from the carriage ends if you can.
At the station
- Arrive 40 minutes early. Stations are airport-sized, with security and a passport check.
- Check which station. Shanghai Hongqiao and Shanghai Station are different places; so are Beijing South, Beijing West and Beijing North. Save the Chinese name.
- Departure gates open and close sharply, roughly 15 and 5 minutes before departure. Late means missed.
- Big stations have a foreign passport lane at ticketing. Look for it instead of queuing for 40 minutes.