Route at a glance
- From: Shanghai Hongqiao
- To: Hangzhou East
- Distance: 159 km
- Fastest: 45m
- Frequency: Frequent (multiple per day)
High-speed rail · 159 km
Shanghai to Hangzhou by high-speed rail
Hangzhou East is about 45 minutes from Shanghai Hongqiao on the fastest trains; West Lake is a further metro or taxi ride from the station. Frequent departures make Hangzhou a common day trip or overnight from Shanghai. Fastest 45m, around US$13 second class on Trip.com (sampled 2026-06-02).
Fare (second class, sampled)
US$13
on the fastest service, via Trip.com. Their USD price includes fees and FX — not the 12306 face fare. Live price and other classes on Trip.com. Snapshot 2026-06-02.
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Decide before you book
- Which station
- Departs Shanghai Hongqiao; arrives Hangzhou East. If the city has more than one station, check which one is closer to where you are staying before you pick a train. Station-to-hotel times are not measured on this page.
- On-board vs door-to-door
- 45m is the fastest scheduled on-board time between those two stations. Door-to-door time (getting to the station, ticket and passport checks, boarding) is not included and has not been measured here.
- Seats on your date
- not checked Availability for a specific date is not checked on this site; the booking page shows it for your date.
- Day trip or overnight
- A day trip fits if you travel light, leave in the morning and confirm the evening return frequency on the booking page for your date. Stay overnight if you carry checked luggage, want the evening there, or your next leg starts from Hangzhou. See Where to Stay: day trip or overnight.
- Where to stay
- Before paying for a hotel at either end, read foreign-passport hotel check-in and, for Shanghai, which first-night area.Hotels in Hangzhou on Trip.com →
Tips for the Shanghai–Hangzhou ride
seats: not checked Frequency notes below describe the timetable pattern, not availability on your date. Tickets are sold per train; confirm the train and seat on the booking page before you travel.
- Hangzhou East (杭州东) is large — allow 10 minutes to reach the metro toward West Lake.
- Planning a same-day return after an evening West Lake walk? Check the last evening departures for your date on the booking page; last-train times are not checked here.
- Cheap enough that first class rarely justifies the upgrade on this short leg.
Booking as a foreigner
Compare the official 12306 English entry and Trip.com. Check identity requirements, accepted payment methods, total price and refund rules before choosing.
On a 240-hour transit?
If you're riding this leg as part of a China visa-free transit, your route, ports, and stay window all have to line up. Run it through the checker before you commit to the booking.
Popular high-speed rail routes
- Shanghai to Beijing — 4h 24m, from US$98
- Beijing to Xi'an — 4h 10m, from US$85
- Xi'an to Chengdu — 3h 7m, from US$44
- Chengdu to Chongqing — 1h 15m, from US$19
- Shanghai to Suzhou — 23m, from US$6
- Guangzhou to Hong Kong — 48m