Route at a glance
- From: Shanghai Hongqiao
- To: Nanjing South
- Distance: 295 km
- Fastest: 59m
- Frequency: Frequent (multiple per day)
High-speed rail · 295 km
Shanghai to Nanjing by high-speed rail
Nanjing's Ming-dynasty walls and Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum are about an hour from Shanghai on the busiest stretch of the Beijing–Shanghai line. Fastest 59m, around US$24 second class on Trip.com (sampled 2026-06-02).
Fare (second class, sampled)
US$24
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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Tips for the Shanghai–Nanjing ride
- Nanjing South (南京南) is one of Asia's largest stations and connects to metro lines 1, 3 and S1.
- You can chain Shanghai → Suzhou → Nanjing as a single Yangtze-Delta sweep on the same HSR spine.
- Frequency is very high — flexible booking works well.
Booking as a foreigner
China HSR accepts foreign passports, but the official 12306 platform is awkward with non-Chinese cards. Trip.com is the practical English option — see our guides before you book.
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 Hangzhou — 45m, from US$13
- Shanghai to Suzhou — 23m, from US$6
- Guangzhou to Hong Kong — 48m