How Far Apart Are China's Cities? Distances Explained (2026)

The cities most people visit first in China are closer than you'd think. Shanghai to Hangzhou is about 45 minutes by fast train. Beijing to Shanghai is just over four hours.

China itself is huge. It's about the same size as the United States. It's about as big as all of Europe. And it's about a quarter bigger than Australia.

But you won't visit all of it. Most people see a few big cities that are close together.

Below are three popular routes, from short to long. For each one, we show a route at home that's about the same distance.

Three Popular Routes

Short: Shanghai to Hangzhou. 165 km (102 miles). It's about 45 minutes on the fast train. Leave Shanghai after breakfast, and you can be walking around West Lake well before lunch. It's a big lake in Hangzhou, with willow trees along the edge and old stone bridges across the water.
Medium: Beijing to Shanghai. 1,067 km (663 miles). The fastest train does it in just over four hours. Leave Beijing in the morning, and you're in Shanghai by the afternoon. A flight is about 2 hours 15 minutes.
Long: Shanghai to Chengdu. 1,661 km (1,032 miles). Chengdu is the city where you can watch giant pandas eat bamboo. Most people fly there. It's about 3 hours. There's a direct fast train too, but it takes 10 to 11 hours, most of a day.

Every distance here is a straight line, the way a plane flies. Train tracks bend around hills and cities, so the distance by train is a bit longer.

If You're From the US

Shanghai to Hangzhou is a bit shorter than Los Angeles to San Diego. On the fast train it's about 45 minutes. That's an easy day trip.
Beijing to Shanghai is a little shorter than New York to Chicago. The fastest train does it in just over four hours, from one city center to the other. On Amtrak, New York to Chicago takes about 19 and a half hours.
Shanghai to Chengdu is a little shorter than New York to Miami. You'd fly that at home. You'll fly it here too.

If You're From Australia, Singapore or Malaysia

Shanghai to Hangzhou is a bit shorter than Singapore to Malacca. On the fast train it's about 45 minutes. That's an easy day trip.
Beijing to Shanghai is a little shorter than Sydney to Adelaide. In China, you don't have to fly it. The fastest train takes just over four hours. In Australia, the train from Sydney to Melbourne covers less distance, and it takes almost 11 hours.
Shanghai to Chengdu is about the same as Singapore to Bali. Most people fly it. It's about 3 hours.

If You're From Europe

Shanghai to Hangzhou is about London to Birmingham, or Amsterdam to Brussels. On the fast train it's about 45 minutes.
Beijing to Shanghai is about Paris to Rome. In China, one train goes the whole way in just over four hours. You don't change trains. Paris to Rome by train takes at least ten hours, with at least one change.
Shanghai to Chengdu is a bit farther than London to Lisbon. You'd fly that at home. You'll fly it here too.

Train or Plane?

Here's a simple rule. If the fast train takes up to about five hours, take the train. If it takes longer, fly.

Why? Train stations are in the city. Airports usually aren't. With the train, there's no bag to check and no waiting at a baggage belt. Your ticket is linked to your passport. You show your passport at the station, go through a quick bag check, and walk to your train. By the time you'd get through an airport, the train is already well on its way.

China's high-speed trains run at up to 350 km/h (about 217 mph). Out the window, the fields go by in a blur. Inside, it's quiet and smooth. Most long trains have a dining car.

There's a lot of track, too. China has more than 50,000 km of high-speed line. That's enough to wrap around the Earth more than once.

For the long routes, compare flights on Trip.com. Pick fares marked refundable or free cancellation. On a visa-free trip you book most things before you land, so if your plans change, you don't lose the money.

More Comparisons

Here are more popular routes. Each one sits next to routes at home that are about the same distance.

Route	Distance	Fastest train	About the same distance as
Hong Kong to Guangzhou	129 km (80 mi)	about 50 min	New York to Philadelphia Kuala Lumpur to Malacca Milan to Turin
Hangzhou to Huangshan (Yellow Mountain)	186 km (115 mi)	about 1 hr 15 min	Washington, DC to Philadelphia Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh Rome to Naples
Chengdu to Chongqing	264 km (164 mi)	about 1 hr	New York to Baltimore Sydney to Canberra Paris to Brussels
Kunming to Dali	254 km (158 mi)	about 2 hr	Seattle to Portland Melbourne to Albury London to Manchester
Guangzhou to Guilin	385 km (239 mi)	about 2 hr	Los Angeles to Las Vegas Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi London to Paris
Xi'an to Chengdu	620 km (385 mi)	about 3 hr 10 min	Washington, DC to Boston Singapore to Penang Munich to Hamburg
Beijing to Xi'an	905 km (563 mi)	about 4 hr 10 min	Washington, DC to Atlanta Singapore to Jakarta Paris to Berlin
Shanghai to Guangzhou	1,212 km (753 mi)	about 6 hr 20 min	New York to Atlanta Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok London to Florence
Beijing to Guangzhou	1,889 km (1,174 mi)	about 7 hr 15 min	New York to New Orleans Sydney to Cairns Madrid to Berlin

Train times are for the fastest train. Many take an hour or two longer, so check before you book. On the longest routes, flying is faster. Beijing to Guangzhou is about 3 hours 15 minutes by plane.

What This Means for a Visa-Free Trip

On the 30-day visa-free entry, you have time for three or four regions if you fly the long routes. Our 30-day China itinerary shows one way to do it.

On the 240-hour transit, you have up to 10 days. That's enough for two or three places close together. Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou work well. So do Beijing and Xi'an.

If you're worried about fitting the places you care about into 10 days, our Trip Planning service can work out the route for you.

Not sure which one fits your passport? The Eligibility Finder tells you in a few seconds.

Before You Go

None of these are entry rules. They just make getting around China much easier.

Book trains early on busy dates. Trains sell out around Chinese New Year (late January or February) and the national holiday in the first week of October. You can book in English on Trip.com, or on 12306, China Railway's official app. Bring the same passport you booked with.
Get mobile data before you fly. A China eSIM is a digital SIM card you set up on your phone before you leave. You'll have internet the moment you land.
Download a VPN. Google Maps, WhatsApp and Instagram don't work in China without one. A VPN is an app that gets around the block. Our China VPN guide covers which ones work.
Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay. These are China's two big payment apps, and almost everything is paid by phone, even food at the station. Our China payment setup guide shows both apps step by step, with screenshots from 2026.

Our first China trip article walks you through all of this. Or, if you'd rather have everything in one place, we've put it into one big PDF guide. Buy it once and it's yours to keep.

Want Us to Help?

Tell us your dates and the places you want to see. Our Trip Planning service builds a day-by-day route with the trains and flights worked out.

Already have a route? Send it to us for a Route Review before you book anything. We check that it fits the visa-free rules for your passport. We also check that it actually works. Do the travel times add up? Is it too much for the days you have, or too little? Does the order of the cities make sense?

FAQ

How far is Beijing from Shanghai?
About 1,067 km (663 miles) in a straight line. The train line is longer, because it bends around cities and hills. The fastest train takes 4 hours 18 minutes. Most take between 4.5 and 5.5 hours. A flight is about 2 hours 15 minutes.

Is it faster to take the train or fly in China?
If the fast train takes up to about five hours, the train is usually faster door to door. That's because stations are in the city. For longer routes, like Shanghai to Chengdu or Beijing to Guangzhou, flying is faster.

How big is China compared with the US, Australia and Europe?
China is about 9.6 million square km. That's about the same size as the United States, and about as big as all of Europe. It's about a quarter bigger than Australia.

Can I visit Hangzhou as a day trip from Shanghai?
Yes. The fast train takes about 45 minutes, and trains run all day. If you'd rather have it organized, you can book a day tour on Trip.com or Klook.

How many cities can I see in 10 days?
Two or three, if they're close together. Suzhou and Hangzhou are each under an hour from Shanghai by fast train. So Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou fit easily into 10 days.

Can I travel between cities on the 240-hour transit?
Yes. You can travel between the places the policy allows, in 24 of mainland China's 31 provinces and regions. Some of them only include certain cities, so check each stop before you book.

Bottom Line

China is about the size of the United States, but the cities most people visit first are close together. If the fast train takes up to about five hours, take the train. For long routes, like Shanghai to Chengdu, fly.

Whichever way you enter China, meeting the conditions doesn't guarantee entry. The officer at the border always makes the final decision. If you have a question before you book, call the China Immigration Service Hotline on 12367 inside China, or +86-12367 from outside.

Sources

How we measured. Distances are straight lines between city centers, worked out by us. Train and flight times were checked on October 1, 2026. Timetables change, so check the time when you book.

China Distances Explained: How Far Apart Are the Cities?