Beijing to Shanghai: make the most of travel between China’s great cities

Beijing Shanghai Tour

First time to China and want to travel from Beijing to Shanghai? Not sure how about the best ways to travel?

China is such a diverse, exciting and fascinating country – and it can be confusing. If it’s your first time visiting, the challenge is not only deciding where to go, but how to get there.

If time is a limiting factor, it’s hard to go past Beijing and Shanghai.

Of course, creating the ideal China tour itinerary from Beijing to Shanghai depends on many factors: your travel budget, tour duration, personal interests, and whether you do a small group, private or custom tour.

If it’s your first visit to China, you’ll no doubt have lots of questions. So let’s look at what can impact your China tour from Beijing to Shanghai that way you can plan the best itinerary for your with confidence.

Travel budget – Making the most of your travel dollars between Beijing to Shanghai

With a myriad of China tour options available to suit the budget of any Western traveler, it’s possible to find exactly what you want.

While budget travel suits some, those who prefer to travel in comfort will be pleasantly surprised with what China has to offer. As the country has advanced at breakneck speed over the past two decades, four and five star hotel accommodation and air, rail and road travel options abound.

Small group China tour packages between Beijing and Shanghai are one great option that combine four and five star travel at great value for money. Short on time? Then take the shortest route and travel straight from Beijing to Shanghai. However, if you’re looking for more China adventure, then make must-see stops along the way in other cities like Xi’an and Chengdu. Or take the road less traveled and visit beautiful natural destinations like Guilin, Zhangjiajie, and Huangshan.

Be sure to book your China tour with a company that allows you the flexibility to integrate more China cities to make the most of your travel budget.

Beijing Shanghai Tour

Tour duration – The fastest way to make the most of a Beijing to Shanghai trip

A major factor for most western travelers who visit China is the distance traveled just to get there, so tour duration is a major consideration, even if it’s only between two cities.

At just over 1,300 kilometers apart, travel from Beijing to Shanghai can be made quickly, via air or China’s fantastic network of high speed trains. In fact, travel by one of these new trains, which moves at speeds up to 350 kilometers per hour is a must. Offering the perfect way to see much more of China and how it’s developing and changing, the train trip between Beijing and Shanghai is done in less than four and a half hours. This is mind-boggling given the time it takes to transfer between hotels, airports, and check-ins. Definitely consider it as an option for making the most of your time on tour, especially if you only have a few days to see the highlights of these great cities.

With a longer tour duration, the pace of your travels can be more relaxed. Whether it’s eight days11 days or 16 days, it’s possible to combine air, rail, and even road travel to truly make the most of every available minute.

For this kind of travel, you can’t go past China private or custom tours. Even with a pre-arranged small group tour schedule, private or custom tours offer the advantage of being able to tailor the full duration of your tour from start to finish. That means, even if you want a side step to Suzhou on the way to Shanghai, you can do that. Looking for an authentic step-back-in-time experience in the rice fields at Longji? That can happen too.

Knowing you’re on limited time while traveling booking well in advance and seeking advice from experienced travel consultants is a worthwhile investment. It helps avoid surprises – and disappointments – while on tour, whether you’re in China for three days or three weeks.

Beijing Shanghai Tour

What about a tailored Beijing to Shanghai tour

If there’s one thing to learn about travel in China, it’s that your every need can be met. In fact, it’s why the premium China tour providers provide the option of tailored tours. They understand the importance of personalized itineraries and cater specifically to the individual needs of each traveler.

With a strong orientation towards providing a premium (and truly memorable!) experience of China, there’s much to be said for a China travel agency who’s prepared to go the extra mile simply because no detail is too small to take care of. If there’s one thing these China tour operators do well it’s service. Be sure to look for unfiltered tour reviews from previous customers. These are a great indicator of what to expect while on tour, even on a short Beijing to Shanghai trip.

Need more guidance? Don’t let the size of China overwhelm you about how to plan your China tour. Get help from a China tour expert and enjoy every moment of your travel experience.

Come Tour With Us

ChinaTours.com is a leading provider of China tours. With the experience of designing and creating China tours for over a decade, they know how to create beautiful travel memories for Western travelers wanting a real experience of China. Providing unique small group, private and custom tours between Beijing and Shanghai – and any other China destination is what they do. Let a dedicated China tour travel consultant plan your tour today. Connect online via our inquiry form or explore our China destination tour options.

About the author

ChinaTours.com

The ChinaTours.com blogger team brings you the best and most interesting information and China tour news gathered by our travel consultants, local travel guides, and partner providers. With our mission to create beautiful travel memories on your China tour, our travel guide provides ideas, tips, and insights to help bring your holiday alive.

Featured Tour

11 Days Beauty of China


Destination
Beijing Xi’an Guilin Shanghai
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11 Days Beauty of China

11 Days Beauty of China
Anto
1 contribution
Thanks China Tours

Jan 2026 • Couples • Couples

We used China Tours to plan a six day itinerary to cover the Great Wall and Terracotta Army. China Tours planned and executed a seamless experience that was just excellent! We saw and experienced far more than we had initially expected. The guides in both Beijing and Xi'an were excellent with an incredible knowledge.
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Derik H
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Fantastic Family Adventure

Jan 2026 • Couples

What an amazing trip in China. China tours did a fantastic job planning out my 12 day trip in China! Dora was very helpful in planning the trip and making adjustments as needed based on what type of experience I was looking for. Not only was she accommodating but she also went out of the way to help me get in contact with the orphanage institution that I was from in China. The main goal of this trip was to visit my home town that I grew up in and to explore China. Dora helped achieve those goals and made a great itinerary. We went to Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Lishui, and Hong Kong. Everything went seamless and smooth and the private tour guides were amazing. I would highly recommend using China tours for visiting China!
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Maxime M
1 contribution
Very good experience

Dec 2025 • Couples

I went on a family trip in China, going from Hong Kong (arranged by us), to Guilin, Chengdu, Xi'an, and Beijing (arranged by China Tours). The agency provided us with hotels, guides, and transportation, and was available to answer our questions (we used emails and WeChat to communicate, but other options might be available). We generally had a wonderful trip, with very nice attractions, nice guides as well, and a good balance between attractions and personal time. I will recommend China Tours to my acquaintances that want to do a tour in China.
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ErronW
1 contribution
Amazing trip to Beijing

Dec 2025 • Couples • Couples

We had an amazing time in Beijing and it was our first trip to China. Glad that we chose China tours to organise the trip, thank you Martha!

Our guide, Li, and the driver Sun, were very attentive and helpful and they are insightful! Every day was fantastic, we were taken to the Great Wall at Mutianyu point and took chairlift up. We then took the Toboggan down which was so much fun.

The experience around Forbidden City was also mesmerising. It felt like stepping back in time. We love all the historical stories. Li also took us to the Summer palace where we saw beautiful paintings along the endless corridor and we walked alongside the frozen lake. They were on time but never rushed, so it was relaxing. The hotel, The Regent Beijing was fabulous, the room, the food, location all was perfect. Thank you for organising this trip and we had precious happy memories!
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Dorothy K
1 contribution
Please Use China Tours, They Deserve It!

Oct 2025 • Family • Couples

China Tours was wonderful and I highly recommend them. Lora was very patient and thorough with all of our pre-trip emails and questions. I discovered that everyone in our group also received the same excellent pre-trip customer service. Our guides met us on time in every city and pleasantly accompanied us to our destinations. Hotels were great with awesome breakfast buffets!
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