How to Travel between Shanghai and Harbin

The distance between Shanghai and Harbin is about 2,360km (1,470mi). There are two available ways of transport to travel between them, by plane and by train. The flight only takes you about 3 hours, and at least ten flights per day are ready for you to choose. The economy class plane ticket usually costs CNY400-700. In contrast, only two trains travel between these two cities per day. The high speed train takes more than 12 hours, and the normal speed train takes 24 hours. It’s worth mentioning that CNY400-700 is only the normal speed train tickets. Obviously, choosing the plane is a wiser option, because it can save a lot of time and enable you to plan a more flexible schedule.

The flight from Shanghai to Harbin usually takes 3 hours, and there are 10 to 14 flights per day. The earliest one departs at around 7:30, and the latest one departs at around 21:00. These flights are scheduled to depart every half to one hour. It is worth mentioning that Shanghai has two airports, Pudong International Airport (PVG) and Hongqiao International Airport (SHA). However, among all those Shanghai to Harbin flights, only one takes off from Hongqiao Airport usually in the afternoon. All the flights land in Harbin Taiping International Airport (HRB). The ticket fare of economy class varies from CNY400 to CNY700, while the fare of business class is from CNY1,500 to CNY3,000.

 Note: Try your best to buy the plane ticket online, because the price online normally has 20% to 80% discount. If you buy the ticket in the airport, the staff may only sell you full price ticket, which is not cost-effective.

The high speed train departs from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station and arrives at Harbin West Railway Station every day.

Train	Dep.	Arr.	Duration
G1204	9:39	21:56	12h7min

 Ticket Fare:
Business Class Seat: CNY3,066; First Class Seat: CNY1,614.5; Second Class Seat: CNY977.5

The normal speed train departs from Shanghai Railway Station and arrives at Harbin West Railway Station every day.

Train	Dep.	Arr.	Duration
Z172	18:56	18:39	23h43min

​ Ticket Fare:
​Soft Sleeper: CNY779.5; Hard Sleeper: CNY496.5; Hard Seat: CNY273.5

​ See details about: Shanghai - Harbin Train

The Harbin to Shanghai flight takes 3h 20min in average. Every day there are 10 to 14 flights arranged every half to one hour. The earliest plane takes off at around 7:30, and the latest one takes off at 20:30. The departure airport is Taiping Airport, and the two destination airports are Pudong Airport and Hongqiao Airport. But remember that only one flight in the morning can take you to Hongqiao Airport. The economy class ticket may cost you CNY400 to CNY700, and the business class ticket fare is between CNY1,500 and CNY3,000.

The high speed train departs from Harbin West Railway Station and arrives at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station every day.

Train	Dep.	Arr.	Duration
G1202	8:21	21:00	12h39min

​ Ticket Fare:
Business Class Seat: CNY3,066; First Class Seat: CNY1,614.5; Second Class Seat: CNY977.5

The normal speed train departs from Harbin West Railway Station and arrives at Shanghai Railway Station every day.

Train	Dep.	Arr.	Duration
Z174	12:52	12:56	24h4min

 Ticket Fare:
​Soft Sleeper: CNY779.5; Hard Sleeper: CNY508.5; Hard Seat: CNY273.5