How to Travel from Shanghai to Hangzhou: The 5 Best Ways in 2026

Written by Jasmine Miao | Updated February 28,2026

Want to enrich your travel experience after a Shanghai trip? Many visitors prefer to plan a Hangzhou tour as a side trip of their Shanghai tour because these two cities are close and have different travel experiences. The transportation between Shanghai and Hangzhou is cheap and convenient, including high-speed train, plane, bus, taxi and private car for you to choose from.

Although they are close to each other, these two cities have different styles. Shanghai, as a developed megacity, offers a prosperous, fast-paced, and international travel experience. Hangzhou is more deeply rooted in the Jiangnan landscapes, slow and leisure life style, providing you with a relaxing time to try Chinese tea and Hangzhou cuisine, and appreciate the beautiful West Lake.

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• Overview of Transportation from Shanghai to Hangzhou
• Travel from Shanghai to Hangzhou by High-speed Train – Most Popular & Convenient
• Travel from Shanghai to Hangzhou by Bus – The Cheapest
• Travel from Shanghai to Hangzhou by Taxi
• Travel from Shanghai to Hangzhou by Flight – Not Recommended, Slow & Expensive
• How to Get from Shanghai Airports to Hangzhou
• Book a Shanghai Hangzhou Tour with Private Transfer Included
• Comparison of Shanghai to Hangzhou Transfer Methods
• How to Get Around Hangzhou After Arrival
• Plan Your Shanghai Hangzhou Tour with China Xian Tour

Overview of Transportation from Shanghai to Hangzhou

Hangzhou is about 170km far away from Shanghai, and the actual travel time varies based on your transportation modes. High-speed trains and bullet trains are the most recommended and fastest options, which only take about 1 hour and has more than 150 round trip trains every day.

Traveling by bus is very cheap but will take about 3 hours, which may make you feel tired and influence your travel experience.

Private cars and taxis are the most expensive options, but offer more flexibility.

The flight time is only 50 minutes, but you should plan for 2-3 additional hours for checking in, boarding and transfers to/from the airports. So it is actually slower and more expensive than the above options.

Travel from Shanghai to Hangzhou by High-speed Train – Most Popular & Convenient

The train from Shanghai to Hangzhou has high-speed train, intercity train and bullet train for you to choose. Totally, there are over 150 round trip trains connecting these two cities. The high-speed train is the most expensive and fastest one, taking about 45 minutes and costing about 90 yuan. Every day, there are more than 120 round-trip departures for you to choose. The intercity train and bullet train take similar time of about 1 hour, but the bullet train (about 60 yuan) is a little bit cheaper than the intercity train (about 80 yuan). These two kinds of train provide more than 30 round trip trains respectively every day for you to choose from.

Schedule of the High-speed Train from Shanghai to Hangzhou

• Departure Station: Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station
• Arrival Station: Hangzhou East Railway Station
• Travel Time: About 45 to 60 min
• Frequency Per Day: More than 120 round trip departures
• Ticket Price: around 79-90 yuan for a second-class seat

The timetable below are part of major trains for your reference:

Train Code	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Travel Time	Ticket Price
G225	09:00	09:45	45 minutes	87 yuan
G7595	12:50	13:52	62 minutes	87 yuan
G7557	19:36	20:29	53 minutes	87 yuan
G245	8:00	8:45	45 minutes	80 yuan
G1377	9:30	10:25	47 minutes	87 yuan

Shanghai to Hangzhou Intercity Train Schedule

• Departure Station: Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station
• Arrival Station: Hangzhou West Railway Station or Hangzhou East Train Station
• Travel Time: 53 min to 1.5 hour
• Frequency Per Day: About 20 trains
• Ticket Price:

Train Code	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Travel Time	Ticket Price
C3631	10:08	11:20	1 hour 21 minutes	113 yuan
C3613	20:06	21:18	1 hour 30 minutes	95 yuan
C3629	19:48	20:41	53 minutes	80 yuan

Shanghai to Hangzhou Bullet Train Schedule

• Departure Station: Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station
• Arrival Station: Hangzhou East Railway Station
• Travel Time: 55 min
• Frequency Per Day: About 20 departures
• Ticket Price:

Train Code	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Travel Time	Ticket Price
D3131	07:41	08:37	56 minutes	64 yuan
D3291	12:16	13:11	55 minutes	64 yuan
D3323	18:59	19:54	55 minutes	64 yuan

How to Buy Shanghai to Hangzhou Train Tickets?

• 12306APP: The only official online ticket booking platform with no service fees. You can buy tickets from 5:00 to 24:00. You only need to input your departure and arrival station and pay online (WeChat, Alipay, Bank card, etc.), then you will get your digital ticket. When arriving at the departure station, you can use your passport or digital QR code on the 12306 APP to take the train.
• The third-party platform (Ctrip APP): It has the same price as the 12306 APP, but Ctrip provides some travel or delay insurance. It also provides other convenient services such as intelligent transfer, cross-train ticket purchasing, train-hotel combined package.
• Ticket Counters: This is the official offline ticket buying channel that also has the same price with the 12306 APP. Its opening time varies and depends on the operating time of different railway stations. In addition to the ticket buying service, the ticked counters also provide services like temporary identity certificate processing, cash purchase for tickets, train ticket refund and modification.

Related reading: How to Buy Train Tickets in China

How to Get to the Train Stations in Shanghai

• From city center: You can take Shanghai metro line 2, line 10 and line 17 to go to the station. Most of the places (such as Shanghai People’s Square, Lujiazui, Bund and Jing’an Temple, etc.) in the city center are close to the line 2.
• From other stations: There are direct trains between Shanghai Railway Station and Shanghai South Railway Station. It only takes about 25 minutes and costs about 10 yuan.
• From airport: If you are at the Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, you can take the Metro line 2 or line 10 to get to the train station, which costs about 5-10 minutes and 4 yuan. If you are at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, you can also take metro line 2 (1.5 hour and 9 yuan) or metropolitan Airport Line(about 40 minutes and 26 yuan) to the train station.

Travel from Shanghai to Hangzhou by Bus – The Cheapest

Taking bus is another method to get to Hangzhou from Shanghai. It takes about 3 hours and costs from 55 to 130 yuan, which also has about 30 ~ 50 different schedules and routes for you to choose from. Taking bus can be considered as your alternative and supplementary solutions for train. If the tickets for trains are sold out, or if you need to transfer at the airport, carry oversized luggage or need a direct route to the west or north of Hangzhou, then the bus is also a good choice for you.

Bus Stations Along the Way

• Bus stations in Shanghai: Hongqiao Passenger Transport West Station, Long-distance Passenger Transport South Station, Huatai Road Passenger Station, Pudong Airport Passenger Station.
• Bus stations in Hangzhou: Hangzhou East Bus Station, Hangzhou South Bus Station, Wulin Gate, Hangzhou Passenger Transport Center

Shanghai to Hangzhou Bus Ticket Price

Departure Station	Arrival Station	Time Consuming	Frequence Per Day	Tickets Prices
Hongqiao passenger transport west station	Hangzhou south bus station/Wulin Gate	2.5 ~ 3 hours	10 ~ 15	Normal: 60 ~ 75 yuan Business: 90 ~ 110 yuan
Long-distance passenger transport south station	Hangzhou east bus station/Hangzhou south bus station	2.5 ~ 3 hours	15 ~ 20	Normal: 55~ 68 yuan Business: 80 ~ 95 yuan
Huatai road passenger station	Hangzhou passenger transport center	2.5 ~ 3 hours	5 ~ 8	Normal: 90 yuan Business:120 yuan
Pudong airport passenger station	Hangzhou passenger transport center	3 ~ 3.5 hours	3	130 yuan

Travel from Shanghai to Hangzhou by Taxi

If you want to go to Hangzhou with a flexible time arrangement, or bring large heavy luggage, or travel with others together, you can also choose to take taxi or Didi. The distance is about 200 km, which will take about 3 hours. The driving costs for taxi is about 500 ~ 650 yuan, and for Didi is about 450 ~ 600 yuan. The one-way expressway fee is approximately 80 to 100 yuan.

If you want to take Didi, you need to reserve it on the APP in advance. Just input the pick-up point and destination in the APP first, then choose the service (Express/Premier car service/tailored car service) and routes you want. After the reservation, you will see the phone numbers and car numbers, then you can contact the driver and communicate with the details.

Travel from Shanghai to Hangzhou by Flight – Not Recommended, Slow & Expensive

There is only one flight from Shanghai to Hangzhou every day, which is from Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 22:20 to Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport at 23:10. The flight is only about 50 minutes, but the time you spend on going to the airport, checking in and waiting for boarding is about 3 hours, so the total time for Shanghai to Hangzhou through plane is around 4 hours, with a cost of around CNY 398.

How to Get from Shanghai Airports to Hangzhou

1. Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport

Train: This airport is very close to the Shanghai Hongqiao Station, and the whole trip is about 1 hour and 80 yuan. There are also more than 120 trains for you to choose every day.

2. Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Airport bus: The airport bus of Pudong Airport can also send you to Hangzhou directly, which takes about 3 hours and costs 130 yuan, and has 6 departure times every day for you to choose.

Book a Shanghai Hangzhou Tour with Private Transfer Included

Another recommended way is to plan your Shanghai tour and Hangzhou tour with us. We will plan your trip according to your time and needs, have local professional guide taking care of your trip and handle all the logistics, including the vehicle from Shanghai to Hangzhou, transfers to the scenic spots or airport pick-up or drop-off service. Based on your group size and luggage requirements, we will arrange a private car, minivan, or bus accordingly.

Comparison of Shanghai to Hangzhou Transfer Methods

Transportation	Travel Time	Cost	Comfort Level	Features
High-speed Train	1 hour	60 ~ 90 yuan	4 stars	Quick, comfortable
Bus	3 hours	55 ~ 130 yuan	3 stars	Cheap, relatively slow
Taxi/Didi	3 hours	450 ~ 650 yuan	4 stars	Flexible, expensive
Plane	50 minutes	500 ~ 1200 yuan	2 stars	Not recommended. Total travel time (including to/from airports, check-in) is longer than train or bus
Travel with Us	3 hours	free	5 stars	Flexible, comfortable

How to Get Around Hangzhou After Arrival

Hangzhou also has perfect transportation for your tour. The operating hours of the Hangzhou Metro are from 06:00 to 23:30, and the ticket prices range from 2 to 9 yuan. Many famous attractions can all be reached by subway. Buses in Hangzhou covers the entire city, which costs for regular routes range from 1 to 2 yuan and 2 to 5 yuan for tourist routes.

The base fare is 13 yuan for the first 3 km. For distance between 3 and 10 kilometers, the charge is 2.5 yuan per km. For distance over 10 km, the charge is 3.75 yuan per km. The prices for Didi are similar to taxi.

Plan Your Shanghai Hangzhou Tour with China Xian Tour

Now you know that there are various transport options for your convenient transfer between Shanghai and Hangzhou. While high-speed trains and buses are frequent, traveling with a reliable local travel agency, like China Xian Tour allows a more flexible and care-free experience. Plus, you will also benefit from the local guides’ expertise, our travel consultants’ 7/24 support and our up-to-date tips. With over 20 years of experience on planning China tours, we have received over 835 5-star reviews on TripAdvisor. And we are always ready and confident to help you plan your memorable trip in China.