How to travel from Shanghai to Xian

Overview
Shanghai and Xian both are popular tourist destinations in China. Xian was an one of ancient capital which located in the northwest of Shanghai city. Travel between Shanghai and Xian is quite easy and convenient as Shanghai and Xian are top holiday destinations in China with the developed transpor system, even it's available to do a day tour in Xian from Shanghai by flight. The direct distance between Shanghai and Xian is about 1200km, while the railway distance is about 1509km. There are several ways for you to choose how to travel from Shanghai to Xian, such as by air, high-speed train, normal speed train. 

How to travel from Shanghai to Xian by train

1. High Speed Train from Shanghai to Xian
Taking high speed trains from Shanghai to Xian is one of popular ways travel between Shanghai & Xian. Both cities are usually on the itinerary for the first time visitors to China. The Shanghai-Xian high-speed railway with a total length of 1509km. It takes around 7 hours from Shanghai to Xian by "G" trains and the price for the tikcets are from CNY669.5 to CNY2114. Most of high speed trains depart from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station to Xian North Railway Station. There are over 10 daily trains from Shanghai to Xian, you can choose the train schedule according to your time.

Recommended trains for Xian Tours From Shanghai
Departure from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station to Xian North Railway Station
Earlist Train: G1970; Duration: 7h10m; 2nd Class Seat: CNY669.5; 1st Class Seat: CNY1095; Business Class Seat: CNY2114
Latest Train: G1940; Duration: 6h27m; 2nd Class Seat: CNY669.5; 1st Class Seat: CNY1095; Business Class Seat: CNY2114

2. Normal Train/Overnight Train from Shanghai to Xian
Travel by normal train or overnight train from Shanghai to Xian is a slower but cheaper way, most trains are very slow as they make many stops. The most interesting one is the overnight high-speed train D310/306. The reasons for its popularity are the relative good speed for an overnight train and the fact that D trains are more recent and of better quality. It also runs at convenient times and offers the luxury soft sleeper class, it's for 2 people with a private toilet. If you travel with a budget, you can consider the normal train For travelers on a budget Z92/Z216 are the best choice.
1) Departure from Shanghai Railway Station to Xian North Railway Station
Train Number: D310; Duration: 10h55m; 2nd Class Seat: CNY459; Luxury Soft Sleeper Class: CNY750

2) Departure from Shanghai Railway Station to Xian Railway Station
Train Number: Z92; Duration: 15h26m; Hard seat: CNY180.5; Hard sleeper: CNY310.5; Soft sleeper: CNY488.5; Superior sleeper: CNY902.5

How to buy train ticket in China
1) Book train tickets online on your own, you can buy China train tickets online with www.trip.com or www.12306.cn (it's the official webiste for China train tickets but only in Chinese); You can use your credit card to pay on trip.com, the tikcets are available to purchase up to 60 days in advance and at least 35 minutes before the train’s departure. For train ticket pickup, go to any railway station or authorized ticket office in Mainland China with your ticket pickup number along with the ID or Passport that you used for booking.

2) Buy train tickets at train station, the ticket windows at Chinese train stations are open 24 hours a day. Railway stations in major cities, such as Beijing or Shanghai, often include windows for foreigners or English-speaking agents. The self-service machines that you see next to train station ticket windows can only be used with Mainland China ID cards. When you tell the staff where you want to go and at what time, you will be shown available trains and departure times on the screen. Choose the best ticket for your trip, hand over your valid ID and payment, and the tickets will be printed for you.

3) Ask for your hotel staff or local agent to help you to book the train tickets in advance.

How to take the train in China & Warm Tips
Step 1: you should find the main entrance to enter the station and go through security with your train tickets and vaild passport or ID Card. 
Step 2: you should check the big screen to find the information of your train and from which gate is departing, go to find your check gate and wait nearby since the gate will open 15 minutes before your departure time. 
Step 3: Once the gate open pass the ticket trough the electronic machine to get access to the platform. 
Step 4: Next, you need to find your right number of carriage and seat according to the information on your train tickets. 
Step 5: Enjoy the wonderful train journey, the train may stop at different stations before reaching your destination, but no worries the stops will be announced in English as well. 
Please keep your ticket since it is still reuqired when you get out of the train station.

Tips for taking train
It’s very important to bring your passport along with you when you take train in China, it is required for collecting tickets and boarding the train. You should arrive at train station at 1 hour in advance before your departure time. Lots of stations in China start to accept passengers with e-tickets only now. For those passengers, they can enter these railway stations and get onboard via the manual channels with their ID certificate used to buy the e-ticket, like passport. In this case, you can print out your e-ticket beforehand.

Information about Shanghai & Xian train stations
Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station: Located on the No.1500 Shengui Road, Minhang District, Shanghai. Most of high-speed trains depart from this station, head to a large number of major Chinese cities including Beijing, Xian, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu etc. It takes around 40m from Shanghai downtown People Square & 55 minutes from Pudong International Airport by taxi; The metro station is located on the B1 of the railway station and gives you access to lines 2, 10, and 17.

Shanghai Railway Station: Located on the No.303, Moling Road, Jing'an District of Shanghai; Shanghai Railway Station in located in the center of Shanghai city and it has many regular rail lines that go westwards, north of the Yangtze River, and Hong Kong as well as many useful bullet train lines to areas spread from Xi'an to Beijing. It is also a metro hub station for lines 1, 3 and 4. 

Xian North Railway Station: Located on the Shangxin Road, Weiyang District. As the largest and the most important station in Northwest China, the station operates many high-speed trains connecting to major cities in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Suzhou, and Chengdu.

Xian Railway Station: Located on the No.44 Huancheng North Road, Xincheng District; it's the old railway station in Xian city. Xian Railway Station only operates normal trains or overnight trains to other cities, like Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Dunhuang, etc. 

How to travel from Shanghai to Xian by Flight
Fly to Xian from Shanghai is a time-saving and popular way by tourists who travel from Shanghai to Xian. There are 28 direct flights from Shanghai to Xian daily. The earlist flight depart from Shanghai is 06:40AM from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, the latest flight is 23:00PM from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. It takes around 2h30m from Shanghai to Xian by air. The whole journey with a length of 1351KM. If you travel during the off season, you may have a chance to get discounted economy flight ticket which is even cheaper than the high speed train.

There are two airports in Shanghai, only one airport in Xian. Airlines flying from Shanghai to Xi'an include Sichuan Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Spring Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Air China.

Shanghai & Xian Airport Travel Guide
1. Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA)
It is located close to the town of Hongqiao in Changing and Minhang District, 13 km west of Shanghai city centre, including Terminal 1, Terminal 2. The ground transportation is including Airport Shuttle Bus, Taxi, and Metro Line 2 and Metro Line 10. You can take metro Line 2 and metro Line 10 to reach Hongqiao Airport, they are the most convenient, fastest and cheapest way between Hongqiao airport and Shanghai city centre. It takes around 10-30 minutes and costs around CNY2-5 per person.

2. Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG)
It is located 30 km east of Shanghai city centre and is the main international airports serving the city of Shanghai, including Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The ground transportation is including Airport Shuttle Bus, Taxi, and Metro Line 2. You can take metro Line 2 from Shanghai city center to PVG International Airport, it is the most convenient and cheapest way. Metro Line 2 links Terminal 1, Terminal 2 of Shanghai Pudong Airport and Longyang Road, Lujiazui, Nanjing East Road, Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and Hongqiao Railway Station. The ticket fee is around RMB2-8 per person and it will take you around 30 - 60 minutes. It takes around 1 hour from Shanghai downtown to Shanghai PVG airport.

3. Xian Xianyang International Airport (XIY)
It is located in Weicheng District, 25 kilometers northwest of downtown Xi’an, and 13 kilometers of Xianyang city centre. It is the main airport serving the city of Xi’an, the largest and capital city of Shaanxi Province.

Get to Xian downtown from Xian Xianyang Airport
1) Airport Shuttle Buses: There are many routes for the Xian airport shuttle bus, you can conveniently take the airport shuttle bus bettween Xian Xianyang International Airport to Xian city centre, such as Xi Shao Men, Xian Railway Station, Hi-Tech Development Zone, Xian Hotel, Jianguo Hotel, Rainbow Hotel, Xi’an South Intercity Bus Station, Xian North Railway Station eight airport shuttle bus lines. It takes around 1 hour from airport to get in Xian city.

2) Taxi: By taxi is the the most convenient way between Xian airport and Xian city on your own. It costs more than airport shuttle buses, the fee is different from daytime and nighttime for taxi. Make sure you have the illegal taxis from Xian airport.

3) Book a private airport pick up service: Highly recommend you to book a private transfer with a driver if you are travel with lots of luggage.

How to travel from Shanghai to Xian by Long-Distance Bus
Long-distance bus is not recommended for visitors who travel from Shanghai to Xian. There are two buses departure from Shanghai Long-distance Bus Terminal to Xian Bus Terminal, depart at 9:00AM & 11:00AM daily. The long-distance bus journey takes around 19 hours from Shanghai to Xian and it costs CNY380.

How to travel to Top Attractions in Xian
1. How to get to Terracotta Warriors
From Xian Xianyang International Airport to Terracotta Army
1) Take airport shuttle bus to reach Xian Railway Station, it takes 1 hour from airport to Xian railway station, then transfer to tourist bus No.306 to Terracotta Warriors. The whole journey takes around 2 hours from airport to Terracotta Warriors by this route;
2) You can also take airport shuttle bus to Lintong, and then take bus Lintong No.101 to the Terracotta Warriors about 15 minutes;
3) Take city taxi or book a private transfer from airport to visit Terracotta Warriors directly.

From Xian North Railway Station to Terracotta Army
1) Take metro line 2 from Xian north railway station to get off at Beidajie Station, then transfer to Line 1 to Banpo station. You can take the city bus No. 307 to reach Terracotta Warriors (Bingmayong Station) when get off at Exit A; 2) Take the free tourist shuttle bus from North railway station to Terrracotta Warriors, you can get a free bus card from Xian Travel Consultation & Distribution Service Center if you take the G-trains to Xian North Railway Station;
3) Take city taxi or book a private transfer from airport to visit Terracotta Warriors directly.

From Xian Railway Station to Terracotta Warriors
1) Take tourist bus No.306 from Xian train station East square to the Terracotta Warriors directly, it costs CNY 7 for one way.
2) Take city taxi or book a private transfer from airport to visit Terracotta Warriors directly.

2. How to get to Xian Ancient City Wall
From Xian Xianyang Airport to Xian Ancient City Wall
1) Take airport shuttle bus "Airport - East Bus Station Line" to Xian downtown, then transfer to city bus No.221 to reach Xian Ancient City Wall; The duration is about 60 mins and costs CNY25/person.
2) Take city taxi or book a private transfer from Xian Xianyang Internation Airport.

From Xian North Railway Station to Xian Ancient City Wall
1) Take metro line 2 from Xian north railway station and get off at Yongningmen Station to go up the City Wall from the South Gate. Or get off at Anyuanmen Station to go up from the North Gate;
2) Take city taxi or book a private transfer from train station.

From Xian Railway Station to Xian Ancient City Wall
As Xian Railway Station is located in the downtown of Xian city, it's many ways to get to Xian Ancient City Wall: 1) You can take city bus No. 321, 402, 405 from railway station, it takes around half an hour; 2) Take city taxi to visit the ancient wall directly, it takes around 10 mins.

3. How to get to Mt. Huashan Scenic Area
From Xian Xianyang Airport to Huashan Mountain
1) Take long-distance bus from Bus terminal at Xianyang airport, there are several direct buses available, departs at 10:30?12:30?15:00?17:30. It takes around 2 hours from Xianyang airport to reach.
2) Take a shttle bus to Xian train station and take a bullet train from Xian to Huashan mountain, it only takes around 30 minutes from Xian to Huashan by bullet train for one way.
3) Book a priavte transfer or a package tour to Mt.Huashan.

From Xian North Railway Station to Huashan Mountain
1) You can take high speed train from Xian north railway station to Huashan North Station, it takes around half an hour by high speed train. Once you arrive at Huashan north station, take taxi from there to Mt. Huashan;
2) Use the private vehicle from Xian North Railway Station to Mt.Huashan directly.

From Xian Railway Station to Huashan Mountain
1) Take the regular tourist buses departing from Xi’an Railway Station, bounded for Huashan’s Visitor Centre. The bus ticket cost CNY35 to 40 per person for one way. And the bus journey takes 1.5 to 2 hours.
2) Renting a Xian private vehicle with local angency or book a Mt.Huashan tour.

4. How to get to Big Goose Pagoda
From Xian Xianyang Airport to Big Wild Goose Pagoda
1) Take the airport shuttle bus " Airport-West Bus Station-Xi'an Hotel" Line and get off at Xi'an Hotel, transfer to a taxi or city bus for 4 kilometers to Big Goose Pagoda Square;
2) Take the airport shuttle bus "Airport-North Railway Station" Line and get off at Xi'an North Passenger Station, transfer to Metro Line 2 to Xiaozhai, walking around 1KM to east then you will reach Big Goose Pagoda.
3) Take taxi from airport to Big goose pagoda directly.

From Xian North Railway Station to Big Wild Goose Pagoda
1) Take metro Line 2 and get off at government centre station, transfer to metro Line 4 to reach Dayanta Station (Big Goose Pagoda Station), walking about 1.4km you will reach there;
2) Take taxi from Xian North Railway Station to Big goose pagoda directly.

From Xian Railway Station to Big Wild Goose Pagoda
1) Walking about 900 meters to Wu Lu Kou Station to take metro Line 4 to reach Da Yan Ta Station, it takes around 10mins, when you get off walking about 1.2KM to Big Goose Pagoda;
2) Take Xian City Bus No.41 from Xian railway station and get off at south square of Big Goose Pagoda;
3) Take city taxi

Top Xian Tours From Shanghai
1. Shanghai to Xian Tour: 2-Day Xian Terracotta Warriors Tour From Shanghai by High Speed Train
2. Tours From Shanghai: 1 Day Classic Xian City Tour From Shanghai with Optional Air Ticket
3. 2 Days Xian Sightseeing Tour with Huashan Mountain from Shanghai by Flight
For more Shanghai Xian Tours, please refer to Xian side tours.