Fly or Train?: Beijing to Shanghai
 

I am considering my options to get from BJ to Shanghai this fall. I am interested in 'business class' travel, which means either a first/business seat on an airplane or business class cabin on the bullet train

A few questions:

1. Am I crazy to consider flying? Is the train really the default option?

2. What site should I use to buy a ticket? It seems like fares from US-based sites are far, far more expensive than using a local, Chinese based site. I was looking on ctrip but I have never used this site and not sure how good the support is in event of a cancellation, etc.

3. Is it better to wait or buy tickets ASAP? Right now I am seeing first/business class for about $215 flying or $265 on the train.

Thanks!

Nothing shameful about flying. Unless you're very much into trains, nothing special about the train trip.

Ctrip and elong are reliable for purchasing domestic air tickets; fares are often higher on domestic tickets when sold overseas, so it can be advantageous to use a local website. Fare-wise, I'd buy the ticket three to four weeks ahead when looking for the best deal.

2 hrs 10 minutes
https://www.businesstraveller.com/fi...ess-class-.jpg

5 hrs
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/ima...0820111911.jpg

I would do the train. My recent trip took me 5 hours plus few minutes.

The hangup with flying (particularly BJ-SHA) is the unpredictable delays.

The photo was for high speed rail business class though, which costs about 2X 1st class or 4X 2nd class. 1st class and 2nd classes are not lie-flat.

I will take a train too. Please also allow time to buy (or even pick up a ticket for a foreigner). "Gate" closes about 5 minutes prior to departure and train usually leaves about 1-2 minutes EARLY.

~$265 is the business class fare.

I am the person who started the "my last bj-sh flight ever" thread shortly after hsr was launched, but I have since moved back into the plane camp because I get bored during hour #5 on the train, and the food smells nauseate me.

That having been said, for any Beijing trips during the next two months, I will likely use the train; flight delays are really bad in July/August.

With respect to early train departures, I used to cut it really close, and never once experienced this. Basically, if you catch Line 2 in jing'an at 220p, you can definitely make the 3p train to Beijing...but, you might need those final two minutes.

These days, I try to show up at the station 30 minutes prior to departure so I can load up on KFC. Note: I generally dislike KFC, but it is far superior to food on G trains. Business class is no exception.

That's what OP posted...business class on train. First/business on plane.
If you haven't ever ridden this train....I would take the train for the experience.

Nearly the same travel time but more relax and more predictable by train. Read this: http://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/201...shanghai-again
Check flights and prices on elong.net or trains on china-diy-travel.com

Train, wife from China,
'KFC Chicken smaller, but much better than train food..

If you do the commute often enough, flying is honestly better over the long run...just not during summer.

How about in September? Why all the flight delays?

Advantage of flying: The pure travel time is obviously lot shorter, but if you've get to PVG (SHA is better especially when you take the train from Hongqiao anyway) and in PEK need to get back into the city/South area, you'll easily take more time, even on a fully on-time flight.

Sure, you get to relax in the lounge at the airport, and while they're ok for 30 minutes wait (which you'll have, unless you want to to cut things really extremely close) it's not the best experience either.

So, for a train departure, I'd plan to arrive 30min prior to departure, for a flight, 1.5hrs (each giving 30min extra time - yes, with the train it's a bit less than 30min..) - that's one hour to add to the flight time (assuming departure from SHA)

Then, in PEK, if you've luggage, you'll have to wait a bit, and even if not, it will take a bit time to get landside. Then it's the train into the city.. another 30-60min in total to add to exit the Airport Express.. then you're about as central/down town as you're when you exit your HSR train.

So, that means you're about 1hr faster by aircraft if all on time vs. taking the HSR. Personally I like the HSR service, especially the one that only stops once (at Nanjing) and then goes direct all the way to Beijing.

Beijing and Shanghai have some of the worst records in the world. Besides weather, the air traffic is controlled by the military and civil aviation is not the priority. A flight on time on this route would be a surprise.

I did. I took business class from Beijing South to Shanghai HQ. It was very nice, but a little boring after a while.

I just like to make sure the other readers know that was business class in train, just in case they buy 1st class and find that 1st class is below business class.