Beijing to Shanghai by the Bullet Train

If you are planning to make a trip from Beijing to Shanghai by the bullet train make sure you spare the entire day for the journey. Usually it is a 5-6 hours journey but sometimes it might take a bit longer than that.

We started our journey at 1.17 P.M. from Beijing and reached Shanghai at 7.30 P.M.

How to book your ticket? 

The train tickets from Beijing to Shanghai

Tickets can be booked online. We used a third party application to get our tickets booked in advance. Remember that your ticket should be from "Beijing South Railway Station" to "Shangai Hongqiao Railway Station" A second class ticket cost us 533 RMB . If you are a foreigner, you have to collect the tickets from a ticket office located in any train station in Beijing by providing your passport as the evidence.

 

At Beijing South Railway Station

Find your gate. Make sure you reach the gate at least 15 minutes before the departure time. If you are a foreigner you need to produce your passport along with the ticket to the ticket office at the the gate.

Beijing South Railway Station is one of the biggest railway stations I've ever been to. It was super crowded on the day we arrived. It was probably because the following day was the starting day of the national holiday of 4 days.

Beijing South Railway Station on the day before the Chinese national holidays

There are more than enough cafeterias and other shops in the station so don't worry about not being able to wrap some food before you left home.

Journey from Beijing to Shanghai

The train travels at the average speed of 300 kmph hence the journey is quite smooth and comfortable. I didn't feel any jerks at all during the whole journey. Train stops at intermediate stations for about 15 minutes.

The sight becomes pretty boring once the train starts moving from urban to rural area. Your view will be full of huge farm lands, factories, blocks of buildings, small community areas popping up time to time. You will also get to go through tunnels and pass through mountains for a break. But as a whole, the journey is pretty monotonous and not so exciting.

You can have a look at the following video which I composed from the clips captured in my phone.

Inside the train

Inside the bullet train

Smoking is strictly prohibited during the whole journey. There are 5 seats in a row arranged in 3 to one side (left) and 2 to the other side (right). There are no personal TV fixed to the front seat so make sure you carry your earphones, MP3 players and other entertainment devices. The toilets are hygienic and both commodes and squatting pans are available.

Inside the washrooms

There is a cafeteria inside the train which passengers can purchase their meals and snacks. In second class you have to pay for your meals and in first class the meals are free as I heard. The train has a dedicated cafeteria service which delivers food to your seat if you order food through the application that pops up when you scan the QR code pasted on your arm rest.

Scan the QR code on the arm rest to get your food delivered to your seat

At Shangai Hongqiao Railway Station

Make sure you got cash in your hand because when you arrived at your destination the 1st thing you would probably want to buy is a metro card from the ticket office and they do not accept card payments. Ticket office closes at 8.00 P.M. and opens at 6.A.M. At the time we got down it was close to 8 P.M. and the ATM machine at the first floor was also closed. Hence, it was freaking hard to find an ATM machine to get some money. So having some cash in your hand will make your life little convenient. 

Most of the restaurants and cafes are opened till late night so you don't have to worry much about finding something to eat. The below image will give you an insight into the shops you can actually find inside Shangai Hongqiao Railway Station.
 

Retailer sign board at the Shangai Hongqiao Railway Station

Last thing left is to find a taxi to go to your destination hotel. If you follow the sign boards to the taxi service you will end up at taxi service exit. Don't respond to the taxi drivers or any other agents that come to you asking if you need a taxi. You will have to be in the taxi queue for a little while but still it is worth than paying  five times more to those crooks. We waited 10 minutes in the queue to get a taxi and the taxi fare was 24 RMB but those people who reached us at the station, asked for 150-200 RMB for the same distance. 

So, I hope these information will help you to set correct expectations and be safe during the journey. If you think I have missed mentioning something important or if you wish to know anything else, please drop a comment I will surely post a reply.