Answer to One China Travel Question
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Q: Can you tell me if it is possible and practical to travel from Shanghai to Shenzhen by train? I don't speak Chinese and this will be my first trip but I will have some business contacts who can help arrange the tickets. About how long does the trip take and is it more or less expensive than flying?
| | A: Yes, you can travel by train from Shanghai to Shenzhen. There is one train that leaves around the noon time and arrive in Shenzhen the next morning - a train ride of about 18 hours. If you go from Shanghai to Guangzhou, which is about two hours away from Shenzhen, you'll find more trains, but of course then you have to travel farther by bus or train from Guangzhou to Shenzhen.
Sometimes it is difficult to get train tickets in China, especially tickets for sleeping berths, which you'll need given the length of the journey. See you need make some arrangements in advance. The problem is that rarely they sell train tickets seven days in advance. You do not want to wait till the last day to find that you cannot get a train ticket. So you do need some assistance with this.
Generally, it would be cheaper to travel by train than by plane. The cost of a flight from Shanghai to Shenzhen may be 30%-40% higher than a train ride. Of course, you save time by going on a flight, which lasts about two hours
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