Distance from Shanghai to Hong Kong
🇨🇳 Shanghai, China → 🇭🇰 Hong Kong, China
The dashed line joins the two city centres; the true shortest path on the globe is a great-circle arc, and real flight paths also bend around restricted airspace and follow airways.
Down China's southeast coast
The great-circle line runs southwest from Shanghai across the hills of Zhejiang and inland Fujian, then into eastern Guangdong before reaching the Pearl River Delta. Flights usually follow a path closer to the coast. Shanghai's two airports, Pudong (PVG) and Hongqiao (SHA), both have nonstop flights to Hong Kong International (HKG), and the route is one of the busiest between the mainland and Hong Kong.
By high-speed rail
Since 2018, direct high-speed trains have linked Shanghai Hongqiao with Hong Kong West Kowloon, taking roughly eight hours. Overnight high-speed sleeper trains were introduced in 2024. Immigration for both sides is handled at West Kowloon, so the train ends in central Kowloon rather than at the border. For most business travellers flying is still faster, but the train is a comfortable option.
Rival financial centres
For much of the 20th century Shanghai was East Asia's leading financial centre. After 1949 many Shanghai businesses and industrialists moved to Hong Kong and helped build its textile and shipping industries. Today the two compete as China's main financial centres but are also connected: the Shanghai–Hong Kong Stock Connect, launched in 2014, lets investors in each market trade shares listed in the other.
Shanghai
Hong Kong
Frequently asked questions
- How far is Hong Kong from Shanghai?
- 1,227 km (762 miles) in a straight line (great-circle distance). The distance is the same in both directions.
- How long is the flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong?
- A nonstop flight covers the distance in roughly 2h 2m. That estimate assumes an average 800 km/h plus 30 minutes for taxi, climb and descent; scheduled times vary with routing and winds.
- What direction is Hong Kong from Shanghai?
- Hong Kong lies roughly southwest of Shanghai; the initial great-circle bearing is 218°.
- What is the time difference between Shanghai and Hong Kong?
- Shanghai and Hong Kong share the same time zone (UTC+8). Neither city uses daylight saving time.
- Which airports serve this route?
- Shanghai: Pudong (PVG) and Hongqiao (SHA). Hong Kong: Hong Kong International (HKG).
- Is there a direct train from Shanghai to Hong Kong?
- Yes. Direct high-speed trains run from Shanghai Hongqiao to Hong Kong West Kowloon in about eight hours, and overnight sleeper trains were added in 2024.
Other routes from Shanghai and Hong Kong
See the country profiles for China, or measure any other pair with the Asia distance calculator.