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Route at a glance
Rail legs (approximate journey times)
| Leg | Approx. time | Notes | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luoyang Longmen → Nanjing South | about 3.5–5 hrs (fastest about 3 hrs 20 mins) | Direct trains; the one leg over 3 hrs | |
| Nanjing South → Suzhou | about 1–1.5 hrs | Very frequent | |
| Suzhou → Shanghai | about 30–45 mins | Very frequent |
✈️ Compare flights on Skyscanner. 🚄 Pre-book trains and hotels on Trip.com. Times are approximate, based on published 2026 timetables (12306, Trip.com and timetable sites). Always check live times before booking.
Day-by-day plan
- Day 1–2: Luoyang: Longmen Grottoes, White Horse Temple, optional Shaolin day trip.
- Day 3: Bullet train to Nanjing. Evening at the Confucius Temple and the Qinhuai River.
- Day 4: Nanjing: Ming city wall, Purple Mountain and the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall.
- Day 5: Short hop to Suzhou: the Humble Administrator's Garden and Pingjiang Road canals.
- Day 6: Optional water town (Tongli or Zhouzhuang), then train to Shanghai.
- Day 7–8: Shanghai: the Bund, French Concession, then fly home direct to London.
Getting home / onward options
Finish in Shanghai for direct flights to London. Pair with the Northern route for a big loop: into Beijing, home from Shanghai.
Compare hotels along the route
Compare live prices for each stop:
Luoyang
Nanjing
Suzhou
Shanghai
Seat classes
- Second class: the comfortable standard (2+3 seats) and great value for most legs.
- First class: wider 2+2 seats and a quieter carriage.
- Business class: the top tier, with deeply reclining or lie-flat seats, on some trains only.
Bullet train tips
- Book on Trip.com (English app, accepts UK cards) or the official China Railway 12306 site/app (English version available). Tickets open around 15 days ahead and popular trains sell out, especially at weekends and on holidays.
- Bring your passport: it's your ticket and ID. Foreign passports usually go through a staffed gate, not the automatic barriers.
- Arrive 45–60 minutes early. There's security screening, and big stations are huge. Boarding gates close a few minutes before departure.
- Check the station. Cities often have several (e.g. Chongqing East vs West, Beijing West vs Chaoyang).
- Luggage: there's overhead space and room at the ends of carriages, so travel fairly light. Food and hot water are available on board.
- All journey times on this page are approximate, based on published 2026 timetables. Timetables change, so confirm on 12306 or Trip.com before booking.
Destination guides on this route
China essentials for UK travellers
- Visa: according to GOV.UK (as checked in October 2026), holders of full 'British citizen' passports can currently enter mainland China visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism, business, family visits or transit, until 31 December 2026. Longer stays, or other purposes like work or study, need a visa. Your passport needs at least 6 months' validity and 2 blank pages. Rules change, so always check GOV.UK and the Chinese Embassy in the UK before you travel. Hong Kong and Macao have separate rules.
- Getting there from the UK: direct flights on Chinese airlines from London Heathrow and Gatwick to cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu take roughly 10–11.5 hours, some of the shortest routes between the UK and China, often with competitive fares. Compare flights on Skyscanner to find cheap tickets with trusted airlines. Book trains, hotels and activities in China on Trip.com.
- Getting around: China's high-speed rail network is fast and affordable. Book in advance (Trip.com sells China train tickets in English), and bring your passport, which is used as your ticket ID. Domestic flights cover longer hops.
- Payments: China is largely cashless. Alipay and WeChat Pay both let you link a foreign Visa or Mastercard, so set them up before you go. Carry some cash as a backup, because many smaller vendors don't accept foreign cards directly.
- Staying connected: some apps you use at home, such as Google Maps, Gmail and WhatsApp, may not work normally in mainland China. Download offline maps (Amap or Apple Maps work well) and a translation app before you go, and tell family which app you'll use to keep in touch. International roaming or a travel eSIM bought before departure is the easiest way to get online.
- Registration: hotels register foreign guests with police automatically. If you stay privately, you must register within 24 hours (GOV.UK).
- Busy periods: avoid Chinese New Year and Golden Week (1–7 October) if you can. Trains and attractions sell out and prices rise.