Beijing - Guangzhou Train vs. Plane

A high speed train ride takes 8-10 hours fromBeijingtoGuangzhou, while flight may take 3.5 hours. If you are traveling in a hurry, flight is better. If you want to enjoy the great scenery changes between northern and southern China, high speed train is a good choice as well.

Categories	Trains			飞行s
	Daytime Bullets	Overnight Bullets	Normal Type
Price	Second class seat: CNY862	Soft sleeper: CNY880	Hard sleeper: CNY426 Soft sleeper: CNY750	Usually CNY950-1,300 with discount
Time	8-10 hours	10-11 hours	21.5-30 hours	3.5 hours
Punctuality	Punctual	Punctual	Occasional delays	Frequent delays
Facilities	Good; Wide legroom	Good; Sleepers to lie down	Poor	Good; Narrower leg room
Mobile Devices	Allowed to use	Allowed to use	Allowed to use	Allowed to use with some limitation
Departures Frequency	5 per day	5 per day every Fri. to Mon.	4 per day	50+ per day
Priority

See detailedBeijing - Guangzhou High Speed Train,Beijing - Guangzhou Flights
A full-price economy class seat for a flight costs CNY1,910. Although in most cases, passengers are able to enjoy great discounts between 50% and 70%; it still costs around CNY 950 to 1,300. In comparison, on high speed trains a second class seat costs CNY862 and a soft sleeper costs CNY880. For budget travelers, railway may be more preferable most of the year. But sometimes in low seasons, air ticket can be quite tempting.
即使两个机场都位于远离the downtown area, the total air trip takes less time than a rail ride counting the transfer time to and from the airport or railway station. Only 7.5 hours or so are needed when you fly from Guangzhou to Beijing, while the high speed railway ride takes 10 – 13 hours.

High Speed Train	飞行
0.5h between Beijing West Railway Station and downtown	1h between downtown Beijing and Capital Airport
1h for boarding and 8-11h onboard	2h for boarding and 3.5h on plane
40min between downtown Guangzhou and South Railway Station	1h between Baiyun Airport and downtown Guangzhou
It takes about 10-13h in total.	It takes at least 7.5h.

Generally speaking, train is more punctual than flight because of its fixed schedule, and they cannot be easily affected by weather change, air traffic control or other external factors. As per a report, in 2016, flight delay rate at Capital Airport was up to 39.3%, and the delay rate at Guangzhou airport reached 36%.

First Class Seats in a High Speed Train

Sleepers in an Overnight High Speed Carriage

They shuttle between the two cities from Friday to the next Monday overnight from late evening to early next morning. As they are equipped with sleepers, you are able to have a good rest onboard and rejuvenate yourself. Obviously, it can also save you one-night accommodation expenditure, and the daytime for those who are pressed for time.
When you travel by aircraft, mobile phones should be switched to flight mode and cellular data are forbidden to use; you cannot move around casually; and the legroom is limited. However when traveling by rail, you can use your mobile devices to surf the internet, the legroom is much wider and you can move around and have a stretch.
There are about 50 flights between the two cities each day, while only five pairs of bullet trains operate on weekdays and 10 pairs on the weekend. When you take a flight, there are more choices for your convenience.
The very long Beijing to Guangzhou high speed railway runs from the capital city to the excellent port on thePearl Riverpassing by several provincial capitals such as Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, and Changsha. When you travel by high speed trains during the day, the scenery along the way varies; you can appreciate historical sites, the famousYellow RiverandYangtze River, the beautiful lakes and mountains as well as fertile rural areas, and finally arrive in a city with tall buildings, bustling streets and other popular tourist destinations. In comparison, flying will be less interesting because you can enjoy nothing except the blue sky and a bird's eye view of the cities.

It is all a matter of personal preference as to which one to choose. If you are a budget traveler, the overnight sleeper trains are the best; the normal type is cheaper but not recommended for the old facilities and poor environment. If you are pressed for time, a flight should be the top choice regardless of delays. If you travel in high season or want to enjoy different scenery in a short time, the daytime G trains are recommended.


Also read:How to Travel from Beijing to Guangzhou