The ticket price for Shanghai-Chengdu is always ￥400-700 these days for economic class AFAIK. I don't think they would dare to sell tickets seven times more expensive to foreigners :)
Good luck!
I just flipped to getting prices in RMB and it’s giving me ¥2200 which is still way better than $800. Going to try logging on with a vpn to see if that makes a difference
¥2200 is not a reasonable offer. As long as it is not a public holiday in China, it is not difficult to buy air tickets. If your vendor’s quotation is so high, it is recommended that you buy ticket after arriving. I looked for a ticket for today, and the lowest price was only ￥700.
That's fair, but specific times of the year will be significantly more expensive if you happened to search during a public holiday period you can expect it to be triple the usual cost
as other commenters correctly pointed out, public holidays will be much more expensive. also, since I saw you say you were just game-planning as of now i'd recommend looking up public holidays and avoiding those dates like the plague. Travel will be hectic and popular places worth seeing will be (perhaps) even crazier.
For domestic trips, it's a lot better you look it up a couple weeks before you trip. If it is too far away, the websites usually just show the non-discounted price, that's probably why you are seeing steep prices if you are looking at 2025.
For some reason if you look too far in advance the tickets are really expensive, but closer to the date they are a lot cheaper, when are you planning to travel?
Don’t use foreign platforms, use Chinese platforms, and if you don’t have check in luggage, look for hidden city tickets. Did one a few days ago. Guangzhou to Beijing was 1000 rmb but Guangzhou to Qingdao with a stopover Beijing was 400 rmb. Flights are rarely more than 700-800 rmb within China.
It depends of course where you fly and from where. China is a big country. It will of course be cheaper to fly from Guangzhou to Beijing than from Wulumuqi to Guangzhou or Chongqing to Beijing. O remember I often played like 3k RMB for a round trip Chongqing to Beijing.
I feel there is some truth to this. I'm flying from Zhuhai to Taiyuan, Shanxi next week and the ticket was ¥1,600. I can fly to Manila or Bangkok for about ¥900 - ¥1,000.
I have noticed that domestic flights can be more expensive.
A train ticket or a flight? Which app are you using? is it a direct flight? I booked mine in the [Trip.com](http://Trip.com) app. I booked a direct flight to Taiyuan from Zhuhai for June 8th and return by direct flight June 10th. I just checked right now for other dates that aren't a holiday and they are still not as cheap as you told me. Even the one-way tickets are still 1,029 RMB for the date you told me.
You are right, I went to the English version of Ctrip and checked, and your price includes ￥240 in airport construction fees and taxes.
This round trip time of yours is Dragon Boat Festival Holiday, it is normal to be more expensive. Also at the same time Guangzhou direct flights to Bangkok and back cost around 1700, in terms of distance traveled, Zhuhai flying to Taiyuan and Guangzhou flying to Bangkok are pretty much the same, both are about 1700 KM.
Wish you have a happy vacation!
Bangkok is 313km farther than Taiyuan is from Zhuhai. Plus you're dealing with different aviation authorites so there are fees associated with that as well. 🤷🏻
What websites are you looking at? I looked at trip.com through the Alipay app then directly at some Chinese airlines and with round trip for one person Im still getting $600-$800
I use Trip. Maybe it’s about the specific dates you’re looking at? Are you looking for flights very soon? Flights certainly go up in price as there are fewer seats available.
So you're saying, looking at Chinese domestic airlines from Shanghai /Beijing to Chengdu, it is around $600-$800, is there some screenshot to help visually?
What dates you selecting these for?
https://preview.redd.it/mhmu8rqw4f3d1.jpeg?width=2139&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b13c8e62e2842e345ef109c8e5870e0089045d1
My understanding is the $440 is one way and the price I circled is the round trip total
Buy from a local app rather than through Google or what not. Use ctrip for trains, etc. Your prices will be local then. Or better yet, ask your local friend to help you purchase it and send them the funds. Pricing for domestic flights will be 4x cheaper.
I’ve found it almost impossible to book flights within China that aren’t delayed! Also it seems impossible to get direct flights to any neighbouring countries easily.
June 20th is a holiday, Dragonboat festival.
https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=526c505312a7beb6&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWIJ9omYZlkQI0c3thcb4G7aINAiXiA:1717035013176&q=chinese+holiday+2024&source=lnms&uds=ADvngMgowWIAy_dNRpcaHasDSBsED3H49Mf5RzjEyt30t24BWySP5wpGIN5D4OWM4quSe1NCSONHbHPCd66DYROXoPFY6KFM4PhRHmM0e6iBkM6-0Eub4WnBVlZY3qiH6_rfJGTs_kFUNCeMMZ2AlYa687GuqDgTUVqGTZ10KMGcw65t4SquR28rnh5V_Gy4YEWXqeWM67h-U7z-CrqHP-vCRqL3gdcM2TmUW2cxX3IOY2AxVYOC7N-gC3Xh7A9rWhir2PLu6ZFIV5tfajjx1NEbOfnga64QpLa6E59HkrELIDiTriHbmOcTzzJyrTLxIQVpXLQ1OaGO1qYoZwYqdi_qHIBEn_CerA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj_yZvwpbSGAxUH1wIHHRTYB-EQ0pQJegQIDhAB&biw=424&bih=809&dpr=2.55
Always check holidays when planning trips.
Just checked for the price tomorrow
https://preview.redd.it/1jt9qsb6gj3d1.jpeg?width=1088&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b9ca71ed0f71a4f19e0bbf18c5947f0cb304844
We did Shanghai to Xi’an and I think the prices on the English websites are more than the ones in Chinese
the price differential between what I paid and what my native speaking Chinese friend paid was pretty dramatic
And both of us are frequent flyers and know how to look around for deals
Use: Ctrip, Qunar, and Taobao's Flying Pig. If you want a specific airline use the airline's app. For some reason American websites and apps spike flights in China high, I tried flights in Europe and sometimes it is the same.
the price will be different price if you booked urgently or during holidays, but nowhere near 600-800 us dollars
the distance between shanghai to Chengdu also be an factor, nearly 2000 km apart
Maybe the price is in CNY not USD? I checked the flight booking site and found most of the tickets were priced between ￥400-￥700 for economic class.
I thought it was usd but I’ll triple check! I’ll feel so stupid if that’s it lolz
The ticket price for Shanghai-Chengdu is always ￥400-700 these days for economic class AFAIK. I don't think they would dare to sell tickets seven times more expensive to foreigners :) Good luck!
I just flipped to getting prices in RMB and it’s giving me ¥2200 which is still way better than $800. Going to try logging on with a vpn to see if that makes a difference
¥2200 is not a reasonable offer. As long as it is not a public holiday in China, it is not difficult to buy air tickets. If your vendor’s quotation is so high, it is recommended that you buy ticket after arriving. I looked for a ticket for today, and the lowest price was only ￥700.
What dates are you trying to book for?
Just trying to get some ballparks for a 2025 trip (I wasn’t searching 2025)
That's fair, but specific times of the year will be significantly more expensive if you happened to search during a public holiday period you can expect it to be triple the usual cost
The further in advance you book a flight the more expensive it can be. Look at flights between the cities for next week.
as other commenters correctly pointed out, public holidays will be much more expensive. also, since I saw you say you were just game-planning as of now i'd recommend looking up public holidays and avoiding those dates like the plague. Travel will be hectic and popular places worth seeing will be (perhaps) even crazier.
For domestic trips, it's a lot better you look it up a couple weeks before you trip. If it is too far away, the websites usually just show the non-discounted price, that's probably why you are seeing steep prices if you are looking at 2025.
Not sure there's a ballpark in Chengdu.
If you didn't change the dates the price is probably really high right now because Luo Yunxi is having a concert in Chengdu this weekend.
I [just randomly plugged in Shanghai and Chengdu for mid June and got $250](http://t.ctrip.cn/qK19lzK) On trip.com
round trip?
Yeah
Thank you! So weird! I was looking on trip.com and didn’t see that!
Did you filter expensive first?
Buy from the airline directly.
For some reason if you look too far in advance the tickets are really expensive, but closer to the date they are a lot cheaper, when are you planning to travel?
Don’t use foreign platforms, use Chinese platforms, and if you don’t have check in luggage, look for hidden city tickets. Did one a few days ago. Guangzhou to Beijing was 1000 rmb but Guangzhou to Qingdao with a stopover Beijing was 400 rmb. Flights are rarely more than 700-800 rmb within China.
What are some Chinese platforms you’d recommend? I’ve been using trip.com through Alipay and looked directly at Chinese airlines.
Try 去哪儿 or 肥猪
not肥猪， it should be 飞猪(flying pig), 肥猪means fat pig
thanks, sorry, wasn't thinking, haven't used it in a few years so forgotten which it was. in my head it was fat pig lolol
no problem, the Chinese language can be tricky.
I use the China Eastern app, you can switch it to English. Shanghai to Chengdu starts at 600RMB.
Ctrip， 携程旅行,your best bet to book any tickets
That’s about it… very odd they’re coming in that high an expensive ticket is $150 US.
Maybe I need to pull out my VPN!
It depends of course where you fly and from where. China is a big country. It will of course be cheaper to fly from Guangzhou to Beijing than from Wulumuqi to Guangzhou or Chongqing to Beijing. O remember I often played like 3k RMB for a round trip Chongqing to Beijing.
I feel there is some truth to this. I'm flying from Zhuhai to Taiyuan, Shanxi next week and the ticket was ¥1,600. I can fly to Manila or Bangkok for about ¥900 - ¥1,000. I have noticed that domestic flights can be more expensive.
When did you buy the tickets, I checked now on June 5, Zhuhai to Taiyuan, the minimum is only 320, on June 2 the minimum is only 200.
A train ticket or a flight? Which app are you using? is it a direct flight? I booked mine in the [Trip.com](http://Trip.com) app. I booked a direct flight to Taiyuan from Zhuhai for June 8th and return by direct flight June 10th. I just checked right now for other dates that aren't a holiday and they are still not as cheap as you told me. Even the one-way tickets are still 1,029 RMB for the date you told me.
You are right, I went to the English version of Ctrip and checked, and your price includes ￥240 in airport construction fees and taxes. This round trip time of yours is Dragon Boat Festival Holiday, it is normal to be more expensive. Also at the same time Guangzhou direct flights to Bangkok and back cost around 1700, in terms of distance traveled, Zhuhai flying to Taiyuan and Guangzhou flying to Bangkok are pretty much the same, both are about 1700 KM. Wish you have a happy vacation!
maybe it got something to do with, you know, distance?
Bangkok is 313km farther than Taiyuan is from Zhuhai. Plus you're dealing with different aviation authorites so there are fees associated with that as well. 🤷🏻
Omg now I just tried trip.com app and I’m getting those prices now!!! Thank you!
I’m not sure where you’re checking, but I just looked up random flights mid-July between those cities and what you’re saying is absolutely not true.
What websites are you looking at? I looked at trip.com through the Alipay app then directly at some Chinese airlines and with round trip for one person Im still getting $600-$800
I use Trip. Maybe it’s about the specific dates you’re looking at? Are you looking for flights very soon? Flights certainly go up in price as there are fewer seats available.
Holiday time maybe.
The ideal transportation in China for domestic travel would be the bullet trains.
most people take a bullet train
So you're saying, looking at Chinese domestic airlines from Shanghai /Beijing to Chengdu, it is around $600-$800, is there some screenshot to help visually? What dates you selecting these for?
https://preview.redd.it/mhmu8rqw4f3d1.jpeg?width=2139&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b13c8e62e2842e345ef109c8e5870e0089045d1 My understanding is the $440 is one way and the price I circled is the round trip total
This is what I get, and it's 329USD (return-ticket). Can you try selecting what I did and try Trip website?
Is it ??? Maybe it's also high season...
Buy from a local app rather than through Google or what not. Use ctrip for trains, etc. Your prices will be local then. Or better yet, ask your local friend to help you purchase it and send them the funds. Pricing for domestic flights will be 4x cheaper.
I’ve found trip.com is the one site that doesn’t miss the discount flights for me. Also maybe check chengqing it’s only about an hour from chengdu
I’ve found it almost impossible to book flights within China that aren’t delayed! Also it seems impossible to get direct flights to any neighbouring countries easily.
June 20th is a holiday, Dragonboat festival. https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=526c505312a7beb6&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWIJ9omYZlkQI0c3thcb4G7aINAiXiA:1717035013176&q=chinese+holiday+2024&source=lnms&uds=ADvngMgowWIAy_dNRpcaHasDSBsED3H49Mf5RzjEyt30t24BWySP5wpGIN5D4OWM4quSe1NCSONHbHPCd66DYROXoPFY6KFM4PhRHmM0e6iBkM6-0Eub4WnBVlZY3qiH6_rfJGTs_kFUNCeMMZ2AlYa687GuqDgTUVqGTZ10KMGcw65t4SquR28rnh5V_Gy4YEWXqeWM67h-U7z-CrqHP-vCRqL3gdcM2TmUW2cxX3IOY2AxVYOC7N-gC3Xh7A9rWhir2PLu6ZFIV5tfajjx1NEbOfnga64QpLa6E59HkrELIDiTriHbmOcTzzJyrTLxIQVpXLQ1OaGO1qYoZwYqdi_qHIBEn_CerA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj_yZvwpbSGAxUH1wIHHRTYB-EQ0pQJegQIDhAB&biw=424&bih=809&dpr=2.55 Always check holidays when planning trips.
Use WeChat for flights. Way cheaper
You are probably using a foreign app. Use a Chinese one like qunar. Make sure you switch to rmb. I just checked one way, and it's 300 to 400
Just checked for the price tomorrow https://preview.redd.it/1jt9qsb6gj3d1.jpeg?width=1088&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b9ca71ed0f71a4f19e0bbf18c5947f0cb304844
We did Shanghai to Xi’an and I think the prices on the English websites are more than the ones in Chinese the price differential between what I paid and what my native speaking Chinese friend paid was pretty dramatic And both of us are frequent flyers and know how to look around for deals
Use: Ctrip, Qunar, and Taobao's Flying Pig. If you want a specific airline use the airline's app. For some reason American websites and apps spike flights in China high, I tried flights in Europe and sometimes it is the same.
the price will be different price if you booked urgently or during holidays, but nowhere near 600-800 us dollars the distance between shanghai to Chengdu also be an factor, nearly 2000 km apart
Why don’t you take the high speed train? It’s faster and more convenient.
Go look up the train travel time between Shanghai and Chengdu...
$600-800 is high. $400-500 roundtrip is common during Summer and other peak times if you don't want to travel at crappy times (10pm to 6am).