gold75

Hi, I am in the process of figuring out how to join an organized trip that gathers in Kunming on a Monday (you can arrive any time) in June. I fly into Shanghai on the Monday, and arrive at 1:45 p.m. Can I get to Kunming that day either by:

(1) taking the train to Kunming at 4:19 PM - does this run on a Monday? Is this even the time (I see conflicting schedules on line). Can I get from the airport to the train station in time? Is it cutting it too close?

(2) Looking at some of the other posts, does it make sense first to check at the airport for local flights the same day? Is the international airport at the same place as the domestic? (I'm probably time blocked from doing this if I arrive the same day but not if I arrive the day before, see below.)

I am able to take arrive in Shanghai the day before (Sunday) and stay overnight in Shanghai, but I am trying to avoid missing a family function. But 2 1/2 hours to clear immigration and get to the train station?

Thank you so much for your help, and if you know how the weather is in the Kunming area during June, I'd love to hear!

Thanks,
Lynne

gold75

I will be the first to respond -- I now see that the train takes a day and a half! Whoops -- read the train times incorrectly! That changes everything, of course. Now I'll just look up the flying posts from Shanghai to Kunming or try to figure out how to build this long train time into my plans.

Lynne

PeterN_H

Almost every train in China except those that run internationally (or some special Hong Kong trains) runs daily on the same timetable. Your better choice from Shanghai to Kunming would be the K79 at 19.17 that will actually get you there an hour or so earlier.

The chances of obtaining a ticket to travel the same day are hard to predict. You will, however, certainly be able to board a flight. There are flights from Pudong at 3pm, 7.05pm, and 7.25pm, and about four flights you might make from Hong Qiao. There's a direct bus connection between the two airports, but allow at least 1.5 hours for the transfer. You can also take a taxi, of course, or the maglev and then subway/taxi. But overall you'd be best to stick with Pudong, and you should make the 3pm. Failing that, the 7.05pm will get you in at about 10.15pm. Kunming Airport is close to the centre, and at that time of night you'd be in town pretty quickly.

Peter N-H

DonTopaz

I have no idea what "3pm" flight PeterN_H refers to, unless he wants you to take a connection (which, in my opinion, would be inadvisable). I too would recommend that you take a flight from Pudong airport, where your international flight will land, instead of trying to get to Shanghai's other airport.

I know of only 1 non-stop flight from Shanghai/Pudong to Kunming -- it's on China Eastern Airlines at 7.05 pm. There is, as PeterN_H says, a 7.25 flight on Shanghai Airlines -- however, that flight makes a stop before getting to Kunming.

You don't have to wait until you arrive to buy the ticket - there are several online agencies (ctrip, elong) where you can buy the ticket, at a discount, in advance.

PeterN_H

Other sources, perhaps less oracular, appear to know of other flights: China Southern CZ6799 dep 1500 arr 1810.

Although Ctrip etc. advertise discount prices at the moment you probably won't be able to get those until much nearer the time. You should be booking no earlier than around three weeks in advance, if you want to. But anticipate difficulties with using a foreign credit card, and with obtaining a refund if one should turn out to be necessary. Both are frequently encountered.

Peter N-H

rkkwan

Yes, the two "K" trains take 37 or 41 hours. Depending on which one you take - the two uses different routes to get to Kunming. The 4:19p K181 goes pretty south, passing through Guilin in Guangxi Province and takes 41:43 for its 2,893km route. The 5:17p K79 cuts through western Hunan Province and Guizhou, taking 37:29 for its 2,660km route.

Soft sleeper costs about 800RMB (K79 slightly cheaper because fare is based on distance), and upper berth slightly cheaper than lower. 4 berths in a cabin for soft sleeper.

If you have the time, it can be quite an experience.

Of course, flying will get you to Kunming same night, instead of the 3rd morning on the train. Like others have found out, there are flights non-stop from PVG (no need to transfer to SHA). Too early to book for June, and schedule may change between now and then.

gold75

Thanks everyone. I think I'm definitely going to fly. I need help with a risk assessment.

My first choice would be to arrive at 145 on Monday and then wait until the 705 pm flight on China Air.

gold75

Sorry -- I'm not sure why that sent before I was finished.

Thanks everyone. I think I'm definitely going to fly. I need help with a risk assessment.

My first choice would be to arrive at 145 on Monday and then wait until the 705 pm flight on China Air. If I'm unable to purchase tickets ahead of time through ctrip or similar, is it a sure thing (or as close as one can come to in travel) that I will be able to purchase at the airport? I really have to be in Kunming on Monday. I wouldn't normally cut it this close, but I am trying to attend a family function in NY on Saturday.

Also, how much are these tickets generally?

Thank you all.

PeterN_H

I don't think I'd choose to hang around in Shanghai Pudong Airport for five or six hours if I could avoid it. Go for the 3pm China Southern flight and the two later flights only if you fail. The chance of not being able to board any of these on the day is very slight indeed. Bear in mind, too, that if the unlikely happens and you are told that all three flights are sold out you have plenty of time to route through other cities, with dozens of flights to choose from. There are, for instance, several connections via Chengdu alone.

Peter N-H

gold75

Thanks, Peter. Do you have a rough estimate on cost? I really have no idea of the ballpark.

Thanks!

PeterN_H

The answer is very elastic. At the absolute worst ¥1900. At best half that. Most likely around ¥1200–¥1500.

DonTopaz

Peter, you unquestionably have a great deal of information, but I do believe that you have difficulty assessing the risks of different strategies to be used by people with much less experience. The OP, for example, seems to have little or no experience dealing with Chinese airports or systems. The notion that he/she would be able to arrive in PVG and then figure out where to buy a ticket, how to buy a ticket, what to do if the flight is sold out, etc. -- that seems incredibly high risk, to my mind. Good heavens, the OP has already confused "China Eastern Airlines" with "China Air" (which doesn't exist): one can only imagine the level of stress and bewilderment when seeing the array of airlines at PVG. Of course you or I would be ok not having a ticket in advance, and if we needed to transfer at CTU, no big deal. But to advise a complete novice to do that -- no, I don't think so.

If I'm advising the OP, it's to take the 7.05pm flight, buy the ticket in advance, and spend the time in the PVG airport. Yeah, it's not exactly a holiday destination, but s/he can change money, visit some shops, and be bored like zillions of other travelers.

(And I would not even think about the 3pm flight. By the time that you pass through the immigration line, wait for your baggage to be delivered, and pass through customs, you're very likely to not have enough time to check in with enough time to catch your flight.)

PeterN_H

I don't assume anything about the poster at all, which would be discourteous and off-topic for this forum (as is writing a post to assert that another poster 'has difficulties') and I certainly don't assume that he's too daft to read signs in English (which are plentiful) directing him to whatever part of the airport he needs to find.

I don't assume he can't ask questions at the info desk. I don't assume that he can't read words like 'departures', 'domestic', 'ticket desk'. etc. I don't assume that he can't read flight numbers. I don't assume that if he ends up at the wrong place somebody won't point him in the right direction. I don't assume that he'll get the China Southern 3pm flight, I merely advise him to try rather than hang about in the airport unnecessarily.

No one has told him not to buy a ticket in advance, merely mentioned some of the technical hitches that may arise, and that he will almost certainly be able to board a flight to Kunming that day if he arrives in Shanghai without a ticket. I certainly wouldn't buy a ticket for the 3pm in advance, but with a bit of luck he may be able to take that flight. I'm not prepared to assume he won't have that luck.

Chinese airports are the most international places in China. They have plenty of announcements and signs in clear English, and all their facilities are clearly marked. Chengdu is as modern and multi-lingual as others in major cities, and if it became a question of going via there (or anywhere else) the ticketing can all be done in Shanghai, not that it would matter if he had to buy another ticket in Chengdu. Asking directions, if this is needed, is only a matter of showing a ticket or boarding pass to someone in uniform.

Anyone who finds the idea of all this troublesome probably needs help navigating a domestic airport at home. I'm not prepared to assume the OP is that clueless, or to speculate impertinently here about it, and have no wish to do anything more than answer his travel queries as posed.

Peter N-H

DonTopaz

RE: <i>I don't assume</i> x 8, et al.:

This is the problem, Peter. It is neither rude nor inappropriate to estimate the experience level of an individual to whom you are giving counsel, based on the evidence that is available to you.

I do not, as you imply, assume that the OP is "clueless." I do estimate, based on the OP's posts, that s/he is not an experienced traveler in China. If that is in fact true, then, in my view, having a blizzard of information about various flights is much less useful than providing a simple solution. (And I still find no reason to believe that your 3pm flight operates after 29 March). However, I leave the last word to you.