The cheapest order to fly Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong from Seattle
There are 6 ways to fly these cities. They do not cost the same. The cheapest works out at about $1,039 a person and the most expensive at $1,210, a difference of $171 for visiting exactly the same places.
Fly them in this order
Seattle → Hong Kong → Beijing → Shanghai → Seattle
About $1,039 per person in flights, based on fares recently seen on these routes.
Every order, priced
- Seattle → Hong Kong → Beijing → Shanghai → Seattle$1,039cheapest order
- Seattle → Hong Kong → Shanghai → Beijing → Seattle$1,068$29 more per person
- Seattle → Beijing → Shanghai → Hong Kong → Seattle$1,122$83 more per person
- Seattle → Shanghai → Beijing → Hong Kong → Seattle$1,129$90 more per person
- Seattle → Beijing → Hong Kong → Shanghai → Seattle$1,138$99 more per person
- Seattle → Shanghai → Hong Kong → Beijing → Seattle$1,210$171 more per person
Why Hong Kong first
- Seattle to Hong Kong$357
- Hong Kong to Beijing$91
- Beijing to Shanghai$97
- Shanghai to Seattle$494
- Out of Seattle, Hong Kong is the cheapest first stop at about $357. Shanghai would be $515.
- Going home, the cheapest flight leaves from Hong Kong at about $456, but the cheapest order ends in Shanghai at $494 because the rest of the route is cheaper that way.
- Beijing to Hong Kong is about $63, but the other way round is $91. Same two cities, $28 apart on direction alone.
- The dearest order pays $518 for Beijing to Seattle, a flight the cheapest order never takes.
- Shanghai to Seattle is 48% of what the cheapest order spends on flights, so it is the leg to watch.
Between the cities
- Hong Kong to Beijing: about 1,970 km (1220 miles) as the crow flies. No train or bus we would suggest instead of flying.
- Beijing to Shanghai: about 1,070 km (660 miles) as the crow flies. Also by ground: CR high-speed (G trains), about 5h, usually $75 to $100.
Entry rules on a US passport
- US passport: visa-free in Hong Kong for up to 90 days. Official source
- US passport: a visa is normally required for mainland China, but a visa-free transit of up to 240 hours is available at major hubs when continuing to a third country; conditions apply. Official source
Rules change; check the official source for your passport and dates before you book.
How much the order matters here
Getting the order right is worth $171 a person on this trip, 16% of what the cheapest way round costs. Of the 72 trips we price in full, that is number 52 for how much the order matters, one of the smaller gaps: on this trip your dates are likely to matter more than the order.
What these numbers are
Cached one-way fares, 12 of 12 legs priced from real observations, put together on October 29, 2026, from fares departing October 30, 2026 onwards. Right for comparing one order with another, not a quote for your dates.
A plan prices your own dates and weighs hours as well as fares, so it can pick a different order from this page.
Put dates on it
Same cities on real dates, plus what one search cannot show: layovers long enough to count as a free city, two tickets that beat one, and cheaper days either side. No account and no card.
One press starts it on January 2, 2027 to January 16, 2027, 14 days, for 2 travelers. Our dates, not yours, and about two minutes.
Plan Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong from Seattle nowOpen the form instead and pick your own datesSigned out, 3 plans a day per address, priced from cached fares and the free sources, so some legs may be estimates and the plan says which. Signed in, legs are checked live, with 2 free trips you can change afterwards.