Sea, Air, Railway Freight Shipping from China to France

France, the 7th largest economy in the world and the 2nd in Europe, following Germany. China is France’s largest trading partner in Asia, and second largest in the world. 

Explore a full guide into shipping from China to France written by one of the top China freight forwarders. The below content is mainly about shipping method, transit time, cost, best way to ship your goods, and what a freight forwarder can help with your China-France shipments. 

Sea, air and railway freight are available for China-France shipping.

Sea Freight from China to France

When shipping from China to France, sea freight is the most popular mode of transportation. If your supply chain has limited budget, choose sea freight, as it’s the least expensive way of international shipping. While choose shipping by sea, you’ll have to accept the long transit time from China to France, which takes 30-40 days. Check your inventory frequently and plan purchase order in advance to guarantee available stock in your warehouse. Besides low cost, sea freight has these advantages: large shipping capacity, ability to transport almost all types of goods. 
In sea shipping, FCL are LCL are the most regular types of shipments. 
FCL (Full container load): shipping a container filled with goods exclusively for one client from China to France. Shipping FCL is more cost efficient, 40ft container saves more than 20ft.
LCL (Less than container load): Sharing a container with other clients who have cargo at the same time, to the same destination. LCL is a good choice for small business to start with. 
Additionally, we are using flat rack containers and open top containers to transport oversized & heavy cargo, reefer containers for temperature-sensitive goods shipping, and also chartering bulk cargo ship or RO-RO ship for bulk shipment, vehicles (wheeled cargo). 
As a leading China based freight forwarder serving France, we have overall coverage of main China ports, as well as ports of ports of France. 
Top ports in China: Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Qingdao, Tianjin, Dalian, etc.

Main ports in France

Marseille
Marseille is France’s largest port, the second largest Mediterranean port and the fourth of European ports.
Le Havre
The Port of Le Havre is the second-largest commercial port in France in terms of overall tonnage, and the largest container port, with three sets of terminals.
With access to railway network to locations across Europe
Brest
The port of Brest enjoys connections to over 350 major ports globally. Handling both import and export cargoes, the port is used by most of the big shipping lines in the world.
Dunkirk (Dunkerque)
France's third-ranking port, Dunkirk is well known as a port handling heavy bulk cargoes for its numerous industrial installations.
Fos sur Mer
If you are interested in shipping containers or other types of sea shipments to French ports from China, contact us for  a shipping quote from China, and start a pleasant shipping experience.

Air Freight from China to France

Air freight is the solution to fast delivery of shipment from China to France. As general rule of thumb, the faster you wish to receive your shipment, the more you’ll have to pay for the shipping. Air shipping is not so often used by clients, mainly because of its high cost. However, these are cases where we’ll have to utilize it for its speed and security. 
When you have an urgent order but the deadline is approaching, air shipping is the right choice. The cargo to be shipped from China to France is perishable, can’t withstand the long time transport over the ocean, we have to use air freight. Maybe your supply chain has a robust shipping budget, you don’t want to wait one month to before receiving the goods. 
Apart from fast speed, air freight also ensures higher level of security, making it a good choice for shipping high-value equipment or luxurious products from China to France. 
However, due to some limitations of airplanes and restrictions of airlines, not everything can be air shipped. Consult a China freight forwarder for their knowledge and advice for your China-France air shipments. 
Get a shipping solution and cost from us, start a hassle-free shipping experience. 

Main airports in France

Paris airport (IATA CODE: CDG)
PARIS CHARLES DE GAULLE
France’s largest and most prominent airport.
12th-busiest cargo airport worldwide and second-busiest in Europe.  MARSEILLE AIRPORT (IATA CODE: MRS)
Third-largest air freight gateway in France. Best choice for importers located in France’s southern regions. 

Lyon airport (IATA CODE: LYS)
Main air-cargo hub for the third-biggest city in the country.

Rail freight from China to France

Shipping by sea usually takes 30 - 40 days from China to France, whereas a freight train from China to France only takes 16-20 days. Rail freight is the perfect substitute for sea, air freight - faster than sea freight but is substantially cheaper than air freight.

In 2016, the first direct freight train linking Wuhan China and Lyon France started operation. 

In June 2020, a new China-Europe freight train service was launched with Paris as the final destination. The China-Paris railway route is being launched due to the need to ensure reliable supplies, primarily anti-epidemic medicines, which need to be delivered quickly and reliably.

The first freight train departed for Paris from Zhongding Logistics park of Shanxi Province on June 2, 2021, marking the launch of China Railway Express service from Shanxi to France. The railway journey is approximately 11,000 kilometers, 20 days via Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany, before reaching the suburb of Paris.

Freight train stations in France: Lyon, Paris
Reach out to us if you wish for a delivery faster than sea freight, but cheaper than air freight. 
The first freight train connecting Shanxi and Paris, France

How long does it take to ship from China to France?

Cargo shipping from China to France takes 30-40 days by sea, 3-5 days by air, and 16-20 days by freight train. 
The actual transit time varies, depending on many factors, such as shipping method, supplier address, destination, service and route chosen, weather, seasonal change of shipping market, etc.

China-France sea freight transit time

Sea container shipping transit time from China to France (Le Havre, Marseille)

POL (port of loading)	POD (port of discharge)	Transit time
Qingdao	Le Havre	37 days
Qingdao	Marseille	38 days
Shanghai	Le Havre	32 days
Shanghai	Marseille	34 days
Yantian, Shenzhen	Le Havre	26 days
Yantian, Shenzhen	Marseille	28 days

FYI: Shanghai in East China, Shenzhen South China, and Qingdao North China, data from these 3 ports is enough to demonstrate the sea shipping time from China to France.
The transit time by sea, port to port, depends on the specific origin and destination ports chosen, service route, sailing schedule and choice on carrier.
Above transit time is for full container load shipping, port to port only.
For LCL shipping time estimate, pls add 7-10 days

China-France air shipping transit time

Air shipment won’t take long. Generally cargo shipped from China can reach France in 3-5 days. 
There are direct flight routes from Beijing/Shanghai/Guangzhou to Paris, if your supplier is located near these departure airports, shipping with direct cargo flight, a China-France air shipment can arrive on the same day of departure. 
Shipping routes are subject to change, contact your freight forwarder for the latest info (hopefully us). 
Get a shipping solution and quote from us.

China-France freight train transit time

Compared to sea freight, shipping by rail reduces the transit time from China to France substantially, from 30-40 days to only 16-20 days (estimated).
Shanxi – Paris: 20 days
Wuhan – Lyon: 18 days
The actual transit time could be slightly different due to market change, congestion and space availability. 

How much does shipping cost from China to France?

It used to cost less than $2000 to ship a 40ft container from China to France, and the record high is over $15000. 
Knowing how much shipping costs you is important if you are importing from China to France. Shipping cost is an indispensable, and sometimes can be a large part of the final landed cost of imported goods.
Each shipment is different, and clients may prefer different shipping method, it’s impossible to provide a general estimate of shipping cost from China to France. Besides, the shipping market is fast changing. Sea, air and railway freight rates fluctuate with time, affected by supply and demand relationship, as well as by carrier’s strategic adjustment. 
Contact us now to obtain the latest freight cost from China to France.

Best way to ship from China to France

It’s hard to define what the best way is to ship from China to France. There’s no one simple answer to the “best way”. Every client is different, and has his specific requirements at the specific time, plus the fast changing shipping market. 
Whatever the situation is, the best way certainly meets this standard: fast and safe delivery of shipment at the minimum shipping cost possible. To make it work, you’d better find an experienced freight forwarder for their knowledge and insight. The below factors will be taken into consideration to decide what the best way is to ship from China to France.
1.    The type of goods and its value
2.    How quickly you need your goods
3.    The load of your goods (size, weight, quantity) or simply share the packing list
4.    Supplier address (origin seaport/airport), delivery address(destination seaport/airport)
5.    Your budget
6.    Goods ready time
Submit the info to us for a tailored shipping solution and cost from us, and you are on the way to the best-in-class China-France shipping experience.

China-France freight forwarder

Everybody’s got limited time and energy. A freight forwarder will help you save time and manage your shipments from China to France well. 
As one of the leading China based freight forwarding companies serving France, we are equipped with knowledge, expertise and experience to provide the most accurate answers and optimal shipping solutions tailored to your needs. 
With the help of a professional freight forwarding team, your shipment from China can be accelerated and freight management made simple. You are freed from all the troubles and complexity of international shipping and logistics, so you got more time on the more worthwhile jobs to bring the best out of you. 
We are the freight forwarder you can rely on for all types of China-France shipments. 

China-France door to door shipping

UCS provides customers the easiest one-stop shipping solution, i.e. to have their goods shipped from China to France door to door. We take care of all the related logistics work from A to Z, all the required paperwork, supervision, consolidation, loading, offloading, customs clearance and final delivery, without adding any stress on clients. Our China-France door to door shipping service is a good choice, especially for small businesses and those who are not interested in handling shipping, paperwork themselves, just need someone to take care of everything.
No matter what your shipment is, whether big or small, by sea, air or railway, for business or individual, we got you covered. You are released from all the complexity and perplexity related to international shipping. China-France door to door shipping is made easy.

How to ship from China to France

Step 1: Contact a freight forwarder; a China based one is preferred. (More on “Why you should work with a local China freight forwarder”)
Step 2: Submit shipment details and get a shipping quote from China
Step 3: Connect the freight forwarder with supplier, forwarder does his job
Step 4: Get cargo insurance (optional)
Step 5: Arrange customs clearance
Or you can turn to us, a leading China based freight forwarder for one-stop shipping solution from China to France. 
Get in touch with us by filling the form, get a shipping quote from us. 

Why us when importing and shipping from China to France

We are China based freight forwarder, specialized and experienced in international logistics for China-France import and export business. With years of hard effort on French market, building local and global connections, we are able to offer the easiest one-stop shipping solution from China to France, hassle-free. This is what makes us different.
1. Quick Response, high efficiency
2. Communication
3. Professionalism, agility, accuracy
4. Our logistics expertise, local and global connections
5. Cost-saving
6. Dedicated, focused
7. Higher attention & tailored shipping solution
More on Why us when importing and shipping from China to France

As one of the leading China based freight forwarder serving France, we are dedicated to streamlining your supply chain from one end to another and ensuring a hassle-free China-France cargo shipping experience. 

If you are considering shipping from China to France(Marseille, Le Havre, Brest, Lyon, Paris), whether by sea, air or railway, We are the one solution to all your China-France shipment needs. Contact us, the best-in-class China freight forwarder for a shipping solution and quote.