CRH2 high-speed train

High-speed rail, the best way to get around China.

Photo courtesy of Gabriel Chew

How to buy tickets online

 

How to take the train in China

China has one of the biggest and busiest rail networks in the world, and trains link almost every town & city.  Chinese trains are a safe, comfortable, punctual & cheap way to travel around China, and a Chinese train journey is an experience in itself, in contrast with less reliable and environmentally-unfriendly internal flights.  This page will help you understand & plan train travel in China, & arrange your train tickets.

UPDATE 2024:  Travel to China is open again post-pandemic.  China-Vietnam and China-Russia trains are still suspended, a limited China-Mongolia and a new China-Laos train service are operating.

small bullet point  How to check train times & fares

small bullet point  Maps of China's train network

small bullet point  How to buy tickets online

small bullet point  How to buy tickets at the station

small bullet point  Self-service ticket machines

small bullet point  Finding & boarding your train

small bullet point  What are Chinese trains like?

small bullet point  Luggage & bikes on Chinese trains

Train times & fares for popular routes

Beijing - Shanghai

Beijing - Xian

Beijing - Badaling (for Great Wall)    

Beijing - Tianjin

Beijing - Guilin & Nanning

Beijing - Kunming

Beijing - Guangzhou & Shenzhen

Beijing - Hong Kong

Beijing - Macau

Beijing - Lhasa (Tibet)

Beijing - Ürümqi

Beijing - Hanoi - Saigon (Vietnam)

Guangzhou (Canton) - Hong Kong

Guangzhou (Canton)- Macau

Guangzhou (Canton) - Beijing

Guangzhou (Canton) - Shanghai

Guangzhou (Canton) - Lhasa

 

Shanghai - Xian

Shanghai - Beijing

Shanghai - Hong Kong

Shanghai - Macau

Shanghai - Guangzhou

Shanghai - Guilin, Nanning

Shanghai - Lhasa (Tibet)

Xian - Beijing

Xian - Shanghai

Xian - Ürümqi

Xian - Lhasa (Tibet)

Hong Kong - Beijing

Hong Kong - Shanghai

Hong Kong - Guangzhou

Hong Kong - Hanoi, Vietnam

Hong Kong - Macau

International trains & ferries

Beijing to Ulan Bator & Moscow by Trans-Siberian railway & onwards to Paris & London

Beijing, Xian & Ürümqi to Almaty & Astana (Kazakhstan)

Beijing to Hanoi (Vietnam) by train, onwards to Saigon, on to Phnom Penh & Bangkok

Beijing to Japan by ferry

Beijing to South Korea by ferry

Beijing to North Korea by train

Beijing to Taiwan by ferry

Hong Kong to Hanoi (Vietnam)

Kunming to Hanoi (Vietnam) by train

Lhasa to Kathmandu by bus & onwards to Delhi

Other information

Tours of China by train - organised for you

Recommended guidebooks for China

Travel insurance

Hotels in Beijing  Hotels in Shanghai  Hotels in Xian

Hotel suggestions in Beijing & Shanghai

Get a VPN to access Twitter, Facebook, Google and so on whilst in China


Useful country information

Train operator in China:

Chinese Railways.  Map of Chinese railways.  Official sites: www.12306.cn & www.tielu.org.  Agencies selling Chinese train tickets online: www.chinahighlights.com, www.trip.com.  Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (local trains in Hong Kong plus through trains HK to Beijing & Shanghai): www.mtr.com.hk.

Time zone:

GMT+8 all year.    Flights to China

Dialling code:

 

+86

Currency:

£1 = 8.9 Yuan (Renminbi, shown as RMB or CNY) = 9.9 HK$.  $1 = 7.0 Yuan = 7.7 HK$.  Currency converter

Tourist information:

www.cnto.org (US), www.cnto.org.uk (UK), www.cnto.org.au (Aus).  Tripadvisor

Hotels & hostels:

Scan multiple hotel websites to find the cheapest hotel rates   Find backpacker hostels

Visas:

UK & most other citizens need a visa for China. In the UK, Chinese visa issuing has been outsourced to www.visaforchina.orgMore advice on Chinese visas.

Get a VPN - as access to Twitter & Facebook is blocked in China.

Page last updated:

11 June 2024


How to check train times & fares

 

Which station in Beijing?

  Beijing main station

Beijing railway station for Trans-Siberian trains to Moscow & Ulan Bator, trains to Harbin, a few sleeper trains to Shanghai.  Beijing's original main station dating from 1959.

  Beijing South Station

Beijing South (= Beijing Nan or Beijingnan) for high-speed trains to Shanghai & Tianjin.  It's huge, modern & airport-like inside.

  Beijing West Station, for trains to Xian, Hong Kong, Nanning, Guilin

Beijing West (= Beijing Xi or Beijingxi), for trains to Xian, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Nanning, Guilin, Tibet.  It's vast, modern & airport-like inside.

 

Beijing north station

Beijing North for trains to Badaling for the Great Wall.

Maps of the Chinese train network

How to buy tickets

When do reservations open? 

Reservations usually open 30 days before departure for online bookings and 28 days before departure for sale at stations, for most long-distance trains.  You cannot buy tickets before reservations open.

Some D-category sleeper trains only open 20 days ahead.  Some C-category trains only 10 days ahead.

The booking horizon used to be 12 days (10 days at stations), but was increased to 20 days in January 2013, then to 60 days in December 2014.  However, a temporary shortening to 30 days in early 2017 has become permanent.

Do tickets sell out?

Yes they do.  Most long-distance trains get fully-booked days ahead.  So book as many days ahead as you can or pre-arrange tickets online as explained below.  Although as China's new G-category high-speed trains are expensive by Chinese standards you'll sometimes find Beijing-Shanghai or Beijing-Xian high-speed train tickets available on the day of travel or the day before, assuming you are flexible as to the class or exact departure time.  But in all other cases, long-distance train tickets often sell out days before departure.  Train tickets are best booked at least 3-4 days in advance, preferably more, apart from peak holiday periods when they should be booked as soon as reservations open or secured through a train ticketing agency who knows the ropes, as trains get very fully-booked weeks ahead.

Peak holiday periods means on and around the Spring Festival, May Day on 1st May and National Day on 1st October.  It's also busy throughout the summer, and the beginning or end of university terms.  At other times, trains can still sell out but it's usually possible to secure seats or sleepers a few days ahead.

But why not see for yourself?  If you run an enquiry on www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains or www.trip.com for today, tomorrow or a few days time, you'll see which trains are sold out, which are still available, and which have only a few seats left.  As I write this, most Beijing-Shanghai trains are sold out for the day after tomorrow, but a few trains still have seats left the day after that.  It's a similar story between Beijing and Xian.

How to buy tickets online

Chinese Railways launched online booking in 2011 at www.12306.cn, but until 2020 it was only in Chinese.  It now has an English version, but unless that has changed too, it only accepts Chinese bank cards.  So visitors to China should buy tickets through one of the following reliable recommended agencies, who charge a small fee.

  Buy train tickets for China through Chinahighlights.com
 

Buy train tickets online at www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains

Option 1, buy at Chinahighlights.com

  Buy train tickets for China through China DIY Travel
 

Buy train tickets at www.trip.com

Option 2, buy at Trip.com

Option 3, buying tickets for departures from Hong Kong

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  Beijing station ticket office entrance
 

This is the entrance to Beijing Railway Station ticket office, accessed from the forecourt to the right of the main building.

  English language window at Beijing station ticket hall
 

After an X-ray baggage check, you're inside the ticket hall.  There's an availability display above the ticket windows check this first!  Photo courtesy of Gilbère Mannie.

  Train ticket agency
 

Or buy from a local train ticket agency for an RMB 5 fee.  Small local ticketing agencies are located all over town.  Don't expect English to be spoken, so ask your hotel to write down what you want.  This is an office in Nanjing.  Photo courtesy of Matthew Blissett.

How to buy tickets at the station

Train availability displays in ticket offices

You'll find these train availability boards at all main station ticket offices and they're not hard to read, even though they're in Chinese.  The photo below was taken at Beijing West on 1 August, and as you can see, there's zero availability in any class for today's train G625 leaving at 18:56, so don't waste time asking.  But there's plenty of availability in all classes tomorrow (2nd August) including 13 seats in business class and 36 seats in 1st class and 617 in 2nd class.

Train availability board, Beijing West north square ticket office

Self-service ticket machines

Ticket macvhine screen   Ticket macvhine screen

Self-service machines come in various types.  The latest versions have a passport scanner, indicated above by the red arrow.

Ticket macvhine screen   Ticket macvhine screen

1. Select an option:  Click the yellow button to  print your itinerary or blue marked 取报销凭证 (top right) to print reimbursement slip. Green = buy tickets, but that requires some basic knowledge of Chinese.

 

2.  Click the passport button, the one which has the Chinese characters for passport at the end -  护照.  (No passport button = passports not accepted)

Ticket macvhine screen   Ticket macvhine screen   Ticket macvhine screen

3. Scan passport.  Some machines have a slot like this, others have a scanner window.

 

4.  Enter your booking order number.  It normally begins with E.

 

5. Reimbursement slip or itinerary prints.

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Finding & boarding your train

Allow time for security checks at the station

Scan your passport to access the platform

Chinese tciket gate passport reader   Chinese tciket gates with passport readers

The latest type of platform access gate has a passport scanner as well as a Chinese ID card scanner.  Courtesy of David Feng.

Boarding a train at Beijing Station

1.  Beijing station is in central Beijing, 3 km from Tiananmen Square.  It has it's own station on the Beijing Subway, called simply Beijing Railway Station - see Beijing subway map.

2.  Beijing main station dates from 1959 and whilst Beijing's South & West stations are modern and airport-like, negotiating Beijing's original station is a more chaotic old-style Asian experience.  So arrive in plenty of time, at least 40 minutes before your train leaves.

3.  Whether you arrive by subway or taxi, you end up on the station forecourt seen in the photo below left.  You then enter the station through any of the 30-odd red-canopied ticket-check kiosks seen in the photo below right in front of the main entrance.  There will be a queue in front of each kiosk.

4.  Immediately after the ticket check, there's a luggage X-ray check as you enter the building itself.

5.  You can then check the departure display to see which waiting room to go to for your train.  Boarding usually starts around 20-30 minutes before departure.

Beijing main station   Entry kiosks to Beijing Raiwlay Station

Boarding a train at Beijing South:  See the Beijing to Shanghai page

Boarding a train at Beijing West

Beijing metro - Beijing West Station   Beijing West Railway station

1.  Beijing West (= BeijingXi) is 7 km (4.5 miles) west of Tiananmen Square.  You can travel there easily & cheaply by Beijing Subway (see Beijing subway map) for just RMB 4 (50p, $0.70), allow 40 minutes for the subway journey.  Or you can take a taxi, the taxi fare from central Beijing to Beijing West is around RMB 35 (£4, $6), allow at least 30 minutes for the taxi ride.

2. Beijing West is large and busy, so arrive in plenty of time for your train, perhaps 40 minutes before your train leaves.

Beijing Xi (West) station entrance ticket check   Main indicator board inside Bejing West station

3. When you reach the station, you enter the station through a ticket & ID check at any one of the various entrances, see the photo above.  Immediately afterwards there's a luggage X-ray check into the departures hall.

 

4.  Indicator boards on the departure concourse show which train is allocated to which waiting room - here you can see G71 is allocated to waiting room 8. There is usually at least ½ hour between departures from a given room.

Waiting room 8 sign, Beijing West station   Inside Waiting Room 8, Beijing West station

5.  Go to the waiting room shown for your train, this photo shows the sign outside room 8.

 

6.  The waiting room.  Boarding starts perhaps 15 minutes before departure, through automatic ticket gates, closed a few minutes before departure.

7.  You may also find departure boards showing the status of each train.  Most trains will be shown as 'on time' with the most immediate departures shown as 'waiting', which means you can enter that train's specific waiting room.  Once a train is ready for boarding, usually about 30 minutes before departure, it's shown as 'check in', meaning you can proceed through to the platform.  Barriers close 5 minutes before departure, and the train is then shown as 'check out'.  Photos in this section are courtesy of Sunil Mehta.

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What are Chinese trains like?

Chinese trains link virtually all main cities and towns in China, and are a safe, comfortable & civilised way to travel, even for families or women travelling alone.

Classes of seat & sleeper on classic trains

Chinese trains generally have four classes, although you won't find every class on every train:

Classes of seat on high-speed trains

Restaurant cars, toilets, smoking...

Categories of train

Chinese train numbers usually start with a letter, which indicates the category of train.  The better the category of train, the faster it is likely to be, and the more modern & comfortable the carriages are likely to be.  Slightly higher fares are charged for the better train categories.

A typical T or K category Chinese train

T & K category trains may not be as glamorous as the front-rank D or Z category trains, but even these T or K trains are usually very comfortable, often modern & air-conditioned.

Modern sleepers on a typical Chinese express train...   Restaurant car...

A typical T or K category long-distance express.

 

The restaurant car.

Soft class 4-bed compartment in Chinese T or K category train...   Hard class sleeper...   Hard class sleeper, showing middle & bottom berths...

Soft sleeper consists of spacious carpeted & lockable 4-berth compartments, with toilets & washrooms at the end of the corridor.  Note the lacy decor & flower in a vase on the tablecloth!  Some trains even have personal TV screens for each berth.  Photos courtesy of Shuhei Terashima 

Hard sleeper consists of open bays of 6 bunks (upper, middle & lower) on one side of an aisle. In spite of its name, berths are padded, bedding is supplied, and many budget western travellers prefer it.  There are fold-out seats in the aisle either side of small tables.  Photos courtesy of Gabriel Chew.

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Luggage on Chinese trains

  Luggage storage on Chinese trains

Luggage on Chinese trains:  Your luggage stays with you on board the train. Here, a suitcase is stored in the recess over the door in a 2-berth deluxe soft sleeper.  Courtesy of Andy Brabin.

  Left luggage office at Beijing South station

Left luggage office, Beijing South departures hall.  This one has lockers, others are staffed.

Taking a bike

Luggage storage at stations

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Beijing to Shanghai

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Beijing to Xian

Beijing to Xian by time-effective sleeper or by high-speed train.  The best way to travel between Beijing & Xian is by train, either on a time-effective overnight sleeper train which also saves a hotel bill, or on one of the new 300km/h (186 mph) high-speed trains.   The high-speed line opened on 26 December 2012 allowing trains to link Beijing West and Xian North in as little as 4h17, with a dozen high-speed departures a day.

 Beijing ► Xian by sleeper train

 Train number:

T231

T41

D19

D43

 Beijing Xi (West)

depart

18:33

18:48

20:18

20:30

day 1

 Xian main station

arrive

07:35

08:01

07:55

08:23

day 2

 Beijing ► Xian by high-speed train

 Train number:

G87

G653

G91

G671

G307

G655

G657

G429

G871

G685

G673

G57

G89

G659

G661

G663

G59

 Beijing Xi (West)

depart

07:00

07:44

07:55

08:13

09:10

09:40

11:41

12:40

12:55

13:15

13:46

14:05

15:00

15:20

16:15

16:45

19:00

 Xian Bei (North)*

arrive

11:21

13:38

12:06

14:10

15:08

15:29

|

18:22

17:08

19:04

19:37

18:30

19:13

|

21:56

22:15

23:11

 Xian main station

arrive

-

-

-

-

-

-

17:02

-

-

-

-

-

-

21:00

-

-

-

 Xian ► Beijing by sleeper train

Train number

T232

D20

T42

D44

 Xian main station

depart

17:28

19:19

20:20

20:35

day 1

 Beijing Xi (West)

arrive

06:12

07:04

09:22

08:22

day 2

 Xian ► Beijing by high-speed train

 Train number:

G652

G654

G672

G56

G88

G686

G656

G430

G872

G660

G58

G308

G662

G664

G674

G666

G90

G92

G60

 Xian main station

depart

-

07:47

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

17:22

-

-

-

 Xian Bei (North)

depart

07:07

|

09:03

09:10

10:09

10:33

10:45

11:57

12:12

13:04

14:26

14:59

15:09

15:49

16:51

|

18:22

18:32

19:00

 Beijing Xi (West)

arrive

12:13

13:17

14:21

13:30

14:26

15:48

16:19

17:14

16:32

18:48

18:37

20:20

20:30

21:14

22:51

23:13

22:32

22:42

23:17

All these trains run every day - use these times as for planning & check times for your date of travel at one of the websites shown here.

Xian North, also known as XianBei, is 10 km north of the city centre on Xian metro line 2.

Xian main station is in the city centre, so significantly more convenient.

G-category high-speed trains have Business class, 1st class, 2nd class and a buffet car.  1st class seats are 2+2 across the car width, 2nd class seats are 2+3 across the car width.  Business class consists of leather power-reclining seats arranged 1+2 across the car width in a carpeted car.

D-category highsleeper trains are high-speed sleeper trains with air-conditioned soft sleepers, hard class sleepers & hard class seats.

T-category sleeper trains are classic sleeper trains with 4-berth soft sleepers, hard sleepers & restaurant car.

Distances:  Beijing to Xian by sleeper train on the classic route is 1,283 km (801 miles), via the new high-speed route it's 1,198km  (749 miles).

The Terracotta warriors are 40-45 minutes from Xian main station by bus 306 or 307, fare about RMB 7.  Minibuses & taxis are also available.  There are luggage storage facilities (left luggage office) at Xian main station, price RMB 5 per person.

All trains shown here run every day.    Finding & boarding your train    Luggage arrangements

Beijing metro map.    Street map of Beijing showing stations.    Hotels in Beijing.    Hotels in Xian.

 How much does it cost?

 One-way per person in USD

By high-speed train

By sleeper train

2nd class

1st class

Business

class

Hard

sleeper

Soft

sleeper

 Beijing to Xian, booked online:

$81

$130

$255

$41

$62

$1 = approx RMB 7.0, £1 = approx RMB 8.9.

As of 1 January 2023, children under 6 travel free (just one per adult goes free), all other children under 14 travel for half fare. Those 14 & over pay full fare.  Child discounts only apply to the 'base' part of a sleeper fare, so in sleepers it's closer to a 25% reduction on the total fare.

The sleeper fares shown here are for lower berths.  Upper berths (and middle berths in hard sleeper) are a fraction cheaper.

How to buy tickets

You can easily tickets online at www.chinahighlights.com or www.trip.com once booking has opened.

For full details of how to buy tickets online or at stations, see the How to buy tickets section above.

What are the high-speed G-trains like?

Second class is fine if you're on a budget, although it's fairly cramped as seats are arranged 2+3 across the car width.  A middle seat in the row of three isn't much fun!  First class seats are arranged 2+2 across the car width, so are far more spacious and well worth the extra cost.  Superior class seats (also known as Deluxe or Premium) are identical to first class seats, but arranged 2+1 across the car width in the sightseeing area immediately behind the cab at each end of the train, 6 seats in each of the two sightseeing areas.  The glass to the cab is often kept frosted, defeating the object of the sightseeing area, so I'd stick with regular first class.  Some trains have Business class instead of Superior class, and although expensive even by western standards, it's carpeted, spacious and relaxed, with electrically-reclining flat-bed seats and complimentary tray meal.  Wonderful if you can afford it.  See the photos of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed trains here, as the Beijing-Xian G-trains are similar.

Train G653 from Beijing to Xian   2nd class seats on the Beijing to Xian high-speed train   Restaurant car on the Beijing to Xian high-speed train

The business end.

 

2nd class seats.

 

Buffet car.

First class seats   Superior seat, sightseeing area   Business class seat

1st class seats.

 

Superior class seats.

 

Business class.

Traveller Ed Raw reports:  "I was able to buy a Beijing to Xi’an ticket in person at Beijing’s main railway station the day I arrived, 6 days before travel. As a precaution I got the receptionist where I was staying to write out the relevant details in Chinese for me.  Contrary to what most people do I went on a day train (G653) as I wanted to see something of the landscape as we sped along. The maximum speed we reached was 303km/hour.  The whole trip was one of the highlights of the fortnight."

The top row of photos show train G653 from Beijing to Xian, a CRH380A, courtesy of Ed Raw, buffet photo courtesy of Sunil Mehta.

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Beijing to Badaling & Great Wall

You can visit the Great Wall at Badaling by train from Beijing, no need for a restrictive tour.  See the Great Wall of China page.

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Beijing to Tianjin

High-speed 350 km/h C-category trains (sometimes known as Hexie trains) link Beijing South Station & Tianjin every 10-20 minutes, taking just 30 minutes for the 120 km (75 miles) journey.  Simply use www.chinahighlights.com or www.trip.com to find specific train times.  The fare is around RMB 58 (£6 or $9) for a 2nd class seat, RMB 69 (£7 or $10) in a first class seat.  It's easy enough to buy tickets at the station on the day of travel.

Soft seats on the 'Hexie' train from Beijing to Tianjin   the 'Hexie' train from Beijing to Tianjin

1st class seats on the Beijing-Tianjin Hexie train.  Photo courtesy of Gabriel Chew

 

The business end of a 350km/h Beijing-Tianjin Hexie train.  Photo courtesy of Gabriel Chew

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Beijing to Guilin & Nanning

As well as the classic T and Z category sleeper trains from Beijing to Guilin and Nanning, since 2014 there are two Beijing-Guilin-Nanning high-speed trains which do the run in a single day.  So you can choose between a high-speed journey done in a single day or a cheaper classic overnight sleeper train ride, both are genuine Chinese experiences.  The choice is yours.

 Beijing or Shanghai ► Guilin, Nanning

 Train type:

high-speed trains

sleepers

 Train number:

G421

G93

Z5

Z285

T289

 Beijing main station

depart

07:06 day 1

-

-

-

-

 Beijing Xi (West)

depart

07:31 day 1

09:00 day 1

16:05 day 1

21:37 day 1

21:50 day 1

 Guilin Bei (North)

arrive

17:59 day 1

17:04 day 1

11:15 day 2

16:36 day 2

20:24 day 2

 Guilin main station

arrive

18:13 day 1

|

|

|

|

 Nanning Dong (East)

arrive

20:36 day 1

19:21 day 1

14:25 day 2

20:28 day 2

|

 Nanning main station

arrive

-

-

14:44 day 2

20:47 day 2

00:08 day 3

 Nanning, Guilin ► Beijing or Shanghai

 Train type:

high-speed trains

sleepers

 Train number:

G422

G94

Z6

Z286

T290

 Nanning main station

depart

-

-

10:50 day 1

17:23 day 1

15:38 day 1

 Nanning Dong (East)

depart

08:46 day 1

12:15 day 1

11:08 day 1

17:44 day 1

|

 Guilin main station

depart

11:01 day 1

|

|

|

|

 Guilin Bei (North)

depart

|

14:31 day 1

14:37 day 1

21:10 day 1

20:05 day 1

 Beijing Xi (West)

arrive

21:39 day 1

22:37 day 1

09:59 day 2

17:11 day 2

18:12 day 2

 Beijing main station

arrive

22:11 day 1

-

-

-

-

All these trains run every day - but check exact times for your date of travel online at one of the sites shown here.

G421/G422/G529/G530 are G-category high-speed trains using the new high-speed lines, with 2nd, 1st & business class plus buffet car, see the photos of similar Beijing to Shanghai high-speed trains here.

The T & Z trains are classic trains using the classic route, with 4-berth soft sleepers, hard sleepers & restaurant car. 

Train T289/T290 has 2-berth deluxe soft sleepers as well as 4-berth soft sleepers, hard sleepers & restaurant car.

You can check times for this & other routes at www.chinahighlights.com or www.trip.com Map of Beijing showing stations

Beijing to Guilin is 2,135km (1,334 miles), Beijing to Nanning is 2,566km (1,603 miles) via the classic route.  Beijing metro map.  .

 How much does it cost?

 

By high-speed G train

By classic T or Z train

 One-way per person in USD

2nd class

1st class

Business class

Hard sleeper

Soft sleeper

 Beijing to Guilin, booked online

$123

$197

$385

$60

$92

 Beijing to Nanning, booked online:

$146

$234

$458

$69

$106

$1 = approx RMB 7.0, £1 = approx RMB 8.9.

As of 1 January 2023, children under 6 travel free (just one per adult goes free), all other children under 14 travel for half fare. Those 14 & over pay full fare.  Child discounts only apply to the 'base' part of a sleeper fare, so in sleepers it's closer to a 25% reduction on the total fare.

The sleeper fares shown here are for lower berths.  Upper berths (and middle berths in hard sleeper) are a fraction cheaper.

How to buy tickets

You can easily tickets online at www.chinahighlights.com or www.trip.com once booking has opened.  For full details of how to buy tickets online or at stations, see the How to buy tickets section above.

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Beijing to Kunming

Beijing to Kunming by high-speed train or classic sleeper.  You can travel between Beijing & Kunming either on a classic Z-category sleeper train night-day-night, or on one of the G-category 300km/h (186 mph) high-speed trains which do the entire journey in a single day.  Before you go for the new single-day high-speed option as a knee-jerk reaction, bear in mind that the Z53 classic train still only takes one daytime day out of your schedule, a soft sleeper on the Z53 costs less than a cramped 2nd class seat on a G-train, it gives you more room to spread out, make yourself at home and enjoy the journey across China, and it saves two hotel bills!

 Beijing ► Kunming

 Train type:

high-speed trains

sleepers

 Train number:

G71

G401

Z53

Z161

 Beijing Xi (West)

depart

07:05 day 1

09:15 day 1

22:30 day 1

11:20 day 1

 Kunming Nan (South)

arrive

17:56 day 1

22:44 day 1

|

|

 Kunming main station

arrive

-

-

10:10 day 3

22:32 day 2

 Kunming ► Beijing

 Train type:

high-speed trains

sleepers

 Train number:

G72

G402

Z162

Z54

 Kunming main station

depart

-

-

20:03 day 1

07:00 day 1

 Kunming Nan (South)

depart

08:48 day 1

10:40 day 1

|

|

 Beijing Xi (West)

arrive

19:35 day 1

23:42 day 1

06:57 day 3

17:17 day 2

All these trains run every day.  These are the best trains, but check times for your date of travel at one of the websites shown here.

G-category high-speed trains have 1st & 2nd class seats, business class seats and a buffet car.  1st class seats are 2+2 across the car width, 2nd class seats are 2+3 across the car width.  Business class seats are arranged 2+1 across the car width and go fully flat.  See the photos in the Beijing-Xian section.

Z-category sleeper trains are classic air-conditioned sleeper trains with 4-berth soft class sleepers, hard sleepers, restaurant car with menu in Chinese and English.  See the photos in the Beijing-Xian section, although there's no deluxe soft sleeper on this route.

Distances:  Beijing to Kunming by sleeper train on the classic route is 3,104 km (1,929 miles), via the new high-speed route it's xxxx km  (xxx miles).

Finding & boarding your train    Luggage arrangements

Beijing metro map.    Map of Beijing showing stations.    Hotels in Beijing.

 How much does it cost?

 One-way per person in USD

G-category high-speed train

Z-category sleeper train

2nd class

1st class

Business class

Hard sleeper

Soft sleeper

 Beijing to Kunming, booked online:

$176

$286

$552

$81

$125

$1 = approx RMB 7.0, £1 = approx RMB 8.9.

As of 1 January 2023, children under 6 travel free (just one per adult goes free), all other children under 14 travel for half fare. Those 14 & over pay full fare.  Child discounts only apply to the 'base' part of a sleeper fare, so in sleepers it's closer to a 25% reduction on the total fare.

The sleeper fares shown here are for lower berths.  Upper berths (and middle berths in hard sleeper) are a fraction cheaper.

How to buy tickets

You can easily tickets online at www.chinahighlights.com or www.trip.com once booking has opened.  For full details of how to buy tickets online or at stations, see the How to buy tickets section above.

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Beijing to Guangzhou & Shenzhen

By new high-speed train, new high-speed sleeper or classic sleeper.  A new high-speed line opened in December 2012, and 300km/h (186mph) trains now link Beijing West and Guangzhou South in as little as 7h38, on the world's longest high-speed line.  Introduced in January 2015, bullet-nosed high-speed sleeper trains run on Friday to Monday nights, taking a single night to do what the classic trains take a day and night to do.

 Beijing ► Guangzhou, Shenzhen

 Train type:

G-category high-speed train

D-category sleeper

Z-category sleeper

 Train number:

G335

G77

G79

G337

G339

G81

D35

D27

Z13

Z501

 Beijing Xi (West)

depart

07:26

08:00

10:00

10:23

13:10

14:00

09:17 day 1

-

    -

20:24 day 1

 Beijing Fengtai

depart

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

19:55 day 1

14:24 day 1

|           

 Guangzhou Nan (South)

arrive

17:19

16:02

17:38

20:27

23:09

22:07

|

|

|           

|           

 Guangzhou Dong (East)

arrive

|

-

|

-

-

-

07:01 day 2

|

 

 

 Guangzhou main station

arrive

|

-

|

-

-

-

-

|

12:40  day 2

18:10 day 2

 Shenzhen Bei (North)

arrive

17:56

-

18:10

-

-

-

-

|

    -

   -

 Shenzhen main station

arrive

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

17:32 day 2

    -

   -

 Guangzhou, Shenzhen ► Beijing

 Train type:

G-category high-speed train

D-category sleeper

Z-category sleeper

 Train number:

G336

G82

G338

G80

G340

G78

D34

D28

Z502

Z14

 Shenzhen main station

depart

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

14:16 day 1

-

-

 Shenzhen Bei (North)

depart

-

07:50

-

11:21

-

-

-

|

-

-

 Guangzhou main station

depart

-

|

-

|

-

-

-

|

08:22  day 1

17:00  day 1

 Guangzhou Dong (East)

depart

-

|

-

|

-

-

15:42 day 1

|

|            

|            

 Guangzhou Nan (South)

depart

07:42

08:25

11:15

11:53

12:50

13:50

|

|

|            

|            

 Beijing Fengtai

arrive

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

12:24 day 2

    |

15:15 day 2

 Beijing Xi (West)

arrive

17:58

16:27

21:20

19:30

22:55

21:49

13:44 day 2

-

06:51  day 2

    -

**  The Z=category sleeper trains use Shenzhen main station, not Shenzhen North.

G-category trains run at 300 km/h (186 mph) with business class, 1st class & 2nd class seats and a buffet car.  1st class seats are 2+2 across the car width, 2nd class seats are 2+3 across the car width.  Business class consists of leather power-reclining seats arranged 1+2 across the car width in a carpeted car.  See the photos of the Beijing to Shanghai G-category high-speed trains here as the Beijing-Guangzhou-Shenzhen G-trains are similar.  You'll also find advice on which class to choose on that page.

D-category trains are high-speed sleeper trains, with 4-berth soft sleepers, 2nd class seats & buffet car, see the photos of the Beijing to Shanghai D-category high-speed sleeper trains here as the Beijing-Guangzhou-Shenzhen G-trains are similar.

Z-category trains are classic sleeper trains with 4-berth soft sleepers, hard class sleepers & restaurant car.

How to buy tickets   Finding & boarding your train    Luggage arrangements   Map of Beijing showing stations

Beijing to Guangzhou via the new high-speed line is 2,298km (1,436 miles).  Beijing to Shenzhen is 2,400km (1,500 miles).

 How much does it cost?

 One-way per person in USD  

G-category high-speed train

D-sleeper

Z-sleeper

2nd class

1st class

Business class

Hard sleeper

Soft sleeper

Hard sleeper

Soft sleeper

 Beijing to Guangzhou, booked online:

$136

$217

$426

$86

$140

$64

$110

 Beijing to Shenzen, booked online:

$146

$231

$454

$117

$143

-

-

$1 = approx RMB 7.0, £1 = approx RMB 8.9.

As of 1 January 2023, children under 6 travel free (just one per adult goes free), all other children under 14 travel for half fare. Those 14 & over pay full fare.  Child discounts only apply to the 'base' part of a sleeper fare, so in sleepers it's closer to a 25% reduction on the total fare.

The sleeper fares shown here are for lower berths.  Upper berths (and middle berths in hard sleeper) are a fraction cheaper.

How to buy tickets

You can easily tickets online at www.chinahighlights.com or www.trip.com once booking has opened.

For full details of how to buy tickets online or at stations, see the How to buy tickets section above.

CRH380B high-speed train   Guangzhou South Station

A G-category high-speed train.

 

Guangzhou South Station. Courtesy of Ian Moffat

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Beijing to Hong Kong

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Hong Kong to Shanghai

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Hong Kong to Guangzhou

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Macau

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Shanghai to Xian

Option 1, Shanghai to Xian by high-speed train

High-speed trains running at up to 300 km/h (186 mph) link Shanghai Honquiao station with Xian North station, fastest journey 5h40, with some trains taking 7-8 hours. Check times at www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains or www.trip.com.  For sample prices see below.

The trains have business class, 1st class & 2nd class seats and a buffet car.  1st class seats are 2+2 across the car width, 2nd class seats are 2+3 across the car width.  Business class consists of leather power-reclining seats arranged 1+2 across the car width in a carpeted car.  See the photos of the Beijing to Shanghai G-category high-speed trains here as these trains are similar.

Xian North, also known as XianBei, is 10 km north of the city centre on Xian metro line 2.  Shanghai Honqiao station 18 km from central Shanghai near the old airport

Option 2, Shanghai to Xian by time-effective sleeper train

Classic Z-category sleeper trains and high-speed D-category sleeper trains also link Shanghai & Xian.  A sleeper is not only more time-effective, it saves a hotel bill and as these trains use the main stations in the city centres, it can be more convenient, saving taxi costs too.

 Shanghai ► Xian

 Train number:

Z40

Z304

Z164

D216

D92

 Shanghai  depart

16:48 day 1

17:46 day 1

18:33 day 1

16:54 day 1

18:19

 Xian  arrive

08:17 day 2

08:43 day 2

09:19 day 2

07:49 day 2

09:01

 Xian ► Shanghai

 Train number:

Z94*

T140

D308**

 Xian  depart

17:04  day 1

20:02 day 1

21:03 day 1

 Shanghai  arrive

07:51  day 2

12:33 day 2

08:01 day 2

The high-quality Z-category trains have air-conditioned 4-berth soft sleepers, hard sleepers & restaurant car.

The high-speed D-category sleeper trains have 4-berth soft sleepers, 2nd class seats & restaurant car, see the photos here.

You can check times & fares & availability in English at www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains or www.trip.com.

 How much does it cost?

 One-way per person in USD  

G-category high-speed train

D-category sleeper

Z-category sleeper

2nd class

1st class

business class

Hard sleeper

Soft sleeper

Hard sleeper

Soft sleeper

 Shanghai-Xian, booked online:

$100

$161

$326

$61

$90

$47

$72

$1 = approx RMB 7.0, £1 = approx RMB 8.9.

As of 1 January 2023, children under 6 travel free (just one per adult goes free), all other children under 14 travel for half fare. Those 14 & over pay full fare.  Child discounts only apply to the 'base' part of a sleeper fare, so in sleepers it's closer to a 25% reduction on the total fare.

The sleeper fares shown here are for lower berths.  Upper berths (and middle berths in hard sleeper) are a fraction cheaper.

How to buy tickets

You can easily tickets online at www.chinahighlights.com or www.trip.com once booking has opened.  For full details of how to buy tickets online or at stations, see the How to buy tickets section above.

Train Z94 to Shanghai boarding at Xian   A 4-berth soft sleeper on train Z94 from Xian to Shanghai

Train Z94 to Shanghai boarding at Xian.  Photo courtesy of Roger Keenan.

 

A soft sleeper on train Z94 from Xian to Shanghai.  Photo courtesy of Roger Keenan.

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Shanghai to Guangzhou

Choose between a daytime high-speed train taking as little as 6h48 at up to 300 km/h (186 mph) or a time-effective overnight train.  The sleepers have an additional advantage, the use a main station in the city centre at least at one end of their journey.

 Shanghai ► Guangzhou

 Train type:

high-speed trains

sleepers

 Train number:

G817

G1301

G1305

T169

Z99

 Shanghai main station

depart

-

-

-

-

17:27

 Shanghai Nan (South)

depart

-

-

-

11:26

|

 Shanghai Hongqiao

depart

08:00

10:18

15:25

|

|

 Guangzhou Nan (South)

arrive

14:56

18:45

23:34

|

|

 Guangzhou Dong (East)

arrive

-

-

-

|

10:08

 Guangzhou main station

arrive

-

-

-

04:51

-

 Guangzhou ► Shanghai

 Train type:

high-speed trains

sleepers

 Train number:

G818

G1302

G1306

T170

Z100

 Guangzhou main station

depart

-

-

-

14:56

-

 Guangzhou Dong (East)

depart

-

-

-

|

18:01

 Guangzhou Nan (South)

depart

08:00

13:22

15:25

|

|

 Shanghai Hongqiao

arrive

14:48

21:51

23:04

|

|

 Shanghai Nan (South)

arrive

-

-

-

08:34

|

 Shanghai main station

arrive

-

-

-

-

10:40

G-category high-speed trains use the new high-speed lines, with business class, 1st class, 2nd class & buffet car, see photos of similar Beijing-Shanghai trains here.

Z99 & Z100 are high-quality sleeper trains with soft sleepers, hard sleepers, hard class seats & restaurant car.

T169 & T170 have soft & hard sleepers, hard class seats & restaurant car.

You can check times & fares & availability in English at www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains or www.trip.com.

 How much does it cost?

 

G-category high-speed train

T or Z sleeper train

 One-way per person in USD:

2nd class

1st class

Business class

Hard sleeper

Soft sleeper

 Shanghai-Guangzhou, booked online:  

$112

$183

$350

$53

$94

$1 = approx RMB 7.0, £1 = approx RMB 8.9.

As of 1 January 2023, children under 6 travel free (just one per adult goes free), all other children under 14 travel for half fare. Those 14 & over pay full fare.  Child discounts only apply to the 'base' part of a sleeper fare, so in sleepers it's closer to a 25% reduction on the total fare.

How to buy tickets

You can easily tickets online at www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains or www.trip.com once booking has opened.  For full details of how to buy tickets online or at stations, see the How to buy tickets section above.

High-speed train at Guangzhou South

A G-category high-speed train about to leave Guangzhou's impressive new South station for Shanghai.  Photo courtesy of James Adamczuk.

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Shanghai to Guilin & Nanning

Choose between a daytime high-speed G-train taking around 11 hours, or a sleeper.

 Shanghai ► Guilin, Nanning

 Train number:

high-speed trains

sleepers

 Train number:

G1505

G1501

T77

T25

 Shanghai Hongqiao depart

07:53

10:03

-

-

 Shanghai South depart

|

|

11:20 day 1

17:28 day 1

 Guilin North arrive

17:14

|

|

12:17 day 2

 Guilin main station arrive

|

18:59

|

|

 Nanning East arrive

19:36

21:22

|

17:45 day 2

 Nanning arrive

-

-

08:15 day 2

18:06 day 2

 Nanning, Guilin ► Shanghai

 Train number:

high-speed trains

sleepers

 Train number:

G1502

G1506

T78

T26

 Nanning main station depart

-

-

10:55 day 1

15:07 day 1

 Nanning East depart

09:31

11:03

|

15:25 day 1

 Guilin main station depart

11:51

|

|

|

 Guilin North depart

|

13:32

15:54 day 1

19:57 day 1

 Shanghai South arrive

|

|

09:59 day 2

15:05 day 2

 Shanghai Hongqiao arrive

21:13

22:40

-

-

All trains run every day all year round.

The T-category trains have 4-berth soft sleepers, hard sleepers, hard class seats & restaurant car. 

The G-category train is a high-speed train using the new high-speed route opened in 2014.  Business class, 1st & 2nd.  See the photos here.

You can check times for this & other routes at www.chinahighlights.com or www.trip.com Map of Beijing showing stations

 How much does it cost?

 One-way per person in USD, approx: 

G-category high-speed train

T-category sleeper train

2nd class

1st class

business class

hard sleeper

soft sleeper

 Shanghai-Nanning, booked online:

$113

$185

$347

$63

$96

$1 = approx RMB 7.0, £1 = approx RMB 8.9.

As of 1 January 2023, children under 6 travel free (just one per adult goes free), all other children under 14 travel for half fare. Those 14 & over pay full fare.  Child discounts only apply to the 'base' part of a sleeper fare, so in sleepers it's closer to a 25% reduction on the total fare.

The sleeper fares shown here are for lower berths.  Upper berths (and middle berths in hard sleeper) are a fraction cheaper.

How to buy tickets

You can easily tickets online at www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains or www.trip.com once booking has opened.  For full details of how to buy tickets online or at stations, see the How to buy tickets section above.

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Trains to Lhasa & Tibet

  Destination board on the side of the Shanghai-Lhasa train.

Destination board on the Shanghai-Lhasa train.  Photo courtesy of Mary Kitchen.

  Soft class 4-berth sleeper on the train to Lhasa, Tibet

Modern & comfortable.  A soft class 4-berth sleeper on the Beijing-Lhasa train.  Photo courtesy of Frances Partridge

The first regular passenger trains started running over the new railway to Lhasa in Tibet on 1 July 2006.  The Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the highest in the world, climbing from 2,829m above sea level at Golmud (Geermu) to 3,641m at Lhasa, much of it built on permafrost.  Its highest point is in the Tanggula Pass, at 16,640 feet (just over 5,000m) above sea level.  Because of the lack of oxygen at that altitude, all passenger coaches have extra oxygen pumped into them, and oxygen is available to passengers through tubes if they have problems.  Before the railway was built into Tibet, travellers had to take a train as far as Golmud (which the railway reached in 1984) followed by a gruelling 48 hour bus journey to Lhasa.  Now there are direct air-conditioned trains from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou & Xian to Lhasa.

Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Guangzhou to Lhasa by train

There is a direct train from Beijing to Lhasa every day, a 2-night, 3,753km journey, and trains also run from Xian, Shanghai & Guangzhou (near Hong Kong) to Lhasa.  These are all modern air-conditioned Chinese Railways trains, with soft & hard class sleepers, soft & hard class seats & a restaurant car.  Train times & fares for these trains are shown below.

How to buy tickets

In the first months of operation of the new line, tickets sold out almost as soon as bookings open, and it's not much easier to get tickets now.  It's best to arrange through an agency, perhaps as part of a tour with Tibet permit sorted for you, try www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains or www.chinatraintickets.net.  See how to buy tickets.  Tibet is an all-year-round destination, but you'll find tickets hardest to get in July & August when vast numbers of Chinese tourists visit.

Getting a permit for Tibet

In addition to a normal Chinese visa, foreigners require a special permit to enter Tibet.  The only way to get a permit is through a Chinese travel agency, for example www.chinahighlights.com who can arrange both trains and tailor-made tours.  The permit is valid to enter Tibet and reach Lhasa, though another permit is required to travel any further.  There's a good article about Tibet permits at www.thelandofsnows.com.  You can also try www.chinatibettrain.com or www.chinatraintickets.net.  Always check the current situation with Tibet Permits, as over the last few years requirements have been tightened up due to the political situation, making travel difficult, then relaxed again.

 Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xian ► Lhasa (Tibet)

 

daily

daily

daily

daily

 Train number:

Z322

Z21

Z264

Z164

 Beijing Xi (West)

depart

-

19:53  day 1

-

-

 Shanghai main station

depart

-

|

-

18:33 day 1

 Guangzhou main station

depart

-

|

09:15 day 1

|

 Xian main station

depart

-

|

07:53 day 2

09:27 day 2

 Chengdu Xi (West)

depart

21:11 day 1

|

|

|

 Lanzhou

depart

08:40 day 2

12:19  day 2

15:32 day 2

16:36 day 2

 Xining

depart

11:41 day 2

14:59  day 2

18:13 day 2

19:26 day 2

 Golmud (Geermu)

depart

17:51 day 2

21:33  day 3

00:46 day 3

01:59 day 3

 Lhasa  arrive:

arrive

07:41 day 3

11:36  day 3

14:17 day 3

15:05 day 3

All trains are air-conditioned with extra oxygen available, and have soft class & hard class sleepers & seats, and restaurant car.  The soft sleepers have 4-berth compartments, complete with personal LCD televisions, occasionally showing English language movies.

Beijing metro mapStreet map of Beijing showing stations.

Guangzhou = Canton, a few hours' train ride from Hong Kong.

The Beijing-Lhasa train was speeded in January 2011 by diverting it via a new bit of railway, no longer calling at Xian.  The fare got cheaper, as the new route is shorter, at 3,753 km.  Of this, 1,110 km are over the newly-built Qinghai-Tibet railway.

 Lhasa ► Xian, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing

 

daily

daily

daily

daily

 Train number:

Z22

Z266

Z166

Z324

 Lhasa

depart

15:50  day 1

12:40 day 1

11:50 day 1

19:00 day 1

 Golmud  (Geermu)

arrive

06:09  day 2

03:31 day 2

02:41 day 2

09:02 day 2

 Xining

arrive

13:10  day 2

10:20 day 2

09:15 day 2

16:30 day 2

 Lanzhou

arrive

16:13  day 2

13:18 day 2

12:06 day 2

19:28 day 2

 Chengdu Xi (West)

arrive

      |

|

|

07:03 day 3

 Xian main station

arrive

      |

21:38 day 2

20:38 day 2

-

 Guangzhou main station

arrive

      |

20:11 day 3

|

-

 Shanghai main station

arrive

      |

-

12:03 day 3

-

 Beijing Xi (West)

arrive

08:28  day 3

-

-

-

Another train (not shown here) runs daily between Xining & Lhasa, extended to Lanzhou on alternate days.  Many other trains link Beijing, Xian, Lanzhou and Xining.

Photos of the train & journey

Travellers' reports

Onward travel to Kathmandu in Nepal, and from Nepal to India.

 Train fares to Lhasa

 One-way per person in USD, approx

Hard sleeper

Soft sleeper

 Beijing to Lhasa

$107

$167

 Shanghai to Lhasa

$118

$184

 Guangzhou to Lhasa

$129

$214

 Chengdu to Lhasa

$93

$145

 Xining to Lhasa

$73

$114

$1 = approx RMB 7.0, £1 = approx RMB 8.9.

As of 1 January 2023, children under 6 travel free (just one per adult goes free), all other children under 14 travel for half fare. Those 14 & over pay full fare.  Child discounts only apply to the 'base' part of a sleeper fare, so in sleepers it's closer to a 25% reduction on the total fare.

The sleeper fares shown here are for lower berths.  Upper berths (and middle berths in hard sleeper) are a fraction cheaper.

The journey to Lhasa by train

Restaurant car, train to Lhasa.  Photo Keith Crane.   Scenery from the train to Tibet.  Photo Keith Crane.

In the air-conditioned restaurant car. Courtesy of Keith Crane

 

Scenery in Tibet, looking back at a bridge the train has just crossed.  Photo courtesy of Keith Crane

View from the dining car, Beijing to Lhasa train   Restaurant car on the train from Beijing to Tibet.   4-berth soft sleeper on the train from Beijing to Lhasa

View from the restaurant car of the Beijing-Lhasa train.  Courtesy Brett Ackroyd.

 

In the restaurant car of the Beijing-Lhasa train.  Photo courtesy of Brett Ackroyd.

 

Soft sleeper on the Beijing-Lhasa train.  Courtesy Brett Ackroyd.

Destination board on the side of the Beijing-Lhasa train   Scenery from the train to Tibet   Arrival in Lhasa

A destination board on the side of the daily Beijing-Lhasa train.  Courtesy of Brett Ackroyd.

 

Scenery in Tibet seen from the Beijing-Lhasa train.  Courtesy of Brett Ackroyd.

 

Arrival in Lhasa.  Photo courtesy of Brett Ackroyd.

Train to Lhasa:  At the highest point.  Photo Keith Crane.   The station in Lhasa, Tibet.  Photo Keith Crane.

At the highest point.  Photo courtesy of Keith Crane

 

Lhasa station.  Courtesy of Keith Crane

Potala Palace, Lasa, Tibet

The Potala Palace, Lasa, Tibet.  Photo courtesy of Ian Moffat.

Traveller's reports

Traveller Brett Ackroyd reports:  "I took the train from Lhasa to Beijing. It departed absolutely on time from Lhasa and arrived at Beijing’s West Station on time two nights later. During the first 36 hours or so the buffet car (where I spent most of time) served only buffet for lunch and dinner and a set breakfast menu. It seemed that once the train cleared Tibet in to China things changed and a food menu was provided.  Smoking rules also appeared to relax once the train entered China, a fact backed up by the Lonely Planet’s entry regarding the train.  As far as I could tell oxygen wasn’t pumped in to the carriages, and although there were ports at all seats and beds for an oxygen mask to be attached I never saw a mask itself. I and all other passengers had to sign a health declaration form that before boarding that confirmed we hadn't any heart conditions and related problems!"

Traveller Frances Partridge reports:   "Just completed the 48 hour Lhasa to Beijing train ride. Lhasa station is awesome; very modern, very beautiful; maybe a bit of a showcase? No one seemed to mind my photographing anywhere. We left dead on time. The attendant came to my compartment and gave me the oxygen tube to attach to the outlet in case of need.  Having been in Tibet for a week already, I was fine, just coughing a lot like most Tibetans were.  There were about eight other Westerners on the train, a handful of Tibetans and lots of Chinese people.
To be honest, not the most spectacular scenery, compared to crossing Tibet, but what an engineering achievement! The highest railway in the world, much of it constructed on permafrost.  At night the inside of the carriage doors froze hard but the carriages themselves were very warm and comfortable.  Outside we were above the tree line but under the yak line.  Endless moss, frozen rivulets of old ice, yak herds and what I thought were eagles but a Tibetan told me were 'eagle's nephews'.  I booked soft class (for a nice change) but the hard sleeper was almost as good according to my companions down the train.  I had the cabin of four beds to myself all day until late in the evening when an elegant Chinese lady appeared at my door.  She looked appalled to be sharing with a foreign backpacker, especially one who had spread out all over the adjoining bunk, but soon settled in and was civil (in Chinese).  The car attendants were pleasant; the waitresses in the restaurant car were surly with a habit of whipping away the ashtray after one cigarette.  Trying to make them smile was a good, if fruitless, way to spend time.  One morning we arrived for breakfast at 9.30 am to be told that for us, breakfast was over.  Annoying when the car is full of train personnel eating their heads off.  Travel, eh?  The train stopped at stations twice a day so we could stretch our legs and have an unhindered smoke and buy snacks.  I was tempted to jump off at Xian to go see the terracotta warriors but restrained myself, as there's always next year.  We stopped at one station late at night, where it seemed that half the Chinese Army were saying goodbye to the other half.  From the hugging and sobs and photography I assumed they had finished their posting in the Tibet Autonomous Region and were heading home to Beijing.  They were very young boys and girls. On the second day trees appeared outside and farms and cows.  Suddenly I stopped coughing and could breathe much more easily.  Then into the chaos and noise of Beijing.  I am so very glad I took this train - if you get the chance, go for it!"

Traveller Keith Crane reports:   "We had great trouble finding somebody who could book me a ticket independently (we were in Guangdong province - and tried calling Beijing) as all the agents wanted to offer a fully inclusive tour for between 5,000-7,000 Yuan.  Finally we found an agent in Chengdu, www.dreams-travel.com, who could book the ticket and our Tibet pass very efficiently.  They also run the very good Wen Jun Mansion Hotel, a recommendable, cheap place to stay.  Chengdu is also the home of China's Panda research and breeding base so you can see the cuddly black and white creatures close while you wait for your train!  Chinatripadvisor was pretty slow off the mark, not knowing much more than anyone else before bookings opened.  Anyway our combined ticket (soft sleeper and Tibet pass) came to about 1,700 Yuan each in the end and off we went.  Despite reading stories of altitude sickness we suffered none - and if the train was pressurised, we found the toilet windows open throughout the journey.  The soft class accommodation is comfortable - there are western-style toilets - but the catering facilities are limited - a 44 seat dining car for a 15 carriage train! And not enough refrigeration for cold beer!"

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Book hotels at Booking.com


International train, bus & ferries

Beijing ► Ulan Bator (Mongolia) ► Moscow (Russia) ► Western Europe

Beijing ► Japan

Beijing ► Taiwan

Beijing ► North Korea

Beijing ► South Korea

Beijing ► Hanoi, Saigon (Vietnam)

Hong Kong ► Hanoi, Saigon (Vietnam)

Beijing ► Lhasa (Tibet) ► Kathmandu (Nepal)

Beijing ► India

Beijing ► Bangkok (Thailand), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Singapore

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Ferries from China to Japan

There were two ferry companies each sailing weekly year-round from Shanghai to either Kobe or Osaka in Japan.  However, in 2021 the Shanghai Ferry Co. ceased trading and sold its vessel to its competitor, www.shinganjin.comFeedback if you use this ferry is appreciated!

Japan-China International Ferry Company

The Japan-China International Ferry Company, www.shinganjin.com, sails weekly from Shanghai to Japan, going alternately to Kobe or Osaka.

Important update 2024:  This ferry has been suspended since the pandemic, but they hope to resume in September 2024 with a new ship.

 Shanghai ► Japan

           

 Japan ► Shanghai

 Japan-China International Ferry Co.

 Japan-China International Ferry Co.

 Shanghai depart:

Saturdays

13:00

 Osaka or Kobe*  depart:

Tuesdays

12:00

 Osaka or Kobe* arrive:

Mondays

09:30

 Shanghai arrive:

Thursdays

varies

* Ship sails to Osaka & Kobe alternately, see www.shinganjin.com for fares & schedules, for English, change JP to EN top right.

Fares start at 20,000 Japanese Yen or RMB 1,300 (£140 or $195) one way for a berth in a shared Japanese-style room accommodating 8-15 passengers or 25,000 Yen / RMB 1,600 for a berth in a western-style 4-berth cabin.  There's a 10% discount for students, children 6-11 half fare.  A range of cabins is available on board, with restaurants, cafe, etc.

You can book via their online application form less than 2 months but no less than 7 days before departure at www.shinganjin.com.

Alternatively, for sailings from China, the telephone number for the Shanghai branch is +86 2165 957 988.  There is someone who can speak English and the only information you need to give is your name, date of birth, class of travel and passport number.  They will then make a reservation and you can buy the ticket at the port.  The telephone number for people travelling from Japan to China is +81 3 5489 4800. This is their Tokyo branch, as unfortunately nobody can speak English at their Osaka office.

Cabin on the Shanghai to Japan ferry   On board the Shanghai to Japan ferry

Shared cabin on the Osaka to Shanghai ferry.  Courtesy of Janis Putrams

 

On board the Osaka to Shanghai ferry.  Courtesy of Janis Putrams

Food on the Shanghai to Japan ferry   Sea view from the Shanghai to Japan ferry

Food on the Osaka to Shanghai ferry.  Courtesy of Janis Putrams

 

At sea, bound for Shanghai.  Courtesy of Janis Putrams

The following photos show the former Shanghai Ferry Co vessel, now sold to the Japan-China International Ferry Co.

The ferry from Shanghai to Japan, seen from the Bund   4-berth cabin on the Osaka-Shanghai ferry

The ferry Su Zhou Hao at Shanghai - the photo was taken from the famous Bund.  Photos courtesy of Alistair Weaver

 

A 4-berth cabin on the Osaka-Shanghai ferry.

Lobby on the ferry from Shanghai to Japan   Sunset at sea

A lobby on board the ferry to Japan.  Courtesy of Alistair Weaver

 

Sunset from the ferry.  Courtesy of Alistair Weaver

Traveller's reports

Traveller Mark Cundall used the Japan-China International Ferry Company:  "The ship was first class, clean and absolutely no problem.  If anyone wants to get from China to Japan, I'd recommend this company.  One key point is that when you get dropped in Osaka you need a bus to get to the metro, costing 300 yen, although there are no money exchange facilities at the port.  Also, all vending machines on the ship use Japanese yen, although Chinese RMB are accepted in the gift shop, cafe and so on.  So change some money into yen before you board the ship!"

Train travel within Japan

For information about train travel in Japan, see the Japan page.  To check Japanese train times online, see www.hyperdia.com (English button upper left).

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Hotels in China

In Beijing

The Beijing Hotel Nuo Forbidden City is one of the oldest hotels in Beijing, built in 1917.  It's location is perfect, it's just a few minutes walk along the main road to Tiananmen Square and the entrance to the Forbidden City, 3 minutes walk from Wanfujing Metro Station.  Service is excellent and the colonial-style rooms spacious.  An excellent and extensive breakfast buffet is served in the modern extension behind the main building.  The hotel was originally Block B of the Beijing Hotel, Block C next door dating from 1954 is now the Beijing Grand Hotel and Block D dating from 1974 retains the name Beijing Hotel and is a state-run hotel.  There's more on the history of this hotel at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_HotelTip:  The hotel's rooms are both in the original 1917 block and the modern block behind, ask for a room in the original 1917 building.

Raffles Beijing Hotel lobby   Raffles Beijing Hotel Landmark Room.

A cheaper option, still with good reviews and location, try the Pentahotel Beijing.  It's informal, comfortable, and walking distance from Beijing Railway station - although a taxi is better if you've luggage.  There's a bar and noodle bar downstairs.

In Shanghai

The Fairmont Peace Hotel is the place if you want 5-star comfort as well as history & grandeur, it starts at around €190 for a double.  It's right in the centre of the Bund in a building dating from 1929.  As the Cathay Hotel, pre-1949 it was regarded as Shanghai's most prestigious hotel, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Hotel.

Find hotels at Booking.comMy favourite hotel search: www.booking.com

Booking.com is my favourite hotel booking site and I generally use it to book all my hotels in one place.  I've come to trust booking.com's review scores, you won't be disappointed with any hotel that scores 8.0 or more.  Crucially, booking.com usually lets you book with free cancellation, which means you can confirm accommodation risk-free before train booking opens and/or you can hold accommodation while you finalise your itinerary and alter your plans as they evolve - a feature I use all the time when planning a trip.  I never book hotels non-refundably!

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Tours of China by train

Train travel specialists Railbookers offer several tours of China by train, with hotels, tours, train tickets organised for you as a package.  They can also arrange flights if you need them.  Check out their Beijing to Shanghai and China's History & Panda Trail itineraries.

UK flag  In the UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk.

US flag  In the USA call free 1-888-829-4775, www.railbookers.com.

Canadian flag  In Canada call free 1-855-882-2910, www.railbookers.com.

Australian flag  In Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au

New Zealand flag  In New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website.

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Flights to China

Overland travel around China by train is an essential part of the experience, so once there, don't cheat and fly, stay on the ground!  But if a long-haul flight is unavoidable to reach China in the first place, try Virgin Atlantic who fly direct from London to Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong, a sound choice for both price and service.

1)  Check flight prices at Opodo, www.opodo.com

2)  Use Skyscanner to compare flight prices & routes worldwide across 600 airlines.

skyscanner generic 728x90

3)  Lounge passes

Make the airport experience a little more bearable with a VIP lounge pass, it's not as expensive as you think, see www.loungepass.com

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Guidebooks

I strongly recommend investing in a decent guidebook.  It may seem an unnecessary expense, but it's a tiny fraction of what you're spending on your whole trip.  You will see so much more, and know so much more about what you're looking at, if you have a decent guidebook.   For independent travel I'd recommend either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide, both provide an excellent level of practical information and historical and political background.  You definitely won't regret buying one!  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.Amazon logo

Buy at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Rough Guide China - click to buy online at Amazon   Lonely Planet China - click to buy online

Alternatively, you can download just the chapters you need in .PDF format from the Lonely Planet Website, from around £2.99 or US$4.95 a chapter.

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Travel insurance & other tips

 

Staysure travel insurance

 

Columbus Direct logo

Always take out travel insurance

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself.  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

UK flag  www.staysure.co.uk offers enhanced Covid-19 protection & gets 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot.

UK flag  www.columbusdirect.com is also a well-know brand.

US flag  If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

 

Maya.net logo

Get an eSIM with mobile data package

Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a mobile data package for the country you're visiting and stay connected.  Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM card so you don't need to buy a physical SIM, including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility listMaya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data.

 

Curve card

Curve card

Get a Curve card for foreign travel

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing.  The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.

How it works:  1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android.  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader.  The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than digging a card out).  I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card, they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.

 

Express VPN

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  Why you need a VPN

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi.  It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply.  See VPNs & why you need one explainedExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription.  I get a small commission to help support this site.

 

Anker Powerrbank

Carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged.  I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet.  Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from buy from Amazon.com.

 


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