The entrance to the Forbidden City, Beijing...

Travelling by 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 & cheap way to travel around China, and a Chinese train journey is an experience in itself, a total contrast with environmentally-unfriendly internal flights.  This page will help you understand & plan train travel in China, & arrange your train tickets.  On this page you'll find:

Train schedules & fares for popular routes...

International trains & ferries to/from China...

Beijing to Ulan Bator & Moscow by Trans-Siberian railway;  Onward travel to Paris & London

Beijing to Hanoi (Vietnam) by train; Onward travel to Saigon; Onward travel to Phnom Penh & Bangkok

Beijing to Japan by ferry

Beijing to South Korea by ferry

Beijing to North Korea by train

Hong Kong to Hanoi (Vietnam)

Nanning to Hanoi (Vietnam) by train

Kunming to Hanoi (Vietnam) by bus & train

Lhasa to Kathmandu by bus & onwards to to Delhi

General information for train travel in China...

How to buy tickets

How to check train schedules & fares between any two stations in China

Maps of China's train network

How to read a Chinese train ticket

What are Chinese trains like?

Luggage & bikes on Chinese trains

Ferries from China to Japan

Recommended guidebooks for China

Travel insurance

Hotels in Beijing

Hotels search & price comparison in China

Sponsored links...

Useful country information

How to find train times & fares

Check train schedules & fares for China at... 

www.cnvol.com, www.chinatravelguide.com, www.chinahighlights.com

• You'll find a summary of trains on the most popular routes in China on this page.  For online train timetables in English between any two major Chinese cities, use the journey planner at either www.cnvol.com, www.chinatravelguide.com or www.chinahighlights.com.  These are the best online timetables in English that I've seen, and www.chinatravelguide.com & www.chinahighlights.com also give fares, shown in either US$ or RMB.  Be aware that these online journey planners aren't connected directly to the Chinese Railways system, but take periodic downloads, so some may be more up to date than others.

• The official Chinese Railways websites are only in Chinese, www.china-mor.gov.cn (Chinese Ministry of Railways) & www.tielu.org.

...or download & print an English-language train timetable for China...

• Chinese Railways expert Duncan Peattie produces an excellent timetable in English in downloadable .pdf format covering all trains in the national timetable between some 1,045 stations all across China, see www.chinatt.org.  Print it out and take it with you!

• The 8th edition is an up-to-date timetable for all of China, download at www.chinatt.org/ft.htm for £15/€20/$27.50, payment by PayPal.

• As a free sample and general guide, the 7th edition is free to download at www.chinatt.org/ft.htm, and has lots of useful information, but timetables are not up to date and for example it does not include the new Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed service.

Maps of the Chinese train network...

• www.chinahighlights.com/image/map/china-railway-map-big.jpg

• www.cnvol.com/images/chinarailwaymap.gif,

• www.johomaps.com/as/china/chinarail.html

• www.nordling.nu/schaefer/chinamap.gif

• A neat little site that will map the calling points of any train number you enter:  http://rail.assistanceinchina.com.

Maps of Beijing & Beijing Metro...

• Click for metro map, showing Beijing Main (Zhan), Beijing West (Xi) & Beijing South (Nan) mainline stations. 

• Click for street map of Beijing showing stations & main sights.

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...

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

• Soft sleeper:  Most western travellers travel soft sleeper, a comfortable, civilised & affordable way to travel.  Soft sleepers are spacious 4-berth compartments with two upper & two lower berths by night, converting to two sofas for daytime use.  All necessary bedding is provided.  There's a table with tablecloth, and usually a vacuum flask of hot water for making tea (or drinking chocolate or cuppas soups if you've brought some).  The compartment door locks securely, and a smartly-dressed attendant looks after each car.  The best trains even feature individual TV screens and power sockets for laptops & mobiles.  Passengers share with other passengers, but this is no problem, and a good way to meet people.

• Hard sleeper:  If you're on a tight budget, there's no reason why you shouldn't travel in a hard sleeper, as many western backpackers do.  Hard sleeper consists of open-plan carriages with a broad aisle on one side of the car, bays of 6 bunks (upper, middle & lower) on the other side.  In spite of the name, hard sleeper bunks are reasonably well padded, and bedding is supplied.  Newer trains even have power sockets for laptops & mobiles.

• Soft seat & hard seat:  Equivalent to first & second class seats on a European train.  Short distance daytime trains often only have hard class seats, though some inter-city trains have both soft & hard class.  'Hard' seats are usually padded and reasonable comfortable, in spite of the name.

You'll also now find these additional classes on certain trains:

• 1st & 2nd class seats:  Just to confuse you, the new high-speed C, D & G category trains are described as having 1st class & 2nd class seats.  The Chinese officially classify these trains as 1st class soft seat and 2nd class soft seat, as this allows the Ministry of Railways to get around government regulations that limit the price of normal hard & soft class ticket train fares.

• Business class.  G-category high-speed trains have a premium first class called Business class.  This has individual reclining seats with footrests, and a meal may be included in the fare, served at your seat.  Some business class seats are located in the train's end car behind the driver (indeed on the shorter trainsets this may be the only business class seating on the train), and these are sometimes called VIP or Sightseeing seats although they count as business class.

• Deluxe soft sleeper:  In addition to the normal classes, a handful of trains also have deluxe soft sleepers, include Beijing-Hong Kong, Beijing-Shanghai & Beijing-Xian.  These are 2-berth compartments with private toilet.  There are only limited numbers of these 2-berth compartments are available, often booked by government officials, so by all means ask for one but don't bang your head against a brick wall trying to get one, be prepared to travel in normal 4-berth soft class if necessary.  Sharing a 4-berth really isn't a problem, it's the norm in China, and you might even meet some real Chinese people this way. 

Restaurant cars, toilets, smoking...

• Toilets:  Chinese trains generally have both western & squat toilets, but it's always a good idea to take your own supply of toilet paper.  The toilets on the modern D & Z category trains are immaculate, so no worries there!

• Restaurant cars:  Most long-distance trains have a restaurant car, with waiter service of drinks, snacks & meals.  The best trains on key routes such as Beijing-Shanghai have menus in both Chinese and English.

• Smoking:  Smoking is not permitted in the sleeping-car compartments or corridors on any Chinese train, or anywhere at all on board high-speed trains or the pressurised trains to Tibet. But smoking is allowed in the vestibules between carriages and in some restaurant cars on the regular T & K category long-distance trains.

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.

• C, D & G trains (modern high-speed daytime & sleeper trains):  These are top-quality high-speed trains with ultra-modern air-conditioned coaches and streamlined power-cars at each end.  Some are high-speed 200-300km/h daytime electric trains, a few D-trains are high-quality 200km/h sleeper trains.  Photos of G-category train.  Photos of D category sleeper train.

• Z trains (high-quality express sleeper trains):  The previous top-quality sleeper train, the Z-trains are now the second best, but still with very modern air-conditioned coaches.  Photos of Z category sleeper train

• T trains (extra fast):  Trains with a T in the train number are the next best category, see the photos below.

• K trains (fast):  Trains with a K in the train number are 'fast'.  Slightly higher fares are charged for better categories of train.

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.

A typical T or K category long-distance express...		The restaurant car...

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.

Finding & boarding your train...

	Beijing Main Station.  Photo courtesy of Peter & Janet Jackson
	Beijing South Station:  The lesser-known Beijing South Station is now the place to catch the high-speed C, D & G category trains from Beijing to Shanghai or Tianjin.  Courtesy of Gabriel Chew
	Luggage on Chinese trains:  Your luggage stays with you on Chinese trains, in your sleeper compartment. Here, a suitcase is stored on the recess over the door in a 2-berth deluxe soft sleeper on the Beijing-Hong Kong train.  Photo courtesy of Andy Brabin.

Always arrive at the station in plenty of time before the departure of your train.  In major cities, especially Beijing, stations can be large and busy, and it may take a while to find your train.  At major stations such as in Beijing or Shanghai there are security checks (including airline-style X-ray luggage checks) to go through before boarding.  Departure indicators may be in Chinese, but you can easily find your train if you know the train number and departure time.

Boarding trains in Beijing...

There are three major stations in Beijing, Beijing Main (metro Bejingzhan), Beijing West (also called Beijing Xi or Xizhan, metro Junshibowuguan) and the relatively new Beijing South.  Trans-Siberian trains to Moscow & Ulan Bator use Beijing Main, as do a few trains to Shanghai.  The direct train to Hong Kong and trains to Xian, Guangzhou & Tibet all use Beijing's newer West station.  Most trains from Beijing to Shanghai now use Beijing South station.

• Both Beijing Main & West stations are large and busy, and some people find them confusing.  So arrive in plenty of time for your train!

• When you reach the station, you must first go through airport-style security controls into the departure area.

• For soft sleeper travel, you must then find the appropriate waiting lounge for your train.  There are a number of different waiting lounges, and the electronic message boards show which is the right one for each specific train.  Tickets are checked on entering the lounge, so you can be sure you are in the right place.

• Inside the lounge, the electronic message boards show the trains departing from that lounge, for the next 24 hours.  Trains are usually allocated between lounges so there is ½ hour or more between each departure from that lounge.

• Most trains are shown as 'on time', but the most immediate departures are shown as 'waiting'.  Once a train is ready for boarding (normally about 30 minutes before departure) it is shown as 'check in', meaning you can proceed through ticket control to the platform.  About 5 minutes before departure the barrier is closed and the train is shown as 'check out'.

Luggage & bikes on Chinese trains...

• You take your bags with you onto the train, and put them on the racks in your sleeper compartment.  At major stations, bags may be X-rayed before boarding.

• In theory at least, the luggage limit on Chinese trains is 20 Kg for adults, 10 Kg for children, and the maximum dimension of any item should not exceed 160 cm (this is reduced to 130cm on all C, D & G category high-speed trains).  However, in reality no-one will weigh or measure your bags, as long as they will fit through the security X-ray machines, and as long as you can carry them all onto the train.  If you really want to transport vast quantities of luggage you can pay for a baggage ticket for bags in excess of the official limits.

• Traveller Matt Glaspole reports on taking a bicycle on Chinese trains:  "Not every train has a luggage van, but if you mention in the ticket office that you have a bicycle, the ticket staff can book you onto a train that has one.  If you do have to take a train without a luggage van, the luggage staff will send your bicycle on the next train that does have one.  Once you have your ticket, you need to find the luggage office, which is often hidden around the back of the station somewhere. You might not find any English spoken here, but your train tickets should give the staff all the information they need.  The luggage service is a bit old fashioned, and the charges can involve a few RMB in 'tips' to the officials involved.  The luggage rates are calculated per kilometre like a passenger ticket, but are not as expensive. If you take the pedals or anything else off to prevent joyriding, point this out to the staff so they can make a note of this on the luggage ticket.  This indemnifies them from the potential that you or someone else at the other end will accuse them of having lost or stolen the missing bits. Once, I didn't mention to the staff that the pedals were missing, and they starting combing the town near the station to find me, so they could amend the ticket. Accusations of theft must be very serious!  My bicycle was never damaged in the luggage vans, although other cyclists have found themselves missing a bungee strap or two from time to time."

Luggage storage at stations...

• There are left luggage offices at main stations, including Beijing West, Xian, Shanghai Hongqiao, Shanghai, Shenzhen.  Expect it to cost around RMB 5 per bag (50p or $1).

How to buy Chinese train tickets...

	Local train ticketing agencies...  You can buy tickets at the station of course, but you can also buy train tickets at small local ticketing agencies all over town, for an RMB 5 fee.  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.

When do reservations open? 

Reservations open 18 days before departure for all long-distance express express trains.  You cannot buy tickets before reservations open.  The booking horizon increased from 10 days to 18 days for stations, and from 12 to 20 days for online bookings, as from 1 January 2013.

Do tickets sell out?

China's new G-category high-speed trains are expensive by Chinese standards, so you'll often find Beijing-Shanghai or Beijing-Xian tickets available even on the day of travel, especially if you are flexible as to class or departure time.  However, in all other cases, long-distance train tickets are best booked at least 2-3 days in advance, 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.  At other times, although trains can sometimes sell out it's usually not difficult to secure seats or sleepers a day or two ahead.  But why not see for yourself?  There is now a real-time English-language availability check for the next 10 days at www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains.  As I write this, looking at the Shanghai Hongqiao to Beijing route for travel tomorrow I'm seeing plenty of seats available on most of the daytime high-speed trains, and indeed on the sleeper trains too.  I'm also seeing availability of soft sleeper on the best Z19 train from Beijing to Xian and 16 soft sleeper berths left on tomorrow's T27 from Beijing to Lhasa (although hard seats are sold out).  But it can vary at different times of year, of course.

Train tickets online...

Chinese Railways finally enabled online booking in 2011 at www.12306.cn.  However, foreigners cannot use it as it's only in Chinese and only accepts Chinese debit & credit cards.  You should buy tickets in person at the station or to be sure of a ticket for a specific date & train, book in advance through a reputable train ticketing agency as shown below.

How to buy tickets at the station...

• It's easy to buy tickets yourself at the station.  In big cities such as Beijing or Shanghai you should look for the special English-speaking ticket window for foreigners.

• Take your passport!  Remember to take your passport (and that of all other passengers) with you.  New rules introduced in June 2011 make it essential for foreigners to show a passport to buy tickets for any long-distance train.  You'll also need your passport to board the train.  A Chinese citizen's ID card, foreigner's temporary residence permit, exit-entry permit or diplomatic certificate can be used to buy tickets instead of a passport.

• Which routes can be booked at which stations?  Chinese Railways now have a central computer reservation system, so you can normally buy tickets for any route, not just ones starting at the station you're at.  Though it's usually easier to get tickets for a train starting at the station you're at, rather than one starting somewhere else and calling at your station en route.

• Local train ticket agencies:  In major cities, you can buy train tickets at the station, but it can be more convenient to buy them at one of the numerous 'hole in the wall' ticketing agencies located all over the city.  These local offices charge an RMB 5 (50p or $1) extra fee, just ask your hotel if there is one nearby or use the 'Train Ticket Office Search' at www.cnvol.com.  Don't expect these local agencies to speak English, so ask your hotel to write down your destination, date, time and class in Chinese to show the staff.

• You cannot use the self-service ticket machines at stations in spite of their English language facility, as they only accept Chinese ID cards, they don't recognise foreign passports which are now necessary to buy tickets.

• At Beijing Main station (metro Bejingzhan), the ticketing office for foreigners is on the north west corner of the ground floor, accessed via the soft seat waiting room.  It is open 05:30-07:30, 08:00-18:30, 19:00-23:00.  Only domestic Chinese tickets are sold, not international tickets.  One or two of the many ticket windows are designated for foreigners.  Allow plenty of time to buy your ticket, as you may have to queue.

• At Beijing West station (called Beijing Xi or Xizhan, metro Junshibowuguan sometimes called Military Museum), one ticket window in the main hall is marked 'English speaking', open 24 hours.  Service here is reported as 'fluent & efficient'.  Alternatively, you can buy train tickets at BTG Travel & Tours, on Fwai Dajie between the New Otani and Gloria Plaza Hotels, open 08:00-20:00.  To buy Trans-Siberian tickets from Beijing to Ulan Bator or Moscow, see the Trans-Siberian page.  To buy tickets from Beijing to Hanoi, see the Vietnam page.

• In Shanghai central station, the English speaking ticket window at the main station was window 43 though this has now been reported as changed to window 10 on the ground floor of the main ticket office to the southeast of the main station. 

• At Shanghai's new Hongqiao station, from where most fast trains to Beijing now leave, head upstairs to the departures area on the 2nd floor.  You'll need to go through X-ray and metal detectors security checks to reach the ticket office.  The English-speaking window will be indicated by a sign.

How to buy tickets in advance from outside China...

There are several ways to arrange Chinese train tickets from outside China.  Just remember that reservations for long-distance trains only open 20 days in advance, and even an agency cannot positively confirm your booking before reservations open allowing them to buy your ticket!

1. Ask your hotel...

Book a hotel, and ask them to arrange train tickets for you.  This may well be the cheapest & easiest option, although new rules introduced in June 2011 require passports to be shown when buying tickets for C, D & G category trains so this method is not now possible for all journeys.  Many hotels will buy train tickets for you for a small fee, perhaps RMB 50.  The new rules currently don't apply to other trains such as Z, T or K category, so your hotel may well be able to buy tickets for these trains for you.

2. Buy tickets by email through new agency www.china-DIY-travel.com...

www.china-DIY-travel.com is a new agency, recently started by an Australian born and living in China.  China DIY travel can arrange domestic train tickets for any journey within China in any class or type of train, although not international trains or trains to or from Hong Kong.  They book your ticket online and email you the e-ticket which you exchange for a ticket at the station a recommended minimum of 1 hour 15 minutes before departure.  They provide detailed instructions for ticket collection, which usually takes just 5-10 minutes at a special internet collection ticket window.  Unlike other agencies who charge a hefty premium which includes ticket delivery to your hotel, this e-ticket arrangement keeps costs down and they charge a fixed fee of Aus$10 on top of the actual Chinese Railways price.  China DIY Travel doesn't require a copy of your passport, just names and passport numbers, and they only take payment via PayPal after tickets are confirmed, when booking opens 20 days before departure.  I have not used them myself, but so far a steady stream of travellers report good (in fact, often excellent) service when buying tickets through them, and reviews on the internet are also positive.  If you have feedback from using China DIY, do please e-mail me.

3.  Buy from travel agencies www.chinatripadvisor.com, www.chinatraintickets.net, www.china-train-ticket.com

www.chinatripadvisor.com, www.chinatraintickets.net & www.china-train-ticket.com are established and reputable agencies who can arrange Chinese train tickets and have them delivered to your hotel in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai or Xian.  They know the tricks of the trade, they will take your booking well ahead of the time when train reservations open 20 days before travel and they know how to get in first and secure your tickets on your chosen date, train and class ahead of the crowd.  These agencies charge a fairly high premium over the ticket price, but it can be worth it if you need to be on a particular train on a particular date, especially at peak times such as around the time of the Spring Festival, 1st May, or 1st October.  Sample prices charged by agencies are shown in the timetable sections below, so you can compare with the cost of buying yourself at the station.  All these agencies are reputable, and www.chinatripadvisor.com has been recommended by a number of seat61 correspondents as being helpful and efficient.  You will need to supply the names, passport details and usually emailed copies of passports of all passengers.  If you have any feedback from using either of these agencies, please e-mail me.

4. Buy from Australian train specialist www.internationalrail.com.au

If you prefer to arrange train tickets through a western agency, use reliable Melbourne-based www.internationalrail.com.au, although you naturally pay a bit more this way.  If you use their contact form they usually reply within 24 hours.  They arrange tickets through their contacts in China, and say they have so far had no problem in securing people's first choice of date, class and train.  Bought through www.internationalrail.com.au, Beijing-Xian typically costs Aus$135 in soft sleeper, Aus$206 per person in deluxe 2-berth soft sleeper.  Beijing to Shanghai starts at Aus$138 in a soft seat.  You need to book at least 7 to 10 days before travel to give them time to turn the booking around.

How to read a Chinese train ticket...

Buying tickets for departures from Hong Kong...

You can book departures from Hong Kong to Beijing and Shanghai by email at the official (cheap!) ticket office price through KCRC (Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation) Customer Services.  Visit their website at www.mtr.com.hk (click 'customer site' then 'intercity passenger services' then 'more information'.  Note that the online booking system on their intercity trains home page is only for the HK to Guangzhou intercity trains, for the Beijing & Shanghai through trains you'll need to email their customer services department.  When looking up times and fares on their website, remember that Hong Kong is shown as 'Hung Hom').  You will be given a reference number and can then pick up and pay for tickets at Hong Kong's 'Hung Hom' station in Kowloon.  Note that Hong Kong ticket office does not accept credit cards, only cash.  However, there is an ATM just round the corner from the station.

Beijing to Shanghai by train

The best way to travel between Beijing and Shanghai is by train.  Not only is the train ride an experience in itself, the trains are generally very punctual and reliable than flying, avoiding the many delays affecting flights on the crowded Shanghai-Beijing corridor.

Beijing to Shanghai in 4 hours 48 minutes by high-speed train... 

A brand-new Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line opened in July 2011, and CRH380 G-category trains with a distinctive pointed nose-cone now link Beijing South and Shanghai Hongqiao at up to 300km/h (186 mph) in as little as 4 hours 48 minutes.  It's as fast as flying once check-in and airport travel times are added, and more reliable than a Chinese domestic flight.  The new G-category high-speed trains have business class, 1st class & 2nd class seats, see the full description of these trains below.  Several slower D-category daytime trains taking 7 hours also use the high-speed line with cheaper fares, but these aren't shown below.  Beijing to Shanghai via the new high-speed line is 1,318 km (819 miles), a little shorter than the classic route, which is 1,454 km (909 miles).

Beijing to Shanghai by sleeper train...

Alternatively, you can travel by time-effective sleeper train, it's safe, comfortable and saves a hotel bill.  Trains D311-D322 are top-quality 200km/h sleeper trains introduced in 2008, see the D-category sleeper train photos below.  They have 4-berth soft sleepers, a restaurant car & hard class seats.  Fully air-conditioned, each sleeper berth even has its own TV screen & there are power sockets for laptops or mobiles.  Expect the train to be very punctual.  Trains T109 & T110 are cheaper overnight sleeper trains with soft & hard sleepers plus a limited number of deluxe 2-berth sleepers with private toilet & washroom.  If you are on a tight budget and want to save money, travel hard sleeper on one of these slower T category trains.  Hard sleeper is still a comfortable and safe way to travel.  See the T category sleeper train photos above.

* These trains arrive/depart Shanghai main station in central Shanghai, not Hongqiao.

** These trains arrive/depart Beijing main station, not Beijing South.

Beijing metro map.   Map of Beijing showing stations.   Map of Shanghai showing stations & Bund    Hotels in Beijing    Hotels in Shanghai

In fact, there are more trains in addition to those shown here, but as these are slower and/or overtaken by faster trains, they aren't shown.  You can confirm the times for all trains using the online Chinese timetable websites listed here.

How much does it cost?

Children under 120cm tall travel free, 120-150cm tall travel for half fare, over 150cm tall pay full fare (140cm was changed to 150cm in Dec 2008, and 110cm to 120cm in Dec 2010)

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...

See the how to buy tickets section above.  Tickets cannot be bought online, so you will need to buy from the station ticket counter, or one of the local ticketing agencies all over town, or pre-book through a recommended Chinese train ticketing agency as shown here.  You'll often find tickets for the high-speed trains available even on the day of travel, as there is lots of capacity and prices are high by Chinese standards.  Don't leave it until the last minute to buy a ticket, as the trains are often busy - A typical report said "I went to Beijing ticket office on Wednesday to buy Beijing-Shanghai tickets for the following Saturday.  The first 3 departures from Beijing were full, but there were tickets available for later trains."  There are self-service ticket machines at major stations with an English language facility, but they cannot be used by visitors as they only accept Chinese citizen ID cards.

Which station in Shanghai? 

Almost all Beijing-Shanghai trains now use Shanghai's new Hongqiao station, some way out of central Shanghai near the old airport.  One or two trains are still using Shanghai's more convenient main central station (Shanghai Zhan).  Please make sure you know which station your departure from Shanghai will use.

Beijing metro map.   Map of Beijing showing stations.   Map of Shanghai showing Hongqiao & Main stations & the famous Bund.

What are the G-category high-speed trains like?

G-category high-speed trains have 2nd class seats, 1st class seats & business class seats.  1st class seats are 2-abreast each side of the aisle, 2nd class seats are 3-abreast one side and 2 abreast the other.  Business class has individual reclining seats with footrest and a meal is included in the fare.  Some business class seats are located in the train's end car behind the driver and these are sometimes called VIP or Sightseeing seats.  Indeed, on the shorter trainsets typically used on the fastest trains with 1 & 2-digit train numbers (for example G3 or G10), this is the only business class area on the train.  On the longer trainsets typically used on the slightly slower trains with 3-digit train numbers (for example G101) there's a normal business class coach as well as business class seats in a VIP/sightseeing area, but it's not possible to specify which type of business class seat you want, you just have to take pot luck - feedback would be appreciated.  The longer trainsets have a restaurant car.  Several slower D-category daytime trains taking 7 hours also use the high-speed line with cheaper fares, but these aren't shown below.

High-speed trains:  G-category trains on the new Beijing-Shanghai line are operated by sleek CRH380 high-speed trains.  Courtesy Rick Wong.		Business class seats in the VIP/sightseeing area on a CRH380 G-category train from Beijing to Shanghai.  Courtesy of Rick Wong.

What are the Beijing-Shanghai D-category sleeper trains like?

A D category sleeper train about to leave Shanghai.  Even if you can't read Chinese, the indicator clearly shows the train number & departure time.  Courtesy of James Fletcher		A 4-berth soft sleeper on a D category sleeper train.  Each berth has a TV and all bedding is supplied.  There are power sockets for laptop & mobiles.  Clean western-style toilets at the end of the corridor.  Courtesy of James Fletcher

The restaurant car on a D-category sleeper train.  Photo courtesy of James Fletcher		The bar on a D-category sleeper train.  Photo courtesy of James Fletcher

What are the Beijing-Shanghai D-category daytime trains like?

Train D32 at Beijing South.  Photo courtesy of Ben Low.		Soft (business) class. Courtesy of Ben Low.		Hard (2nd) class...  Photo courtesy of Ben Low.

Beijing to Xian by train

The best way to travel between Beijing & Xian is by train, you can choose either a time-effective sleeper train which will also save a hotel bill, or one of the new high-speed trains...

New high-speed service:  A new high-speed line is opened on 26 December 2012 allowing 300km/h (186mph) trains to link Beijing West to Xian North in 5.5 hours, with 10 departures a day, expected train times are now shown below.

* Xian North is located 10km north of the city centre and connected to the city by line 2 of the Xian metro.  It's also known as TaiHong.  Xian main station is in the city centre.

G-category high-speed trains have 2nd class seats, 1st class seats, Business class seats & dining car, see the photos above.  1st class has seats 2-abreast each side of the aisle, 2nd class has seats 3-abreast on one side of the aisle, 2 abreast on the other.  Business class has individual reclining seats with footrests.

T-category sleeper trains T44 & T43 have 2-berth deluxe sleepers with private toilet, normal 4-berth soft sleepers, hard sleepers & restaurant car.

Z-category sleeper trains Z19 & Z20 are the recommended sleeper trains, see the photos below.  They have high-quality air-conditioned sleeping-cars, superior to any flight and saves time over flying, too.  Hard sleepers, 4-berth soft class sleepers, 2-berth deluxe soft sleepers (Z19/Z20 only), restaurant car with menu in Chinese and English, beer a reasonable RMB15, the crispy fried prawns are recommended!  It is reported that the on-board staff are helpful and speak some English, the berths are even fitted with small TV screens.

Beijing to Xian by sleeper train is 1,200 km (750 miles).  All trains shown are daily. 

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

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

Children under 120cm tall travel free, 120-150cm tall travel for half fare, over 150cm tall pay full fare (140cm was changed to 150cm in Dec 2008, and 110cm to 120cm in Dec 2010)

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

Traveller Graham Dawes reports (April 2009):  "I successfully used "English Spoken" booking hall window (which appears to change so look carefully over booking hall windows for the sign) in Beijing Xizahn (West) to book return tickets to Xian on the Z19/Z20 last week for travel this week.  Soft sleeper in a 4 berth cabin cost Y417 each way.  Only cash accepted at window, no credit cards. Lower berths seem slightly longer (about 2 metres) if you are tall.  Pillow and duvet provided in each berth.  Travelled both ways (solo) and shared with Chinese ladies and men and had entertaining conversations in adequate English. Train crew attendants also spoke some English and recorded announcements on board made in English as well as Chinese.  Slept reasonably well and train ran punctually to the minute both ways.  Excellent value, even the toilets were fine at the end of the trips.  No sign of individual berth TV's in the coaches in which I travelled.  In both stations used the Soft Class Waiting Lounges where there are excellent electronic display boards (in English & Chinese) for departures.  You leave this lounge to board the train via a ticket inspection.  Retain tickets for inspection at arrival stations."

What is train Z19 from Beijing to Xian like?

Z category trains are the fastest and most modern long distance trains in China, running on routes such as Beijing-Xian, though now superseded by D-category sleeper trains on the Beijing-Shanghai route.  They are composed of the very latest air-conditioned sleepers, plus bar and restaurant.  Traveller Jim McCorry reports: "The train journey was exceptionally good; the sleeping accommodation was first class as was the service.  We also had the opportunity to meet and enjoy conversations, sometimes only in written form I may say, with a number of Chinese people sharing our compartment both going and returning.  Booking in Beijing was relatively painless as they have a special booking office for foreigners."

Above:  Each coach proudly carries a destination plate, in Chinese and English...  Courtesy of Bas de Graaff		Above:  Upper & lower berths in a soft class sleeper, complete with individual TV screens...  Photo courtesy of Bas de Graaff

Above:  2-berth deluxe soft sleepers have upper & lower berths one side of the compartment, wardrobe and armchair on the other side.  Courtesy of Bas de Graaff		Above:  2-berth deluxe sleepers have a private toilet & washroom.

There are more photos of the excellent Z trains here.

Beijing to Badaling by train for China's Great Wall

If you're spending a few days in Beijing, you'll probably want to visit the Great Wall of China.  Badaling is the most-visited section of rebuilt Great Wall, an easy day trip 61km (38 miles) north of Beijing.  Most people go there on a one-day bus tour, but this often only gives 30 rushed minutes to see the Wall.  It can be better to visit the Great Wall independently, taking a comfortable train from Beijing up into the mountains to Badaling, exploring and taking photographs at your leisure for an hour or two, then returning by train at a time to suit you.  These trains are modern & air-conditioned with soft & hard seats.

* = Runs only on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays.  Other trains run every day.

You can double-check these train times using www.cnvol.com or www.travelchinaguide.com/china-trains.  The final destination of these trains is Yanqing, 1 stop beyond Badaling. 

How much does it cost?  RMB 6  (£0.60 or $1) each way, and you can sit in either soft or hard seats, they make no distinction on this route.

How to buy tickets:  No reservation is necessary, simply turn up at Beijing North station and buy a ticket at the upstairs ticket office, not the downstairs one.  Several reports say that window 8 sells Badaling tickets, although one report says it was window 1.  Then head for the platforms through the ticket check and hop on the next train.  Buying tickets is normally fairly easy, you are given a ticket with 'S2' printed on it and you can use this on any train with a train number beginning 'S2', meaning any of the trains shown above.  You should buy your ticket back to Beijing when you get to Badaling.  Although some travellers say that buying a ticket is easy with short or no queues half an hour before the train goes, other travellers report long queues at the ticket office, especially at weekends when many Chinese were visiting the Wall.  So it is strongly recommended that you simply use a Beijing metro Smartcard to make this journey, as follows.  Feedback is always appreciated!

Save time & hassle buying tickets with a Beijing Metro Smartcard:  You can use a Beijing metro smartcard to travel on the S2 trains to Badaling, which saves you queuing for a ticket.  It is therefore strongly recommended that you get one (useful for travel on the metro anyway) and use if for this journey.  You just touch in and out as you would for the metro, avoiding the need to go to the ticket office!  It debits RMB5 at the start of the journey and RMB1 at the end.  You should arrive about 15 minutes before departure at least, as the access gates are closed a few minutes before the departure of each train.  You stand a better chance of getting a seat at bust times if you arrive earlier, say 30 minutes.  Feedback would be appreciated.

Beijing North station (Beijing Bei Zhan in Chinese) is at metro stop Xizhimen on metro lines 2 & 4.  On exiting the metro follow signs in English to Beijing North Station, and look for the upstairs ticket office, window 8.  If you have a Beijing metro Smartcard, look for the 'S2' entrance and head for the train.  Beijing metro map.  Street map of Beijing showing stations.  I recommend arriving at the station at least 20 minutes before departure, as there will be a brief security check before accessing the waiting area, and the train often stops some way from the terminal building.

Badaling station:  On arrival at Badaling station, leave the station and turn left and walk up the hill, following everyone else.  The Great Wall ticket office is about 800m away on the right, you can't miss it.  Entrance fee is around RMB 45 (£4.50 or $7.50).  Signs are in English, no guide is required.

Taking the train to the Great Wall of China...

For the first 20 minutes, the train negotiates the Beijing suburbs, then it accelerates for a brief sprint to its first station stop.  After stopping briefly at this station, the train starts climbing at slow speed into the mountains to Badaling.  You start to see parts of the Great Wall as soon as you leave the station stop, so have your camera ready!  The train reverses direction at the stop before Badaling, so don't be surprised when this happens.  2 hours at the wall is enough for most people, but when you take the train, how long you stay is up to you!

Beijing North Station.  if you have a Beijing Metro Smartcard, simply head for any S2 train via the entrance aisle with an 'S2' sign...  Photos courtesy of Robert Mikes

The easy, independent way to the Great Wall...  A train to Badaling about to leave Beijing North station...  Photo courtesy of Robert Mortell.		Inside the train...  Hard class seats on the regular air-conditioned train linking Beijing with Badaling...  Photo courtesy of Barnaby Hornshaw.

The Great Wall of China at Badaling.  The town & ticket office are in the valley in the background.  This photo was taken at almost the highest point of this bit of Wall.		Above:  Looking beyond that high point, the Great Wall of China stretches into the distance across the mountains...

Beijing - Tianjin by train

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.chinatravelguide.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.

Above:  Soft seats on the Beijing-Tianjin Hexie train.  Photo courtesy of Gabriel Chew

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

Beijing or Shanghai to Guilin & Nanning by train   

All trains run daily, and have 4-berth soft sleepers, hard sleepers & restaurant car. 

Train T189/T190 also has 2-berthd deluxe soft sleepers.

You can check times for other routes at www.chinatravelguide.com.  Map of Beijing showing stations

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

Children under 120cm tall travel free, 120-150cm tall travel for half fare, over 150cm tall pay full fare (140cm was changed to 150cm in Dec 2008, and 110cm to 120cm in Dec 2010)

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

Beijing to Guangzhou (Canton) by train

Several comfortable air-conditioned sleeper trains link Beijing with Guangzhou (Canton) every day.  In addition, a new high-speed line opened on 26 December 2012, and 300km/h (186mph) trains now link Beijing West and Guangzhou South in as little as 7 hours 59 minutes, on the world's longest high-speed line.

Trains G71 to G82 are 300km/h (186 mph) high-speed trains, with 2nd class seats, 1st class seats, Business class seats & dining car, see the photos above.  1st class has seats 2-abreast each side of the aisle, 2nd class has seats 3-abreast on one side of the aisle, 2 abreast on the other.  Business class has individual reclining seats with footrests and a meal is included.

Trains T15, T16, T201, T202 have 2-berth deluxe soft sleepers, 4-berth soft sleepers, hard class sleepers & restaurant car.

How to buy tickets.

How much does it cost?

Children under 120cm tall travel free, 120-150cm tall travel for half fare, over 150cm tall pay full fare (140cm changed to 150cm in Dec 2008, 110cm to 120cm in Dec 2010)

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

Beijing to Hong Kong by train

An air-conditioned sleeper train links Beijing with Hong Kong every second day, the comfortable, civilised and interesting way to make this journey.

How to buy tickets, starting in Hong Kong:  You can book tickets by email via ipsc@mtr.com.hk (see www.it3.mtr.com.hk) and pick up tickets at the booking office, or just buy them at the station reservations office.  You can also arrange tickets starting in Hong Kong through Tiglion Travel, www.tiglion.net, which one seat61 correspondent has recommended, although don't be surprised if they ask for a scan of your credit card.  When you're in Hong Kong, you can buy tickets for the through trains to Guangzhou, Beijing & Shanghai at any CTS (China Travel Service) agency around the city, although only the CTS Central branch and CTS Mongkok branch are equipped with the Chinese Railways ticketing system for booking other Chinese train tickets.

How to buy tickets, starting in Beijing:  See the advice on buying tickets.  Be warned, the Beijing-Hong Kong through train is very popular, and gets booked up well in advance.  Traveller Roddy Flagg reports: (Feb 2009) "I bough a Beijing-Hong Kong hard sleeper ticket at Beijing West at around midday, for departure the next day - so in this case at least there was no need to purchase too far in advance.  Purchase was very easy - into the ticket office, find window 16 with it's 'English spoken' sign, and there was only one person ahead of me in the queue. Can't attest to the quality of the English as I was speaking Chinese.  Was in and out in a couple of minutes, but Beijing West is, as you no doubt know, a massive place, so it could well take longer if you get lost.  Buying at the more central Beijing main station might be better."

Departure formalities:  Departing from Beijing for Hong Kong, you should arrive at Beijing West station 90 minutes before departure for passport control & exit formalities.  Departing from Hong Kong, you should arrive at Kowloon's Hung Hom station 45 minutes before departure for passport control & exit formalities.

The station in Hong Kong is in Kowloon and called Hung Hom.  It can help to know that the Chinese refer to Hong Kong/Kowloon as Jiulong.  You'll see it written on train destination boards as Jiulong.

Hong Kong Kowloon to Victoria Island Star Ferry:  Regular Star Ferries shuttle between Kowloon and Hong Kong Victoria Island, see www.starferry.com.hk.  It's not only a means of transport, the Star Ferry is a classic journey in its own right.

Alternative ways to get from Beijing to Hong Kong:  You can of course take a Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed train or daily sleeper train, as shown in the Beijing to Guangzhou section above.  Then take an air-conditioned inter-city train between Guangzhou East & Hong Kong, these run every hour or two taking just 1 hour 50 minutes, see www.mtr.com.hk for times, fares and online booking.

Discounts may be available at off-peak times of year, if bought at the reservations office in Hong Kong.

Children under 120cm tall travel free, 120-150cm tall travel for half fare, over 150cm tall pay full fare (140cm changed to 150cm in Dec 2008, 110cm to 120cm in Dec 2010)

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

What is the Hong Kong to Beijing sleeper train like?
Hard sleeper berths on the Hong Kong - Beijing train. www.kcrc.com.		A 4-berth soft sleeper compartment on the Hong Kong - Beijing & Hong Kong - Shanghai trains.  Photo courtesy of www.kcrc.com.		A deluxe soft sleeper (2-berth with toilet) on the Hong Kong - Beijing & Hong Kong - Shanghai trains.  Photo courtesy of www.kcrc.com.

Welcome aboard...  Train T98 from Hong Kong to Beijing boarding at Kowloon's modern station.  These 3 photos courtesy of Andy Brabin.				A tasty Chinese meal in the restaurant car of the Hong Kong to Beijing train...

Hong Kong to Guangzhou by train

Air-conditioned intercity trains run every hour or two between Guangzhou East & Hong Kong's Hung Hom station, taking 1 hour 50 minutes.  See www.mtr.com.hk for times, fares & online booking.

Hong Kong Kowloon to Victoria Island Star Ferry:  Regular Star Ferries shuttle between Kowloon and Hong Kong Victoria Island, see www.starferry.com.hk.  It's not only a means of transport, the Star Ferry is a classic journey in its own right.

Hong Kong to Macau by ferry

There are fast ferry services (jetfoils) from Hong Kong to Macau, see www.turbocat.com.  These run every 15 minutes throughout the day, and every few hours at night, journey time 55 minutes. Fares from HK$134 (£12 or US$19) in economy class. The jetfoils depart from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal, Shun Tak Centre, 200 Connaught Road Central.

Hong Kong to Shanghai by train

* Train T100 from Hong Kong to Shanghai runs on even-numbered dates in January, April, May, August, November, December 2013 and on odd-numbered dates in Nov & Dec 2012, then February, March, June, July, September & October 2013.

** Train T99 from Shanghai to Hong Kong runs on odd-numbered dates in January, April, May, August, November, December 2013 and on even-numbered dates in Nov & Dec 2012, February, March, June, July, September & October 2013.

You can check times, fares & days of running at www.mtr.com.hk (click 'English' then 'Getting around' then 'Intercity passenger services' & remember that Hong Kong is shown as either 'Kowloon' or 'Hung Hom').

On board accommodation:  T99 & T100 have 2-berth 'deluxe soft sleeper' with private toilet, normal 4-berth soft sleepers, hard sleepers & restaurant car.

How to buy tickets starting in Hong Kong:  You can book tickets by email at www.mtr.com.hk (click 'customer site' then 'intercity passenger services') and pick up tickets at the booking office, or just buy them at the station reservations office.  You can also arrange tickets starting in Hong Kong through Tiglion Travel, www.tiglion.net, which one seat61 correspondent has recommended.  Don't be surprised if they ask for a scan of your credit card.   When you're in Hong Kong, you can buy tickets for the through trains to Guangzhou, Beijing & Shanghai at any CTS (China Travel Service) agency around the city, although only the CTS Central branch and CTS Mongkok branch are equipped with the Chinese Railways ticketing system for booking other Chinese train tickets. 

How to buy tickets starting in Shanghai:  If your journey starts in Shanghai, buy at the ticket office (there's an English-speaking window) or pre-book through an agency, see advice on buying tickets.

Departure formalities:  Departing from Shanghai, you should arrive at Shanghai station 90 minutes before departure for exit formalities.  Departing Hong Kong, you should arrive at the station 45 minutes before departure.  The station in Hong Kong is in Kowloon and called Hung Hom.

It can help to know that the Chinese often refer to Hong Kong/Kowloon as Jiulong.  You'll see it on train destination boards as Jiulong.

Hong Kong Kowloon to Victoria Island Star Ferry:  Regular Star Ferries shuttle between Kowloon and Hong Kong Victoria Island, see www.starferry.com.hk.  It's not only a means of transport, the Star Ferry is a classic journey in its own right.

Children under 120cm tall travel free, 120-150cm tall travel for half fare, over 150cm tall pay full fare (140cm was changed to 150cm in Dec 2008, and 110cm to 120cm in Dec 2010)

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

What is the Hong Kong to Shanghai train like? This train uses the same carriages as the Hong Kong-Beijing train, and runs on the days when the Beijing train doesn't.
Hard sleeper berths on the Hong Kong - Shanghai train. www.kcrc.com.		A 4-berth soft sleeper compartment on the Hong Kong - Beijing & Hong Kong - Shanghai trains.  Photo courtesy of www.kcrc.com.		A deluxe soft sleeper (2-berth with toilet) on the Hong Kong - Beijing & Hong Kong - Shanghai trains.  Photo courtesy of www.kcrc.com.

Welcome aboard...  These 3 photos courtesy of Andy Brabin.				A tasty Chinese meal in the restaurant car...

Shanghai to Xian by train

* Recommended high-quality Z-category train.  Air-conditioned 2-berth deluxe soft sleepers, 4-berth soft sleepers, hard sleepers & restaurant car.  Arrives/departs Xian main station in the city centre.

** Recommended high-quality high-speed D-category sleeper train, see the photos here.  4-berth soft sleepers, 2nd class seats & restaurant car.  Arrives/departs Xian North, also known as TaiHong, located 10km north of the city centre and connected to the city by line 2 of the Xian metro.

T138/T140 also has air-conditioned cars, soft & hard sleepers & restaurant car.

There are other trains between Shanghai & Xian en route to other places, but the trains above specifically link these two cities. 

You can check times & fares at www.chinatravelguide.com or www.chinahighlights.com, you can book at www.chinatripadvisor.com.

Children under 120cm tall travel free, 120-150cm tall travel for half fare, over 150cm tall pay full fare (140cm was changed to 150cm in Dec 2008, and 110cm to 120cm in Dec 2010)

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

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.

Trains to Lhasa & Tibet

	Above:  Destination board on the Shanghai-Lhasa train.  Photo courtesy of Mary Kitchen.
	Above:  Modern & comfortable.  A soft class 4-berth sleeper on the daily 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.

Regular passenger trains to Lhasa from Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Guangzhou...

There are several trains a day to Lhasa, including a daily express from Beijing to Lhasa (a 2-night journey, 3,753km) and other trains running every second day from Xian, Shanghai & Guangzhou (formerly called Canton, near Hong Kong) to Lhasa.  These are modern air-conditioned Chinese Railways trains, with soft & hard class sleepers, soft & hard class seats & a restaurant car.  Photos of the new Beijing-Lhasa train interior.  Train times & fares for these trains are shown below.

How to buy tickets...

Bookings open 10 days in advance.  In the first months of operation of the new line, tickets were reported as selling out almost as soon as bookings open, with no sign of demand diminishing.  However, it's become easier to get tickets, and you can now arrange tickets & tours through www.chinatraintickets.net or www.chinahighlights.com.  Alternatively, you can try buying tickets yourself at the station, arranging a permit separately, see how to buy tickets.

Getting a permit for Tibet...

In addition to a normal Chinese visa, foreigners require a special permit to enter Tibet, although there is talk of discontinuing this requirement in the near future, so please check.  The only way to get a permit is through a Chinese travel agency, for example www.chinatraintickets.net or www.chinahighlights.com who can arrange both trains and tailor-made tours.  The permit is valid to enter Tibet and reach Lhasa, though a further permit is required to travel any further.  There's a good article about Tibet permits at http://kekexili.typepad.com/life_on_the_tibetan_plate/2007/02/travel_in_tibet.html.  Also try www.chinatibettrain.com.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:  New rules imposed in May 2012 required a minimum of 5 people of the same nationality to travel together to qualify for a Tibet Permit.  Then from June 2012 they stopped all foreigners visiting Tibet.  In August, it's reported you can now visit, but require a guide with you at all times.  Please check what the situation is this week!

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 map.  Street map of Beijing showing stations.

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

x = the train stops, but exact time not known.

* = runs every 2nd day, on odd dates in some months, even dates in others.  The only way to double-check which days the non-daily trains run is to look at the .pdf timetable at www.chinatt.org/download.htm.

The Beijing-Lhasa train was speeded up from 11 January 2011 as it now uses a new bit of railway, but no longer calls at Xian.  The fare got cheaper, as the new route is shorter, at 3,753 km.

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.  Beijing-Lhasa is 4,064 km, of which 1,110 km are over the newly-built Qinghai-Tibet railway.

Photos of the train & journey

Travellers' reports...

More photos of the new Beijing-Lhasa train interior

More photos of the railway to Tibet

Summary of times & fares for trains from Chengdu & Xining to Lhasa

Map of Chinese train routes   Onward travel to Kathmandu in Nepal, and from Nepal to India.

Children under 120cm tall travel free, 120-150cm tall travel for half fare, over 150cm tall pay full fare (140cm was changed to 150cm in Dec 2008, and 110cm to 120cm in Dec 2010)

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

The journey by train to Lhasa....

In the air-conditioned restaurant car... Photo courtesy of Keith Crane		Scenery in Tibet, looking back at a bridge the train has just crossed...  Photo courtesy of Keith Crane

A view from the restaurant car of the Beijing-Lhasa train.  Photo courtesy of Brett Ackroyd.		In the restaurant car of the Beijing-Lhasa train.  Photo courtesy of Brett Ackroyd.		Soft sleeper on the Beijing-Lhasa train.  Photo courtesy of Brett Ackroyd.

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.

At the highest point...  Photo courtesy of Keith Crane		Lhasa station.  Courtesy of Keith Crane

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

Traveller's reports...

Traveller Brett Ackroyd reports (spring 2010):  "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 (Nov 2008):   "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.!"

International train, bus & ferry routes from China

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

Two weekly trains link Beijing with Moscow, one via Mongolia, one direct into Russia, see the Trans-Siberian page.  From Moscow, daily trains run to Cologne & Amsterdam, with connections for London, see the London to Russia page.

Beijing ► Japan

Ferries link Shanghai several times a week with Kobe and Osaka in Japan.  For ferry connections between China & Japan, see below.

Beijing ► Taiwan

You can travel between China and Taiwan by ferry.  For details see the Taiwan page.

Beijing ► North Korea

For the direct train between Beijing & Pyongyang in North Korea, see the North Korea page.

Beijing ► South Korea

For ferry connections between Beijing & South Korea, see the South Korea page.

Beijing ► Hanoi, Saigon (Vietnam)

There's a comfortable twice-weekly soft sleeper train with restaurant car from Beijing to Hanoi taking 2 nights and 1 day.  For train times & fares, see the 'International links' section on the Train travel in Vietnam page.  You can book the twice-weekly Beijing-Hanoi sleeper train in Beijing at the reservations office, or in advance from outside China with www.chinatripadvisor.com.

Hong Kong ► Hanoi, Saigon (Vietnam)

You can travel overland by train & bus from Hong Kong to Hanoi in Vietnam, quite cheaply and comfortably.  You take an intercity train from HK to Guangzhou, the overnight sleeper train from Guangzhou to Nanning, a connecting train to Pinxiang then a bus to the border and on the Hanoi.  For details of how to do this, see the 'International links' section on the Train travel in Vietnam page.

Beijing ► Lhasa (Tibet) ► Kathmandu (Nepal)

There's no railway from Tibet through the Himalayas to Nepal, at least not yet, but the Lhasa to Kathmandu journey can be done by bus. 

Weekly Tibet-Nepal bus service?  The internet is full of reports of a Lhasa to Kathmandu bus service starting, then being withdrawn, then starting again.  However, the most reliable information suggests that there is indeed a weekly Lhasa-Kathmandu bus service, running since April or May 2010.  It leaves Lhasa every Friday at 10:00, and it's possibly open to foreigners, but possibly not.  It's bookable by contacting a suitable Chinese travel agency.  The fare is 520 RMB (£54 or $81), children under 140cm half price.  It's a 955km trip, but journey time not known.  Departure times in the opposite direction are also not known.  If you find out any more, please email me!

Organised tours between Tibet & Nepal:  Apart from this weekly bus service (if indeed it is running and equally importantly, if it's open to foreigners), the only way foreigners are legally permitted to travel between Lhasa & Kathmandu is with an organised tour.  The cheapest tours cost about $400 and take 8 days (7 nights) for the 955 km journey.  Try www.heiantreks.com, who normally run Lhasa-Kathmandu overland tours twice a week, www.trekkingtibet.com (recommended by one seat61 correspondent), www.visitnepal.com/getaway  (weekly, $450) or www.richatours.com or do a Google search for other agencies.  In 2005, there were reports of a new twice-weekly bus service from Kathmandu to Lhasa but apparently this service folded soon after it started.  If you have any feedback or recommendations, please email me! 

For onward travel from Kathmandu to Delhi or Varanasi in India by a combination of bus & train, see the Nepal page.

Beijing ► India

The direct route from China to India is not particularly practical.  Most if not all border crossings are officially closed to foreigners, and you need some serious permits to be in those border regions.  You can, however, go from Beijing to Lhasa in Tibet by train (see here), then take regular organised tours from Lhasa to Kathmandu, see the Nepal page.  You can then get by regular scheduled bus and train to Delhi or Varanasi in India, also see the Nepal page.

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

Start by taking the twice-weekly Beijing to Hanoi train, details on the Vietnam page.  You can then either go to Saigon and across Cambodia to Bangkok, then by train to Malaysia and Singapore, or take a 24 hour bus ride from Hanoi to Vientiane in Laos, then by overnight train to Bangkok.  See this interactive route map and click each part of the route you want for details.

Ferries from China to Japan

Two ferry companies sail weekly year-round from Shanghai to either Kobe or Osaka in Japan, from where there are 'bullet trains' to Tokyo.  A third company sailing from Tianjin to Kobe appears to have stopped operating in July 2012, see http://celkobe.co.jp.  Feedback if you use one of these ferries is appreciated!

Option 1:  The Shanghai Ferry Company...

Website www.shanghai-ferry.co.jp, look for the English button.  They sail weekly from Shanghai to Osaka, taking two nights.

So far, their ship has received very good reports from one seat61 correspondent.  You can book a ticket on the Shanghai Ferry Company by e-mailing them at pax@shanghai-ferry.co.jp for a departures from Japan, or at zhangyz@suzhaohao.com for departures from Shanghai.  You will be given a reference number and can pick up and pay for your ticket at the port.  Fares start at around 20,000 Japanese Yen (about £105) for a one-way ticket in an open-plan economy room, 22,000 Yen in a standard cabin (4-berth) or 40,000 Yen in a deluxe 2-berth cabin.  Return tickets are available costing 50% more than one-way fares.  Check both sailing dates and fares at www.shanghai-ferry.co.jp.

Option 2:  The China-Japan International Ferry Company...

The other shipping company is the China-Japan International Ferry Company, www.shinganjin.com, which also sails weekly from Shanghai to Japan, going alternately to Kobe or Osaka.

* ship sails to Osaka & Kobe alternately, see www.shinganjin.com (Chinese version www.chinajapanferry.com) for fares & schedules.

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.

If you are booking a Trans-Siberian train through an agency such as The Russia Experience, they can also book either of these ships.  Prices start at around UK £230 in a 2nd class cabin (8-berth), £250 in a 1st class 4-berth, or £375 in a deluxe 2-berth.

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 Osaka to Shanghai ferry.  Courtesy of Janis Putrams		At sea, bound for Shanghai...  Courtesy of Janis Putrams

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).

Find hotels in China

Find a hotel in Beijing, Shanghai & other Chinese cities...

Other hotel sites worth trying...

• www.tripadvisor.com is the place to find independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.

• www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system (Hotels Combined being a search/comparison system).  It has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one price, then charge you another!).

Backpacker hostels...

• www.hostelbookers.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelbookers offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.

Flights...

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 great choice for both price and service...

Use the Skyscanner search tool to compare flight prices & routes worldwide across 600 airlines...

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.

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.

Buy at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com...

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.

Travel insurance

Get travel insurance, it's essential...

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 (up to a limit) and belongings.  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 myself).  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

In the UK, try Columbus Direct or use Confused.com to compare prices & policies from many different insurers.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65 (no age limit), see www.JustTravelCover.com.

        If you're resident in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct's other websites.

    If you're resident in the USA or Canada, try Travel Guard USA.

Get a spare credit card, designed for foreign travel with no currency exchange loading & low or no ATM fees...

It costs nothing to take out an extra credit card.  If you keep it in a different part of your luggage so you're not left stranded if your wallet gets stolen, this is a form of extra travel insurance in itself.  In addition, some credit cards are significantly better for overseas travel than others.  Martin Lewis's www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which UK credit cards have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when you use an ATM abroad.  Taking this advice can save you quite a lot on each trip compared to using your normal high-street bank credit card!

You can avoid ATM charges and expensive exchange rates with a Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or their multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card, see www.caxtonfx.com for info.

Get an international SIM card...

Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're not careful you can return home to find some huge bills waiting for you.  I've known people run up a £1,000 bill in data charges just by leaving their iPhone connected during a simple trip to Europe.  However, if you buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company such as www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85% and limit any damage to the amount you have pre-paid.  It cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide, and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries.  It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills when you get home.  It also works for laptop or PDA data access.  A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't expire if it's not between trips, unlike some others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone number' for life.