Travelling by train in China

Train travel on Chinese trains is safe and comfortable and many main cities are linked, even for families or women travelling alone. They have 4 types of rail class: soft seat, soft sleeper, hard seat, hard sleeper. Short distance trains normally have just hard class seats, although some inter-city trains also have soft class seats.

Many long distance trains have soft & hard class sleepers. Soft sleepers have comfortable 4 berth compartments with full bedding provided. Hard class sleeper trains have bunks in open plan dormitory cars, usually arranged in bays of 6 (upper, middle and lower) on one side of the train, with seats on the other side of the train for daytime use. Soft sleeper is recommended for visitors to China, but budget travellers often use hard class. The most top class trains on the Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Hong Kong, Beijing-Xian and some other routes have deluxe soft class with 2-berth compartments with private toilets as well as the normal 4-berth soft class. Most long-distance trains have a restaurant car serving full meals.

In China you must 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. Another possible delay is that sometimes there are security checks (including airline-style luggage checks) to go through before boarding.

How to buy tickets
Buying tickets at the station - You can buy tickets in person at the station reservation office. Beijing and Shanghai have special reservations offices for foreigners. Reservations for the best Z-category express trains open 20 days before departure, reservations for most other trains open up to 10 days before departure, assuming the train you want starts its journey at that station. If the train you want starts its journey somewhere else and calls at your boarding station already well into its journey, tickets may only be available 2 days before departure. You can generally only book a train journey at the station where your journey starts, eg. the reservations office at Shanghai can sell you a Shanghai-Beijing ticket but not a Beijing-Xian ticket. Berths are best booked at least 2-3 days in advance, apart from peak periods (the Spring Festival, May Day 1st May, National Day 1st October) when they should be booked as soon as reservations open.

Buying tickets via www.chinatripadvisor.com or www.china-train-ticket.com - There are a number of agencies you can use if you want to purchase your tickets before arriving in China - these are www.chinatripadvisor.com or www.china-train-ticket.com. Tickets cannot be posted abroad, but can be delivered to your hotel in China to be picked up when you get there. This will cost more than you'd pay at the ticket office, but if you really need to be on a particular train on a particular date, it can be worth booking ahead. Both agencies are well known and reliable.

Buying tickets at your hotel - The hotel you are staying in may be able to arrange tickets and this may be the cheapest option for buying tickets in advance. Remember that reservations for the best Z-category express trains open 20 days in advance, but for most other trains bookings only open 5-10 days before departure.

Buying tickets when departing from Hong Kong - You can book departures from Hong Kong to Beijing and Shanghai by email at no extra charge through KCRC (Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation) Customer Services. Visit their website at www.kcrc.com for train times & fares for the Hong Kong to Shanghai and HK to Beijing trains. You will be given a reference number and can then pick up and pay for tickets at Hong Kong Kowloon (Hung Hom) station. Tickets must be paid for in cash - credit cards are not accepted.

Beijing to Shanghai trains
There are five excellent Z-category sleeper trains between Beijing and Shanghai, all leaving Beijing between 19:00 and 19:30. These superb trains are soft class only, with brand new top quality air conditioned sleeping cars and bar/restaurant car (with menus in Chinese and English). In addition to normal 4 berth soft class, trains Z13/Z14 and Z21/Z22 also have deluxe soft class with 2 berths per compartment. Beijing to Shanghai is 1,463 km (914 miles).

To check fares and timetables visit www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/index.htm, you can book at www.chinatripadvisor.com.

Beijing to Xian
This superb train has top quality brand new air conditioned sleeping cars, far superior to any flight. It's soft class only (no hard class) with 4 berth ordinary soft class sleepers, 2-berth deluxe soft class sleepers with private toilet, restaurant car (with menu in Chinese and English) and a bar. It is reported that the on-board staff are helpful and speak some English. Beijing to Xian is 1,200 km (750 miles).

Terracotta warriors: These are 40-45 minutes from Xian station by bus 306 or 307, fare about 7 RMB. Minibuses & taxis also available.

Beijing - Hong Kong & Guangzhou (Canton)
T97 & T98 have 2-berth 'deluxe soft sleeper' (but without private toilet), 4-berth soft sleeper, hard sleeper & restaurant car. T29/30 & T15/16 have soft and hard class sleepers and restaurant car.

Hong Kong & Guangzhou to Beijing - Train T98 runs from Hong Kong on alternate days only. To check travel dates and fares visit www.kcrc.com.
You can check Hong Kong to Beijing fares and train times at www.kcrc.com. The direct train from Beijing to Hong Kong is very popular, and gets booked up as soon as tickets go on sale. The station in Hong Kong is in Kowloon and called 'Hung Hom'. There are also a range of daily air-conditioned trains between Guangzhou (Canton) & Hong Kong, see www.kcrc.com for times, fares and online booking.

Hong Kong: Kowloon to Victoria Island 'Star Ferry' - Regular Star Ferries shuttle between Kowloon (including Hung Hom railway station) and Hong Kong Victoria Island visit www.starferry.com.hk for more details.
Hong Kong to Guangzhou (Canton) - Air conditioned intercity trains run every few hours between Guangzhou (Canton) & Hong Kong. Visit www.kcrc.com for times, fares and online booking.

Hong Kong to Macau - There are fast ferry services (jetfoils) from Hong Kong to Macau - see www.turbocat.com.

Hong Kong to Shanghai - Trains K99 & K100 run every second day. You will beed to visit www.kcrc.com for train dates, times and fares (look for 'intercity services' and remember that the station in Hong Kong is called Hung Hom). This train has hard sleeper, soft sleeper (4-berth) and deluxe soft sleeper (2-berth), plus a restaurant car. If your journey starts in Hong Kong, you can book tickets by email at www.kcrc.com and pick up tickets at the booking office, or just buy them at the station reservations office.

Shanghai to Xian - This a daily service, with modern air conditioned deluxe soft sleepers (2 berth with private toilet), normal soft sleepers (4 berth), hard sleepers and restaurant car. There are additional trains between Shanghai and Xian en route to other places, but this train is the most modern and it operates specifically between these two cities. You can check all train times in China at www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/index.htm.

Lhasa & Tibet: A daily train from Beijing & Xian to Lhasa - The railway track to Lhasa in Tibet has been completed, and the first regular passenger trains started running on 1 July 2006. There are now 3 trains a day to Lhasa, including a daily express from Beijing and Xian. These are modern air conditioned Chinese Railways trains, with soft and hard class sleepers, soft and hard class seats and a restaurant car. A train Guangzhou (near Hong Kong) to Lhasa started on 1 October 2006, and a train from Shanghai may be introduced later.

Deluxe tourist trains: Deluxe tourist trains are due to start running some time in 2007, but dates, times and fares have yet to be announced. They will be marketed as Tangula Express, running from Beijing, Xian and Shanghai to Lhasa with luxury sleeping cars with double beds, private shower & toilet, restaurant cars and observation cars. The Tangula Express trains are a joint venture between Chinese Railways and a western company called RailPartners.

The new 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, travellers had to take a train to Golmud then a gruelling 48 hour bus journey to Lhasa.

If you are travelling to or through Tibet you will need a permit in addition to your Chinese visa. This may be discontinued sometime soon so check with a Chinese travel agency such as ChinaHighlights.com

Buying tickets for the highest train in the world - Tickets are reportedly selling as soon as bookings open and at the moment need to be purchased direct from the reservation office at the station. However check online at ChinaHighlights.com or www.chinatripadvisor.com where they may be available to purchase direct.

Another train 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.

Lhasa (Tibet) to Kathmandu (Nepal) - A twice weekly bus service runs from Lhasa to Kathmandu in Nepal, from where you can take a bus then train to Delhi. The bus departs on Tuesday & Friday mornings from each end, and takes 2 days for the 955 km journey, with an overnight stop at Sigatse. Fare $70 one way. The service uses 35 seat luxury buses and is run jointly by the Himalaya Passenger Transport Company (Chinese) and Gorkha Travel Company Limited under the state transport company (Sajha Yatayat) name. Information comes from www.china.org.cn/english/2005/Apr/127112.htm.
Beijing to Hanoi to Saigon (Vietnam) - There's a comfortable twice-weekly soft sleeper train with a restaurant car from Beijing to Hanoi taking 2 nights and 1 day. 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 to Hanoi to Saigon (Vietnam) - Travelling overland by train & bus you can leave Hong Kong for 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.

Ships from Shanghai to Japan
A weekly year round ship sails from Shanghai to Kobe or Osaka, where regular bullet trains are available to Tokyo.

Option 1: The Shanghai Ferry Company - For more details about the ferry visit www.shanghai-ferry.co.jp - look for the 'English' button. They sail weekly from Shanghai to Osaka, taking two nights. 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 Japan-China International Ferry Company - The other shipping company is the Japan-China International Ferry Company, which also sails weekly from Shanghai to Japan, going alternately to Kobe or Osaka.
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 £230 in a 2nd class cabin (8-berth), £250 in a 1st class 4-berth, or £375 in a deluxe 2-berth.

General Information

The main train travel operators in China is Chinese Railways. For train times in English visit www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/index.htm. Official sites (in Chinese only): www.chinamor.cn.net & www.tielu.org. There are some agencies which are able to sell Chinese train tickets online: www.chinatripadvisor.com, www.china-train-ticket.com. Website selling tickets for Beijing - Shanghai, Beijing - Hong Kong and Shanghai - Hong Kong trains: www.train-ticket.net. Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (local trains in Hong Kong plus through trains HK to Beijing and Shanghai): www.kcrc.com.

UK citizens will need a visa for China. Visa section of the Chinese embassy: 31 Portland Place, London W1B 1QD, telephone 020 7631 1430. See www.chinese-embassy.org.uk.

The Thomas Cook Train Travel Timetable
The Thomas Cook timetable has train, bus and ferry times for every country in the world, plus currency and climate information. It's essential for any independent traveller. It costs around £11.50 and is available from the 'Books on Rail Travel' section of this website.

Recommended guidebooks
Never travel by train, independently or in a group, without a good guidebook. The best guides are the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. Both guidebooks have the same excellent level of practical information and cultural and historical background. Again these are available from the 'Books on Rail Travel' section of this website.

Backpacker hostels
If you're on a very tight budget you may find a room or a bed in a dorm at a backpacker hostel. Take a look at www.hostelbookers.com.

Travel Insurance
Travel insurance isn't a luxury - it's a necessity. Ensure its included in your holiday budget. There are many providers these days so shop around to get the best deal but always make sure you have adequate cover and that it is underwritten by a reliable insurer. Sometimes an annual multi trip is cheaper than separate policies for each trip.

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