Taking the train in China

Replies: 16 - Last Post: 22-Jun-2009 15:52 Last Post By: akdn1

jump to

leselizab

13-Mar-2007 09:26
Posts: 5

Taking the train in China

Hi, I am planning on traveling around China by train over the summer with a friend. Does anyone know how difficult it is to get train tickets in July? Some possible routes include Beijing - Xian, Xian-Guilin, Guilin- Shanghai- Beijing and Beijing to Llasa. Should we get these tickets through an agency before leaving for China or is it possible to arrange them on the ground there? Thanks

wbriggs

13-Mar-2007 10:32
Posts: 14

I did the train thing around china during the chinese new year and although hectic i managed to find trains (or buses) to places i wanted. I dont expect you will have a problem getting tickets. As for an agency i would only work with them after the train/bus station doesnt work out. Getting to Llasa will be hard from Beijing. you might want to think about planes.

"let joy be unconfined"

needcoffee

13-Mar-2007 12:07
Posts: 214

don't do it in advance, but do do do allow a few days, even a week to accommodate delays. this is the way to go. you will find things to do in the down time

needcoffee

13-Mar-2007 12:27
Posts: 214

buying tickets about 4 days in advance alwyas worked for me. enjoy. china rocks

flyinfact

13-Mar-2007 16:04
Posts: 131

I think for the routes of Beijing - Xian, Xian-Guilin, Guilin- Shanghai- Beijing, you dont need to book in advance.

Cheers

zhaoyun

13-Mar-2007 18:01
Posts: 733

No problem getting tickets, just get them a few days in advance. Getting them to Lhasa should not be a big problem.

ruby98103

13-Mar-2007 19:23
Posts: 119

Can you buy train tickets in cities not on the train route? For example, could I buy a ticket in Chengdu for a trip 4 days away from Xi'an to Beijing?

ellyse

13-Mar-2007 20:24
Posts: 8,932

Get your onward tickets as soon as you arrive in each destination.
BTW OP, the Xi'an -- Guilin train takes almost 28 hours, so you might really want to consider flying that. Guilin -- Shanghai similarly, is around 29 hours!
#6, the answer to your question is very complex, but generally, take it as a NO. You could always try asking, but be pleasantly surprised if the answer is YES, not distressed when the answer is NO.
Cheers!

rmdavis82

13-Mar-2007 22:06
Posts: 2,368

sometimes it can be tough to get tickets in early july because many university students have vacation and return home.

flyinfact

13-Mar-2007 22:13
Posts: 131

Answer for #6 question

BTW, you can check the latest china train timetable, including hongkong, tibet and china international train through Adventure China Trip.

aancon

22-Jun-2009 11:15
Posts: 43

OKAY, I'll add my question to this thread instead of starting a new one.

I'm planning to do a few-week train trip around China in October when my internship is done here in Mutianyu. I've been looking the prices from internet, and it seems there's no big difference - if you look the prices for different etaps, they tend to be quite similar. Quite expensive. So my question is: do I have to buy tickets separately for each etap, or can I for example by a ticket Beijing-Urumqi and just stay off at some cities and take the next train? Is that allowed? Or is there some kind of interrail system? Becouse if I really need to buy 100dollar ticket for each etap, it'll be too expensive. Thank you for your help!

akdn1

22-Jun-2009 11:44
Posts: 172

There's no interrail system, and you can't get on and off between you ticket's start point and destination.

What's an etap?

Lanzhou Photoblog; Lanzhou Quick Tour

modernleifeng

22-Jun-2009 13:17
Posts: 1,622

also not sure what an etap is...as 12 said, you cannot get on and off, but if your goal is to go from Beijing to Urumuqi and stop off in cities along the way, it shouldn't be too expensive (maybe RMB200-300 per leg of the journey). Keep in mind that the train direct from Beijing to Urumuqi is 40 hours and will cost you over RMB1000 for soft sleeper.

Modern Lei Feng Stories, Commentary, Photos, and Inside Information about Beijing and all of China

aancon

22-Jun-2009 15:03
Posts: 43

Hi! Thanks for the advice. "Etap" means a leg of a journey. I didn't know it's not an english word, sorry. So the best (only) way is to just buy individual tickets to each "leg of the journey" and just live with to costs. Or would it be much cheaper to fly?

drumbrake

22-Jun-2009 15:10
Posts: 5,171

The only way is to buy tickets for each leg. The problem is that it can be hard to get tickets at some intermediate stations. If this happens, investigate bus travel, or planes can be fairly cheap.

Subscribe to the latest messages in this branch.

Your Recent Threads

Announcements

Avatars!
Posted By: VenessaP -- 28-Jan-2010 15:01
How would you improve Thorn...
Posted By: VenessaP -- 09-Dec-2009 17:01

Latest Community News

	Speaking in Tongues Messages: 68,823 Last message posted at: 10-Feb-2010 03:17
	On Your Bike Messages: 30,512 Last message posted at: 10-Feb-2010 02:59
	Travel Tech Messages: 28,997 Last message posted at: 10-Feb-2010 03:06
	Kids To Go Messages: 26,289 Last message posted at: 10-Feb-2010 01:42
	Like a Sore Thumb Messages: 22,648 Last message posted at: 10-Feb-2010 00:02
	Trekking & Mountaineering Messages: 22,263 Last message posted at: 10-Feb-2010 02:03
	Travel on a shoestring Messages: 21,527 Last message posted at: 10-Feb-2010 01:00

Destinations

Asia: Destination information

Asia is a spectacular assault on the senses, whether you're riding the trans-Siberian railway, gazing up at the temples of Angkor, struggling with the immense tide of humanity in India, or trying to s... more »

Shop Online