Thorn Tree travel forum

1

Never bought a soft sleeper before....but if you really want a soft sleeper you may want to book a few days in advance.

Walk Slow,

Wade

Oh cricket!
There is enough rice, at least
for tomorrow

2

I don't understand. Why is it too late? You can book tickets up to ten days before your departure date. BTW, where is Tunxi? I did a train schedule search and didn't find it. Is it one of the water towns close to Shanghai? If so, then you could get there by bus.

!! Be warned that "students" who want to practice English with you may actually be scammers. In Shanghai they try the Tea Ceremony Scam. In Beijing it's the Art Student Scam. Be very wary if a stranger wants to speak English with you, especially if you are in a tourist area. !!

3

Well......i tried to book online and apparently, you can only book 10 days before your departure date. Not within.
So yeah...i got rejected.
Tunxi = Huangshan City

4

but you should be able to book it at the train station no problem. Or a ticket booth in the city you're travelling from

5

Try the Soft Seat Ticket Office next to shanghai station. They speak englsih and were good at going through all the options (and no queueing). Just wanted to add that we thought Tunxi (or Huangshan City) is a great place! We were so suprised as the LP doesn't make much of it. The Old Street is beautiful and there is a great friendly atmosphere to the place. You should try and stay there for a couple of days after the mountain (which incidentally was utterly breathtaking! Go midweek to avoid crowds). The food street was great too, very tasty snack for breakfast!

6

#2: Tunxi is the name for Huangshan city. :)
#3: Book online?! Goodness, which agent did you use?
I think 4 days in advance is risky to try for soft sleeper for the Shanghai -- Tunxi overnight train though, they're usually all sold out by then.
Cheers!