Lhasa Train | Tibet - Lonely Planet Forum

ONLINE

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 06:14:25 +0000

Has anyone recently travelled on the Lhasa train?

I will be doing this shortly and would like some advice. I will be travelling from either Golmud or Xining and would like to know first of all if Golmud is indeed an option?

I understand there are three options of ticket types on the train, Soft Sleeper, Hard Sleeper and Hard Seat? Does anyone know the prices of these from the two destinations I have mentioned?

Finally, how did you go about getting your tickets? Did you book them through an agency? I have heard this needs to be done 10 days before travelling at least. Is this correct?

Is there a good website anywhere which I can find some more detailed and helpful information?

Thanks in advance.

ONLINE

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 06:47:10 +0000

Golmud to Lhasa:
train fares: 143 yuan hard seat, 360/368/377 yuan hard sleeper, 566/583 yuan soft sleeper

Xining to Lhasa:
train fares: 226 yuan hard seat, 497/509/523 yuan hard sleeper, 783/810 yuan soft sleeper

BTW, If you will travel on Chinese national holidays, train tickets are hot. You could check Tibet train about projection passenger number for holidays from Lhasa railway station.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.

ONLINE

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 06:59:15 +0000

Any trip to Tibet needs to be booked beforehand-- you cant just jump on a train and go it alone. Most people get the agency they book their trip through try to get train tickets for them.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.

ONLINE

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 07:08:30 +0000

I know where I would rather be : i.e. in Xining rather than Golmud...unless are you coming from Xinjiang so want to catch the train in Golmud? tix as others have said are often difficult to get unless it is winter , ....and it probably is easier to get tickets further away from Lhasa ( e.g. Xinining...Beijing) then as you get a little closer ( e.g. Golmud), the trains will want to be fully booked with the biggest fares...Golmud probably lucks out here ( although I think I did read somewhere about a train starting from Golmud

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.

ONLINE

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 08:20:21 +0000

There are no trains originating in Golmud that go to Lhasa. The trains from Golmud begin in other cities such as Xining , Lanzhou, Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou. They all pass through Golmud, but no train to Lhasa originate in Golmud. Because of this, there are only a limited amount of tickets available in Golmud. A relatively small amount of tickets are reserved for passengers in Golmud, while the bulk of the tickets are going to be sold at the station where the train originates. Because of this, Xining is a much, much better option to start from.

Most people prefer to get their tickets through a travel agency. Tickets are extremely difficult to get during the high season (late May through early October). Even travel agencies have difficulty getting them. It is possible to get the tickets yourself. In Golmud, the tickets go on sale 10 days in advance. You will need to have your permit and proof of tour in hand. If you don't, they won't sell a ticket to you. Your permit will be checked thoroughly before boarding the train.

Golmud probably offers the highest, most outrageous prices on tours to Tibet. In Xining, prices are far more competitive. Only book a Tibet tour in Golmud if you absolutely have to.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.

ONLINE

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:32:38 +0000

try http://www.chinatraintickets.net/china-trains/index.html good info on train times and prices

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.

Pro tip