From Uzbekistan to China

I will be visiting Uzbekistan this month and have my visa and everything. I would like to take a train to Urumqi from Uzbekistan but am not sure if this is possible, where to get tickets, and also whether I will need visas. I understand that as a Brit I don't need a visa for Tajikistan, but is there a feasible transit route through there to China. Otherwise are there buses etc.

You need to do a LOT more research.

You can take a train once a week from Tashkent to Almaty in Kazakhstan, or a series of buses to and from the borders.

The Almaty to Urumqi train operates only twice a week, and takes a loooooong time (see http://caravanistan.com/transport/train/kazakhstan/). Until 15 July 2015, UK passport holders will NOT need visas for a stay of up to 15 days in KZ (http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakhstan-dropping-visa-requirements-for-citizens-of-10-countries/25420746.html).

You WILL need a visa for Tajikistan. There is NO direct route from TJ to China, you will need to go through Kyrgyzstan. You DON'T need a visa for KG.

There is a bus from Osh in KG (which is close to the border with UZ) that can take you to Kashgar in CN. However, this service does not always run and so for this and other travel you will need to understand the concept of shared taxis. From Kashgar you can take a train to Urumqi.

You will not get a visa for CN if you mention that you will enter from KZ or KG. The Chinese authorities discourage foreigners from travelling in Xinjiang province, which borders the Central Asian republics. To get a visa for CN, you may need to submit a fictitious itinerary and show flight bookings centred on destinations in the east of the country.

Now go and research each of the individual country forums on Thorn Tree.

Hello,

As far as I know, a few google searches seem to confirm this as well, the Tajik/China border is not open to foreigners (not sure about Uzbek/China). Best bet seems to be kyrgyzstan/China or kazakh/china crossings. You will need a visa for china as well prior to arrival. I have heard of stories of the Chinese consulates being a bit sensitive of visa applications that have travel starting in Xinjiang region, though this is just second hand. Also as for modes of transport, there is a train from Almaty to Urumqi, and also bus is option as well.

My bad, emmeff beat me to it with a much more detailed post.

Emmeff has given you good advice. Essentially, you either need to go through Kazakhstan or through Kyrgyzstan. If you're heading to Urumqi, Kazakhstan would be the easiest and quickest option. Take a series of minibuses from Tashkent to Shymkent, in Kazakhstan. Take a train from Shymkent to Almaty (there are several trains a day). Then take a train or bus from Almaty to Urumqi (I haven't made the trip personally, but I think there are daily buses, and trains two or three times a week). It's a long, rather complicated trip, and you'll need to deal with visa issues.

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