Hi there,
China is a BIG place. Unless you like endless hours on crowded trains full of people who don't speak English, you don't.
Pick up a cheap flight and buy the ticket online beforehand. I found when I was last there that often in China it was not much more expensive to fly than go by train (which seems to be very slow, even for trains).
Travelling in the Jan-Feb period, so off season, I found it easy to walk into airports and just book a ticket for the next light.
Sorry, when I wrote China I meant Beijing. I would prefer to go to Lhasa by train to adjust to high (i'm afraid to get sick).
However, can you mention me the cheap companies that fligh to Lhasa?
Thank you,
Duarte
You could get a train from Chengdu to Lhasa, which would save you about 2000 km on a train (or 6-8 hours).
This will still be a 2000km train trip and will give you ample time to acclimatise to the altitude.
For internal flights in China, I usually book through ctrip. mei wenti!!
Hi,
Thank you for the information. Is it easier to get the train in Chengdu to Lhasa than from Beijing?
It is not that it is necessarily easier, but Chengdu is about half way from Beijing to Lhasa, and it would be a very long train trip otherwise! (Chengdu has a wonderful panda park and the Leshan Buddha is not far either - you could visit these as well.)
Having said that we are planning on travelling by train from Beijing to Ulaanbataar which is about 30 hours next July. This may all change after 2 short train trips in December, from Melbourne to Wagga Wagga and then Wagga Wagga to Sydney (with our 2 kids under 5) - about 12 hours in total.
Duarte,
You can take the train from Beijing or Xian or Chengdu - just to name a few places. Actually, the train runs on the Beijing - (Xian - Xinning) - Lhasa route.
Any travel to Tibetan Autonomous Region is restricted to permit holders and organized group tours. Thus, tt is not only the train ticket that you will need to get, but also need to sign up for a group tour and obtain the permit. Usually, they offer these in one package (sometimes you have to pay separately for your train ticket).
You can have your trip arranged through travel agents. I am sure there are agents that offer their service on the internet.
Also, dozens of agencies advertise themselves in the main tourist hubs - usually through hostels. Popular cities to group up with others and sign up to a tour are: Beijing, Xian, Chengdu and Xinning. Most tourist have to wait app a week to have everything arranged.
Just an example - on this link you can find more info and some reference to price, time, etc. http://gogosc.com/enly_tours.asp
Most tour companies will offer something very similar.
If you need info on train timetable, duration of trip and ticket prices, best website is:
http://www.chinatravelguide.com/ctgwiki/Special:CNTrainSearch?method=1
In general - August is not necessarily considered the high season in China - as most public holidays are in other months. Trips to Lhasa are I think available between April/May and September/October.
However long distance trains - on especially this Beijing - Xian route are always very busy. Practically, you can buy your train ticket earliest 10 (sometime 5) days before your journey. There is no possibility to purchase tickets online but only at train stations or at dedicated ticket offices. However, I think some travel agents can find a way to secure a sleeper class for you in advance.
Hope this helps.
You can arrange your trip to Tibet
Hi there -
Just read this article in the Sydney Morning Herald and thought it very relevant to this thread:
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/a-very-very-long-way-to-the-top-20111201-1o8r0.html
Cheers,
Abby
Hi there,
Thank you for all your help.
I've already being negociating same packages with local travel companies and i'm aware of all the the problems of travelling to tibet.
The Sydney Herald article was a great contribution to have a clear picture of the train trip.
Once again,
Thank you all for your help
Duarte
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