TheQinghai-Tibet Railwayis the first railway toTibet.It is thelongestandhighestplateau railway in the world with a total length of1,956km (1,215 miles).
Qinghai Tibet Railway
TheQinghai-Tibet Railwaywas constructed in two stages:Xiningto Golmud and Golmud to Lhasa. These two sections were joined together on July 1, 2006, and since then theTibet railwayhas become the most popular way to visit Tibet.
Traveling to Tibetbytrain,you can discover difficult-to-access parts of theTibetan Plateauon themost beautifulpart of the railway: the Golmud–Lhasa section.
Content Preview
- How to Get to Tibet by Train
- Tibet Train Schedule
- Tibet Train Ticket Prices
- How to Book a Ticket?
- Xining to Lhasa Trains— the Best Option
How to Get to Tibet by Train
TheQinghai-Tibet Railwaylinks to the Chinarail networkand more than20major cities in China offer train tickets toTibet, includingBeijing,Shanghai,Xi'an,Guangzhou,Chengdu,Chongqing,Lanzhou, andXining．
AlltrainstoTibetpass throughXining Railway Station, which marks the start of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
No matter where you start your train journey to Tibet, you willtransferto a special train withoxygen-infused carsin Xining, because other trains are not designed for the high altitude and harsh plateau environment.
Read about >>How to get to Xining
Qinghai-Tibet Train
Bullets Train to Tibet — Coming Soon!
Tibetbullet trainsbetween Lhasa and Shigatse have been under operation. Train ride takes about 2.5 hours from Lhasa to Shigatse, around 5 hours less than by driving. They are the first bullet trains on theTibetan Plateauand the highest bullet trains in the world.
TheLhasa-ShigatseHSR (High-Speed Railway) could be used as an extension to aQinghai-Tibet Railwayjourney.
Spectacular scenery along the railway includes majestic views ofNajiabawa Mountain, sacredYaluzhangbu River, and diamond-greenRanwu Lake．
Contact usto planning yourTibet tourin summer to be one of the first to experience a Tibet bullet train.
Recommended Tibet Tours:
Tibet Train Schedule
Tibet trains rundailybetweenLhasaand Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Lanzhou, Xining, and Xi'an, butevery other dayfrom/to Chengdu and Chongqing.
Contact usto checkChengdu/Chongqingtrain dates.
| Train Route | 火车号码 | Departure | Arrival | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing–Lhasa | Z21 | 08:00 | 12:10 +2 | 40 h 10 m |
| Shanghai–Lhasa | Z164 | 20:07 | 19:30 +2 | 47 h 10 m |
| Guangzhou–Lhasa | Z264 | 11:45 | 17:05 +2 | 53 h 20 m |
| Chengdu–Lhasa | Z322 | 21:37 | 09:56 +2 | 36 h 19 m |
| Chongqing–Lhasa | Z223 | 22:25 | 09:55 +2 | 5 h 31 m |
| Xi'an–Lhasa | Z265 | 09:45 | 15:45 +1 | 29 h 51 m |
| Z165 | 11:22 | 19:30 +1 | 32 h 08 m | |
| Lanzhou–Lhasa | Z323 | 09:26 | 09:56 +1 | 24 h 30 m |
| Z21 | 12:30 | 12:31 +1 | 23 h 59 m | |
| Z265 | 17:00 | 15:45 +1 | 22 h 45 m | |
| Z165 | 18:37 | 19:30 +1 | 24 h 53 m | |
| Xining–Lhasa | Z323 | 12:20 | 09:56 +1 | 21 h 36 m |
| Z6801 | 13:50 | 11:20 +1 | 21 h 30 m | |
| Z21 | 15:20 | 12:30 +1 | 21 h 30 m | |
| Z265 | 19:45 | 15:45 +1 | 20 h 00 m | |
| Z6811 | 20:30 | 17:18 +1 | 20 h 48 m | |
| Z165 | 21:20 | 19:30 +1 | 22 h 10 m |
Recommended Tibet Tours:
- 17-Days Beijing, Xian, Tibet, Chengdu, Guilin and Hong Kong Tour
- 13-Days Beijing–Xi'an–Lhasa-Shanghai Private Tour
Tibet Train Ticket Prices
All travel agents charge extra service fees ofCN¥200–1,000per ticket depending on the season.
In general, trains to Lhasa are inhigher demandand harder to purchase, thus theirbooking feesare higher than for trains from Lhasa.
Price on an exchange rate of1 CNY=USD6.43Pleasecontact usto get a quote.
| Train Route | Soft Berth | Hard Berth | Hard Seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing–Lhasa | US$178 | US$112 | US$5 |
| Shanghai–Lhasa | US$196 | US$123 | US$63 |
| Guangzhou–Lhasa | US$228 | US$135 | US$70 |
| Chengdu–Lhasa | US$155 | US$98 | US$47 |
| Chongqing–Lhasa | US$155 | US$98 | US$47 |
| Xi'an–Lhasa | US$151 | US$49 | US$46 |
| Lanzhou–Lhasa | US$128 | US$81 | US$37 |
| Xining–Lhasa | US$121 | US$77 | US$35 |
Recommended Tibet Tours:
How to Book a Ticket?
Train tickets in China are typically sold30 daysin advance. With Internet access, it is convenient to book train tickets online in China. However, asTibetis a popular tourist area, thedemandfor Qinghai-Tibettrain ticketsis high, especially for sleeper tickets.
As so many people buy tickets online at the same time, sometimes if you are one second late, you won't be able to buy a ticket.
China Train Tickets
In order to ensure the smooth progress of yourtrip to Tibet, the mostguaranteedway to book traintickets(still not 100%) is to pay a train bookingservice fee to areputable China travel agency more thanonemonth before your departure date.
We recommend that youbook train tickets to/from Lhasa with us．We will hold your booking in a queue, and once tickets are released we will purchase them.
Our travel consultants will try their best to get your tickets, and we have a very high success rate.
Xining to Lhasa Trains— the Best Option
Why take aXining-Lhasa train?Xiningis thebestplace to start a Tibet train journey, rather than fromBeijing to Tibetetc., because it saves time, allows somealtitude acclimation,avoids a train change, and offers most departures per day.
1. Time Efficient
It only takes about20–22hours by train toLhasafromXining．It is theshortesttrain journey toTibetwith only one night on the train, compared to around 30–50 hours for further departure points.
2. More Ticket Choices
Currently,Xining Railway Stationserves five trains to Lhasa per day. If you start from Xining, it is five timeseasierto buy Qinghai-Tibet train tickets than fromBeijingorShanghai.
Recommended Tibet Tours:
3.帮助适应海拔
It is a wise way toflytoXiningand stay there for a couple of days, and then take the train toLhasa．Xining'saltitudeof 2,200 meters (7,200 feet)is high enough to help you begin to acclimate, but not so high as to make you feel sick.
While you're in Xining you can check out some of the amazingTibetan cultural sites in the area．
4. No Need Change Trains
If you don't start yourTibet trainjourney fromXining, you'll need to transfer to the specialTibetan Plateautrain that has anoxygensupply at Xining Station. You'll have to unload yourluggageand carry it to another platform to board the Tibet train. Normally the trains will stop for 20 minutes at Xining station.
Also to read >>how to get to Xining．
Recommended Tibet Tours:
What's a Qinghai-Tibet Train Like?
TheQinghai-Tibet Plateautrainsare specially designed to endure, function smoothly, and provide safety and comfort inhigh altitudesand the harsh plateau environment.
Generally, each train has14 carriageswith a total capacity of936passengers.
It is composed of 2soft sleepercarriages with 32 passengers in each, 8hard sleepercarriages of 60 Passengers, and 4hard seatcarriages with 392 seats in total.
The seats and berths are more spacious than those of ordinary trains.
Seat Types
There arethreetypes of seats on the Qinghai-Tibet trains.
Soft sleeper:most comfortable
There arefour double-bunkberths per private cabin with a door for privacy. Quilts, pillows, clothes hangers, and an LCD TV are provided.
Each cabin has a table to place items or have meals.
There is independent luggage storage space, and a coat rack. Compared with the hard sleepers, the soft sleeper environment ismore private,quieter (sound insulation is better), and more spacious.
Soft Sleeper Berth
Hard sleeper:less recommended
There aresix berthsper open compartment with bunks in three tiers. Quilts and pillows are provided. Each compartment has a small table to place items or have meals.
It is recommended only if there is no soft sleeper class available or if the economy is more important than comfort.
Hard Sleeper Berth
Hard seat:not recommended
There are no compartments in hard seat carriages. They are divided into16 rowsof six seats with an aisle down the middle. The seating space is narrow so it's very hard to sleep at night.
It isnot recommendedsince it would be very tiring to take a hard seat on such a long train journey.
Hard Seat
For more details, readHow to Choose between Train Types and Seat Classes in China．
Recommended Tibet Tours:
Oxygen Systems on Qinghai-Tibet Trains
There aretwokinds ofoxygen supplydevices on theQinghai-Tibet trains．One is adiffusion oxygen supplysystem that provides oxygen to an entire carriage byenriching airin the air-conditioner to make the oxygen content 23.5%.
The other system suppliesoxygento passengersindividually.If passengers need more oxygen, they can use an oxygen pipe at any time to avoidaltitude sickness．
An individual oxygensupply device is provided under each passenger'sseat/berthand on the wall of the corridor and at the junction of carriages.
Additionally, to ensure passenger safety and comfort, each train has adoctor on boardalong withmedical equipmentand medicines.
To read>>How to Deal with Altitude Sickness.
Facilities on Qinghai-Tibet Trains
There is adining caron eachQinghai-Tibet train, offering reheated boxed meals and freshly-cooked meals. Tibetan cuisine is the most popular on the Tibet train. Generally, each dish costs around CN¥30–40.
Toiletsare located at each end of a carriage: at one end is a西方toilet and at the other end is a squat toilet. They are kept clean, but toiletpaperis not provided.
Boiling drinking wateris provided all the way, so you may want to bring some instant food/drink like noodles, coffee, or tea with you.
Recommended Tibet Tours:
12 Stations on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway
There are85stations on theQinghai-Tibet railway,but only seven stations are stopped for passengers to get on and off.
Besides the terminalstationsin Xining and Lhasa, the intermediate stations on theQinghai-Tibet railwayareDelinghaStation,GolmudStation,AmdoStation,NagquStation, andDamxungStation.
There are ninesightseeing stationson theGolmud–Lhasasection of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway (some are intermediate passenger stops too), where the train willstopfor a few minutes and passengers can take photos of the spectacularviews.
You might like to readBreathtaking Scenery along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway
Qinghai-Tibet Railway Map
1. Delingha— altitude 2,980 m (9,780 ft)
530km (360 miles) from Xining and 387km (240 miles) from Golmud, at Delingha station you can see scatteredsalt lakes, hectares of fertile farmland, and green forest belts in the suburbs.
2. Golmud— 2,800 m (9,190 ft)
Golmud is 917 kilometers (600 miles) fromXining．Located in the middle of the southern margin of the柴达木盆地, it is the second-largest city inQinghai Province．
The first and easiest section of theQinghai-Tibet Railway,the Xining-Golmud section, ends there
Recommended Tibet Tours:
3.Yufeng Peak — 4,195 m (13,760 ft)
Yufeng Peak is thefirst sightseeingstation, which allows passengers toget offthe train and take photos outside.
It offers a good chance to view theKunlun MountainRange includingYufeng Peak—an ice-and-snow-capped mountain that rises above 6,500 meters (21,300 ft).
4. Chuma'er River — 4,495 m (14,750 ft)
Chuma'er River station is located in thecore areaof the Tibetan antelope migration corridor.
If you are lucky, you will see small groups ofTibetan antelopes, wild donkeys, wild yaks, white-lipped deer, wolves, and other rare animals.
5. Tuotuo River — 4,547 m (14,920 ft)
Originating fromTanggula Mountain, the Tuotuo River is thesourcetributary of theYangtze River.From the Tuotuo River scenery-viewing platform, you can glimpse the glittering wide river.
Tuotuo River
6. Buqiangge— 4,823 m(15,820 ft)
Buqiangge Station is at the entrance to the Tanggula Mountain pass.
7. Tanggula Mountain Pass — 5,072 m (16,640 ft)
Tanggula MountainPass is the most famous andhighestpoint of theQinghai-Tibet railway．NearbyTanggula Stationis renowned as the highest railway station in the world at 5,068 m (16,627 ft).
The Tanggula Mountains are a naturalboundarybetweenQinghaiandTibet．
Standing on the platform, you can see the beautiful appearance ofGeladaindong, the tallest peak of the Tanggula Mountains, with an altitude of 6,621 m (21,720 ft).
Theoxygen content空气中只有60%在海平面上,so many people have seriousaltitude sicknessat Tanggula Pass.
Recommended Tibet Tours:
8. Amdo— 4,700 m (15,420 ft)
On the south side of the Tanggula Mountains,Amdois located in the north of Nagqu Prefecture, 463 kilometers (288 miles) fromLhasa．
There, you will see the distinctive dwellings ofTibetfor the first time. The houses are low and crude in pastoral areas, the cornerstone of ruralTibetan lifestyles.
Amdo Station"
9. Cona Lake— 4,594m (15,070 ft)
Cona Lake is a highlandfreshwater lakeand theclosestlake to theQinghai-Tibet Railway, so you can sit on the train and enjoy the beautiful lake through a window.
Cona Lake
10. Nagqu— 4,513 m (14,810 ft)
Nagqu Railway Station is surrounded by theChangtang Plateau．From there you can see the herds of cattle and sheep on the grassland, as well as a few of its numerous lakes.
See more on >>Nagqu．
11. Damxung Station— 4,293 m (14,080 ft)
Damxung Station is east ofLake Namtso．There is an expansive scene of grasslands around the railway station.
It is impossible to seeLake Namtsofrom the train as it is about 50+ km away and 500 meters higher, on the other side of the Nyainqentanglha mountain range.
But (on clear days) you can seeMount Nyainqentanglha．At 7,162 m (23,497 ft), it is held sacred by Tibetans along with nearby Namtso.
You may also be interested inSacred Mountains in Tibet
Recommended Tibet Tours:
12.Yambajan Station— 4,306 m (14,130 ft)
At Yambajan Station, from the train windows, you can see steam rising from China's largestgeothermal steamsite, with an area of 17 square kilometers (7 square miles).
Recommended Tibet Tours:
Trains in or out of Tibet — Which Are Better?
Qinghai-TibetTrainspass through amazing TibetanPlateau scenery, so we suggest that you don't miss this experience on yourTibet trip．But, should you take a train into Tibet or on the way out?
Most people like to take atrain going in, however, we suggest you decide it based on certain aspects of yourtour plan．我们已经解决下面的信息help you make a decision.
1. Scenery
You might think thescenery along the Qinghai-Tibet Railwayis the same, no matter whether you take the train in or out of Tibet. With different departure times, though what you see doesdependa bitonthetimingof stops.
For example, if you take a train fromXining to Lhasa,you will pass theGolmud-Nagquat night( themost beautiful sectionof the Qinghai-Tibet railway), but on a return journey, you are likely to pass it indaylight.
For more on this aspect, readScenery along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
Chaerhan Salt Lake
2. Acclimating to High Altitudes
With thetrain into Tibet, it sounds like a good way to acclimate toLhasa's altitude, but it's not really. The key to getting used to high altitudes is to ascend slowly, but the train climbs quite fast.
Moreover,oxygenis supplied to the carriages, counteracting the effect of any acclimatization. Most passengers are likely not to sleep so well on the train, and lack of sleep makes altitude sickness more uncomfortable (headaches, etc.).
Sleepingin a hotelin Lhasais muchmore helpfulto altitude acclimation than spending a night on the train.
It doesn't mean you shouldn't take the train into Lhasa. We just want to let you know thetrain is not a magic pillfor acclimatizing toTibetan altitudes．你应该考虑其他的方式帮助你acclimatize.
Ideas on >>How to Deal with Altitude Sickness．
3.Train Tickets Availability
If you will travel inpeak season, usually fromApriltoSeptember, it is suggested that you takethe train outas Tibet train tickets are in high demand then. It is easier to buy tickets for trains departing Lhasa.
Especially in thesummervacation (July–August), Tibet trains are likely to becharteredby school or college groups. Then tickets are especially hard to buy, and the booking fee is higher.
Most importantly it may spoil your whole China planif a suitable ticket can't be purchased. If you have plenty of time for travel and a free choice of travel dates, thenboth waysof travel are fine.
Contact usto ensure your tickets
Recommended Tibet Tours:
Tibet Train Requirements — Tibet Permits, Etc.
ATibet Entry Permitis required to enter Tibet. You need to show the original Tibet Permit when going through the security check to board Tibet trains. Some railway stations only need a copy of the Permit. Please doask your travel consultant．
Tibet Permit
Apaper ticket需要董事会西藏的火车。如果你的书through a travel agency, they will forward you ane-ticketwith an order number. You can pick up your paper ticket at the ticket window using the order numberand by showing your passport．
Train Ticket"
Luggage limitson Tibet trains are 20kg/adult. Unlike traveling by plane, railway stations不provideluggage check-in.You have to carry your luggage all the way to your seat/berth.
Xining Station
You must be accompanied by a certifiedtour guideinTibet,and, as withTibet Permits,this can only be arranged through an authorized China travel agency.
If you have booked aguided tourwith us in the departure city, the local tour guide will get thepaper ticketfor you and she/he will arrange all the things for your train boarding, such as luggage transfers andtranslatingthe Chinese information on the ticket to English.
You may also like to know:
Contact usif you have any questions about Tibet trains.
Taking the Qinghai-Tibet Train with Us
Let China Highlights be your guide to the palaces and peaks of Tibet and beyond. See our popularTibet toursof this mysterious and idyllic region today for inspiration.
