If you are hurry on road, Traveling by flight is a good choice, however, None of the conveyances can compare with train in China, with the slow rhythm, physical and mental relaxation, you will travel through China`s rural fields and find the real China. China`s 100,000 km railway lines build up the country dragon’s back, bringing spectacular natural and cultural landscapes together.
1. Beijing – Lhasa Train 北京-西藏拉萨
The Beijing-Lhasa train runs at a speed of 160 km per hour on the plain, but slow down at 120 km per hour when it reaches the Qinghai-Tibet section.
The highlight of the train trip is for the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the line includes the Tanggula Pass, at 5,072 m above sea level the world’s highest rail track. More than 960 km, or over 80% of the railway, is at an altitude of more than 4,000 m. There are 675 bridges, totaling 159.88 km, and over half the length of the railway is laid on permafrost.
In the Qianghai-Tibet Plateau, the train runs through a sea of mountains, a world of lakes, herd of endangered animals, and encounters with many diverse ethnic groups. Train T27 from Beijing to Lhasa takes 47 hours 28 minutes, covering 4,064 km, departs at 21:30 from Beijing West, and arrives in Lhasa at 20:58 on the third day. The softe sleeper ticket is RMB1,189 Yuan ($186), Hard sleeper 723-766 Yuan, Seat 363 Yuan.
2. Urumqi – Kashgar Train 乌鲁木齐-新疆喀什
Kashgar is the terminal point of the South Xinjiang Railway. The train route stretches in China’s western desert from Urumqi to Kashgar, like a journey to the Middle Ages. Uighur towns along the road constitue a part of the famous Silk Road. Along the rail line is some popular tourist cities including Turpan, Korla. You will see the snow-capped Tianshan Mountains and the Flaming Mountain near Turpan.
The train from Urumqi to kashgar takes 25-32 hours depending its speed, covering 1,588 km. The softe sleeper ticket is 306-529 Yuan, Hard sleeper 170-345 Yuan, Seat 78-191Yuan.
3. Beijing to Shanghai Bullet Train 北京 -上海高速铁路
Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway connects Beijing and Shanghai, China’s two largest cities. This rail line has a total length of 1,318km and serves over 50 pairs of bullet trains shuttle between the two cities everyday. China is a land of contrasts, and you see this clearly as the landscape zips by outside your window.
The fastest service takes roughly 4 hours and 45 minutes, with a top speed of 190 miles per hour (300+ km/h). A G-train comprises of VIP sightseeing-areas, business cabin, first-class cabins and second-class cabins. The ticket fare is 1,750 Yuan per sightseeing seat and business seat, 950 Yuan per first-class seat and 555 Yuan per second-class seat.
4. Beijing- Ulaanbaatar Train 北京 – 蒙古乌兰巴托
Trains from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar run once a week. The journey takes about 30 hours. Travelers can enjoy the grassland, brick houses and sand castles, Gobi Desert along the road. The train made several small stops along the way and at times travelled slowly. it is enjoyable as we watched the changeable scenery out of the windows. On the border of China you will stop for several hours, the train will be raised and wheels are changed to fit another country`s rail, at the same time your passports and visas will be checked.
The weekly Trans-Mongolian Train K23 leaves Beijing every Tuesday morning and arrives at Ulan-Bator around 13:15 on Wednesday afternoon. The train has deluxe 2-berth, soft class 4-berth & hard class 4-berth. The seats can only be reserved at the International Hotel in Beijing. The ticket fare is 2,220 Yuan for luxury cabin, 2,056 Yuan per soft sleeper and 1450Yuan per hard sleeper.
5. Nanjing – Guilin Train 南京-广西桂林
This is one of the most spectacular train journey in China, the train winds its way through karst mountains. River views, rough rocky mountains and green rice fields together constitute the characteristics of this region. The Nanjing to Kunming (828 km) section is a breathtaking part, the beautiful southern mountains of Yunnan is very exciting.
There is a direct train between the two cities, however in order to enjoy the beautiful views in day time, you`d better divide it into several journeys, take the train during the day only.
6. Xian – Chongqing Train 陕西西安-四川重庆
This rail line goes through the barren valley in Sichuan and connects the two most famous toursit sites Terra Cotta Warriors and the Panda Reserve. There are lots of mountain in northeastern Sichuan This travel route mainly features rivers. The train always runs along the river in the rough valleys.
The train from Xi’an To Chongqing takes 12 to 17 hours and costs 122-209 RMB for the hard sleeper and 193-316 RMB for the soft sleeper. The high-speed railway, with a designed speed of 250 km per hour between the two cities is expected to be opened to traffic in 2015.
