If you are wondering what’s so special about taking a train in China that it needs a whole article, well, let me tell you… Train travel in China is not like in other countries. You can’t just show up at the train station, buy a ticket and go. First of all, you don’t speak Chinese. They don’t speak English. Second of all, there are A LOT of people in China. Train tickets get sold out all the time. And that’s not all… Read my complete train guide if you are travelling to China. Trains are a super convenient way to travel around the country. You just need to know a thing (or ten) beforehand.

1. Buying Train Tickets in China

Always book in advance. China has the biggest population in the world and it really shows. Trains are usually very long (20 carriages is normal) but almost always sold out in my experience. Trust me, you REALLY don’t want to end up with a standing ticket. Standing passengers have to hang out in the aisles or by the toilets. Not fun.

Unless you can speak Chinese, I don’t recommend buying tickets at the station as you will have a hard time finding someone who understands English. Even if you have the name of your destination in Chinese you will not understand when they ask what kind of seat you want or tell you your chosen train is fully booked.

Where to Book Your China Train Ticket

The official train website is in Chinese (what a surprise) so you have to use an agency for online booking. The commissions are usually not too high and I think it’s really worth paying extra. Below are two websites I can recommend for buying your tickets, based on my experience.

• CHINA DIY TRAVEL: Really useful when you are coming to China for the first time and have absolutely no idea how things work. You can just browse their website to check your train options, then tell them what you’d like to book and they will check the train availability and book for you. You will receive an online version of your ticket together with a Chinese note to show at the train station when you are picking up your tickets. AND they also provide really useful videos describing many train stations. It’s a great way to familiarise yourself with each station before you travel as the layout usually differs slightly.
• CTRIP: While I was in China, I learnt from people living there about Ctrip. If you are feeling comfortable with booking your train tickets yourself, this is the website you should use. It’s actually pretty easy and straightforward to book train tickets this way – and it’s in English! You will receive an email confirmation with a booking number soon after you purchase your tickets. You will need to have this number ready when you are picking up the tickets.

IMPORTANT: You must provide your passport details when booking. Always double check they are correct or you will not be able to collect your tickets. Make sure you write your name down in the same way it appears in your passport – which usually means SURNAME first.

To understand the different types of trains and seats in China, check the end of this article.

2. Picking up Train Tickets in China

You have pre-booked your ticket, great! Now you just need to collect it. You can do this at any train station anytime before departure. If you are picking up on the day of travel, allow plenty of time and arrive at the station early, at least 1.5 hours before departure (and about 3 hours during the summer and Chinese holidays). Sometimes the ticket queues can be very fast but sometimes they take ages! The longest I had to wait was 45 minutes.

Ticket offices at Chinese train stations are always outside of the station, usually on the side or in a separate building. Just follow the signs to the ticket office, they tend to be in English (or at least have a recognisable icon). Ticket offices usually have several counters. Some of them may have special purposes but feel free to join any queue. They can see you are a foreigner who can’t read Chinese signs and will serve you anyway. That being said, you might want to avoid the cancellation windows (退票窗口)…

Note: Some stations may have self-service collection machines. These are for passengers with a Chinese ID only.

What will you need for picking up your train tickets?

When collecting train tickets in China, YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR PASSPORT and booking number with you. (The number is in a format of E123456789.) You don’t need to print anything, having the booking number on your smartphone is sufficient. Just show both at the ticket window and they will print your ticket. If you are picking up tickets for more people, you need everyone’s passport.

It might also be a good idea to familiarise yourself with Chinese train tickets before you travel. Check out this guide on how to read train tickets in China. 

3. At the Train Station

Once you have your tickets, you can enter the train station. Only passengers are allowed inside.

To enter the train station, be prepared for two checks:

• First, you must show your train ticket and passport.
• Second, you will undergo a security check and your bags will be scanned. This is common at all train and bus stations in China.

Upon entering the train station, you will see a big board with train information. Find the train number and departure time that match your ticket (destination and other notes will be in Chinese) and you should see a number/letter of your waiting room or gate.

Stations are organised according to their size but most of them will have several waiting rooms (unless it’s a small station with just one big waiting hall). Wait in your designated area until your train turns green on the digital board, that’s when boarding starts.

Boarding the Train

Gates to platforms usually open 15-20 minutes before their scheduled departure, sometimes earlier (for example when the train starts from your station). The Chinese like to line up super early so don’t panic if they are standing in queues one hour before departure…

Have your ticket ready to go through the gates. Sometimes you have to scan the ticket and other times there will be a ticket inspector.

To find your train, just follow the crowds (there will be plenty). You can also check your train number again at the platform, just to be sure. Find your carriage and show your ticket to the staff waiting outside the door. (It’s good to have your passport handy, too; one time I even had to show my visa before boarding a train.) Get on the train, find your seat and you are ready to go!

Types of Trains in China

You can choose from two types of trains in China: high-speed and ordinary trains.

• High-speed Trains (G,D,C): modern and fast trains up to 350 kph speed
• Ordinary Trains (Z,T,K): slow trains that are way cheaper but actually not so bad (I used them a lot in China!)

I have travelled on both types of trains and both are reliable. The choice of trains depends on your time and budget.

To get a better idea about the differences between high-speed and ordinary trains, look at this comprehensive chart by China Highlights. More information about seat types below.

You can even watch these videos by China DYI Travel showing all the different train types in China.

 

Types of Seats on Chinese Trains

In addition to different types of trains, you also have various seats to choose from.

The high-speed trains generally have second class seats which are very nice and then a range of first class and luxurious seats (a backpacker like me doesn’t care about those but you have that option 😀 ). These trains are usually very fancy regardless of which class you choose. They even have power sockets and clean western toilets with toilet paper.

Ordinary trains in China normally have hard seats, soft seats and standing tickets. Expect only squat toilets with no toilet paper on these trains. Hard seats are the cheapest so they can be very crowded and noisy, especially when passengers with standing tickets stand in the aisles. I travelled on these cheap coaches often and they are manageable if you are on a budget. However, I was always bothered by the smell when people were smoking between carriages. Soft seats are more comfortable and not so crowded.

For longer and overnight journeys, you can choose from hard and soft sleepers.

Hard sleeper: Despite the name, you get a pretty comfortable bed with a pillow and a duvet in an air-conditioned carriage. There are six beds in a compartment but no doors which probably doesn’t sound very nice but it was always quiet after 10pm when the lights were switched off. (Bring an eye mask and earplugs if you want to sleep before then.) You will either get a lower, middle or upper berth. The lower berth is the biggest but other people may sit there during the day. For this reason, I actually preferred the higher berths, which you have to climb but you get more privacy and they are cheaper.

Soft sleeper: For a slightly higher price, you can sleep in a four-bed compartment with doors. The beds are also a little bigger and you have a light switch in the compartment.

In sleeper carriages you will be given a card with your bed number in exchange for your ticket shortly after boarding. The train attendants then know where everyone is going and will wake you up if you are arriving at your destination in the middle of the night. You will get your train ticket back before getting off (you need it to exit the train station).

More information about sleeper trains can be found here.

All trains have washrooms, toilets and boiling water (you can use it to make instant noodles like the Chinese do). Some food is sold on the trains but it’s a good idea to have your own food for longer journeys. Don’t be surprised to see salesmen walking through carriages and advertising products.

This was just a general breakdown to give you an idea about the options you have for travelling by train in China (it’s a lot, right?). For a more detailed description of Chinese train seats with pictures, go here.

I think that’s all the wisdom and experience about Chinese trains I can give you. If you have read this far, you are now ready to use the trains in China! Travelling in China by train is a great way to see the country and even observe the local life. I recommend trying it, it’s more fun than flying! The train network in China is extensive and you can travel pretty much everywhere, including the amazing Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. 😉

Don’t forget to also read my tips for surviving in China before you visit the country!

Have you used trains in China before? What other tips would you add?

PIN IT FOR LATER!