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Guide to Buying Train Tickets in China + Seat Types
For us, the best way to Getting around between the cities of the Asian Giant is by high-speed trainBut, to our surprise, buying train tickets in China is not as simple as going to their website and booking. The purchasing process has certain peculiarities and some minor complications, So we've written this explanatory article based on our experience to make things a little easier for you.
📍Itinerary of 15 days through China.
📍Itinerary of 10 days in China
We tell you how to buy train tickets in China, which types of trains, seats and beds there are, and what the process is like once you arrive at the station so that nothing catches you by surprise.
HOW TO BUY TRAIN TICKETS IN CHINA
The first thing you need to know about how to buy train tickets in China is that officially They go on sale at short noticeFurthermore, they can only be purchased on the official website of China RailOh, with a Chinese phone number. So The best option to buy tickets is to do so from a supplierThe best known and the one that seems simplest and most intuitive to us is Trip.com.
On Trip.com you have to go to the trains section and buscar The route, you can filter by time or price. Once you have selected the one you want, it will let you buy or reserve the tickets.
If there are less than 15 days left you can buy it, but only reserveThe "reservation" option means your ticket isn't confirmed yet, because Trip.com can't purchase it until it officially goes on sale. So, there's a small risk of missing out if many people have booked before you. However, they sell tickets in the order they're booked, and it's not common to miss out, except on very busy dates. We didn't have any problems since there are frequent departures, for example, the route from Beijing to Shanghai There are trains every 20 or 30 minutes so it is very rare to be left without a ticket.
The only downside to buying tickets through Trip is that you are left with a commission of between 3 and 10 euros It depends on the price of the ticket, but all booking platforms, except the official one, have commissions with very similar amounts. Hence Without a doubt, we recommend Trip which is the most widespread and easiest to use to buy train tickets in China as a foreigner.
Buy train tickets in China directly at the station
There is also the option of buying tickets at the station, but I only recommend it for short distances of trains that leave every so oftenFor example, we buy from Shanghai a Hangzhou And although we had language problems, it wasn't too difficult.
Going directly to the station you will pay via AlipayThis saves you the Trip.com commission and gives you flexible scheduling. On the other hand, you risk there being no seats left in the one you want and having to wait several hours at the station for the next one (it happened to us in Hong Kong). And the other big problem is that you have to go with plenty of time because there is usually a lot of queue And they sell tickets up to half an hour before the train leaves. Once we had to queue for more than half an hour and then they couldn't sell us tickets because the train was leaving in 10 minutes.
After several disappointments and long, avoidable waits, we learned our lesson. If you don't want to complicate things...carYou'll ruin your life, stand in lines, and risk not getting a seat. It's best to buy everything at Trip. If you prefer a little more flexibility and don't mind spending more time at the station, you can do so at the ticket office.
How the waiting list works from Trip.com
As I said, if the tickets have not yet been issued Trip will put you on a waiting list when you book. But there is also the possibility of put you on a waiting list for tickets that are already sold out in case there are any last minute cancellations.
It is somewhat risky, but as we understand there are always cancellations and if you are one of the first on the waiting list it is very likely that you will be able to get on that train.
Train ticket in China, how to understand it
I'm attaching a photo we took to help you understand train tickets in China, especially if you buy them in person. If you do it through Trip, you will not have a physical ticket and everything is very clear in the App. Later I will tell you what to do when you arrive at the station.
WHAT THE TRAINS ARE LIKE IN CHINA AND WHAT TYPE OF TICKET TO BUY
Now, before you buy train tickets in China, you will do well understand how the types of trains work and thus know which one is best suited how you would like to travel. If for example you make a a 21-day China itinerary It is quite possible that you will try all the types. These are the types of trains, seats and beds that there are.
High Speed Trains (Classes G and D)
They are the fastest to connect major Chinese cities and Hong Kong. Reaching more than 350 km/h.
The difference between the two is that the D is somewhat slower than the G, and therefore cheaper. As it takes a little longer, there are trains that offer options with sleeping cars for night journeys. On the other hand, those in Class G only have seats, but you won't need a bed because we are talking about With these bullet trains you can travel the almost 1.300km between Beijing and Shanghai in 4h15min.
On both trains the most basic seats you find are Second class, spacious and comfortable. More than enough to make the journey pleasant and even take a nap because they are quite reclining, some even have a footrest.
Conventional Trains
On the other hand we have the conventional ones, which they go slower and make more stops. For example, the same journey that you took with the bullet in 4h15 hours with a class T will take 15h.
In conventional class there are these train tickets in China:
- Z Class: More or less fast trains that make few stops. And they are cheaper than high-speed ones.
- Class T and K: Slower trains with stops in many towns, the cheapest option for traveling by train in China.
If you make a very short trip you may also see three Class L, Y or S, we have read that these connect small towns or suburbs. Unlike the high speed ones here seats start in a class called Hard Seat, And as its name suggests, it's tough. We can confirm from personal experience that it'll leave your butt feeling stiff. So if you want a comfortable ride, avoid it.
Classes of Seats and Beds on train tickets in China
Without a doubt, something very important to keep in mind when buying train tickets in China, especially if you prioritize comfort.
- Hard Seat, or the dreaded hard seat. You cancar de carFacing away from the train, they don't recline and are as straight as an ironing board. They have minimal padding, but not much. Don't do what we did and avoid them.
- Second class: Basic but very correct seats, similar to the economy class of an airplane but with double (or triple) the legroom and they recline.
- Services: More spacious and comfortable seats. In addition, the carriages are much smaller so you travel with fewer people and consequently the bathrooms are cleaner. They give some snacks and a drink (don't expect great luxuries).
- Business class: More or less like the business class of the plane both in comfort and price... On some trains they call it VIP, they are quite similar, or so we have seen in photos hahahaha
beds there are two options, they call them hard sleeper o soft sleeperBut I must say that the hard beds aren't as hard as the seats. The main difference is that the hard beds are somewhat narrower and each cubicle has six beds, while the soft beds have four. They also have a door separating you from the aisle.
In our opinion, the hard was comfortable so I don't think the price difference is worth it. The only thing I wouldn't recommend is the top bed (the cheapest) because it doesn't fit sitting down and climbing requires some agility. But come on, we slept perfectly.
SERVICES ON BOARDTHERE IS FOOD ON CHINA TRAINS?
Surely more than one train coincides with your lunch or dinner time, but don't worry because it's not difficult to get food. Inside the trains there is a restaurant car where they sell prepared dishes, snacks and drinks. These also happen with a carI'll sometimes check the seats so you can buy them.
Other options is buy takeaway at the station, where you can usually find everything. In big cities, train stations are practically like airports, or even bigger. And if you don't want to complicate things...carYou can buy a bowl of instant noodles in any convenience store because there is always boiled water inside the trains.
What there is not on many trains is fresh or natural drinking water. Of all the trains we took on our trip to China on our own only one of them had a water source that it was not boiled or very hot. Where they usually are is at the stations, so don't forget to refill your bottles.
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE TRAIN STATION IN CHINA
Today, after buying train tickets in China, process is fully automated. If you have purchased your tickets through Trip.com, you do not need to go anywhere to get the physical tickets or do any additional paperwork. Just scan your passport at the access gates, If there's no way to scan your passport, buscar the nearest agent (they are usually on street corners) and he will scan it for you.
When you arrive at the station you go through a first access control, where in addition to your passport you also pass your luggage through the scanner, You can't enter the station without a ticket. If you have to buy it in person, the lockers are always in another adjacent building, almost never inside.
Whenever the time of pregnancycar You will need to rescan your passport and from there directly to the car that touches you. You can leave your luggage at the entrance of the car, between your legs or put it on the top shelf.
⚠️ If your passport starts with the letters PAO, go as soon as boarding begins. The system interprets the letter O as a zero and gives many errors, we saw how a Spanish man was almost left on the ground because of that.
Once at your destination, to leave you have to pass your passport again to verifiedcar that you're getting off at the correct stationIf you are transferring, look where it says transfer.
WHAT IF THEY CANCEL YOUR TRAIN TICKET IN CHINA
We had two trains canceled due to flooding in the Chongqing area, and the bad news is that Neither Trip.com nor China Railway are responsible for reubicarte.
I don't think it's common, but Keep in mind that if this happens to you, you'll need to searchcar another train on your own, either again on Trip.com or physically going and speaking through the translator with the person at the ticket office.
For money back You can do it on Trip.com, which charges you a commission for the management (funny…) or physically at the counter.
We did both refunds in person, but one time we got the feeling the guy didn't bother to do it, and he didn't. We contacted Trip a few days later, and they processed it very quickly and without any fees. The other refund we did in person was efficient, and the money arrived in one or two days.
PREPARATIONS TO TRAVEL TO CHINA
What to know before traveling to China | Tips and Preparations
Clothing for traveling to China | Essential checklist ✅
Best Travel Insurance for China, Comparison + Prices
And so far it is guide on how to buy train tickets in China that we hope you find super useful. To continue organizing your trip you can read our articles on travel to China on your own, our guide to Hong Kong in 1 day or take a look at our experience through the stories of Instagram.
Remember not to travel to a country as different as China without good travel insurance, here you have discounts for our trusted companies. Heymondo Discount, Iati Insurance Discount y 7% Chapka discount code. And in the article best travel insurance for china You can read one comparison between all.
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Hello, this is very good information. Do you know if I can buy train tickets from my country or can I only do so once I'm in China? And the other question: should all names be entered as they are in the passport, or is the first name and last name enough? Thank you very much. Best regards.
Hello Ximena,
You can purchase it from the Trip app at any time, regardless of whether you're in your home country or in China. You should enter the same information as your passport, as it's used to access the station.
all the best
Thank you very much for the information.
Hi, could you tell me if it is possible to travel on a bullet train with a large suitcase of 23k? I have to travel from Shanghai to Beijing and I want to be sure.
Thank you!
Hello, you won't have any problems, luggage is not checked and when entering each carriage there is a space for large suitcases 🙂 Have a nice trip!