China by train
How to travel in China by train: information, connections, blog and travel reports. Help in our forum to buy train tickets.
train types
night train
train connections
popular connections travelled by other users
train company
China - Japan
Travel from China to Japan includes trains and one ferry crossing.
First travel by train to Shanghai (China). There you change to the ferry Shanghai to Osaka (Japan). From Osaka you continue by train to your travel destination in Japan.
You can travel as well by train to Qingdao (China). From Qingdao you continue by ferry to Incheon (South Korea). In Incheon you change to the train to Busan. From where you take another ferry to Osaka (Japan).
Find exact train and ferry schedules and all ticket fares via the given booking websites.
China - North Korea
Travel from China to North Korea by train. There are four direct trains per week from Beijing to Pyongyang. The journey time is 24 hours. This route seems to be open for individual travellers.
The departure days in Beijing are: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. The departure time of train K27 in Beijing is 17:30. The arrival time in Pyongyang is 18:15 the next day. The train offers beds as accommodation. A Chinese dining wagon is available at the territory of china. Only Chinese cash is accepted.
A second train connection runs daily between Dandong (China) and Pyongyang. The journey time is 7 hours. The departure time in Dandong is 10:00. The arrival time in Pyongyang is 18:15.
China - South Korea
Travel from China to South Korea by train, including the ferry from Qingdao (China) to Incheon (South Korea). The daily ferry connection has a journey time of 17 hours. Ferry tickets are available from 750 CNY (95 EUR).
The cities of Qingdao and Incheon are both well connected to the national railway networks.
China - Kazakhstan
To travel from China to Kazakhstan by train, you have once per week a direct overnight train from Ürümqi (or Urumqi / China) to Almaty (Kazakhstan). The journey time is about 36 hours. Buy your train ticket via the given booking link (write the city name like "Urumqi")..
China - Mongolia
If you want to travel from China to Mongolia by train, buy your train ticket via one of the given booking links or locally at a train station in China.
Direct connections available from Beijing (China) to Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia).
China - Russia
To travel from China to Russia by train, use the direct train connections by the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Buy your train ticket via one of the following booking links. There find as well the exact train schedules and ticket prices.
You will need additional train tickets in China and Russia to connect to the international train. These are also available via the given booking links.
A journey from Beijing to Moscow takes about five days and tickets are available from 500 EUR. The route is served by Russian railways RZD and Chinese railways.
China - Vietnam
If you want to travel from China to Vietnam by train, you have daily train connections. There are two main travel routes available.
The first travel route is from Beijing, Guilin, Nanning (China) to Hanoi (Vietnam).
There are two direct trains per week from Beijing (China) to Hanoi (Vietnam).
There are every day connections from Nanning (China) to Hanoi (Vietnam). If you travel on a date were no direct train runs from Beijing to Hanoi, first travel by the daily overnight train from Beijing to Nanning, then by the daily overnight train from Nanning to Hanoi.
The second travel route is from Kunming (China) to Hanoi (Vietnam) with change and border crossing at Hekou (China) and Lào Cai (Vietnam). The train in China coming from Kunming ends at the station Hekou North (China). Journey time 5 hours. There you take a bus or taxi to the border (10 minutes). Walk over the border. And again by bus or taxi (10 minutes) to the station of Lào Cai (Vietnam). From there continue to Hanoi by direct train.
How to buy tickets:
- buy train tickets from China to Vietnam at Chinahighlights. For the city of Hanoi fill in Gia Lam, Hanoi !!!
Direct train: Beijing - Gia Lam, Hanoi.
Connection with change: Beijing - Nanning and Nanning - Gia Lam, Hanoi.
- buy train tickets inside of Vietnam are available via 12goasia. For example: Lào Cai - Hanoi.