Tibet Train Travel – Railway to Lhasa!

On October 15, 2005, the final rail was put in place along the bank of Lhasa River, making the start of a new history with railway to Tibet, which covers one-eighth of China’s landmass. The railway which runs across the “the roof of the world” has been linked up. Now, train to Tibet is listed as one of the “The world’s top 25 iconic rail adventures."

Qinghai-Tibet Railway

So far, there are trains from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lanzhou and Xining. The journey all the way from Beijing takes less than 48 hours. Though getting to Tibet by train takes much longer than by plane, you will witness thousands of miles of unforgettable stunning landscapes that you will never see from a plane window. After passing Golmud (the starting point of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway), the landscape gradually becomes picture-postcard-perfect, with snow-capped mountain peaks in the distance rising against blue sky, vast grassland sometimes filled with flocks of sheep and yaks. And this is why Tibet Railway has been so attractive for travelers to Tibet.

There are 45 stations from Golmud to Lhasa, 9 of which are sightseeing stations for passengers to have great sightseeing opportunities and to take photos. The 9 sightseeing stations with sightseeing platforms are Mt. Yuzhu, Chumar Heyan, Tuotuo River, Buqiangge, Tanggula, Cona Lake, Nagqu, Damxung, and Yangbajain.

Tibetan wild donkeys walk leisurely on the grassland along the Qinghai Tibet Railway

Scenery Along The Qinghai Tibet Railway

The Tibet trains are designed and built for high altitude travel and are the most luxury trains in China, fully equipped with soft berths, hard berths, soft seats and hard seats as well as washing closets hot water, etc. What more, the carriages are specially equipped with oxygen supply for each passenger and UV filters on the window to cut the glare in the thin air. All signs on the train are in three languages of English, Chinese and Tibetan and every train has one attendant who can speak these three languages. The most beautiful scenery of the train journey lies in that from Xi’ning to Lhasa. Since its running in July 2006, the Tibet railway has been so popular that resulted in a huge demand for the train tickets.

Soft berth

The Lhasa train tickets has been in out of demand since its inauguration and very hard for individual travelers to get on their own. The train tickets booking is under control of the railways and no reliable travel agencies can guarantee a successful booking. It is better to fly into Tibet then take a train return which will be better to secure a seat.

Note: we do not offer ticket-only service because foreigners have to book a tour from a travel agency and obtain a Tibet Entry Permit before booking Tibet train ticket, according to the require of Tibet Government.