Cathaybound

Getting around China by train

High-speed rail, sleepers, and the ticket rules that decide whether you get a seat at all.

China runs the largest high-speed network in the world, and almost every journey a visitor wants makes more sense on rail than in the air. The catch is not the trains — they leave on time and they are clean. The catch is buying a seat: tickets open a fixed number of days ahead, are sold against your passport, and on popular Friday services sell out in minutes.

Start with the mechanism, not the timetable. Once you know how far ahead tickets open and that the ID on the booking must match the passport you carry, the rest is picking a departure that suits your day. Everything on this tag carries the date it was last checked, because fares move with the seasonal diagram.

01
High-speed train carriages outside the platform edge of a station

Booking Train Tickets In China: The App, The Window, And The ID Rule

Buy it the moment your plans are firm. Popular services really do sell out.
02
A high-speed train at a Chinese station platform

Beijing To Shanghai: High-Speed Rail Vs Flying, With Real Numbers

Take the train unless your onward flight leaves from Pudong.
03
The Ming city wall of Xi’an at dusk

Beijing To Xi’an: 4h30 By Train, And The Station Trap

Book to Xi’an North, then ride metro line 2 straight into the walled city.
04
West Lake in Hangzhou with willow trees along the shore

Shanghai To Hangzhou: A Day Trip That Genuinely Works

Take an 08:00 train from Hongqiao, and book the return while you are still at breakfast.
05
A classical Suzhou garden with a moon gate and rockery

Shanghai To Suzhou: 25 Minutes, Two Stations, One Wrong Choice

Book to Suzhou station, not Suzhou North, and start with the Humble Administrator’s Garden.
06
The stacked wooden buildings of Hongya Cave above the river in Chongqing

Chengdu To Chongqing: Two Cities, Ninety Minutes, Two Kinds Of Day

Ninety minutes apart, and completely different cities. Do them in that order.
07
A platform under the roof of a large Chinese railway station

Xi’an To Chengdu: Three Hours Through The Qinling Mountains

Three hours, ¥263.50, and the best mountain scenery of any Chinese high-speed route.
08
Cyclists riding along the top of the restored Xi’an city wall

Xi’an To Shanghai: Train Or Plane, And What Each Really Costs

Fly when your time is short. Take the train when you want the day, not the airport.
09
Whitewashed houses and willow trees lining a narrow canal in Suzhou

Hangzhou To Suzhou: Which Train To Take And Where To Get Off

Fast train to Suzhou, then twenty minutes on Line 4 into the old town.
10
Icy-framed European-style buildings along a snowy pedestrian street in Harbin

Harbin To Beijing: Night Sleeper Or High-Speed Day Train?

Sleeper down if you can sleep on trains; high-speed if you cannot.