Korean Job Discussion Forums

[orangepostit]

The little information I found about overnight trains on the internet, suggested that I make reservations ahead of time.

If anyone has taken the overnight trains before can you tell me if:

1. the reservations are necessary
2. how to make the reservations on the internet

I contacted a travel agency and they had no clue about trains in China.

Thanks

[soviet_man]

http://www.seat61.com/China.htm

Looks like there are at least 5 trains per day between Beijing and Xian.

With that many, it would be fine to buy them on the day in my view.

But often times with pre-booked Chinese train tickets, the travel agents will send you a receipt only and you will have to go and collect the tickets from the origin station yourself. (This usually involves a wild goose chase between various officials, getting lost in complex buildings and standing in long queues).

I've been there, done that and in hindsight it is usually as easy just to bought them direct from the station on the day.

It would be rare for a travel agent to mail you the actual ticket. Sometimes they only release tickets a few weeks in advance as well.

[chris_J2]

There is a 'foreigners only' ticket counter in Xian train station. Either line 4 or 9? I can't remember. Just check the people in the queue, which will make it obvious if they're foreign. I caught a bus from Beijing to Xian in 2007, (because all seats were booked out), stopping in Taiyuan overnight, but caught the train back, nonstop. Just book a day ahead if possible, or early morning same day of travel. This thread might help:

[joeyjoejoe]

if you want a soft sleeper, in summer, book a few days ahead. go to the train station and do it, it's easy.

if you want a hard sleeper, a day ahead should do, but it depends.

if you want a seat, just show up the morning of and buy a ticket.

if you're ok with standing the whole way, just show up and buy a ticket a few minutes before the train leaves. (i do not recomend this, overnight standing tickets are brutal, but sometimes it's all you can get if it's really busy, such as national week, oct 1-7 or thereabouts)

[chris_J2]

I'd go with the overnight soft sleeper. One 'standing only' train that I boarded in Yangzhong going to Suzhou, was so bad, I got off, before it left the station, & caught a bus instead. The floor was covered in spit, mandarine peals, peanut shells, & vomit & a kid was peeing in the corner. The carriage was also packed like sardines.

This ticket image might help:

http://www.chinatraintickets.net/Images/2008631152685.gif

[lsrupert]

I was just in China, this past April. You can't get a ticket weeks in advance, unfortunately. I did the overnight train between Beijing and Xian, but went through a travel site. I think that it was http://www.tour-beijing.com We had the soft sleepers, and it was great. The price was right, and rather than spending part of your day traveling, you got to sleep it away.

[oskinny1]

I took it from Xi'an to Beijing. I tried to get my ticket the morning before but everything but seats were sold out. The seat was actually a bench that faced another bench. We had to interlock our legs so we could all fit (3 to a bench).

About an hour into the trip a conductor game around selling off empty sleeper tickets. I forced my way to the front of the line (like everyone else was trying to do) and got one. It would have been horrible to sit on that bench all night.