Chinese train experiences

Good question Sebire...my friend and I will be taking a train from Shanghai to Beijing in March. I'm also curious about the train travel. My friend just booked the following tickets for us... over night train ticket with soft-sleeping bed: Shanghai / Beijing: RMB540 / per person, Beijing / Shanghai: RMB540 / per person. she spoke with some friends there and heard this was a decent price. She also specified a "soft" bed. Anybody else have thoughts on this??

ähem...well...I maybe one day I´ll learn how to post a vid... °_^

Sebire, I would think a plane ticket is not much more than the train that was quoted from BJ to SH. Unless you have your heart set on a train ride, I would check that out as well. Domestic flights in China are rather nice. RJ

yeah I would go with the flying option but if you sleep thru the train experience that can be ok too. Too much turbulence on a train thought!

Sebire, I don't find the trains too complicated to ride. Just know the train number and how to say the destination and date. You can find the trains, which ones have airconditioning, etc. from http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china-trains, or, a better site to see different seat costs etc. is http://www.huoche.com but it is all in Chinese and you have to type your FROM and TO in the field there at the top, but obvious where to put it, so just put in 北京 and 上海 or whatever in those fields. During non-holiday times trains aren't that hard to get tickets for, BUT it is different than other countries in the following ways that I have found: * To buy tickets from the train station, you can only buy tickets at the station where you are going to be leaving from, i.e. you can't buy a ticket in Beijing for a train from Shanghai to Guangzhou. * VERY hard to get tickets for a trains NOT originating from the city are you in. Would think it is possible, but when I went back and forth between Tianjin and Shenyang ever two weeks, I never was able to get tickets for the trains that passed through either of the city, always easiest to get ones setting out from those cities (but doesn't matter where their final destination is) * Train tickets can only be bought within 4 days from departure date. Can make arrangements with a travel agency to get you tickets AS SOON as they are available, but then there is like a 30-50 yuan service charge. * I recommend the hard sleepers, as then you aren't so closed into a tiny room, and they aren't so bad. I usually get the middle (中) sleeper. I HIGHLY recommend this way of going through China if you want to talk to the locals and have some Chinese practice. I love trains as it actually helps me focus more on my studies and the others on the train are interested and have the time to talk, but then you can just climb up to to your middle or upper sleeper if you want to rest.

oh, I forgot to add, if anyone knows different from what I wrote, please do tell. I did find it frustrating that I have to be IN the city I want the train to leave from, which made it hard to buy my return ticket in advanced, especially if it was during the holidays... would have to get a friend to do it or a travel agency, or I would think I would buy it as soon as I arrived in that town, but seems like so many times when I get to a new city the last thing I am thinking about is buying the return ticket, so I forget! Also, anyone know if that 4 day limit is always that way and in all places?

I thought about flights too, but because I was sort of intending to meander through the country, that I may not actually be travelling far enough with each leg to make a plane trip worthwhile. I quite like train travel in general, and I thought it may be nice to see China slip by on the train, rather than flying over most of it. Plus, if I get the overnight train, I don't have to find a hotel! What happens if you want to go somewhere where there isn't a direct train? Will they sell you a ticket and tell you to change somewhere (though I don't know why I'm asking this - I don't have the vocabulary to even have that conversation in chinese!) Or will I have to buy a ticket for the first leg, and then get off and buy another ticket for the next leg?

So if a train originates in Beijing and terminates at Xian, and I want to stop on that line somewhere, and then a few days later I want to continue to Xian, I would struggle to get a ticket?

ｂｅｓｔ　ｔｏ　ｈａｖｅ　ａ　ｔｒａｖｅｌ　ａｇｅｎｃｙ　ｈｅｌｐ　ｙｏｕ．　　Ｉ don't know what is done if you have to change trains. Ｅｖｅｒｙ　ｐｌａｃｅ　Ｉ＇ｖｅ　ｂｅｅｎ，　ｆｒｏｍ　ｎｏｒｔｈ　ｔｏ　ｓｏｕｔｈ，　ｆｒｏｍ　ｅａｓｔ　ｔｏ　ｗｅｓｔ　ａｌｌ　ｈａｖｅ　ｄｉｒｅｃｔ　ｔｒａｉｎｓ．　　Ｔｏｎｓ　ｏ＇ｔｒａｉｎｓ．

Ｐｒｏｂａｂｌｙ　ｗｏｎ＇ｔ　＂ｓｔｒｕｇｇｌｅ＂ｔｏ　ｇｅｔ　ａ　ｔｉｃｋｅｔ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｓｏｍｅｗｈｅｒｅ－ｉｎ－ｂｅｔｗｅｅｎ　ｃｉｔｙ　ｉｆ　ｔｈｅｒｅ　ｉｓ　ａ　ｆｅｗ　ｄａｙｓ，　ｂｕｔ　Ｉ am not exactly sure. Would like to understand the train system a bit more myself.

I should have Dear Ambered this question, we can't be the only people wondering. I just have visions of being stuck in the north somewhere because I can't get a ticket out of a city for days!

Well I shall just have to see when I get there, I suppose! Could be interesting...

Sebire, if you have the time and don't mind mixing with the locals, train is the way to go. Period. Some points: --Laodai's method of hiring a local to stand in line is good, but I recommend going through a train station on your own at least once. Just keep pushing forward and don't let people cut! Personally, I always buy my own. --Take the hard sleeper for long hauls or hard seat for short hauls. Don't take the hard seat for long hauls and only used "unreserved" if you're feeling energetic and don't mind the occasional farm animal/bird. -- There is a soft sleeper with a separate compartment, but it's expensive, and you don't get to meet anybody. The only time I've used it is when I couldn't stand the press. --I've always purchased my tickets point-to-point with no problems. -- Finally, if you decide to take hard sleeper, try to get a middle or top bunk (No seat/bed reservations). The bottom bunk winds up being a seat for everybody. Enjoy.

Geez my letters have been doing the weird space thing with the IME. Apparently I was on the Mac when I wrote that it isn't obvious when I have full-form characters on or not. Anyway, wanted to first say that Tvan's points are mine as well, very much why I take hard sleeper. Wanted to clarify for anyone who hasn't experienced the "hard" sleeper is that it isn't hard like made of plastic and that's all you get to lie on. In fact they are quite comfortable, long enough for the average size (maybe those above 6 feet will have to bend the knees a bit, but room for that), and you do get a nice big comforter blanket and pillow with a towel to cover it (the typical Chinese way of using a pillow). Some even have a lamp built in so you can read. Bottom, middle and top bunk give less and less space, where on the bottom people can sit down without bumping their heads (again, as long as you aren't too tall), but that is why they get used by everyone, as you'll find three people sitting on one bottom bunk sometimes. The top bunk is kind of close to the celling, but that is why it is cheaper, but also harder to get up to. I like the middle bunk since it has enough space to easily crawl around in and when standing on the floor you can easily reach your stuff, but can also put your stuff far enough back by the pillow that you don't have to worry too much about anyone stealing stuff (like you might have to on the bottom, but still watch your stuff).

Oh, wanted to write that the reason I heard it is called "hard" sleeper 硬卧 (ying4wo4) is not so much the bed is "hard" (I don't find them uncomfortable) but just not as fancy and as much room as the "soft" sleeper 软卧 (ruan3wo4), but more so because I hear the train car is not as "smoooooth" going as the soft one, so less shocks or something.

I'm all for mixing with the locals. Though if they smoke in the carriage, that may take getting used to. All useful info guys!

one for the trainloving persons among us ;-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWa33a0wsRQ&eurl=http://www.theshanghaishow.com/?cat=14 (if the link don´t work try this one) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWa33a0wsRQ

/src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWa33a0wsRQ"

Whenever I take students to China, we travel by train domestically. Planes scare the hell out of me and train travel is so exciting yet also so relaxing; you never know what will happen and you're in no hurry to find out. With train travel, the journey's the thing. I prefer hard sleeper to soft because one gets to mingle more with people from all over China. It's no easy task to buy tickets in advance. I hire someone in each city to stand in line and buy tickets for the group (usually 12-16 people). Then that person meets our group in whatever city we're departing from and hands them off. I can't wait for the day when China automates it's ticket reservations and purchases and one can arrange everything online; until then, I'll gladly pay extra for the pleasure of train travel.