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\n<\/p><\/div>"}, http://www.seat61.com/China.htm#.VRQ4LOHRsbI, http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/transportation/how-to-buy-train-ticket.htm#read, http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china-trains/how-to-take.htm, http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/07/25/everyone-line-up-canadas-tradition-of-orderly-queuing-foreign-and-strange-to-many-newcomers/, http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/transportation/how-to-board-train.htm, http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g294211-c148494/China:How.To.Travel.By.Train.In.China.html, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. The first is “fake” taxis. This applies to the subway and mass-transit systems as well. Within the room and extending over the outer aisle way is an area to place your luggage. Watch this video guide to see what a train trip in China is like. When security signals to you (either verbally or with a hand gesture), make your way through the metal detector. The Soft Class sleeper is where you will want to be. Railway employees and police officers need to be flagged down. China gets a lot of things right. China-Train-Ticket is only responsible for the train ticket booking, modification and cancelation in the terms mentioned- above. You will pay for the ticket and receive it immediately. Their system is linked directly with the official website (12306.cn). There are seven steps for taking a train in China: 1. To create this article, 12 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. So giving them a hotel name and address can be problematic. 8. Put all of your luggage on the conveyor belt of the x-ray inspection machine. You may have to go up a few flights of stairs to cross over the tracks to your platform or you may have to go down to a subway to cross under the tracks. Traveling by train is my favorite way to get around China. Many compartments have a flat-panel TV for each berth and some just one for the room. LANGUAGE WARNING!Sorry about the language in this video guys. At the first gate or checkpoint, show your passport and ticket to the security guard. To start with, I turned to the Man in Seat Sixty-One (seat61.com), whose website is a dependable treasure trove of useful information on train services worldwide. Shanghai - Hong Kong route (Jiulong is how the Chinese know it), *** Note that the information below deals with the old overnight train. Often you will enter the dining car to find every seat taken – usually by train staff and police officers. Set that agai… 0:53. Once at the entrance you will find a security screening area. Make sure you bring the following things before getting on a train: 1) Paper train ticket; Toilet paper (and toilet seat covers) is generally not provided! Look at the various prices on http://www.seat61.com/China.htm As with the advice they give on other train travel around the world and while they now sell advertising on their website, the seat Some hotel concierges/travel desks are willing to do this, but As such, the restrooms are locked while in the stations, for 10 to 15 minutes before arrival and a similar time after departure. capable of going 380 km/hr, they are currently limited to a little over 300 km/hr and less for Paste this into a document and print it out the size of a business card. Many Chinese arrive hours early for their trains and are not admitted into the station. Shortly after departure your car attendant will come to visit. Perhaps you’re traveling China on a budget and flights are too expensive or the train is too full. Most trains have 8 or more railway brakemen and assistant conductors. are sold out or at a much higher last-minute price. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Here in our China train guide, we will give you the best tips from our first-hand knowledge! By using our site, you agree to our. Tickets are good only for the name and passport number printed on them and this will be checked when you enter the station. they go on sale. However it is not unusual to find people hanging around smoking in the ends of the cars and in the vestibules. Check in. ticket sellers all over town 58 days prior to the travel date. Lower berth space is more expensive than upper berth space but it is worth the extra cost. As you enter the first compartment, the lower berth to the left is #1 the upper berth to the left is #2, the upper berth to the right is #3 and the lower berth to the right is #4. To create this article, 12 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Do not forget to fetch your luggage in the other side of the conveyor belt. 14:19. Whether it's a high-speed train from Beijing to Shanghai or a 24-hour overnight train from Shenzhen to Chengdu, I almost always choose Chinese trains over a plane. A considerate waitress will find someone in the car (or on the train) to translate for you. travel plans. If there is no taxi queue, then head to the main street to flag down a taxi. In Guangzhou there is a main Guangzhou station that serves the west and north and a Guangzhou East station that serves the east, south and north. Taxi drivers in China do NOT speak English. Though there is the language barrier, traveling by train in China is not difficult at all. This post may contain affiliate links. Breakfast - you never know what it will be! 2. There is a separate room for shaving and makeup. A waitress will gather these up and then bring your meal in good time. Purchasing in person at the station is convenient. The berth numbers are indicated either outside of the compartment on the wall or on the door. Please note that the discussion was closed to any additional postings as of Nov 1, 2016 Discover your look! Those cost more and require advance payments. In a like manner, no “official” will ever approach you to offer help. Traveling by train is an adventurous, fun and efficient way of getting around the China, a unique experience that should be added into your China tour. If you have someone buy tickets for you, you will need to provide them with your exact name and passport number (as with plane tickets). WHY SOME MEN STAND LEGS WIDE APART. In most cases your ticket will be checked again at your destination city. When approached, do not make eye contact or allow them to engage you in conversation. Your other option is to see what other people are eating and point to that. The advantages of taking trains in China: The railway network covers almost every province in China. If you are worried about obtaining a Alia Bhatt's SHOCKING Wardrobe Malfunction In Front Of MEDIA. Please leave a comment if you have any questions and remember to apply for english teaching jobs in China today! And the types and levels of service vary from company to company and train to train. It may be a good idea to bring motion sickness pills if you are unused to train travel. Gennerally speaking, booking in advance is good. The “G” trains are the fastest and normally only service two end-points with maybe a couple of intermediate stops. If you are lucky, there will be some photos of the dishes. Finally there is a Guangzhou South station that is the new CRH high-speed train station. It is not uncommon to have English-speaking passengers (Chinese or foreigners) in these rooms. Trains are generally highly punctual in China and are usually a safe way to travel. Note that most stations will only show city names in Chinese, at least on their display boards. 4. Each dining car setup is differently. wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. Go through the process through the video to prepare yourself for a smooth train trip. These are very handy when dealing with taxis. Your car attendant can point you in the right direction to find the dining car. In the second compartment these would be #5, #6, #7 and #8, etc. In China, check-in always begins 30 minutes before the train's departure. But it can also be a chaotic and sometimes confusing process with millions of people traveling by train everyday in China. A letter (C, D, G, Z, T & K) preceding the numbers indicate the type of train. Tags: DIY Travel, guide, Transportation, Travel. "D" trains are next fastest while "T" trains are quite slow. These are fast trains that run on the regular passenger tracks. (process is now somewhat different). sleeper or sleepers in general on popular routes) and alternatives may be either coach seating or Hard Sleeper, if The Trains – Domestic trains run by the China Railway are broken down into “classes” which vary by speed and service. China to buy your tickets, tickets go on sale at the station or with Most long distance trains will also have a placard on the center of the car showing the origin and final destination of the train. The fake taxis, at best, will take you to your hotel at double or triple the cost – you won’t know any better. People will excitedly approach you and say “Taxi…Taxi”. You may enter either the low numbered end or the high numbered end. No legitimate taxi will approach you. routes that they can get to the ticket window before others. This route now has fast train droing the trip in about half the time.***. When your train arrives in the station, retrieve your luggage and join the human stream of people out onto the platform and up or down to the passageway into the station. Unfortunately all the programming is in Chinese. Some examples of Soft Sleeper prices (per person): Guangzhou to Guilin – 311 to 382 RMB (USD$ 55 to 65), Hong Kong to Shanghai (Deluxe Soft Sleeper) – 1039 HKD ($134). Each compartment has 4 beds – a lower and an upper on each side. You will most likely set it off, but don't worry. A security guard will use a "wand" and may gently pat you down. Be sure to bring your own. Spending hours and hours in a windowless upper bed is not a great way to enjoy your visit to China. When I first took a Fast Train in China I expected to have to make my schedule around the train time.. After all, how many Fast Trains are there in China between Beijing and Jinan?A lot, that’s how many. Now all you have to do is find the appropriate area. In fact you will have difficulty getting their attention. As a result, China now has the longest high-speed rail network in the world, accounting for more than two-thirds of the commercial high-speed railways in the world, and most big cities are connected by high-speed trains. commented on by travelers at this time. A quick guide on how to take China trains: Step 1: Arrive at the railway station 1-1.5 hours in advance; Step 2: Pass ID-ticket check and security check at the station entrance; Step 3: Find the right waiting room and wait for boarding; Step 4: Check in at the right boarding gate; Step 5: … Train schedules are available on a number of websites (including English language sites). Trains are generally highly punctual in China and are usually a safe way to travel. Such premium can be quite high depending on who you use. Some stations have ramps that you bump your luggage up or down. Use this water at your own risk – it will likely make you sick as it is “local” water and not purified. Consider taking the subway or a cab to reach the station you will depart from. 837 posts. Most do not have these, though. How to Buy China Train Tickets. Addy Media. Soft-Class sleeping compartments may vary from the above. that no ticket agent can guarantee anyone a seat before tickets go on sale. In addition to your car attendant (normally a woman), there is the train conductor and his crew of male assistants. In China, trains are categorized by service and speed. You can sit here (if it is available) but have to contend with a constant flow of passengers scraping by you. Most do not. Once on the platform there may be a train on both sides. Your hotel will do this for you, or you could print out this information prior to your trip. Also understand that in some cases, they will show you a price but you only find their fee in the last step of the booking process. Now there are many scams you may/will encounter upon your arrival. Things Required for Taking Train in China. It is nevertheless a good tool for planning. Follow the crowd. The passport and visa number are recorded in a book (the domestic Chinese will present their identification card in lieu of a passport). 5. The dining car generally separates the Soft Class sleepers from the Hard Class sleeping cars. 26 helpful votes. Many times these agents are It's cheap, convenient and perfect for the budget traveler. The staff of the train stations and of the trains themselves all wear a common China Railway uniform though. She will put your ticket into a space in a folder and hand you a plastic credit-card sized berth identification. Please read my disclosure for more info. Prior to your departure to China research each hotel. There is no e-ticketing or on-train ticketing for trains in China, so you must hold paper tickets before boarding China trains. Some cars have both types. may not get confirmation (or rejection) until other transportation alternatives ticket there are ticketing agents that can procure your tickets but you will be When in the station you will be approached by many “helpful” people. There is also space under the two lower bunks which everyone shares. The ticket entrance will close at 5 to 10 minutes before the train's departure. Yet with huge numbers of people travelling on a rail network where little English is spoken, the idea of train travel might seem intimidating. References. The CRH system is independent from the normal trains. paying a fee and it is more expensive than obtaining your own. others decline to, since you are not there in person with your credit card. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Tape the English version side to the Chinese version side (or laminate them back-to-back). You will receive an e-ticket number, but you cannot use that for boarding. A few, such as chinahighlights.com and china-diy-travel.com, are in English. The facilities for the CRH are first-rate – similar modern airports. If you’re staying in a luxury hotel in China, the easiest way to book tickets … By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. The car number is usually also written on a column or on the floor. A fake taxi is just a private vehicle – a car or van that the owner will use to take you for a ride – literally. Some have no over-head storage at all and the under-bed storage is limited by a steel bed frame. Across the aisle from the compartment is a single seat that folds down out of the wall. That’s why night trains are a perfect way to cover ground in China. Check the schedules. Look for this if it is available. The Chinese tend to use the trains as a way to transport large items and to avoid shipping these, so you may find that they have every available space stuffed with their boxes and oversized-bags.
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