Long-distance train journeys

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1. Qinghai-Tibet Railway (Xining–Lhasa)青藏铁路

   Conventional sleeper · 21 hours

   Route: Xining → Golmud → Tanggula Pass → Lhasa

   The world's highest passenger railway. Crosses the 5,072m Tanggula Pass; the carriages are sealed and oxygen-supplemented above 4,500m. The scenic stretch is roughly hours 14–19 — Hoh Xil grasslands, Tanggula, Cuona Lake. Most travellers ride the daytime northbound (Lhasa–Xining) for the views; the southbound is mostly overnight.

   Best class
   Soft sleeper (4-bunk compartment)

   Booking
   Foreign passport holders need a Tibet Travel Permit before booking the Lhasa-bound segment. Book through a registered Lhasa operator. Tickets release 60 days ahead and disappear within minutes for peak summer departures.
2. Beijing–Shanghai high-speed京沪高铁

   HSR · 4h 18min (fastest)

   Route: Beijing South ↔ Shanghai Hongqiao

   The world's busiest high-speed rail line. 1,318km at a sustained 350 km/h. Departures every 10–15 minutes during the day. Business class has lie-flat seats; first class is wide and reclining; second class is comfortable for the journey. The line passes the Tai'an stop — a useful detour for Mount Tai.

   Best class
   Business or first class

   Booking
   Released 15 days ahead; book online via Trip.com or 12306 with a passport. Tickets are very rarely sold out except over National Day or Spring Festival.
3. Chengdu–Kunming high-speed (Chengdu–Lijiang scenic)成昆高铁 / 成昆线

   HSR · 6h 14min (HSR)

   Route: Chengdu East ↔ Kunming South

   The Chengdu–Kunming HSR (opened 2022) replaces what was historically one of the world's great mountain railways. The new line is fast and scenic enough; the old conventional line through the Liangshan range still runs as a slow alternative for travellers who want the longer version. Both pass through Sichuan's southern high country with long mountain views.

   Best class
   Second class is fine

   Booking
   HSR tickets release 15 days ahead. The slower conventional sleeper line still operates and runs through more dramatic mountain scenery; harder to book and slower (18 hours).
4. Yunnan–Vietnam (Kunming–Hanoi heritage)滇越铁路

   Heritage / scenic · Kunming-Hekou: ~12 hours; cross-border + onwards to Hanoi: full day more

   Route: Kunming North → Hekou (Yunnan border) → Lao Cai → Hanoi

   France built this metre-gauge railway 1903–1910 to link the colony at Hanoi to its trading interests in Yunnan. It is one of the most-photographed railway feats of the colonial era — bridges, switchbacks, and tunnels through karst country. The full line is no longer through-running; what survives is the heritage tourist segments around Bisezhai and the iconic abandoned bridges visible from above.

   Best class
   Hard sleeper for the heritage segments

   Booking
   The historic narrow-gauge Yunnan-Vietnam line (1910) survives only in tourist heritage segments — Bisezhai to Mengzi day trains, plus museum exhibitions at Kunming North. Through-trains to Hanoi require crossing at Hekou and continuing on the Vietnamese side.
5. Beijing–Lhasa (Z21/Z22)北京-拉萨直达

   Conventional sleeper · 40h 22min

   Route: Beijing West → Xining → Tanggula → Lhasa

   The longest scheduled passenger train on the Qinghai-Tibet line — 4,000km from Beijing. The same scenic stretch as the Xining-Lhasa journey applies (hours 32–37 from Beijing). For travellers with the time, this is the canonical Chinese sleeper experience: two nights, gradual altitude gain, the same compartment companions for the full journey.

   Best class
   Soft sleeper

   Booking
   Tibet Travel Permit required for the Lhasa segment (foreign passports). Tickets release 15 days ahead via 12306. Combine with a Beijing or Xining stop on the way.