Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
» Tickets for hard sleepers are usually obtainable in major cities, but are tricki-
er to buy in quiet backwaters.
» As with air travel, buying tickets around the Chinese New Year and during
the 1 May and 1 October holiday periods can be very hard, and prices in-
crease on some routes.
» Tickets on many routes (such as to Lhasa) can be very hard to get in July
and August so prepare to take a flight to distant destinations.
» Expect to queue for up to half an hour or more for a train ticket at the station.
» Try to use train ticket offices outside of the station (addresses are listed
through the topic).
» Avoid black market tickets - your passport number must be on the ticket.
» There are no refunds for lost train tickets, so hold on to them tightly.
Your ticket will display:
» The train number.
» The name of your departure and destination stations in Chinese and pinyin.
» The time and date of travel.
» Your carriage and seat (or berth) number.
» The ticket price.
» Your passport number (second from bottom).
Ticket Offices
Ticket offices (
shoupiaoting
) at train stations are usually to one side of the
main train station entrance. Ticket sales are automated on very few routes but
usually don't accept foreign passports as ID. At large stations there should be
a window manned by someone with basic English skills.
Alternatively, independent train ticket offices usually exist elsewhere in town
where tickets can be purchased for a ¥5 commission without the same kind of
queues; these are listed throughout the topic. Larger post offices may also sell
train tickets. Your hotel will also be able to rustle up a ticket for you for a com-
mission, and so can a travel agent.
For trains from Hong Kong to Shanghai, Guangzhou or Beijing, tickets can
be ordered online at no mark up from
KCRC
(
www.mtr.com.hk
)
.
To get a
refund
(
tuipiao
) on an unused ticket, windows exist at large train
stations where you can get 80% of the ticket value back.
