Book your train tickets with China Railway (CR).
China Railway is the state-owned railway operator in China, connecting Beijing, Badaling, Datong, Tianjin, Qingdao, Xi An, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Changsha, Lhasa, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Xishuangbanna, Guilin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen and Sanya.
Trains operated by China Railway (CR)
China Railway (CR) operates two types of train services:
- - High-speed trains running at a maximum speed of 250–350 km/h.
- - Conventional trains running at a maximum speed of 160 km/h
High-speed trains are designated by the class of service G, D and C, and offer four seat passenger classes: Business class Seat, Premier class Seat, First class Seat and Second class Seat and three sleeper classes on overnight D-series trains: First class Sleeper, Second class Sleeper and Double-Deck Sleeper.
Conventional trains are designated by the class of service Z, T and K, and offer two seat passenger classes: Soft Seat and Hard Seat and two sleeper classes: Soft Sleeper and Hard Sleeper.
For more information about travelling by train, please read our Train Guide in China.
Routes
We facilitate advance ticket booking for trains operated by China Railway (CR) in China, Laos and Vietnam.
Ticket reservation is available 15 days in advance.
High speed railway
Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway serving Beijing, Tianjin, Suzhou and Shanghai
Hangzhou–Fuzhou–Shenzhen high-speed railway serving Hangzhou, Ningbo, Fuzhou, Xiamen and Shenzhen
Beijing–Guangzhou high speed railway serving Beijing, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Changsha and Guangzhou
Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high speed railway serving Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong
Qingdao–Taiyuan high speed railway serving Qingdao, Jinan, Shijiazhuang and Taiyuan
Xuzhou–Lanzhou high speed railway serving Xuzhou, Zhengzhou, Xi An, Lanzhou and Xining
Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu high speed railway serving Shanghai, Nanjing, Hefei, Wuhan, Chongqing and Chengdu
Shanghai–Kunming high speed railway serving Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanchang, Changsha, Guiyang and Kunming
Beijing–Zhangjiakou–Datong–Xi An high speed railway serving Beijing, Badaling, Zhangjiakou, Datong and Xi An
Xi An–Chengdu high speed railway serving Xi An and Chengdu
Nanning–Kunming high speed railway serving Nanning and Kunming
Nanning–Guangzhou high speed railway serving Nanning and Guangzhou
Conventional railway
Beijing–Tibet railway serving Beijing, Baotou, Lanzhou, Xining and Lhasa
Chengdu–Kunming railway serving Chengdu and Kunming
Kunming–Guangtong–Dali railway serving Kunming and Dali
Dali–Lijiang railway serving Dali and Lijiang
Lijiang–Shangri La railway serving Lijiang and Shangri La
Yuxi–Mohan railway serving Kunming, Yuxi, Pu Er, Xishuangbanna and Mohan in the border of China and Laos
Kunming–Yuxi–Hekou railway serving Kunming, Yuxi and Hekou in the border of China and Vietnam
Hunan–Guangxi railway serving Hengyang, Guilin, Nanning and Pingxiang in the border of China and Vietnam
Nanning–Fangchenggang railway serving Nanning, Fangchenggang and Dongxing in the border of China and Vietnam
Destinations
China Railway (CR) serves the following destinations in China:
Northern China
Northern China comprises the provinces of Beijing, Tianjin, Inner Mongolia, Henan and Hebei.
Train routes to Beijing
Train routes to Badaling
Train routes to Tianjin
Train routes to Qingdao
Northwestern China
Northwestern China comprises the provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang.
Train routes to Datong
Train routes to Xi An
Eastern China
Eastern China comprises the provinces of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi and Shandong.
Southwestern China
Southwestern China comprises the provinces of Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Tibet.
Train routes to Huanglong-Jiuzhai
Train routes to Leshan
Train routes to Kunming
Train routes to Xishuangbanna
Train routes to Dali
Train routes to Lijiang
Train routes to Shangri La
Train routes to Lhasa
South Central China
South Central China comprises the provinces of Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan.
Train routes to Guilin
Special Administrative Regions
The Special Administrative Regions of China comprise Hong Kong and Macau.
International destinations
China Railway (CR) serves the following international destinations:
Laos
China is connected with direct international trains to Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang in Laos.
International train routes to Vientiane
International train routes to Vang Vieng
International train routes to Luang Prabang
Change policy
The following change terms apply to the train fares:
| China Railway | Change time/date |
| Fare Business class Seat (C) | Not permitted |
| Fare First class Seat (C) | Not permitted |
| Fare Second class Seat (C) | Not permitted |
| Fare First class Sleeper (C) | Not permitted |
| Fare Second class Sleeper (C) | Not permitted |
| Fare Business class Seat (D) | Not permitted |
| Fare First class Seat (D) | Not permitted |
| Fare Second class Seat (D) | Not permitted |
| Fare Double-deck Sleeper (D) | Not permitted |
| Fare First class Sleeper (D) | Not permitted |
| Fare Second class Sleeper (D) | Not permitted |
| Fare Business class Seat (G) | Not permitted |
| Fare First class Seat (G) | Not permitted |
| Fare Second class Seat (G) | Not permitted |
| Fare First class Sleeper (G) | Not permitted |
| Fare Soft Sleeper (Z, T, K) | Not permitted |
| Fare Hard Sleeper (Z, T, K) | Not permitted |
| Fare Hard seat (Z, T, K) | Not permitted |
| Fare Soft seat (Z, T, K) | Not permitted |
In accordance with the policy of China Railway, once the booking has been confirmed changes are not permitted.
To modify the passenger details, the itinerary, the fare or the departure date, you need to cancel the existing booking and make a new booking.
Cancellation policy
The following cancellation terms apply to the train fares:
| China Railway | Cancellation before departure |
| Fare Business class Seat (C) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare First class Seat (C) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare Second class Seat (C) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare First class Sleeper (C) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare Second class Sleeper (C) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare Business class Seat (D) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare First class Seat (D) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare Second class Seat (D) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare Double-deck Sleeper (D) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare First class Sleeper (D) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare Second class Sleeper (D) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare Business class Seat (G) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare First class Seat (G) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare Second class Seat (G) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare First class Sleeper (G) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare Soft Sleeper (Z, T, K) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare Hard Sleeper (Z, T, K) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare Hard seat (Z, T, K) | Permitted with fees |
| Fare Soft seat (Z, T, K) | Permitted with fees |
If you wish to cancel your booking with China Railway, kindly manage your booking and request a cancellation to proceed with the refund. This option is available until 1 day before departure.
Service fees will not be refunded. Cancellation fees will apply.
For train routes in China mainland:
- 20% of the ticket fare + 20 CNY + 10 CNY per ticket has been issued
For train routes between China and Hong Kong:
- 50% of the ticket fare + 20 CNY + 10 CNY per ticket has been issued
For train routes between China and Laos:
- 20% of the ticket fare + 20 CNY + 10 CNY per ticket has been issued
Reviews
Très bien Delphine
Train station was easy and the train left on time almost down to the second. Vietnamese exit was pretty easy. Chinese immigration was a disorganized mess. Nobody seemed to know what was happening. I had to hotspot a few people because not everybody had data to fill out the digital entry form. Border agents asked to see in people's bags, so people started emptying them and then border patrol just walked away without even checking. All of them just seemed confused. 2 people looked at my Canadian passport for a while but I got in no problems. Borders were at 01:30 and 05:00 for the Vietnamese and Chinese respectively. Actual train is decent. There's one plug in each cabin and pretty much the entire route has data for my phone. I'm writing this from the train even. All in, probably not the best option if you care about comfort or simplicity, but if you want to save a very minimal amount of money and have an interesting journey then this is the train to be on. Christopher
Need more info about food on trains Kyle
Service client vraiment carré ! Les informations données sont super claires et en cas de doute ils répondent très rapidement. Paolo
The booking process went smoothly, and tickets were exchanged for entry. However, for international trains, it would be helpful to have a specification stating: 1. Voucher must be exchanged at the counter for the ticket. 2. When crossing borders, all belongings and luggage must be rescanned. This would allow all customers to be prepared for potential issues and avoid being caught off guard. Tiraputtichai
Très bon voyage. Les informations n’étaient pas claires sur les moments où il fallait sortir du train pour les contrôles. Sandrine
We were not allowed to board the train. Chinese Customs cannot issue the needed 240-hour visa, and we therefore had to stay an extra night in Hong Kong. I am sure the train was great, we just never took it. The ferry port in Shenzhen can issue the needed visa, and we were therefore told to take the ferry from Hong Kong to Shenzhen. Although it is not Baolau's responsibility, it would be additional information to assist foreigners booking. Geoffrey
Good train with very slow operations at border Antonio
It feels a bit strange to travel without physical tickets but it is fine only with passports. Pol
Train D87 leaves early in the morning. You have to take a taxi to the South Train Station because the metro is not running yet. Google maps does not recognize the station. Make sure that the taxi goes to the right station. The Baolau eTicket Receipt must be exchanged for a real train ticket, which includes a QR code. You will receive a train ticket by showing your passport at the 12306 custom service counter, which is in the middle of the station hall. Finnish citizens need a visa to Laos and must obtain it in advance from the e-visa website. The e-visa must be printed on paper. Otherwise, there will be problems at the Lao border. Jarmo
I was very happy with all aspects of the service. The train journey was smooth and incident free and I left on time and arrived on time. I cannot ask for more. Kevin
The train itself was clean and quite comfortable. I don't understand, however, why it is so slow and why it is not possible to arrange Vietnamese/Chinese border controls inside the train (like it is arranged on the Chinese/Russian border). Denis
Being able to travel from Vietnam to China overnight is very convenient. However, having to wake up twice in the middle of the night to go through immigration and customs is a bit of a hassle. Satoshi
Excelente servicio. El tren es muy cómodo y limpio. Un viaje excelente. Gonzalo
Muy preciso en los tiempos, muy limpio y ordenado! Agradezco que NO se permita fumar en el tren. Fabian
Se hubiera agradecido enormemente poder seleccionar los asientos y que nos los autoasignara el sistema. Carlos
The process itself went smoothly, but the unclear handling of the ticketing process after issuance made me uneasy. Other than that, I was satisfied. Daikichi
The train from Hanoi to Nanning is comfy and clean, but you have to get out at 2 and 4 AM in the night to do the immigration process. Leon
Muy bien todo, pero los paneles están en chino y utilizamos los números de tren. de todas maneras, llevando en billete en mano, los guardias de seguridad son muy amables y te orientan. Una excelente idea reservar, porque si no, seguramente no hubiéramos encontrado plaza los días que queríamos viajar. Recomiendo encarecidamente este servicio, si van a realizar viajes en tren por China reserven con antelación. Montserrat
Good. Dang
Good response time, very happy with my experience. Sean
The train was clean and comfortable, quiet and boarding was easy. The border crossing between Vietnam and China was not a good experience. The passport control at the Vietnamese border was quick and easy, but then the train did not move on for another two hours after everyone re-boarded. Then the customs control at the China border required more than an hour waiting in a line in the station with nothing happening. Once the process started it was easy but the waiting seemed to be totally unnecessary. Tessa