Xian to Lhasa Train

Xi'an to Lhasa is one of the most popular train routes through the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Xi'an, the famous ancient capital of China, has a splendid history, culture and places of interest. Departing from Xian to Lhasa, you can not only shorten the train time but also savor the flavor of the ancient capital before heading to Tibet to explore the mysterious plateau. The whole journey is 2,864 km long and takes about 31 hours.

Xián to Lhasa Train Schedule

Currently, there are only three trains to Tibet via Xián. Two pass-by trains depart from Guangzhou (Z265) and Shanghai (Z165) daily and one train originates from Xián, which runs every other day. Unlike Xining, the starting point of the Qinghai Tibet Railway. Trains passing through Xián only stop for a short time, about 7 to 9 minutes, so please arrange your time properly to avoid missing the train. Being a pass-by railway station, there are limited tickets issued. Therefore, it is very difficult to buy train tickets from Xi'an to Lhasa, especially during the peak tourist season (May to October). If you need Xián to Lhasa train ticket, please book with us at least 15 days in advance.

Please kindly note: Please take your original Tibet Travel Permit to board the train from Xián to Lhasa. All the train ticket prices listed on our website are the NET price. Now, traveling to Tibet by train is so popular that the demand for train tickets far exceeds the supply. Although the tickets start selling online 15 days before departure, it's hard to get soft sleepers as they will be sold out in a short time, especially from April to October, the peak season of Tibet tourism. Even travel agencies have to buy tickets from scalpers by adding a little service fee (subject to different seasons and cities) for the train tickets in and out of Lhasa to guarantee the tickets. This service is to provide the biggest convenience for our clients.

How to Get to Xián Railway Station

Now, there are several railway stations in Xi`an. Only Xián Railway Station is the only place you can take the Tibet train. The North train station is the high-speed train station. If you go to the wrong station, you may miss your train as the journey may take 2 hours between the two stations.

Location: No.44 Huancheng North Road, Xincheng District, Xi'an (西安市新城区环城北路44号)

Get to Xián Railway Station from Xi'an Xianyang International Airport

1. Take a subway. The whole process takes 1 hour and 10 minutes. The fare is USD 1.2.

Walk 129m (2 min) from Xi'an Xianyang International Airport to Airport West Station (T1/T2/T3); take the Airport Intercity Line 14, pass 8 stops (33 min), and arrive at Xian North Railway Station; then change to Metro Line 4, pass 13 stops(30 min), and arrive at Xian Railway Station.

2. Take the airport bus, the whole distance is 37 kilometers, about 1 hour and 33 minutes. The fare is USD 3.5.

Route: Bus Station → Xi`an Railway Station (South Square)

Running Time: 9:00 am - 20:10 pm

Frequency: 30 ~ 50 minutes

Get to Xián Railway Station from The North Railway Station

1. Take a subway. The distance is about 16 km, which takes 32 minutes.

Route: Take Metro Line 4 from Xi'an North Railway Station, after 13 stops, get off at  Xi'an Railway Station.

2. Take a taxi. From Xi'an North Railway Station to Xi'an Railway Station, the distance is about 13 kilometers, which costs USD7.

3. Take a bus. Take the 266, which takes around 2 hours.

Walk 650 meters from Xi'an North Railway Station to the bus station of Xi'an North Railway Station and take bus NO. 266 and pass 21 stops. Note that the last bus of the No. 266 bus is at 00:00. After getting off the West Railway Station, walk 240 meters to Xián Railway Station.

Life Onboard

Cabins on Tibet trains

There are two cabin classes from which you can choose. The soft-sleeper cabin is the first-class cabin and the most comfortable one, where you will share the compartment with three other passengers. The second class cabin is the hard-sleeper cabin, with six berths in a compartment. A soft sleeper is recommended.

Oxygen supply

Altitude sickness is always an important and considerable issue for travelers who are planning train tours to Tibet. As a matter of fact, there are two kinds of oxygen supply systems that can greatly reduce the effect of high altitude on the train. So please don't worry about altitude sickness on Xi'an to Lhasa train.

Life on the train

There's one dining car on each train where you can get food and drinks. You can also find toilets and washing basins at the end of each cabin. Boiled water is available 24 hours every day.