Travel to Tibet from Xiamen

Xiamen is a beautiful coastal city in China. It is popular for its awesome islands and clean environments. It is known for lovely seaside promenades, tree-lined beaches, historical places, Victorian architecture, botanical gardens, Buddhist temples, and parks.

Tibet, on the other hand, is a fabulous place to visit. Tibet had long evolved in isolation, being situated literally on top of the world and not readily accessible to the outside world. This enabled Tibet to develop an independently unique culture and history that are truly worth learning and experiencing. Hence, a tour that includes visits to both Xiamen and Tibet is surely worth experiencing.

How to Travel to Tibet from Xiamen

There are basically many ways and modes of transportation that you can use to reach Tibet from Xiamen. These modes include traveling by car, bus, plane, or by train. However, there are no direct flights or direct train travel from Xiamen to Tibet. Hence, the routes leading to Tibet would often require you to transit through other transport hubs like Guangzhou, Chengdu, Kunming, or Xian and from these cities, you can either board another plane or take another train.

A. Xiamen to Lhasa, Tibet by Plane

The fastest way to reach Tibet from Xiamen is by plane travel. If you choose to board a plane, you have three ideal route options to reach Lhasa Gonggar Airport, Tibet from Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, Fujian Province. These routes entail a one-stop flight to Lhasa that includes the following:

1. Xiamen to Lhasa via Kunming

There are several connecting flights from Xiamen to Lhasa via Kunming, with a transit duration of 2h10m to 16h. The best flight is to depart at 09:40 from Gaoqi Airport and reach Lhasa at 17:50.

2. Xiamen to Lhasa via Xián

Your second option is to fly to Tibet from Xiamen via Xi'an. You can board a plane at Xiamen going to Xi'an. There have been several flights to Xi’an from 10:00 to 21:00 and the flight takes 3 hours to arrive at Xi'an. Upon arriving at Xi'an, you can board another plane going to Lhasa, Tibet. There have been many flights to Lhasa from Xián and the flight lasts for almost 3 hours and 10 minutes.

3. Xiamen to Lhasa via Chengdu

Another route is to fly to Tibet via Chengdu. You can board a plane at Xiamen going to Chengdu. There have been many flights to Chengdu from 07:35 to 22:10 and the flight lasts for almost 2 hours and 45 minutes. Then, at Chengdu, you can board a plane going to Lhasa, Tibet. There have been many flights to Lhasa from 05:50 to 21:00 and the flight to Lhasa usually lasts for 2 hours and 25 minutes.

These are some of the suggested ways to get to Tibet from Xiamen. Choosing a flight saves time and choosing a train saves money. You can freely combine airplanes and trains according to your needs. You can choose the route you want depending on what you want to save.

The best way to travel on this route in my mind is by taking a flight to Xian and then the train to Tibet. The train to Tibet is also a time-consuming journey, but it worth every second and every penny spent. Every part of the journey is picture-worthy and the sceneries simply take your breath away.

B. Xiamen to Tibet by train

First, you can ride a train from Xiamen to Tibet via Guangzhou. You can also reach Tibet via Chengdu or Xian.

1. Xiamen to Tibet via Guangzhou

Xiamen to Guangzhou

Both Xiamen and Guangzhou belong to coastal cities, and their distance is very close. You can take a regular train to Guangzhou, which takes about twelve hours. If you don’t have enough time, you can also take the intercity high-speed rail, which takes about five hours.

Guangzhou to Lhasa

From Guangzhou, you can board another train to Tibet. Guangzhou to Tibet by train takes around 53 hours and 20 minutes. The train Z264 departs Guangzhou at around 11:45 and arrives at Lhasa by 17:05. The entire trip covers the distance of 4,980 km. The ticket fares for the Guangzhou-Tibet trip usually depend on the type of accommodation you would choose. The tickets likewise are subject to alteration.

2. Xiamen to Tibet via Chengdu

You can also reach Tibet from Xiamen via Chengdu by train. The distance you need to traverse via this route is 3,070km. At Chengdu, you can take the train Z322 to Lhasa, Tibet. The departure time is 21:37 and the arrival time at Lhasa is 9:55. The duration of this train travel is 36 hours and 18 minutes. Here is the train timetable.

3. Xiamen to Tibet via Xian

Another route you can take is via Xian. You should take train Z126 which leaves Xiamen at 7:29 and arrives at Xian by 4:05 the next day. This train travel takes 20 hours and 36 minutes. You can also ride the train K244 which leaves at 16:47 and arrives at Xian by 04:56 the next day. This train trip takes longer and lasts 34 hours and 9 minutes. Upon arrival at Xian, you can board train Z265 that leaves Xian at around 9:45 and arrives at Lhasa by 16:45. This trip takes around 31 hours. The other train that you can ride is Z165 that leaves at 11:24 and arrives at Lhasa by 19:35. This trip takes 32 hours and 11 minutes.