Buying train tickets in advance

[maxham]

Hello

I've got friends coming to visit in a couple of weeks who will travel from Beijing to Xian by train. They've read somewhere that some tickets (including the ones they want) can be purchased up to 20 days in advance. To the best of my knowledge (and I've tried asking at ticket offices but my Chinese isn't great.......) train tickets can only be bought up to 4 days in advance.

Does anyone know where or how tickets can be bought further in advance than this? (Personally I wouldn't bother but my friends are first-timers in China and a bit nervous about the whole thing so want to have as much organised as possible)

Many thanks

[roddy]

The relatively new Z class trains can allegedly be bought this far in advance. Try a decent ticket agency if there's one near you (where they have the networked machine that prints the tickets rather than a one that sends people down to the train station to queue for you) and failing that the train station.

Roddy

[chenpv]

while you d better take the 'National Day' here coming soon into consideration. Act as early as you can.

[laohu489]

I shudder at the thought of buying train tickets near one of the golden weeks.

[nephridium]

Hi,

I got to Beijing quite recently. Where could I find such Ticket agencies for train (maybe also plane) tickets? I've seen the crowded ticket counters at the Beijing railway station, and since I'm not (yet) fluent in Mandarin I wondered if there is a better way for me to get a hold of train tickets for the coming holidays.

[chenpv]

nephridium, well this is really tricky. Donno where you are visiting in the short run. If you are going to some hot tourist places like Xian, i will keep my fingers crossed for you. Try to ask for some help from a college student, sometimes they know where to buy a ticket.

[nephridium]

I now got a flight ticket to Hohhot. It's more obviously expensive, but much less of a hassle I guess (40min flight). Thx for the reply chen.

[laohu489]

For all you who live in Beijing and want to know about train, plane tickets, etc... there is a wonderful resource available at any bookstore for about 30 RMB called 北京人手册. Worth every 分 as it has train schedules published in it and lists of places where to buy tickets seperated by which district you are in. It belongs on the bookshelf of anyone living in Beijing, but especially foreigners.

[Basie]

Hi,

I got to Beijing quite recently. Where could I find such Ticket agencies for train (maybe also plane) tickets? I've seen the crowded ticket counters at the Beijing railway station, and since I'm not (yet) fluent in Mandarin I wondered if there is a better way for me to get a hold of train tickets for the coming holidays.

There's a foreign language ticket office inside the train station. Go through the main entrance into the station at the back on the left is a large waiting room and in there on the left is the foreigner's ticket office. They speak English in there.... more or less ;)