Written by Catherine |
Shanghai-Lhasa Train earns its popularity for its unique route to contain many famous and special cities in the zone of its track. Driving from Shanghai to Lhasa, it embraces the modern and busy Shanghai, grace and bright Nanjing, ancient and magnificent Xian, the starting stop of Qinghai-Lhasa Railway Xining and the beautiful Nagchu. From east Shanghai to west Lhasa, the train is never a simple transfer on the railway but also a long expedition of Tibet travel to let you get ideas about different landmarks, cultures and customs of different Chinese provinces and regions.
Things to Know about the Shanghai-Lhasa Train
The first merit of Train tour compared with plane is that train always allows you to hold the feeling that you are a part of the scenes on earth when you drive across the vast land while plane is used to playing the role of a visiting guest from the high sky to watch map when you cast your eye sight from plane window down to the large land pitch. Shanghai-Lhasa train is a train giving you an impression that you are making friends with the cities, mountains, lakes and deserts along the rails during the whole driving.
Thrillingly, Shanghai-Lhasa train seldom miss the highlight sighting views along its track in daytime due to its running schedule. And the relatively slow and gentle way would has less possibility to cause altitude sickness.
Trains Z164 and returning Z166 concatenate the eastern Shanghai and western Lhasa by the 4331 km rails, covering 8 province and passing by 13 stations in total. Both go and back trains are launched every two days and Z164 set outs at 20:10 and arrive at Lhasa at 19:30 in two days. While Z166 starts at 11:05 from Lhasa and comes back to Shanghai at 12:51 after 2 days also, galloping on the way for about 49 hours.
The Online Ticket Price of Shanghai-Lhasa Train Z164/Z166
Train Number |
Frequency |
Departure-Arrival |
Duration
(hours) |
Total stops |
Distance
(kilometers) |
Price |
Z164
(Shanghai-Lhasa) |
Daily |
20:10-19:30+2 |
47:20 |
13 |
4331 |
Hard sleeper：
CNY793.5 Soft sleeper： CNY1262.5 |
Z166
(Lhasa-Shanghai) |
Daily |
11:05-11:51+2 |
48:46 |
13 |
4331 |
Hard sleeper：
CNY793.5 Soft sleeper： CNY1262.5 |
The Detailed schedule of Shanghai-Lhasa Train Z164
Platforms |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
Cities |
Wuxi |
Nanjing |
Bengbu |
Xuzhou |
Zhengzhou |
Xining West |
Ge’ermu |
Naqu |
Lhasa |
||||
Arrival Time |
— |
20:55 |
21:20 |
22:56 |
00:37 |
02:09 |
05:07 |
11:14 |
18:17 |
21:12 |
04:19 |
14:53 |
19:30 |
Duration of stay |
— |
3 |
3 |
9 |
3 |
6 |
7 |
10 |
17 |
20 |
25 |
18 |
— |
Departure Time |
20:10 |
20:58 |
21:23 |
23:05 |
00:40 |
02:15 |
05:14 |
11:24 |
18:34 |
21:32 |
04:44 |
14:53 |
19:30 |
What Are the Seats Look Like on Shanghai-Lhasa Train?
There are three sorts of options on the train to Lhasa, soft sleepers combined with hard sleepers and hard seat. Considering the tour in Tibet need a good physical condition, the hard sleepers with long term toil on aboard are not suggested in case of causing more serious altitude stress. Hard & soft sleepers engage the listed merits and demerits as following, which sheds a light on travelers’ decision about transportation based on own condition.
- Hard sleeper
- Cheaper;make friends easily with other passengers to kill time on aboard
- 6 berths in an open coach without door; relatively noisy; smaller room and berth space; less private space & belongings safety
- Soft sleeper
- 4 berths in a carriage with open to confirm private space relatively; more luxurious, cozy quiet, and comfortable; more roomy space for each passenger; lower risk for safety of belongings
- Much more expensive
Because of all the benefits listed above, soft sleepers are highly recommended. We respectfully recommend this since Tibet is situated on the world’s highest plateau and has thinner oxygen. From the minute they board the train, ordinary people who live in plains or areas with comparatively lower elevations must adapt to decent physical and sleeping conditions. In the end, safety always comes first during a Tibet tour, and this is also our fundamental belief.
Shanghai-Lhasa Train Equipment and Food
- The train is beautifully furnished with contemporary, practical amenities that are available in English, Tibetan, and Chinese.
- Although the majority of infrastructure is introduced in English, foreigners may encounter difficulties ordering meals or similar items when the serving staff speaks English. To help with this, it is advised that you download a translation program.
- Outlets for oxygen supplements and charging gadgets are installed in every carriage.
- It is advised that you pack some of your own food and fruit, such apples, gammon sausage, chocolates and instant noodles. The dining vehicle undoubtedly serves the standard Chinese fare as well as some fruits and snacks to its patrons.
√Read on:
- Latest FAQs and Tips for Traveling to Tibet
- Beijing-Lhasa Train travel guide
- Chongqing-Lhasa Train Travel Guide
- Lanzhou-Lhasa Train Travel Guide
- Guangzhou-Lhasa Train Travel Guide
Tips on How to Book Shanghai-Lhasa Train Ticket
Hard-to-get tickets for the Shanghai-Lhasa Train are always the first concern for people planning a trip to Tibet throughout the year. And they seem much more serious in peak season (July to October) due to the fact that there is only one train that is launched from Shanghai to Lhasa every two days and the increasing demand for Tibet Train Tours.
The main ways to purchase tickets for Shanghai to Lhasa are typically through online ticketing, train station, and ticket agency. . There is a lengthy lineup at physical locations, but there is little guarantee that you will receive a ticket at the same price as online because prices vary based on consumer demand. The set price is guaranteed when you book online, but you are forced to compete with a large number of individual consumers and travel agencies for tickets, which is a difficult position. If foreigners do not speak Chinese or have limited knowledge of the booking website, booking Shanghai-Lhasa train tickets would also be difficult.
When considering the real conditions of Tibet Tour by train which has problems of hard tickets booking and Tibet Permit demanding, the package of Tour + Train Tickets Booking by a professional travel agency is apparently the first recommended choice for the individual travelers. Firstly because that travelers usually need to join in tour of a tourist company then they can get Travel Permit. Secondly because that many travel agencies offer only tour & ticket package but no single booking service, and even a few provide this service, they would charge quite higher service fee to the customers.
Chinaxiantour offers both Tibet Tour + Tickets Booking Package and Only Shanghai-Lhasa Train Tickets Booking Service to for our customers, with most reasonable price.
Flaws to Expect When Taking Shanghai-Lhasa Train
- Almost 49 hours train time would be a huge challenge for both physical and mental character considering its toil.
- 49hours train journey means you need 2 days on the way. If you plan a round way train transfer then the time on the way would occupy 4 days, which is little possible for people who have limited time arrangement.
- The direct tickets for Shanghai-Lhasa are always sought-after throughout the whole years, so it is difficult for an individual to buy a direct Shanghai-Lhasa ticket.
Related reading: How to Take a Flight from Shanghai to Tibet
Sound Alternative Choices to Avoid Those Shortages Based on Our Rich Experience:
- Fly to Xining, where the Qinghai-Tibet line begins service, and then travel to your destination by the Xining-Lhasa Train, which takes roughly 22 hours. As a result, you won’t miss the train’s high point when those magnificent attractions pass by during the day. And you won’t suffer too much from the lengthy ride. In contrast to Shanghai-Lhasa, it is rather easy to obtain a ticket for Xining-Lhasa.
- Take Shanghai-Xining trains for about 20 hours firstly and stay one or more days at Xining where you can visit some famous attractions like Qinghai Lake, Ta’er Lamasery and taste typical northwestern Chinese Afterwards, continue journey to Tibet by Xining-Lhasa train.
- Shanghai-Xian-Xining-Lhasa route is a good choice for people who have enough time in China. This route allows you a soft pace and opportunity to witness the different beauty of typical tourist cities in China, Shanghai, Xian, Xining and Lhasa.
To reduce the risk of altitude stress and save time on the journey, take the direct Shanghai-Lhasa train to Tibet and then take a plane back to Beijing or other major cities of China.
The first alternative is the best of all the ones mentioned above since it could minimise risk and the lack of direct train tours between Shanghai and Lhasa at a reasonable price. Although they require more time, the second and third ones are not affected by altitude stress. Naturally, this choice is equally deserving of a favour if you have ample time for your plan. Since the last option still has issues, it should be the backup plan in case the previous three don’t work for you.
China Tour Packages to Tibet
- 13 Days China Golden Triangle Tour with Lhasa & Chengdu
- 10 Days In-depth Tibet Adventure Tour
- 8 Days Best Shanghai Tibet Adventure Tour by Flight
