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Taking a train to Tibet is perhaps the cheapest way to go to Tibet. Currently, there are trains to Lhasa from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lanzhou and Xining. See schedules, timetable and fares of Tibet trains.

Trains from Xining to Lhasa are most popular and tickets are hard to get. Local travel agencies charge an incredible ticket booking fee of around 500 yuan for one ticket. If you plan to take a train to Tibet, it is wise not to board your train in Xining.

An uncomfortable journey on a hard seat all the way from Beijing takes less than 48 hours and costs about 400 RMB or about 60 USD. However, the cramped space and sitting all that way may be unbearable. If so, it may be possible to change tickets to a bed ticket in route. There are two kinds of sleepers. A soft sleeper ticket from Beijing for a small cabin with three other beds costs about 1,300 RMB or about 205 USD. The cost of a hard sleeper is about 820 RMB or about 120 USD. There are 6 beds per open compartment. Train ticket prices are cheap compared to airplane fares, and because you can see the scenery and maybe meet some of the native people up close, it might be a good way to travel to get to know Tibetans and Chinese.

The regular trains don't have Western-style toilets, but the ones in the soft sleepers are not that bad or dirty. The ones in the hard-seat cars may be hard to get into because there are few compared to the number of people. Also, they will probably be dirty. However, taking the train allows you to see the mountain scenery on the world's highest plateau and also allows you to get acclimated during your travel. Lhasa is an extremely high city at an altitude of about 3,500 meters or 11,600 feet. In preparation, people get to experience being at about 5,000 meters or 16,400 feet high in mountain pass. Once in the Himalayas, if it is daylight, you can see some great scenery: native people herding cattle and lots of snowy peaks and deep valleys. See scenery on the Tibet rail line.

The Beijing-Lhasa route goes across China from China's capital in the northeast corner to the southwest corner of China. The distance is about 4,000 kilometers of which 1,100 kilometers are over a newly built section called the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Train T27 starts at 11:30 pm and arrives about two whole days later near midnight.

In comparison, a flight with one stop may cost about 2,800 RMB or about 400 USD. Prices and availability of tickets depends on the season, holidays, and other factors.

How to buy tickets?

Tickets to Tibet are sold 10 days before the departure. Booking in advance is recommended as the demand is great. See how to buy train tickets in China.