How to Get A Cheap Tibet Train Ticket? 5 Useful Tips to Save Money

When planning a Tibet train journey, many travelers may wonder: are there any ways to get cheaper Tibet train tickets? If you’re looking for a discount, we’re sorry to say that there are no discounted tickets for any train to Tibet, except for children between 6 and 14 years old.

Don’t worry, there are still ways to save money on your Tibet train journey. For example, booking tickets in advance, traveling during the off-season, or choosing a less expensive ticket class can all help lower your costs. Read on to discover 5 practical tips for a more budget-friendly Tibet train journey.

Tip No. 1: Book Your Tibet Train Ticket in Advance

The price of Chinese train tickets is stable, with no early-bird discounts available. However, booking a Tibet train ticket during the peak season often comes with high service fees. Additionally, market prices are also inflated due to limited ticket supply. Therefore, it’s more reliable and cost-effective to secure your preferred ticket class at a lower extra fee by booking early.

China’s railway booking system usually opens for ticket booking 15 days before departure on the official China Railway website (www.12306.cn) or its app. For convenience, this ticket booking system also has an English version, and foreign travelers can use their passports to register an account and buy tickets. If you miss out on the early booking period to secure your tickets, it can be hard to guarantee that you’ll get tickets.

Tip No. 2: Avoid Taking the Tibet Train During Peak Season

If your travel time is flexible, avoiding traveling in peak season is one of the easiest ways to save money. Generally speaking, summer (from June to August) is the peak travel season in Tibet. The weather in summer is warm (10°C to 25°C), and the landscapes are at its most breathtaking, making it the best time to visit.

Summer is Tibet's peak travel season with scenic landscapes and abundant wildlife.

In addition, the National Day holiday (October 1st to 7th) and the Chinese New Year holiday (usually in January or February) are also busy travel periods. During these times, domestic tourists flood the region, leading to higher prices and crowded attractions.

During these times, train tickets, especially soft sleepers, are often sold out within minutes of release. Even the second-class option — hard sleepers, can be hard to secure, resulting in higher prices on resale markets.

Off-season travel can not only save your budget, but also enhance your experience. For example, traveling in spring brings you mild weather and blooming peach blossoms in Nyingchi, and you can encounter less crowded attractions and peaceful atmosphere in winter.

Tip No. 3: Choose the Right Tibet Train Ticket Class

There are three classes of Tibet train tickets. Of these, the soft sleeper is the most comfortable and expensive option, designed for those who seek comfort and privacy during the train journey. If you're on a budget, the hard sleeper class is highly recommended.

The soft sleeper is the most comfortable and expensive ticket class on the Tibet train.

In fact, the hard sleeper isn’t “hard” at all. It offers bedding that is not as thick as the soft sleeper, but the basic comfort is guaranteed. A hard sleeper compartment is open to the aisle, with six berths (two upper, two middle, and two lower) in each compartment. Though it is less comfortable and private compared to the soft sleeper, the price of a hard sleeper is about 60% of a soft sleeper ticket.

The hard sleeper is a more budget-friendly option that offers basic comfort.

Although the hard seat is the cheapest option on a Tibet train, it is not recommended for foreign travelers to take a long journey in the hard seat carriage. Those hard seats are fixed and upright, with limited space to stretch your legs, and you may experience physical discomfort such as back pain or leg numbness.

Tip No. 4: Choose Xining as Your Departure City for the Cheapest Ticket Price

As the starting point of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, Xining is the closest major city to Tibet. The train traveling from Xining to Lhasa covers a distance of 1956 km, and the whole journey takes approximately 20-22 hours. Since the train journey is shorter, the tickets are cheaper: a hard seat costs 224 CNY, a hard sleeper costs 495 CNY, and a soft sleeper costs 781 CNY, respectively.

Some travelers may wonder whether this shorter journey will miss out on any wonderful scenery, but such a worry is unnecessary. In fact, the stretch from Xining to Lhasa includes the most beautiful part of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, passing through Qinghai Lake, the Kunlun Mountains, and the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve.

As the gateway to the Tibetan plateau, Xining is easily accessible by air from major Chinese cities. A combination of “flying to Xining + taking a train to Lhasa” is both flexible and economical.

Additionally, Xining is an ideal place for travelers to acclimatize to the altitude. At 2,200 meters above sea level, it’s a perfect place to spend a night before boarding the train. This gradual ascent helps reduce the risk of altitude sickness upon arriving in Tibet.

Departing from Xining takes the least time to get to Tibet by train.

Tip No. 5: Choose A Reliable Tibet Travel Agency for Ticket Booking

For foreign travelers, booking a Tibet train ticket can be a little bit complicated as they are not familiar with Chinese Railway system and the local payment methods. In addition, before boarding the train to Lhasa, foreign tourists are required to present their Tibet Travel Permit, which can only be arranged by a licensed Tibet travel agency. Therefore, the most hassle-free way is to find a reliable Tibet travel agency to deal with both ticket booking and permit application for you.

As a trusted agency, we can not only help you pre-book the Tibet train tickets and apply for the permit on your behalf, but we can also guarantee our clients a soft sleeper ticket, ensuring you have a comfortable Tibet train journey. Such a guaranteed booking helps you avoid paying inflated prices from unofficial third-party resellers.

The required Tibet Travel Permit can only be obtained through a Tibet travel agency.

Conclusion

Before exploring Tibet landscapes on-site, the Tibet train journey itself is also an adventure, which requires smart planning, especially when you want to save money on ticket booking. To summarize, by booking early, traveling off-peak, picking the right class, departing from Xining, and using a reliable agency, you’ll not only save money but also enjoy a stress-free journey to Tibet.

If you have any questions about planning your train trip to Lhasa, please feel free to contact us and we are happy to help. We can assist you with ticket booking, Tibet Travel Permit application, and customized itineraries to make your Tibet experience both affordable and unforgettable.