Beijing Lhasa Trains - Route, Schedule, Fares, Permit, Ticket Booking 2026

1. Beijing is the most popular international arrival city in China. Once arriving in Beijing, without any intermediate transfer, you can directly take a train to Lhasa from Beijing West Railway Station.

2. Beijing operates a daily train to Lhasa. As the starting city, it is easier to obtain a train ticket.

3. It is perfect to travel to Beijing with Tibet because both destinations are full of things to do.

The railway distance between Beijing and Lhasa is as far as 3757km, stretching from lower northern China to the high plateau of Tibet and crossing 8 provinces and more than 30 cities, which makes the Beijing-Lhasa Train a traversing journey to experience China's diverse landscape and culture. If you're interested, you can check our 2026 Beijing Tibet Train Tours.

☞ How to Travel from Beijing to Tibet丨How to Travel from Beijing to Lhasa

It totally depends on you to take a train to Lhasa from Beijing or take the return ride. According to our experience, more than half of our customers chose the Beijing to Lhasa Train, as it is a gradual rise in altitude, which is helpful for high altitude acclimation, and they did prefer a fast air transfer after the long trip in Tibet, especially when they needed to take flights to Kathmandu, Nepal. While there is also a good reason to choose the returning train ride. It is much easier to book the ticket from Lhasa to Beijing and other inland cities. So if you fail to book a train ticket from Beijing to Lhasa, no worries, try the return ride.

The Beijing Lhasa trains usually stop at Shijiazhuang Railway Station in Hebei province for about 35 minutes. You can step off the train to admire the station, whose design draws inspiration from Zhaozhou Bridge—the world's oldest, largest and best-preserved open-spandrel stone arch bridge, or dash out briefly to capture the night views at the east or west square, or grab snacks and drinks at nearby convenience stores and eateries right outside the exit.

Zhongwei

The train stops for around 20 minutes at Zhongwei Railway Station in Ningxia. Passengers can stretch your legs and shake off travel fatigue on the platform or in the waiting hall or quickly buy a cup of local Babao tea, pick up seasonal Xisha melons (available July–September), and packaged goji berries.

Lanzhou

Both the train from Beijing to Lhasa and the train to Lhasa from Beijing will take a stop of around 15 minutes in the daytime at Lanzhou Railway Station in Gansu province. You can get off the train, get some rest and take a glimpse of this city of the Yellow River. The city is known for its Lanzhou Noodles.

Xining

Xining in Qinghai province is famous for having the largest salt lake in China – Qinghai Lake. No matter if you take the train from Beijing to Lhasa, or from Lhasa to Beijing, you can see part of this beautiful plateau lake. The train usually stops at Xining for 20 minutes.

Golmud

The train usually stops for 25 minutes at Golmud Railway Station in Qinghai province. If you take the train from Beijing to Lhasa, it will be around 22:00 when the train gets to Golmud. If you set out from Lhasa, you will get to Golmud in the early morning around 7:00, which is a good time to see the Tibetan antelopes.

A Tibet Travel Permit (Tibet Entry Permit) is the MUST-HAVE DOCUMENT to take a train to Lhasa from Beijing. However, only authorized travel agencies can apply for it on your behalf. But don't worry, since the procedure to obtain the permit is not complicated. And we Tibet Discovery can help you handle all the stuff. As one of the leading local Tibet tour operators, Tibet Discovery has expertise in the permit policy and the application process. With years of experience, we specialize in efficiently obtaining Tibet Travel Permits for our clients. Just confirm your Tibet tour with us and provide us with your necessary documents (valid passport with at least 6 months validity remaining & Chinese Visa), and we manage all application procedures to ensure you receive your permit promptly, allowing you to enjoy your trip as planned.

Please note 1) it takes about 14 working days to receive your Tibet Travel Permit after you provide us with copies of your valid passport and Chinese Visa, so we recommend you send these documents well in advance to us. 2) remember to duplicate at least 3 copies of Tibet Travel Permit, as it will be required for many occasions throughout your trip.

☞ Learn more detail about Tibet Travel Permit Application

How to Plan a Tour in Beijing

Beijing, the vast capital city of China for centuries, is a must-visit destination in China and is often planned as the first or last stop of a China trip. It offers much to discover and explore, including numerous historical architectures, relics, alongside authentic local folk experiences and striking modern developments.

Classic Beijing Tour

To explore Beijing's highlights, such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall (with Mutianyu as the top recommendation), the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the Beijing Hutongs, plan for about 4 days, including arrival and departure.

In-depth Beijing Tour

If you have extra days, consider hiking the scenic Jinshanling Great Wall, enjoying the stunning night views of Simatai Great Wall, or visiting other sections like Huanghuacheng, Gubeikou, and Juyongguan. If you're traveling with kids, you can spare 1 more day to Universal Beijing Resort, where thrilling rides and beloved movie-themed attractions will create unforgettable memories. For museum buff passionate about history and culture, add the National Museum of China to your itinerary, which is home to the country's most valuable relics and artifacts.

The Beijing Lhasa Train journey can be divided into two halves: the first half is from Beijing to Xining, which is a train journey of about 1800km and needs about 19 hours to finish. The second half is from Xining to Lhasa. It goes about 1950km and needs about 21 hours to complete the journey. If you want to shorten the Beijing Lhasa Train travel, you can skip the first half (Beijing-Xining), and just take the second half, the real highlight of the train journey – Qinghai Tibet Railway. You can take a flight from Beijing to Xining firstly, then spend one or two days there to visit the beautiful Qinghai Lake, the homeland of the Buddhist master Tsongkhapa – Taer Monastery, and enjoy exotic snacks, which is actually very helpful for acclimatizing yourself to the high altitude before getting to Lhasa (altitude: 3700m) because the altitudes in Xining are only around 2300 to 3300 meters. Then take a train to Lhasa from Xining. According to our years of experience, it is much easier to book a train ticket to Lhasa in Xining because there are some available seats and sleepers, as some passengers on the train Z21 will leave the train at the midway stations. Besides, you can choose to take another train from other cities, such as Chengdu, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Lanzhou, etc. (All trains to Lhasa will pass by Xining Railway Station.)