Do trains in China sell out? Should I pay a $25 fee to book in advance?
 

Hi,
It's my understanding that train tickets can not be purchased by an individual more than 10 days in advance, but that travel agents/on-line services will sell you tickets in advance for about $25 USD service fee.

I'm wondering if soft sleeper train tickets on the following trains are often sold out. Should I pay the extra $25USD fee to buy in advance? Or can I wait until I arrive in Beijing 5 days before my first train trip and ask our hotel/hostel/local travel agent to book the tickets for us? Our itintery is pretty tight, and it would be sad if we weren't able to get soft sleeper tickets for all 3 train trips. But our budget is also tight, so I don't want to pay the $25 service fee per ticket if it's not really necessary.

I appreciate your advise!

Arrive in Beijing midnight 9/6

Ideal train trips:
9/11 Beijing West - Datong #1482/1483
Leaving 8:35 - Arriving 15:03
$25 soft sleeper on-line price + $25 service fee

9/12 Datong-Pingyao #2462/2463
Leaving 23:17 - Arriving next day 6:25
$30 soft sleeper on-line price + $25 service fee

9/14 Datong-Xi'an #2669
Leaving 21:38 - Arriving next day 6:18
$33 soft sleeper on-line price + $25 service fee

Definitely for Datong to Pingyao and Pingyao to Xian. There are more trains Beijing to Datong and you can also take a coach, so not as crucial. The other two trains absolutely to get soft sleeper.

Thanks rkkwan! I always appreciate your tips.

Do you know of a reliable website that I should use to purchase in advance with minimal commission/delivery fees?

Traveljoyously - which site did you use to find these quotes? We will be traveling the same routes and wish to get tickets in advance. Please be sure to report back after your trip as we will follow your footsteps in October. We may take the bus to datong as the sleeper doesn't really travel enough hours to get a good rest.

Any opinions by anyone regarding train vs bus from Beijing to datong?

Ticket availability is very hard to predict. If you plan to buy once you get there you'd better have a plan B.
You should contact China DIY Travel at [email protected]. They charge $10 per tickets.They are Australian expats living in Beijing. They are the cheapest that I know of.

Thanks JPDeM. We'd be happy to pay $10/ticket for advanced tickets. Great tip!

dgunbug
I've been looking at chinatripadvisor.com to see train schedules and prices.
We heard that the countryside from Beijing to Datong is lovely, and so we're taking a day train instead of a short overnight train.
We also heard that while the bus ride is shorter, it can be challenging to negotiate the bus stations, so we're in for the train.

Be aware that schedule posted on english website such as chinatripadvisor or cnenvol are useful for planning purposes but they are often out of date and prices are often wrong.

Just want to add that there are actually 3 overnight trains from Pingyao to Xian each day. But getting sleeper tickets can still be an issue as Pingyao is a intermediate stop on all three trains.

Would it be helpful and possible to book train reservation from the originating site but getting on in pingyao?

Will not always work. I understand they may sell you seat if you are not on.

That is correct. The conductor on board can let others upgrade upgrade if a sleeper is not taken.

Also, I wonder if you can get through the Pingyao station with a ticket that originates from somewhere else.

I was told that if we purchase the ticket in advance -for a Pingyao-Xi'an trip, we will be able to get sleeper seats. But it is not usually possible to do at the station.

We just contacted an advance ticket seller for all our train tickets. I'll let you know how it works out.

"
JPDeMon Aug 14, 12 at 8:32pm
Ticket availability is very hard to predict. If you plan to buy once you get there you'd better have a plan B.
You should contact China DIY Travel at [email protected]. They charge $10 per tickets.They are Australian expats living in Beijing. They are the cheapest that I know of.
"