6 Scenic Rails That Prove Trains Are The Way To Travel In China
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If you fly from city to city in China, you’ll miss the best parts of the country. In China, trains are the way to travel the vast expanses of brilliantly green plateaus, rugged mountains and untouched deserts. Here are six routes you won’t want to miss to make the the most of the incredibly diverse country.
1. Xi’an to Urumqi
Mirroring the historic Silk Road, this trek goes through both alpine lake country and the pure barren land of the Gobi Desert. It’s a very long train journey (more than 33 hours), but it connects some of the best tourist sites in the country.
In Xi’an, you can visit the Terracotta Army, while in Urumqi, you can browse bazaars filled with souvenirs beyond your wildest dreams. And between the two, you’ll see Jiayuguan Fortress (the western end of the Great Wall of China).
2. Beijing to Lhasa, Tibet
Nicknamed the “Sky Road,” the train journey from Beijing to Lhasa, Tibet crosses 675 bridges and climbs to elevations higher than 16,000 feet. To put that in perspective, people skydive from those kind of heights.
The route winds through the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve, through the staggering mountain peaks of Tanggula Pass and ends in Lahsa. The Tibetan town is a frequent launching pad for intrepid climbers with their sights set on nearby Everest.
3. Shanghai to Beijing
It will only take you five hours to speed from cosmopolitan Shanghai to historic Beijing on one of China’s bullet trains. The unique experience turns the surrounding green farmland into a blurry kaleidoscope of fields and meadows.
Bullet trains along this route reach speeds of 150 miles per hour. If you took the normal train instead of the super-speed one, it would take you almost 20 hours to cover the same distance.
4. Chengdu to Kunming
The ride between Chengdu, best known for being the home of giant pandas, and Kunming, famous for ornate pavilions and bridges, is lower in elevation than other Chinese rails. This route has views of small villages set at the foot of mountains and colorful fields and rivers, passing through the Sichuan Basin and the Hengduan Mountains.
It’s a long trip, almost 23 hours, but the terrain varies so much along the train’s path that you’ll never get bored simply staring out the window.
5. Dali to Lijiang
This is Chinese big sky country. The 7- to 10-hour train ride between Dali and Lijiang passes the pristine Erhai Lake, backed by Mount Cangshan. The route also allows for views of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which is the home of the gods according to local mythology.
6. Hefei to Fuzhou
This über fast rail might be the most beautiful bullet route in China. The mountain scenery stuns, even at warp speeds, and the region’s terraced tea fields are a must-see while in the country that brought the drink to the world.
You’ll also pass the “Sea of Clouds,” a foggy blanket of mist covering the Huangshan mountain range, as well as pine forests, hot springs and yellow wildflower meadows.
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