7 bullet prepare journeys throughout China, from the Great Wall to Shangri-la

On a transparent Beijing morning, I settle into my seat on board the G87 bullet prepare. Bound for Chengdu, we’ll make the almost 1,200-mile journey—in regards to the distance from New York City to Kansas City—in simply 7.5 hours. Through the window, buildings blur as we quietly choose up pace and shortly we’re crusing throughout the Yellow River, previous Xi’an’s historic partitions, and into the mountains of Sichuan.

China is blazing a brand new future with its rail community, which incorporates greater than 28,500 miles of high-speed tracks (for comparability, Europe’s is round 7,450 miles), from Shanghai’s leafy avenues to the hovering heights of the Himalayas and the surreal Terracotta Warrior Army. And, China simply unveiled the world’s quickest bullet prepare, topping out at 280 mph. These trains make crossing the nation’s large landmass accessible and eco-friendly, even on a shorter go to. 

1. Golden triangle

Best for: Imperial historical past and the Great Wall

Route: Beijing to Shanghai by way of Xi’an

Journey time: 10 hours (5 hours per leg)

Distance: 1,170 miles

Best accomplished as a journey of two halves, this prepare journey encompasses China’s greatest sights, from Forbidden City in Beijing to the surreal terra-cotta warrior military at historic capital Xi’an, ending on the glittering metropolis lights of the Bund in Shanghai. The first journey glides south out of Beijing West Station and throughout the huge plains of the Loess Plateau by means of China’s industrial heartland earlier than crossing the Yellow River to the traditional metropolis partitions of Xi’an. The second leg diverts west to Shanghai, passing the fifth-century Longmen Grottoes and Suzhou’s classical gardens and canals on its means.

2. Tibetan Plateau

Best for: Himalayan peaks and Buddhist temples

Route: Xining to Lhasa

Journey time: 20-hour night time prepare

Distance: 1,1215 miles

Technically the one non-high-speed prepare on this record, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is an engineering marvel constructed on permafrost and traversing challening terrain over a number of the world’s highest passes. Starting in Xining, the provincial capital of Qinghai province, this in a single day journey first passes the blue waters of Qinghai Lake—China’s largest—earlier than chugging throughout the Tibetan Plateau (the place you may spot antelope and different wildlife), and up into the Himalayas, arriving the subsequent morning within the lofty Tibetan capital.

(Our ancestors walked these trails tons of of years in the past. Now you possibly can too.)

On board, heated sleeper carriages and oxygen tanks maintain passengers heat and protected from elevation illness. Once in Lhasa, you possibly can board a high-speed line (opened in 2021) that connects with town of Nyingchi. To go to Tibet, worldwide vacationers want a regional journey allow and should guide by means of registered businesses.

3. Silk Road

Best for: Bazaars, dunes, Buddhist artwork

Route: Lanzhou to Dunhuang

Journey time: 8 hours

Distance: 690 miles

Stretching throughout the northwest deserts in Gansu province, this high-speed journey follows the camel trails that have been used for hundreds of years to commerce silk, spices, and philosophy. Today, you are able to do the journey in a few days, and even higher, break it up into a number of legs, permitting time to discover the grand Buddha statues, night time markets, temples, and sweeping landscapes alongside the road.

Starting in Lanzhou, house of the unique hand-pulled lamian noodles, the prepare sails by means of the Hexi Corridor, by means of Zhangye with its colorful rainbow hills, Wuwei, the place the well-known Flying Horse of Gansu was uncovered, and Jiayuguan, the western finish of the Great Wall, earlier than lastly arriving within the desert outpost of Dunhuang, house to large dunes and the Mogao Caves—one of the vital caches of Buddhist artwork on the earth. 

4. Mountains of Shangri-la

Best for: Mountains, gorges, historic structure

Route: Kunming to Shangri-La

Journey time: 5 hours

Distance: 385 miles

This mountainous journey zips throughout southwest China from Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan, to the excessive mountain city of Shangri-la, named after the legendary Himalayan valley in James Hilton’s 1933 guide, Lost Horizon. One of China’s highest railway traces, it tunnels by means of the Himalayan foothills and up throughout the Tibetan Plateau.

The journey may be accomplished as a sequence of stops at cities like Dali and Lijiang, each recognized for his or her historic structure and minority cultures, or you possibly can pace straight by means of in about 5 hours. Passing Lijiang, the area’s best-known peak, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, spikes into an ideal triangle within the distance, and later the prepare crosses a excessive bridge over the glacial blue waters of the Jinsha River, which carves by means of Qinghai and Sichuan and into Yunnan.

5. Wintery northeast

Best for: Ice festivals and a cultural combine

Route: Beijing to Harbin

Journey time: 4.5 hours

Distance: 771 miles

This smooth, high-speed route shoots northeast from Beijing by means of the huge plains of Dongbei, a area formed by heavy snowfalls, dumplings, and light traces of the Qing dynasty. You’ll cross by means of Shenyang, as soon as an imperial Manchu capital, earlier than reaching Harbin, a metropolis with onion-domed church buildings, frozen rivers, and a mixture of cultures and influences, together with from China, Russia, Mongolia, and past.

Time your journey for January or February and also you’ll arrive simply in time for the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, the place whole palaces and pagodas are carved from blocks of ice and lit up in neon hues. The route follows a part of the outdated Trans-Manchurian corridor, as soon as utilized by Soviet and Chinese railways heading for Moscow.

6. Rivers and rice terraces

Best for: Karst peaks and luxurious forests

Route: Guiyang to Guangzhou

Journey time: 3.5 hours

Distance: 540 miles

This scenic journey traverses the karst landscapes of southern China, together with the dramatic limestone peaks close to Guilin and the subtropical surroundings of Guizhou. This route blends mountainous terrain with fashionable viaducts and tunnels, that are nice for dramatic vistas.

The journey begins in Guiyang, the leafy capital of Guizhou province, generally known as “forest city”; the prepare winds by means of lush lowlands, hills, and historic wood villages with teetering coated bridges, passing by means of Guilin earlier than heading to the megalopolis of Guangzhou on the south coast. Don’t miss a stop-off in Guilin, the place you possibly can raft down the famed Li River between pointy karst hills—a scene so well-known it’s printed on the Chinese ¥20 word.

7. Skyscrapers to coast

Best for: Hakka structure and coastal surroundings

Route: Hong Kong to Xiamen

Journey time: 4 hours

Distance: 351 miles

Board a bullet prepare beneath the glass towers of Hong Kong and journey north alongside China’s lush southeastern coast. The route zips previous fishing villages, river estuaries, and banana palms earlier than arriving in Xiamen, a breezy port metropolis with sea views and structure relationship to the 1850s, when town was opened as a treaty port as a part of the Sino-British Nanjing Treaty, which ended the First Opium War.

(China’s distant fortresses lose residents, achieve vacationers)

From Xiamen, you possibly can detour inland to discover Fujian’s Tulou—a UNESCO World Heritage Site of huge, round Hakka clan homes made from packed earth and timber, some greater than 700 years outdated. With extra time, prolong the journey on a further four-hour hop to provincial capital Fuzhou, recognized for its scorching springs and historic alleyways, just like the Sanfang Qixiang, whose format and wood structure return so far as the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE).

Life on board

Chinese trains are state-of-the-art, with plush seats, a lot of leg room, Wi-Fi, retailers, and a snack service or cafe carriage, relying on the prepare. There are bogs and sink basins in every carriage, in addition to a scorching water dispenser for making tea and instantaneous noodles.

High-speed trains typically have three lessons: Business with large seats and a meal; first with plush seats and a snack; and second with a three-three seating association. You also can purchase “standing” tickets, which do not assure a seat. Tickets are by “real name,” which means they’re issued electronically and tied to your ID, and also you board by scanning your passport on the gate. Trip.com and 12306.cn are the official ticketing retailers for worldwide vacationers.

There aren’t any limits on baggage, however restrictions apply to what may be taken on board, together with pets and bicycles. Stations are sometimes the dimensions of airports with eating choices, shops, and seating. You should cross a safety screening and present your ID to enter the station.

(These are one of the best prepare journeys on the earth to soak up 2025 and past)