Tibet Train from Xining to Lhasa
Xining is the starting point of the Qinghai–Tibet Railway and the best place to board a train to Lhasa. Several trains a day leave Xining for Lhasa, so it is the city where tickets are easiest to get.
Why Xining is the Best Boarding Point
- Several trains a day to Lhasa (compared with one every other day from Chengdu or Chongqing).
- Only about 21 hours to Lhasa: just one night on the train.
- At 2,275 m, Xining helps you start adjusting to the altitude before the plateau.
- Trains that start in Xining are usually on time; trains passing through from other cities can be late.
- Qinghai Lake (3,200 m) nearby is an ideal first step up in altitude.
Xining Railway Station Guide
Xining Railway Station is in Chengdong District, a few kilometres east of the city centre. It is a large, modern station with a waiting hall on the upper floor.
| Location | Chengdong District |
| To the city centre | about 15 minutes by taxi |
| To the airport | about 30 km, about 40 minutes |
| Luggage storage | inside the station |
Buying Tickets at Xining Station
Required Documents
- Foreign visitors and Taiwan residents: passport and Tibet Travel Permit
- Hong Kong and Macau residents: Home Return Permit
- Chinese citizens: ID card
Foreign visitors need their passport and Tibet Travel Permit to buy a ticket to Lhasa. Tickets are in high demand from June to September, so book early through your travel agency.
Important Boarding Notes
Watch out: many trains to Lhasa pass through Xining from other cities, so they can arrive early or late. Don’t assume the train will leave exactly on time. Get to the station early and listen for announcements.
What to See Around Xining
| Sight | What it is | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Qinghai Lake | China’s largest lake, at 3,200 m | about 150 km |
| Kumbum (Ta’er) Monastery | a great Tibetan Buddhist monastery, birthplace of Tsongkhapa | about 25 km |
| Chaka Salt Lake | a salt lake famous for its mirror reflections | about 300 km |
| Tibetan Medicine Museum | Tibetan medicine and culture | in the city |
Our recommended plan: fly to Xining and spend two or three days at Qinghai Lake and Kumbum Monastery, slowly adjusting at 2,275–3,200 m. Then take the train to Lhasa, arriving the next day. This is the gentlest way to reach Tibet.
The Daylight Plan: Xining – Golmud – Lhasa
Every train to Lhasa from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing or anywhere else in China stops in Xining, and travellers change there to the Tibet train – a specially built plateau train with oxygen supplied in the carriages. So the long part of the trip is getting to Xining, and that part is much faster by high-speed train or by air. From Beijing, the Z21 to Lhasa needs more than 19 hours just to reach Xining; the high-speed train does it in a little over 9 hours.
From Xining, a through train reaches Lhasa in about 21 hours – but it crosses the first half of the plateau at night. The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau comes in two halves:
- The Qinghai half, Xining to Golmud: Qinghai Lake, high grassland and the edge of the Qaidam desert.
- The Tibet half, Golmud to Lhasa: the Kunlun Mountains, Hoh Xil, the Tanggula Pass and Tso Na Lake.
To see both halves in daylight, break the journey in Golmud:
- Day 1 – Xining to Golmud by a daytime train, past Qinghai Lake and across the grassland. Night in Golmud.
- Day 2 – Golmud to Lhasa by a train that leaves early in the morning and reaches Lhasa late in the day. Here a seat is better than a sleeper: a carriage with windows on both sides, instead of one window per compartment.
The daylight plan adds a day. In high season it has one more advantage: from June to September, through tickets from Xining to Lhasa are very hard to get, while two shorter tickets via Golmud are much easier to arrange. We book every ticket for you. You can also use the daylight plan to join a 2027 small group departure from Xining.
Leaving Tibet the other way? See Lhasa to Xining by train, or our 11-day tour from Nyingchi to Xining, which rides both halves of the plateau in daylight on the way out.
We answer within 12 hours, Monday to Saturday.