Train travel ; Hong Kong-Beijing

I'll be arriving in Hong Kong shortly, and plan to take a few days stay
in Beijing before going back to Hong Kong.
I want to travel cheaply and have found that a train going between the
two cities (taking approx 26 hours) is the way to go.

It would be nice to book ahead, but I can't seem to find any booking
site, or even site for the railway company on the web. All I can find is
several sites arranging train tickets for you, but I'd rather do it
myself and save money.

Are these trains usually very busy? Is it hard to buy a ticket from the
station itself in Hong Kong (Hung Hom in Kowloon?) when i get to Hong
Kong, or should I really book several days ahead?
By the way, if someone tells me the name of the railway company I might
eb able to figure out some of this myself (it's not
Kowloon-Canton-Railway as I thought -they don't even operate that far
into China).


Hallvard

On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 08:57:48 +0100, Hallvard Tangeraas
wrote:

I'll be arriving in Hong Kong shortly, and plan to take a few days stay
in Beijing before going back to Hong Kong.
I want to travel cheaply and have found that a train going between the
two cities (taking approx 26 hours) is the way to go.
[snip]

Express train! When I took the train from Beijing to Hong Kong in
1987, I had to go first to Guangzhou (33 1/2 hours), then to Shenzhen
(3 hours or so?), then cross the checkpoint, and then take a commuter
train to Tsim Sha Tsui.

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted.

Pan wrote:
On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 08:57:48 +0100, Hallvard Tangeraas
wrote:


I want to travel cheaply and have found that a train going between the
two cities (taking approx 26 hours) is the way to go.

Express train! When I took the train from Beijing to Hong Kong in
1987, I had to go first to Guangzhou (33 1/2 hours), then to Shenzhen
(3 hours or so?), then cross the checkpoint, and then take a commuter
train to Tsim Sha Tsui.

Seems like there are direct trains now, according to the pages I've
found. I think it said 26 or 27 hours in total.
But I have no idea which train company operates them and where to order
tickets on the web apart from through travel agents (which I'm not
interested in giving my money when I can do it myself).


Hallvard

"Hallvard Tangeraas" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
I'll be arriving in Hong Kong shortly, and plan to take a few days stay
in Beijing before going back to Hong Kong.
I want to travel cheaply and have found that a train going between the
two cities (taking approx 26 hours) is the way to go.

It would be nice to book ahead, but I can't seem to find any booking
site, or even site for the railway company on the web. All I can find is
several sites arranging train tickets for you, but I'd rather do it
myself and save money.

Are these trains usually very busy? Is it hard to buy a ticket from the
station itself in Hong Kong (Hung Hom in Kowloon?) when i get to Hong
Kong, or should I really book several days ahead?
By the way, if someone tells me the name of the railway company I might
eb able to figure out some of this myself (it's not
Kowloon-Canton-Railway as I thought -they don't even operate that far
into China).



What about http://www.china-train-ticket.com/?

The ticket Hongkong costs between 110 and 200 EUR/USD. However, it might be
cheaper to buy tickets locally at the station.

The Chinese State Railways have - AFAIK - a website too, but only in
Chinese...




--
Helmut Uttenthaler,
Graz - Austria

On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 08:57:48 +0100, Hallvard Tangeraas
wrote:

I'll be arriving in Hong Kong shortly, and plan to take a few days stay
in Beijing before going back to Hong Kong.
I want to travel cheaply and have found that a train going between the
two cities (taking approx 26 hours) is the way to go.

It would be nice to book ahead, but I can't seem to find any booking
site, or even site for the railway company on the web. All I can find is
several sites arranging train tickets for you, but I'd rather do it
myself and save money.

Are these trains usually very busy? Is it hard to buy a ticket from the
station itself in Hong Kong (Hung Hom in Kowloon?) when i get to Hong
Kong, or should I really book several days ahead?
By the way, if someone tells me the name of the railway company I might
eb able to figure out some of this myself (it's not
Kowloon-Canton-Railway as I thought -they don't even operate that far
into China).


Hallvard

Before trying yourself, go talk to China Travel Service at their
Kowloon office. They are the (sort of) unofficial consulate for the
mainland in Hong Kong and have lots of good deals deals of their own,
including trains. And they are very reliable and knowledgeable, so
talk to them before you do anything else.

This will be a useful link.
http://www.chinatravel1.com/english/index.htm

I think u can buy online, otherwise, the official China Travel Agency (many
offices in town) can offer great help, from ticket to visa (do you hv one?).
It is an agency even local will go and many staff speak English.

As far as I know one way from HK to Beijing cost HK600 to 900, depends on
classes. However, if you can afford a bit more, you can fly to Beijing from
the ShenZhen airport (of course the train experience will be different)





"Hallvard Tangeraas"
...
Pan wrote:
On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 08:57:48 +0100, Hallvard Tangeraas
wrote:


I want to travel cheaply and have found that a train going between the
two cities (taking approx 26 hours) is the way to go.

Express train! When I took the train from Beijing to Hong Kong in
1987, I had to go first to Guangzhou (33 1/2 hours), then to Shenzhen
(3 hours or so?), then cross the checkpoint, and then take a commuter
train to Tsim Sha Tsui.

Seems like there are direct trains now, according to the pages I've
found. I think it said 26 or 27 hours in total.
But I have no idea which train company operates them and where to order
tickets on the web apart from through travel agents (which I'm not
interested in giving my money when I can do it myself).


Hallvard

wrote:
On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 08:57:48 +0100, Hallvard Tangeraas
wrote:

I want to travel cheaply and have found that a train going between the
two cities (taking approx 26 hours) is the way to go.

Before trying yourself, go talk to China Travel Service at their
Kowloon office. They are the (sort of) unofficial consulate for the
mainland in Hong Kong and have lots of good deals deals of their own,
including trains. And they are very reliable and knowledgeable, so
talk to them before you do anything else.

Good idea! I will do that, but do you have an address so I can easily
find it when I get there?


Hallvard

On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 20:16:42 +0100, the renowned Hallvard Tangeraas
wrote:

wrote:
On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 08:57:48 +0100, Hallvard Tangeraas
wrote:

I want to travel cheaply and have found that a train going between the
two cities (taking approx 26 hours) is the way to go.

Before trying yourself, go talk to China Travel Service at their
Kowloon office. They are the (sort of) unofficial consulate for the
mainland in Hong Kong and have lots of good deals deals of their own,
including trains. And they are very reliable and knowledgeable, so
talk to them before you do anything else.

Good idea! I will do that, but do you have an address so I can easily
find it when I get there?

Right across from Chungking Mansion at 27 Nathan Road (you actually
enter off of the side street (Peking Road? or Middle Road?) and walk
upstairs to 1/F (British style numbering). You can't miss it, they
have a big sign hanging out over Nathan road, and that's right in the
middle of the tourist ghetto of TST.

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

Spehro Pefhany wrote:
On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 20:16:42 +0100, the renowned Hallvard Tangeraas
wrote:

Good idea! I will do that, but do you have an address so I can easily
find it when I get there?


Right across from Chungking Mansion at 27 Nathan Road (you actually
enter off of the side street (Peking Road? or Middle Road?) and walk
upstairs to 1/F (British style numbering). You can't miss it, they
have a big sign hanging out over Nathan road, and that's right in the
middle of the tourist ghetto of TST.

Thanks.
Who knows... maybe I'll come across a cheap flight so I can get more
time to look around and less time waiting and waiting... while sitting
on the train.
Then again, as someone else pointed out in this thread, taking the train
is probably an experience itself. Maybe I could take the train one way
and a plane the other way.


Hallvard

On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 20:16:42 +0100, Hallvard Tangeraas
wrote:

wrote:
On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 08:57:48 +0100, Hallvard Tangeraas
wrote:

I want to travel cheaply and have found that a train going between the
two cities (taking approx 26 hours) is the way to go.

Before trying yourself, go talk to China Travel Service at their
Kowloon office. They are the (sort of) unofficial consulate for the
mainland in Hong Kong and have lots of good deals deals of their own,
including trains. And they are very reliable and knowledgeable, so
talk to them before you do anything else.

Good idea! I will do that, but do you have an address so I can easily
find it when I get there?


Hallvard

They have more than one office, but I found the one in Kowloon the
best. I forgot the exact address, but it's not far from the Salisbury
YMCA and you could just go there and ask them. They are a bit hidden
and up a flight or two as I remember, but everyone around there will
know the address. They take off an hour for lunch (that is, shut)
from 1 to 2. You could also find them in the phone book and call for
directions. They are a short walk from the Tsimshatsui subway stop.