Trains from Beijing
Beijing has 11 direct high-speed destinations. Times below come from the current national timetable; fares and live seat availability are confirmed when you search.
Stations in Beijing
Beijing South · Beijing West · Beijing Chaoyang · Beijing Fengtai · Beijing North
Beijing has five main stations and they are far apart: Beijing South takes the Shanghai and Tianjin high-speed lines, Beijing West takes the Guangzhou and Hong Kong trains, Beijing Chaoyang handles the northeast, Beijing Fengtai the Guangzhou–Hong Kong line, and Beijing North the Great Wall line to Badaling. The station printed on your ticket is the one you must go to — the metro between them takes 40 minutes or more.
Every ticket is tied to a passport and checked against it at the gate, so the name you book must match exactly. Security screening at the entrance is standard, and boarding closes a few minutes before departure.
Getting to the station
- Beijing South is on metro lines 4 and 14; the ride to Qianmen takes about 20 minutes.
- Beijing West is on lines 7 and 9. From the airport, take the Capital Airport Express to Dongzhimen and change there.
- Beijing North, for the Badaling Great Wall line, is at Xizhimen on lines 2, 4 and 13.
Where you can go from Beijing
Direct trains only — no changes. Timetable as of 2026-10-25.
| Destination | Fastest | Trains a day | Arrives at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tianjin | 16m | 303 | Tianjin |
| Guilin | 2h 51m | 8 | Guilin North |
| Qingdao | 3h 07m | 25 | Qingdao |
| Nanjing | 3h 14m | 75 | Nanjing South |
| Xi'an | 4h 10m | 40 | Xi'an North |
| Hangzhou | 4h 17m | 29 | Hangzhou East |
| Shanghai | 4h 18m | 54 | Shanghai |
| Harbin | 4h 33m | 40 | Harbin |
| Chengdu | 7h 28m | 12 | Chengdu East |
| Hong Kong | 8h 12m | 1 | Hong Kong West Kowloon |
| Zhangjiajie | 12h 01m | 2 | Zhangjiajie West |
Trains to Beijing
| Destination | Fastest | Trains a day | Arrives at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tianjin | 16m | 322 | Beijing |
| Qingdao | 3h 03m | 24 | Beijing |
| Nanjing | 3h 19m | 77 | Beijing |
| Xi'an | 4h 10m | 40 | Beijing |
| Shanghai | 4h 24m | 53 | Beijing |
| Hangzhou | 4h 28m | 28 | Beijing |
| Guilin | 4h 28m | 7 | Beijing |
| Harbin | 4h 34m | 42 | Beijing |
| Chengdu | 7h 30m | 12 | Beijing |
| Hong Kong | 8h 11m | 1 | Beijing West |
| Zhangjiajie | 10h 24m | 3 | Beijing |
Day trips from Beijing by train
Leave in the morning, come back the same evening.
Mutianyu Great Wall · afternoon departure — Skip the Badaling crowds, climb in the afternoon, and catch the sun going down
Li River cruise · Silver Cave — Four hours downriver from Mopanshan to Yangshuo, then underground at Silver Cave
Mount Lao · Taiqing Palace and the coast — The second-greatest Quanzhen temple, backed by granite and facing the Yellow Sea
The Forbidden City with the Treasure Gallery · 3-hour guided walk — Tickets handled, the central axis explained, from the Hall of Supreme Harmony to the imperial crowns
Questions about trains from Beijing
Which Beijing station do I need?
Check the station printed on your ticket, not the city name. Beijing South, West, Chaoyang, Fengtai and North serve different directions and are 40 minutes or more apart by metro. Going to the wrong one means missing the train.
How far is Beijing South from the city centre?
About 20 minutes by metro line 4 to Qianmen, just south of Tiananmen. It is not within walking distance of the centre.
Do I need to print my ticket?
No. High-speed tickets are electronic and tied to your passport — you scan the passport at the gate. Note the order number only if you want a reference.