Travel to Tibet from France

How to Get to Tibet from France? Multiple ways to travel from Paris to Tibet.

Getting from Paris to Tibet can be done in a number of ways, flying either to mainland China or Nepal, and then choosing from flights, trains, or overland travel to get to Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. In order to better assist you, there are details on each step below, and you can combine the steps depending on your preferred route.

By Flight to China

Flights to China from Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris are frequent, and can be found for a relatively good price using the many comparison websites available to get the best deal. The average flight times are:

a. Paris to Beijing: non-stop - 11 hours 20 minutes, one-stop – up to 14 hours 05 minutes (WAW, AMS, HEL)
b. Paris to Shanghai: non-stop - 11 hours 10 minutes, one-stop – up to 15 hours 55 minutes (HEL, MUC, FRA)
c. Paris to Guangzhou: non-stop - 11 hours 35 minutes, one-stop – up to 16 hours 30 minutes (HKG, SVO, AMS)
d. Paris to Chengdu: non-stop - 10 hours 50 minutes, one-stop – up to 16 hours 20 minutes (SVO, PEK, KMG)
e. Paris to Hong Kong: non-stop - 11 hours 35 minutes, one-stop – up to 16 hours 20 minutes (MUC, HEL, ZRH)

After Your Arrival in China

Once you arrive in China, your Tibet Travel Permit will be delivered to your hotel in your destination city by express delivery, ready for your trip to Tibet. In some extreme cases, our staff will give it to you in person at the airport or railway station. The permit is required to board the flight or train to Tibet, and is also used for hotel check-ins and checkpoints across Tibet.

From Beijing to Lhasa

By flight
There is currently only one direct flight per day to Lhasa from Beijing, although there are a larger number of indirect flights that stopover in Chengdu en route to Lhasa. The direct flight takes around 5 hours to get to Lhasa Gonggar International Airport, and costs from around US$ 500 for an economy ticket.

By train
The train from Beijing to Lhasa is the Z21, which leaves daily at around 8:00pm. The journey covers 3,757 kilometers across eight provinces in mainland China as well as Tibet, arriving in Lhasa around 40 hours later at 12:10pm on the third day. However, in the summer season, from May to September, it can be hard to get a ticket for the train from Beijing to Lhasa, due to the huge demand. One option to counter this would be to take a flight to Xining, in Qinghai Province, and then get the train from there, as there are more carriages on the Xining train and a better chance of being able to procure a ticket.

From Shanghai to Lhasa

By flight
Flights from Shanghai leave several times a day, although there is currently no direct flight to Lhasa. The flights stop at Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, or Kunming, and take from around 8 hours to as much as 26 hours for the multiple-stop flights. The cheaper flights start from around US$ 455.

By train
The Z164 leaves Shanghai daily at 8:10pm, and takes around 47 hours to reach Lhasa, as distance of around 4,373 kilometers. The train arrives in Lhasa at around 7:15 in the evening of the third day, and the journey is the second longest of all the routes to Lhasa.

From Guangzhou to Lhasa

By flight
Similar to Shanghai, there are no direct flights to Lhasa from Guangzhou, although there are a number of indirect flights, with stopovers in Chongqing and Chengdu. The average flight takes from 5 hours 55 minutes to 10 hours 30 minutes, and costs from around US$ 455.

By train
Departing at 11:45am daily, the train from Guangzhou takes over 53 hours to get to Tibet, making it the longest of all the train journeys to Lhasa. Covering almost 5,000 kilometers, the train arrives in the Tibetan capital at around 5:05pm on the third day.

From Chengdu to Lhasa

By flight
From Chengdu, there are numerous direct flights to Lhasa, which take around 2 hours 15 minutes on average. With more than 15 flights a day from Chengdu, it is one of the best airports from which to fly to Tibet, and with the short travel time, it is one of the best options for those with time constraints. It is also relatively inexpensive, costing from around US$ 233 for an economy flight.

By train
The trains from Chengdu depart every other day at around 9:37pm, and arrive in Lhasa on the third day at around 9:55am. Covering a distance of 3,070 kilometers across mainland China and Tibet, the journey takes a little over 36 hours, and is one of the more popular gateway cities to travel to Tibet from. Scheduled departures from Chengdu are on odd days of the month (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc) in January, April, May, August, November, and December, and even days of the month for the rest of the year.

From Hong Kong to Lhasa

From Hong Kong, there is no direct flight to Lhasa, so you will need to make a connection to get there. One of the most popular ways is to take a flight to Chengdu, and then transfer to Lhasa from there. You can also take the train from Chengdu, which takes around 44 hours. Alternatively, you can get the train direct from Kowloon Station in Hong Kong SAR to Guangzhou, and get the connecting train direct to Tibet from there, which is an amazing journey covering almost 5,000 kilometers.

Travel Tips: The actual ticket price varies based on different airlines, flight time and particular service. The exact amount of flight or train prices are best confirmed by the airline or Tibet train you book.)

By Flight to Kathmandu

If you are traveling through Nepal, there are only indirect flights to Kathmandu, which have one stop in Istanbul, Delhi, or Dubai. Flights can take from around 13 hours to get to Nepal, and cost from around US$ 494 for an economy ticket.

Kathmandu to Tibet

By Kathmandu to Lhasa flight
Flights to Lhasa from Kathmandu leave daily and are provided by Air China, Sichuan Airlines, and Tibet Airlines. The flight takes around 90 minutes, and costs from around US$ 400, depending on the season. One of the advantages of the flight from Kathmandu is that it crosses the Himalayas and gives passengers a great bird’s-eye view of Mount Everest.

By the Epic Overland Tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa
Traveling overland from Kathmandu to Lhasa is an adventure of epic proportions, starting with your transfer to the Sino-Nepal border crossing at Gyirong Port by our agents in Nepal. After you have passed through immigration, your guide and driver will pick you up and you will start your tour on the roof of the world. Following a route that is agreed when you book your tour, your guide will take you to all the places you want to visit. Filled with astounding sights, spectacular monasteries, stunning lakes, and the unique and friendly experience of locals in Tibet, your tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa will be the ultimate in travel experiences.