Should I Choose Soft Sleeper, Hard Sleeper or Hard Seat?

Like each Tibet train, the train from Lhasa from Nagqu is also especially built for the high altitude environment and equipped with advanced facilities, such as air-conditioning, supercharging system, oxygen supply, altitude display, etc. The train is also tightly sealed so as to firstly keep the inside air pressure normal and secondly prevent passengers from littering. Besides, all the carriages are installed with double-pane windows and ultraviolet filters to protect passengers from ultraviolet radiation. Nowadays, the train journey is extremely popular for its breathtakingly unique scenery along the railway from Lhasa to Nagqu.

The soft sleeper of Lhasa Nagchu train is a sleeper berth in a four-bunk cabin with a lockable door.

In fact, there are three kinds of accommodations available on Lhasa-Nagqu train: soft sleeper, hard sleeper, and hard seat, of which the most comfortable one is the soft sleeper. The soft sleeper consists of 4 bunks (75cm*190cm) and promises more privacy and comfort with a sliding lockable door.

While the hard sleeper is made up of 6 bunks (60cm*180cm) and the living space varies slightly. The lowest bunks enjoy the largest living space whereas the top bunks are cramped. The cabin of a hard sleeper has no independent door to close when tourists want to sleep.

Since it is not a long journey from Lhasa to Nagchu, about 4 hours, budget travelers can take the cheapest hard seats. However, for those who want more comfort, the sleeping cabins are better choices.

Lhasa to Nagqu Train Schedule and Price

Besides the traditional way to get to Nagchu from Lhasa by road, tourists now can also take Tibet train from Lhasa to Nagchu to visit Lake Namtso or attend the horse racing festival. Every day, there are five to six trains running between Lhasa and Nagchu from early morning to the evening. The Lhasa Nagchu train tickets can be bought at Lhasa Railway Station and Nagchu Railway Station with your passport and Tibet travel permit. Or you can you can book the train ticket together with your Tibet tour from us. Just simply check the latest timetable below and tell us your travel plan, your preferred date and route, we will handle all the things for you.

Lhasa to Nagqu Train Timetable & Ticket Price

Nagqu to Lhasa Train Timetable & Ticket Price

About ticket price:
The ticket prices above are the net price. In reality, as traveling in Tibet is so popular that the actual ticket demand far exceeds the supply, in-bound and out-bound tourists have to pay more than the net price to buy tickets. The actual price is subject to the market fluctuation. In some cases, the actual price could be double than the net price. Despite the uncertainty and difficulty in purchasing train tickets, Tibet Vista would manage to book tickets at a reasonable price ( usually 20 percent lower than the market price) and promise to offer free service for it. If tourists only want to buy train tickets via Tibet Vista without intending to travel to Tibet, Tibet Vista will have to charge a small amount of service fee.

How to Book and Get Tibet Train Tickets?

International travelers can’t enter in Tibet as backpackers and need the help of travel agency to apply for Tibet Travel Permit in advance. You do not need the permit to book the tickets but you do need it to collect the ticket and board the train.

1. How to Book Tibet Train Ticket?

Book train ticket with us ( highly recommended)
To individual tourists, the best solution is to contact a reliable travel agency and book the Lhasa-Nagqu train ticket at least one month in advance. Tibet Vista can provide such timely tickets booking service, and also offer “Train Ticket + Tibet Tour” packages. Send a detailed booking inquiry to Tibet Vista

Book at 12306.cn or buy ticket at train station
Neither method is convenient for international travelers. The 12306.cn has no English version and the online payment is limited to Chinese bank card, Wechat Pay and Alipay. The staff in train station can’t speak English. For popular route such as Lhasa to Nagqu train, during the peak season and even the off season of Tibet tourism, it is difficult for foreign tourists to book train tickets.

2. How to Get the Tibet Train Ticket?

In China, you need the paper train tickets to get into your train. If you book train tickets with us, you have two ways to get your paper tickets:
1. We deliver the paper tickets to your hotel or address in Lhasa (Recommended)
2. Collect them at the railway station

If you choose the delivery service, it is advisable to inform us 4 business days before departure. If you choose to collect them at the railway station, make sure to bring the confirmation number of train tickets, your Tibet Travel Permit as well as your valid and original passport. The confirmation number will be sent to you along with related train information once the tickets are confirmed, present it and the mentioned documents to the staff behind ticket windows to get paper tickets for free.

Lhasa Railway Station operates 24/7, but usually there are only a few ticket windows available after 11 p.m. Considering the long queues in front of the ticket window and the language barrier, it is advisable to arrive at the train station at least 2 hours before departure if you collect tickets on the same day.

Notice: Tibet Travel Permit is needed for collecting the Tibet train ticket. We will help you get the Tibet permit in advance.

3. How to Read the Train Ticket

Here are some useful phrases you may need to read Z6802 Lhasa to Nagqu Train ticket:

拉萨站: Lhasa Railway Station
那曲站: Nagqu Railway Station
xx年xx月xx日: xx Year xx Month xx Date
xx车xx号: xx Carriage xx Berth
上/ 中/ 下铺：Upper/ Middle/ Lower Berth

Information guide on Lhasa to Nagqu Train Ticket

How to Board the Train?

Below are the steps to board a train in China:

Step1: Fill in the Health History Form
Before boarding the train, tourists are expected to fill out an health history form. If one has illness such as hypertension, stroke, chronic respiratory problem, and other cardiovascular disease, he or she shall no board the train for one’s health concern.

Step2: Pass Security Check
After your arriving at the right railway station, line up for the security check to enter into waiting hall: present your passport, Tibet Travel Permit and train ticket to the staff, put all your luggage such backpacks, carry-on bags on the security scanner conveyor belt, and walk through a detector gate and wait for staff to use a scanner on you to check forbidden articles.

Notice: Tourists should put your luggage to the X-Ray scanner and things like gun, poison, explosive, and chemical substance, etc are strictly forbidden. Just follow the instruction of staff of railway station.

Step3: Find the Waiting Room
Once enter into the waiting hall of Lhasa Railway Station, you can find an LED screen showing Train Number (车次), Terminal (终到站), Departing Time (开点) and Waiting Room (候车室). Get your waiting room information and wait for check-in there. Train number Z6802 is well marked in the correct waiting room.

Step4: Board the Train
Usually check-in starts 15-30 minutes before departure and barriers close 5 minutes before departure. After check-in, you can find Led screen hang on the way to the train telling your platform (站台) and direction of your carriage (车厢). Follow the instruction and the staff waiting at the carriage gate will check your ticket again to make sure you board the right carriage of the right train.

Step5: Find Your Berth
After getting on the train, you can find your berth according to your ticket. Put your baggage on the rack overhead or under the lower berth. Your sleeper ticket will be exchanged for a plastic berth card by staff shortly after boarding. Staff will return your ticket and get back the berth card about half an hour before arriving at your destination.

FAQs:

Q1. Is it necessary to carry Tibet Travel Permit all the time?
Make sure you have your passport, Tibet Travel Permit and ticket with you as you could be checked many times during the long journey. It is also advisable to have many copies of Tibet Travel Permit.

Q2. Is it possible to swap ticket with other people to stay with friends or family in the same cabin?
Yes. It is acceptable. You may ask conductor to swap tickets with other passengers to stay with your family or friends. Do remember your cabin and seat No.

Q3. Is It Safe on the Tibet Train?
Having a ride on Qinghai-Tibet train is relatively safe as each compartment is independent and its door will automatically be closed at night. One is forbidden to enter the compartment without ticket. Of course, nowhere is safer than the compartments of soft sleeper. The cabin of soft sleeper can accommodate 4 travellers and there is a door to shut, which is the perfect choice for a family. Besides, the surveillance cameras and 24-hours police patrol make it even safer on the train.

Life Onboard

Having a ride on Qinghai-Tibet train like Lhasa-Nagqu route is definitely the experience of a lifetime. Besides, the long distance and pressurized train tailor-made for acclimatization of extreme altitude make the ride different from other train journey. Following tips are suggested for tourists to better enjoy the life on Lhasa-Nagqu train.

1. Food and Drinks

Before the departure from Lhasa Railway Station, do bring enough food. It could be snacks, fruit and instant noodles wrapped in bowls. Sharing snack with roommates is the easiest way to break the silence. 

Dozens of tourists are having dinner in the dinning car. Tourists can order some traditional Chinese home-made dishes.

You can get 3 meals and drinks from the dining carriage located in the middle of the train. Usually only Chinese food such as noodles, dishes and soups is available and it costs about 20 CNY/meal and accepts cash payment, Wechat payment and Alipay.

The trolleys loaded with food are served in each compartment sporadically and tourists can buy from the staff of train. Besides, tourists can get free boiled water from hot water dispenser near the sinks.

2. Facilities on the Train

Toilets: The soft sleeper carriage has one western-style toilet and one squat style toilet, while hard sleeper carriage only has two squat style toilets. Toilets are located at the end of each carriage, adjacent to the washbasin, dustbin and hot water dispenser. The toilets will be locked when the train stops. Avoid to use them when the train is about to stop for arriving at a station. The red sign on the toilet door means the toilet is occupied while the green sign means not occupied. Next small but important thing is to have enough tissue or toilet paper. Because it is used fast and one won’t find any replacement if it runs out.

Washbasin: Usually only cold water is available. Tourists need to bring their own towel, wet paper tissue and toilet articles.

Dustbin: There is a big dustbin at the end of the carriage. And you can find small dustbin in each compartment and metal plate on the table along the aisle. A cleaner will sweep the floor and collect luggage from the compartment from time to time. All the waste will be disposed by train staff when arrive at stops along the way.

Hot water dispenser: There are free boiled water all the time. Bring your own water flask and get water when the light on the dispenser turns green.

FAQs:

Q1. Where to recharge your mobile phones and electronic devices?
The power plug for chargers are located in the corridors OR under your table in the cabin with the 4 soft sleepers (in between the 2 lower bunks).

Q2. Can tourists have shower in the train?
Unfortunately, there is no shower room in the train. Do bring some wet wipes in stores and a small towel. And small but equally important thing is to bring enough toilet/tissue paper. 

3. Altitude Change of Lhasa to Nagqu Train

Lhasa to Nagqu Railway, measuring 322km, starts from Lhasa (3,650m) to Nagqu (4,500m). As the Lhasa to Nagqu Train heads west, you can feel the altitude increasing little by little and pass through Yangpachen (4,300m) and Namtso Lake (4,718m), finally arrive at Nagqu (4,500m).

This graph gives you a rough idea of how altitude changes along Lhasa-Nagqu railway line

4. Altitude Sickness and Oxygen Supply

Sometimes called “mountain sickness”, altitude sickness is a group of symptoms that can strike if you walk or climb to a higher altitude too quickly. Characterized by symptoms such as headache, dizziness, fatigue,nausea, altitude sickness is the biggest concern for travelling to Tibet.

However, there is no need to be panic about altitude sickness. To better adapt to high altitude, Lhasa-Nagqu Train is tightly sealed and pressurized like an airplane. Therefore, smoking is not allowed. There are two sets of oxygen supply on the train: the dispersion-mode oxygen supply system operated by the train staff and the distribution-mode oxygen supply that can be connected to individual passenger through an independent port via a disposable pipe distributed by train staff. You can find the oxygen supply port in your compartment and along the aisle of each carriage.

An illustration of how to use oxygen outlet on Qinghai-Tibet train

The oxygen is automatically pumped into the train and tourists can also manually use the oxygen outlet to minimize altitude sickness symptoms such as headache, dizziness, fatigue,nausea,etc. It is advisable to bring altitude sickness medicines to ease the discomfort.

You can drink lots of water, eat light food and take a good rest to prevent high altitude sickness. It is advisable to consult the doctor for altitude sickness medicines weeks pior to the trip.

FAQs:

Q1. How to Get Help on the Train?
Some of the staff on the train speak English and they are easy-approaching and hospitable to foreign tourists. If one runs into any trouble, you may ask the head of conductor for help. Most of the passengers may have symptoms of altitude sickness (such as headache, fatigue, difficult sleeping, lack of appetite, etc.) as the train reaches Qinghai-Tibet plateau. Now, you may switch on the oxygen outlet to inhale oxygen to ease the discomfort. If the symptom gets worse, you may find the conductor for help and the doctor on the train will come and give you timely treatment.

Q2. How can we minimize the effect of altitude sickness?
The effect of altitude sickness on passengers varies. Yet, to minimize or ease the impact of altitude sickness, one may prepare some altitude sickness tablets before boarding the train and take some when the train climbs to plateau. There is no need to worry too much the altitude sickness, the train is built with oxygen supply system which is easy to use.

Q3. Is smoking allowed in the cabin?
Smoking is strictly forbidden in the train as the train is tightly sealed and pressurized and oxygen is pumped into the carriage when the train ascends to extreme altitude.It would be devastating if the train caught fire.

5. Views along Lhasa-Nagqu Railway

When you have a train trip from Lhasa to Nagchu, you will have a feast for your eyes. Below are the major highlights in Lhasa Nagchu train tour.

Yangbajain Hot Spring

Yangpachen is located in the Yangbajain Town, Damxung County, which is about 90 kilometers northwest to Lhasa City. What makes it famous is the hot spring here except for the biggest power plant by geothermal energy. In Yangbajain, there are both indoor and outdoor swimming pools for tourists to enjoy the hot spring. The temperature the hot spring water is about 30 to 84℃. When you have a hot spring in Yangbajing, you can appreciate the snow mountain far away at the same time.

It has become a fashion to enjoy a hot spring bath in Yangpachen for travelers.

The most beautiful moment in Yangbajain is the early morning. The field is surrounded by white fog and you'll feel like being in a paradise. Please avoid strenuous exercise when having hot spring, in case you may have physical problems. If you plan to enjoy the Yangbajing Hot Spring, you need to bring your own swimming suits, or just buy one at the site. It’s suggested to soak for 15 to 20 minutes at one time and take a rest for a while before taking another bath. A long time soak in highland will cause some physical problems. And remember not to soak when you are hungry or drunk. At the edge of the hot spring, there is the Yangbajing Hydropower Station, which offers power for Lhasa city and nearby regions.

Namtso Lake

Namsto Lake is located in the middle area of Tibet. It is the second biggest lake in Tibet and the third biggest saltwater lake in China. The altitude is 4718 meters and it covers an area of more than 1920 square kilometers. The Lake Namtso is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet. The name ‘Namtso’ means lake in the heaven in the Tibetan Language. Famous for its splendid natural beauty, Namtso Lake is also a marvelous destination for you to refresh yourself. With the snow-capped mountains and the turquoise lake surface as the background, the flying prayer flags, the Mani stones, and the nearby temples form a harmonious picture. The best time to trek Namtso and Nianqing Tanggula is from July to September. The main tourist attractions in Namtso are Welcome Stone, Shane Cave, Zhaxi Temple, etc.

Enjoying the stunning view of Namtso Lake and the snow-covered mountain in the distance.

Notice:
1. If you want to visit Namtso by walk, it will take seven to ten days total, with a distance of 280 kilometers.
2. You must make full preparation in case you have an altitude reaction.
3. You should prepare enough food and water during your visit because the replenishment is too short to support you all the time.

Nianqing Tanggula Mountain

Located in Damxung County, Nianqing Tanggula Mountain is one of the main mountains in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The main peak has an altitude of 7111 meters. It faces to Lake Namtso in the northwest. It is said that Nianqing Tanggula and Namtso is a couple, and Nianqing Tanggula falls in love with another beautiful lady. As a result, his wife, Namtso cries day and night and finally turns into the clear lake. Then Nianqing Tanggula regrets and changes into the mountain, guarding around the clear lake. You can feel the magnificent beauty of Nianqing Tanggula Mountain, suddenly thinking that you are too small in front of great nature.

Traveler can enjoy the imposing Nianqing Tanggula Mountain on Lhasa Nagchu train.

How to Get to the Train Stations?

Lhasa Railway Station

Lhasa Railway Station is the terminal of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and serves as the central hub and biggest train station in Tibet for its huge transport capacity. Situated in Liuwu New Area of southwest Lhasa at an altitude of 3,641 meters, it is only 8 kilometers to downtown Lhasa, 20 kilometers to southwest of the Potala Palace. After touring in Lhasa, our local Tibetan tour guide will escort you to Lhasa Railway Station and board the train to Nagqu.

Lhasa Railway Station

Nagqu Railway Station

Established in 2006, Nagchu Railway Station sits close to Qinghai-Tibet Highway. As the wold's highest train station, it serves as the major transit point and staging post along Qinghai-Tibet Railway. In fact, this part of railway is extremely hard to be built, because people have to overcome the difficulty of frozen soil, alpine anoxia as well as ecology fragility. Meanwhile, landslide, earthquake, lightening stroke and other natural disasters may also happen in construction.

Located in Mendi Village, about 8 kilometers away from Nagchu Town, Nagchu Railway Station is about 8km away from Nagchu Town and 322km away from Lhasa and 1650km away from Xining. Once arriving at Nagchu, we’ll bring you to your hotel in Nagqu and have a good rest for the following tour activities.

How to Plan Nagchu Horse Racing Festival Tour from Lhasa by Train?

The famous Nagchu Horse Racing Festival usually falls in August and lasts for 5 to 15 days every year. It is one of the top three horse racing festivals in Tibet (another two are Litang Horse Racing Festival and Yushu Horse Racing Festival). If you plan to experience the local Tibetan horse racing festival with a Tibet train experience, you need to book Tibet train ticket in advance with your passport and Tibet travel permit. And it is suggested to start your Nagchu Horse Racing Festival from Lhasa.

Travelers can watch the grandest horse racing in Nagchu.

Since the altitude changes greatly from Lhasa (3650m) to Nagchu (4436m), you’d better visit Lhasa in the first few days to explore Potala Palace - the landmark of Tibet, Jokhang Temple - the spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism, Barkhor Street - the most famous pilgrimage kora in Lhasa, and other must-see attractions to get used to the high altitude of Tibetan plateau.

Then you can take Lhasa train for Nagchu Horse Festival with the spectacular alpine scenery passing outside the window. It’s advised to spare 2 to 3 days in Nagchu to enjoy various kinds of traditional Tibetan activities, like folk dancing and singing show, Tibetan opera performance, Buddhist activities, yak racing, tug-of-war, stone raising, etc. Besides, you can also taste traditional Tibetan food and snacks made by the local Tibetans. After that, you can take the train from Nagchu back to Lhasa or to Xining, Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, etc. See more details of 8 Days Tibet Nagqu Horse Racing Festival Budget Travel by Train

If you are planning your trip to Nagqu from Lhasa by train or have any question about the traveling to Tibet by train, please feel free to contact us for Tibet train travel consultation. We are ready to help you out.