Bonjour à tous,
je prépare un voyage au Tibet avec une amie pour septembre-octobre 2007 (un mois sur place).
1-Nous pensons que l'option de prendre un vol Lyon-Chengdu serait plus rapide, simple, plutôt que Pékin ?...
Nous souhaitons en fait rejoindre Lhassa par le train : en ce qui concerne le plus haut train du monde : y a-t-il plusieurs lignes ? celle de Pékin-Lhassa et aussi celle de Chengdu à Lhassa ?
Malgré toutes les infos lues sur ce forum, j'ai du mal à en être sûre.
merci de me confirmer que cette option est bien d'actualité, sinon il nous faudrait prendre un vol pour Pékin.
2-Pour le permis TTB et le billet de train (si c'est OK depuis Chengdu), à priori, il semblerait qu'il soit assez aisé de l'acheter sur place en agence, hotel, ...?
3-D'autre part, nous terminons notre équipement de voyage : pour les sacs de couchage quelle serait la température de confort idéale pour cette période ?
merci pour vos réponses !
avec mes salutations voyageuses...
bonjour,
1/ Je te confirme que le train pekin lhassa passe bien par Chengdu, et qu'il n'y a qu'une seule et unique ligne.
2/ pour acheter ton billet ainsi que le permis je te conseil d'aller voir sur mon site perso il y a l'adresse mail d'un hotel que tu pourra contacter. l'avantage c'est qu'il prepare les papier a l'avance si tu leur envoie la copie du passeport et du visa. ca te fais gagner une journée.
moi j'ai fait le trajet en avion, il m'on prepareré le permis et le billet d'avion, une fois arrivé la changdu tout etait pret.
par contre pour le train je sais pas si il font lameme formule, le mieu c'est de leur demander.
pour le sac de couchage, j'avais un sac 0° et j'avous que sur toute les nuit que j'ai passé dehors, certaine on eté assez desagreable, notement une ou je me suis reveillé a 3h00 du mat pour allumer le rechaud dans la tente. malgres que j'ai dormis avec collant polaire + pantalon et deux paire de chaussette et 3 couche de vetement sur le haut du corps.avec gant et bonet dans une tente a double toi. c'etait au moi de mai, donc je pense que au moi de septembre octobre ca sera pire. (et je suis montagnar d'origine (briancon c'est pas loin des deux alpes ca hihihi 😉))
voila si tu as d'autre quesiton fait moi signe.
Je vais contredire Carambar :
le train qui va de Pékin à Lhassa ne passe pas par Chengdu
il 's'agit du train T27, départ Pékin 21.30 jour A, arrivée Lhassa jour C à 20.00
Ce train passe par X'ian et Lanzhou et il circule tous les jours
Le train qui circule de Chengdu à Lhassa est le T22/23, départ de Chengdu à 18.18 jour A, arrivée Lhassa jour C à 18.28, ce train circule un jour sur deux (je ne sais plus si ce sont les jours pairs ou impairs!)
Oui il est possible d'acheter permis + ticket de train à Chengdu.
Agences et guesthouses s'en chargent :
merci pour ta réponse Carambar... je vais aller voir le contact hotel sur ton site perso...
par ailleurs, quel(s) itinéraire(s) as-tu fait au Tibet ? ou quels sont les lieux qui t'ont le plus enchantés ?
nous partons sur 4 semaines en tout, et si l'on compte grosso modo 10 jours de transports (avion- train + stop à Chengdu), on dispose de trois semaines...
merci pour tes indications...
marcofolio
(PS : ai vécu à Serre Chevalier pendant 6 ans, de 93 à 98...)
Autant pour moi, j'ai confondu Chengdu et Golmud, mea culpa, je suis desolé et impardonnable.
concernant ce qu j'ai visité pendant mon sejour tu trouvera les trek que j'ai fais sur mon site.
en ce qui me concerne je suis resté 6 semaines complete, dont 2 jours de transport a l'aller et 1 jour pour le retour.
le lac namtso nomtso qu et tashi dore et un incontournable. mais evite autant que possible de faire le voyage avec une agence, c'est l'usine a touriste, pas le temps de profiter des lieu et des gens.
Gyantsé est super aussi avec le lac yamdrok, samding gompa, accessible depuis lhassa directement par contre Gyantsé est difficile d'acces a cause de la route en travaux qui est fermée en ce mometn il te faudra passer par shigatsé qui est a voir aussi,
a lhassa il faut y rester minimum une semaine pour tout voir, pendant mon sejour j'avais fait de lhassa mon lieu de repos et de retrait, j'ay ai passé quasilment la moitié du sejour sans m'ennuyer un seul instant.
le Potala, nechung deprung sera ganden(50km del hassa 1journe d'excursion deux jour si tu as le temps pour faire la kora profiter des lieux)
a voir a lhassa ausi, le jokhang, et le marché couvert de tromsingen, le temple de Ramoche de et l'institut tantrique visite rapide, improvisée au rythme de balade dan les rue
en dehors de lhassa le kailash c'est super le trjet est long mais tu vois plein de facette differente du pays aucours du voyage.
ok pour toutes ces indications...
bien sûr, on ne passe pas par une agence... trop l'habitude de voyager librement...
et c'est pourquoi il m'importait de connaitre mieux les astuces concernant ce trip moins évident à priori que d'autres en individuels.
c'est vrai que l'on se posera un peu sur Lhassa mais on a bien l'intention de marcher aussi... pendant une bonne quinzaine de jours.
je vais parcourir ton site un de ces soirs et te contacterai de nouveau si quelques détails me manquent.
en fait, une fois le billet d'avion, visa, et train en poche, le programme se fera plus sur place ; cela fait parti de l'aventure, de la découverte au quotidien, et donc du plaisir de voyager... (ai déjà fait ainsi l'Inde, le Népal, le Laddakh, le Vietnam en ce qui concerne l'Asie, et je n'en retiens que d'excellents souvenirs !)
PS : tu as fait beaucoup de photos je crois (je verrais en visitant ton site) mais peux-tu me préciser quelques éventuelles précautions, détails à savoir... j'emporte en plus d'un gros réflex numérique un compact numérique, bien sûr pour faire plus "touriste" surtout sur Lhassa...
re!
en fait voyazger au tibet est beaucoup plus simple qu'il n'en a l'aire,
les tibetain sont tres acceuillant vis a vis des occidentaux (en parti a cause de notre pouvoir d'achat mais pas seulement loin de la)
les tibetain on appris ase serrer les coude, aussi il trouverons la reponse a quasiment tout no probleme de transport logement etc etc etc...
en ce qui me concerne le tibet etait mon premier voyage, je suis parti a l'aventure complet, seul mon itineraire avait eté" preparé a l'avance, et tou s'est deroulé comme prevu j'ai eu aucun probleme auxquelle je n'aipu faire face. la pluspart on trouvé une solution asez rapidement.
concernant les photo,
j'avais un reflex numarique avec 8Go de memoire que j'ai remplis.
il vaut mieu demander avant de faire des photo ou alors les faire discretement a distance sasn eveiller l'attantion. certain endroit sont payant pour les photo (certain temple)
il faut eviter toute les photo qui pourrai etre prejudiciable au regime chinois (force de l'ordre, armée, arrestation, probleme d'environement prostituée etc etc etc) et si toutefois tu prends des photo de ce genre il faut les masquer sur ta carte mememoire (certain appareil ofre cette possibilité)
il faut respecter l'intimité des tibetain et des pelerin, certain n'oserons pas refuser la photo mais tu verra a l'eur tet qu'il ne veulent pas.. eviter aussi les photo qui pourrai faire du tort au tibetain (par exemple j'ai des photo de tibetain en train de se passer sur la tete une image du dalai lama) car les chinois visite les site internet et lorsqu'il trouve une photo compromettante il retrouve les sujet pour les punir.
mis a pars ca la liberté de prendre des photo est respecté.
a priori, je ne vois pas l'interet d'un compact numerique, mise a part lapossibilité de faire des photo volée. a toi de voir.
Bonjour à tous,
J'envisage d'emprunter la ligne Pekin-Lhassa en Janvier 2008.. est-elle ouverte toute l'année? est-ce dommage de le faire en Janvier? ( visibilité, froid?) J'ai eu au Sikkim en janvier 2005 un temps superbe et pas excessivement froid.. QQ1 peut-il me dire ce qu'il en est au Tibet?
Merci à tous.
juste une petite precision : attention au train pekin-lhassa!!!
je prepare mon voyage au tibet pour septembre et un couple qui etait à pekin il y a 2semaines a galeré pour trouver un billet, 20jours d'attente minimum! que ce soit par agence ou directement à la gare, et oui ce train est victime de son succes! ils ont meme recontré un couple qui a attendu 2mois!!!
en dialoguant avec elle, elle m'a fortement conseillé de reserver les billets à l'avance de france via internet...
Merci pour l'info, effectivement les guichets sont pris d'assaut.. et la vente interent ne fonctionne apparemment pas encore..voici un ptit lien d'information..
http://www.china.org.cn/french/246739.htm
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Hi everyone,
First of all, thank you for all the valuable information you share—it’s really helpful.
My husband and I are heading to South Korea from September 19 to October 6. We know the timing might not be ideal because of Chuseok, but for various reasons, we didn’t have other date options. Plus, this period coincides with some festivals we’ve been eager to check out: the Andong Mask Dance Festival, the Jinju Lantern Festival, and the Hwaseong Festival in Suwon.
Here’s our tentative itinerary:
09/19: Arrival in Seoul
09/20: Bus to Sokcho – explore the city or short hike
09/21: Seoraksan Park
09/22: Return to Seoul
09/23–09/26: Seoul
09/27: Bus or train to Andong – explore the city
09/28: Hahoe
09/29–10/01: Gyeongju
10/01–10/03: Busan
10/03–10/04: Jinju
10/05: Bus/train to Suwon
10/06: Suwon
So here’s my question: Given that several of our trips fall during or around festivals, will it be possible to book bus/train tickets once we’re there, or is there a risk they’ll already be sold out? Specifically for Seoul-Andong, Busan-Jinju, and Jinju-Suwon.
I was thinking of booking everything on our first day in Seoul.
And if it’s better to plan ahead, how should we go about it? I can’t seem to access the Korail (letskorail) or Kobus websites.
Thanks in advance for your answers and help—and sorry for the long post! :)
I’m planning our very first trip to mainland France in January 2027. There’ll be 2 adults and 2 kids, and we’ll mostly be traveling by train.
Here’s our itinerary:
Paris
Rouen (Normandy)
Lyon
Aix-les-Bains (with day trips to Annecy and Geneva)
Saint-Gervais-les-Bains (with Chamonix and a day in Aosta)
Back to Paris
Do you think this itinerary is well-balanced? Any tips, must-see spots, or mistakes to avoid for a first-time visit?
Hi! I’d like to make stops across France, starting from Reims, and travel by train using the Intercités. I want to discover the landscapes and picturesque villages, and make some stops along the way. Could you give me some tips? Thanks!
I can’t seem to complete the payment for my trip on the IRCTC (Indian Railways) site. No matter which payment method I choose, my Visa card isn’t accepted.
Has anyone here managed to do it, and if so, could you share the method you used?
Thanks in advance!
Charlie
I’m planning a family trip in a year. Our goal: traveling to China (and maybe Hong Kong) by train.
I’m all set with the route up to eastern Turkey.
However, I’m just starting my research for the rest of the journey—namely the Caucasus (no trains as far as I know, so buses and/or ferries), then Central Asia and China.
So, I’d love to hear any info or tips (general and forward-looking at this stage) about the train route through Central Asia and China to reach the east coast.
I’m particularly interested in details on:
- How far in advance to book / any potential difficulties with reservations
- Whether there are PASS systems (or equivalent) between countries and/or if some tickets allow stopovers, meaning you can hop on and off as you please
- Day trains vs. night trains (the latter option lets you explore cities between two legs of the journey)
- A rough idea of ticket costs
...
A huge thank you to anyone who can share some info or experiences. It’s also a great opportunity to chat about adventure after (way too) many years away from this forum.
I’m planning a trip around Italy using only trains or public transport in October (hoping the weather stays nice!).
I’d obviously like to see some tourist destinations, but I also want to get off the beaten path a bit, and I’m hoping to find some help here? I don’t plan to linger too long in the cities.
Starting in the north, I’d like to visit Lake Como or Lake Orta, pass through the Cinque Terre for some hiking, spend a few days in Naples and Rome, then head down to Sicily.
Hi there,
I’ll be traveling to Japan this coming August. We’ve finalized our itinerary and booked our flight tickets. Now I’m at the stage of buying train tickets for the few segments we’ll need to cover:
Tokyo - Hakone
Hakone - Kyoto
Kyoto - Osaka
Osaka - Tokyo
Here are my questions:
a) Is it possible to buy train tickets for these segments from Canada?
b) If so, which website should I use to do this?
c) And if it is possible, will we be able to print our tickets from Canada?
d) If it’s not possible, where in Tokyo should I go to buy these tickets when I arrive?
Hi everyone, I wanted to take the Paris-Berlin overnight train with a sleeper berth, the new service operated by European Sleepers.
24/05/2026 17:45 Paris-Nord (actually 16:00 from Paris Bercy Seine) -> 25/05/2026 9:59 (actually 7:30 in Berlin)
05/06/2026 18:31 Berlin (actually 20:00) -> 06/06/2026 10:00 Paris Nord (actually 12:30)
Part of the journey was operated by bus instead of the promised overnight train.
For 2 people: 340 € round trip
A total disaster. Never again. I was really looking forward to taking the overnight train, but we faced last-minute changes and truly unpleasant travel conditions. Here are the details:
1) 2 days before departure: email announcing a change of departure station for the outbound trip—Bercy Seine bus station instead of Gare du Nord.
2) Change of schedule: 4:00 PM from Bercy instead of 5:45 PM from Gare du Nord.
3) Change of transport mode!! A bus from Paris to Brussels, then an overnight train from Brussels to Berlin. No functional toilets on the bus. No children under 4 allowed on the bus.
4) On the sleeper train at 9:30 PM: no functional toilets in our carriage, so we had to go to other carriages, even in the middle of the night, to find working ones.
5) The onboard staff, though very friendly, were as lost as we were. In particular, they didn’t know how to handle the lower berths, so people using them had less space (armrests and backrests). Berth numbers weren’t respected, so some passengers had to move. The staff also didn’t know who was supposed to join the compartment during the journey.
6) Arrival at 7:30 AM in Berlin instead of 10:00 AM. No arrival announcement. Passengers had to search for staff to get breakfast and ended up with just a coffee (breakfast = 15 €, not bad for just a coffee).
7) Return trip: drastic schedule change announced by email on 26/05/2026—departure at 7:30 PM instead of 6:30 PM, with arrival between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM in Paris instead of 10:00 AM. No change in transport mode announced.
8) Change in transport mode announced by email on the same day (05/06/2026)!! Overnight train from Brussels to Berlin, then a bus from Paris to Brussels. No functional toilets on the bus. Children under 4 banned from the bus, and families in this situation were asked to find another way—after being notified the same day.
9) The overnight train arrived at Berlin station with a 30-minute delay on top of its initial delay (scheduled for 6:31 PM, then 7:30 PM, finally arriving at 8:00 PM). The heating was blasting in the compartment with no way to turn it off. No functional toilets in the carriage. From that point on, customer service stopped responding to my messages.
10) Woken up at 5:00 AM with an announcement in all carriages about arrival in Liège.
11) Woken up again at 6:00 AM to be told we’d arrive in Brussels at 7:00 AM.
12) Arrival in Brussels at 7:00 AM and a one-hour wait for the bus to Paris. No functional toilets on the bus.
13) Arrival at Paris Nord at 12:30 PM, so 2.5 hours late compared to the originally scheduled time.
14) The overnight trains used are very old—I recognized the carriages from 20 years ago!! No functional power outlets, no Wi-Fi, no air conditioning. Five people per compartment is a bit cramped, but I consider these conditions expected (especially the air conditioning), so I’m not complaining about that. There’s already plenty to gripe about with the travel conditions.
I have little hope of getting even a partial refund. Customer service emails acknowledge the discomfort but only offer to reimburse the cost of a coffee on board if we send them the receipt... a bit weak.
I’m sharing this experience in the hope it might help others.
Hi there,
I’d like to take the Train of the Clouds from Lima to Huancayo.
I’ve heard it only runs during certain periods.
Does anyone have info on this?
Thanks!
HuancayoHuancayo
As part of my professional thesis, I’m conducting a study on the evolution of long-distance rail transport in France, particularly since it opened up to competition.
I’ve put together a very quick (about 5-minute) and completely anonymous questionnaire. Your answers will help me better understand users' expectations regarding pricing, frequency, and environmental impact.
We’re planning a 15-day trip to Uzbekistan in March—classic independent itinerary: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva. We’d like to take the train between each city, but I don’t want to lock down the whole trip before we leave.
So, my question is: is it absolutely necessary to book train tickets before departure, whether for the high-speed trains or the regional ones? Is booking really essential for the regional trains?
Hello,
We’re traveling as a family with two boys aged 10 and 12 to Cairo in February. During our trip, we’re planning to take an overnight train (with or without a sleeper) for the Cairo-Aswan route.
Do you know how I can book this remotely?
Also, I’m looking for:
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Hi everyone,
I first traveled solo to Japan in 2019, exploring the Kyushu region (28 days), and I’m planning to return with my daughter (she’s an adult and it’ll be her first time in Asia) from April 25 to May 9.
I’m reaching out on this forum to ask for route ideas—this time north of Tokyo, but without heading to the Sapporo island (I’m saving that for a future trip).
I’d love to take advantage of the cherry blossom season and its festivities.
I’m looking to create a route that’s a little off the beaten path while staying within 5-6 hours by train from Tokyo to avoid spending too much time on transfers.
Thanks in advance for sharing your suggestions and experiences!
Michael
I'm heading to MEXICO IN NOVEMBER 2025. Since private guides and drivers are really expensive—over 300 € per day—I'm thinking of exploring the Yucatán by train. CAN YOU SHARE ANY INFO ON THIS? Thanks
Hi there!
We’re planning to visit Serbia (1 week) and then Montenegro (2nd week) with our kids from April 18 to May 4. We’d prefer to travel by train (overnight if possible), but we’re not sure which platform to book on or when to do it (is it too early?). If anyone has any tips, I’m all ears!!
I wanted to know if it’s possible to go from Tashkent to Almaty by train without passing through Kyrgyzstan. I’ve heard the border is often closed 😕 between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Thanks in advance!
Olivier
Hi there!
We’re planning to head back to Istanbul next year—obviously by plane—and then take the train from Istanbul to Antalya. Has anyone here already made this trip by train with TCDD?
I’d love any tips or info that could be useful for us!
I'd like to go to Montserrat on my own from Barcelona. Share your suggestions with me.
Which train should I take, where to get off, what to see once I arrive, etc.
I need to take a sleeper train from Bangkok to Vientiane in January.
I found some ticket options on 12Go Asia, but booking doesn’t seem possible at the moment. I’ve tried simulations for several dates, but no luck.
I’m wondering if it’s already fully booked, if they’ve stopped selling tickets… yet 12Go still features it every day 😕
Has anyone else run into this issue?
Can I find tickets on another site? (I tried Baolau, but no sleepers left for January 8th.)
Hi there,
I’m a bit late to be worrying about this, but hopefully someone can help me before I leave.
Tomorrow afternoon, I arrive at Lyon Part-Dieu on the TGV at 5:50 PM and take the TER to Mâcon at 6:16 PM. Is a 26-minute transfer doable? Are the TGV and TER on the same departure board? And are they on the same platforms too?
I’ve been to Lyon before but never had to make a connection after arriving.
Thanks
Starting November 15th, I’ll be arriving in Thailand, and during my stay, I plan to visit the north, around the Chiang Mai area, then head south to the Krabi region.
After Krabi, I’m planning to take an overnight train to Bangkok. I was wondering if there’s a train that leaves from Krabi or Trang, or if I absolutely have to go to Surat Thani?
Also, which official website can I use to book my ticket?
Next, since I’ll be arriving at dawn in Bangkok, I’ve planned to spend 2 days in Kanchanaburi. What’s the most convenient way to get there—bus or train? And if you know any companies or websites, that’d be great.
Hi there,
Does anyone know if there’s a bus from Luang Namtha to Boten to catch the train coming from China to Vientiane? If so, what’s the name of the company? Also, how long does the bus take to cover that distance? What’s the condition of the road like?
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Tom
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I’d love to know if any of you have recently eaten on the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.
We’ve always ordered food on the train, and it was really good (and super convenient).
But in 2022, we ended up feeling like total idiots (with our 4-year-old daughter...) when we boarded the train only to find out that this service was no longer available... (It was the first time we’d traveled right after COVID.)
That’s also when we saw once again how kind Thai people are—they all offered to share their food with us, even though we were mortified. In the end, we managed to buy some instant noodles, which was better than nothing. Anyway, that’s the little story behind it.
In the following years, we’ve always brought our own meals.
I’ve read online that meal trays are back in service (could you confirm this, please?), but that the quality is really poor. I’ve also seen multiple reports that, even though you can eat well everywhere in Thailand, the train meal was the worst food travelers had during their trip...
Could you give me a recent opinion on this?
We’ll be departing from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Station—do you know if there’s anywhere to buy a meal there before boarding the train?
Thanks so much for your help,
and have a great Sunday!
We’re heading to Thailand in February 2026 and we’d like to take the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Can we book two first-class tickets? I’m only seeing second-class options.