Taking the train to China: questions about the Central Asia route

Hi everyone,

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.

Hi there, It looks like this country-by-country site, which is highly reputable, more comprehensive than you’d expect, and regularly updated, was made for you: https://www.seat61.com/

Good evening, what a great project! Are you starting from Chambéry, I assume? If so, you’ll need to go through Geneva and then connect to Austria, etc. The best option on the European side is to get a 15-day Interrail pass. You can plan your route on the Interrail website. However, there are extra charges for taking Intercity trains. In Turkey, train tickets are definitely cheap.

Thanks so much, Thierry! I just went and had a look, and wow, it does seem REALLY comprehensive!! On the other hand, that little warning "updated 2026" doesn’t bode well: the Trans-Siberian’s gonna be tricky... and it also looks like the lines connecting Central Asia to China have been suspended since COVID? ... surprising. But I’ll dig deeper. Thanks again

Thanks Mathews for your reply! The European (western) leg isn’t the trickiest—an Interrail pass is a solid option. You can reach Istanbul in 4 overnight segments (Paris-Vienna / Vienna-Bucharest / Bucharest-Istanbul).

It’s the next part, beyond Anatolia, where I’d love some practical tips.

Thanks again!

Hi, happy to help! If you make this trip, give us a little feedback.