What is the train travel like in China?
Chinese trains carry four classes of accommodation, namely, soft-sleeper, soft-seat, hard-sleeper and hard-seat (the more important inter-city trains just provide soft class seats, e.g.soft sleepers have comfortable 4-berth (2 upper &2 lower) compartments with full bedding provided.Hard sleepers provide bunks in open-plan dormitory cars,usually arranged in bays of 6 (2 upper, 2 middle and 2 lower) on one side of the aisle, with pairs of seats on the other side of the aisle for daytime use.Each compartment has two washrooms at both ends of it, which is about 1 square meter large,with a separate room beside it for you to clean your hands and face.Hot water will be provided from water boilers at both ends of compartment free of charge. Meals and drinks can be purchased in the train’s restaurant carriage which is in the middle of the train, and the staff may sell things like drinks, books, meal boxes etc.from one compartment to another with pushcart. Though train travel within China may be
Train travel in China has undergone some major improvements over recent years, and traveling via train is a good option for visitors. Chinese rail travel has four different travel classes.
Hard Seat: Hard Seat is the cheapest and most common class of train travel ticket. Few foreigners travel in this class, and seats can be hard to come by.
Soft Seat: Soft Seat is more comfortable and the best option for city-to-city travel within China. You can reserve a seat in the Soft Seat class.
Hard Sleeper: Hard Sleeper class is meant for long journeys, but be aware that it is extremely cramped and can be rather noisy, with five or six bunks to each room.
Soft Sleeper: This is an upgrade of the Hard Sleeper to a room with a door and a fairly decent bed.
Be aware that trains in China can vary in cleanliness and crowdedness, and they are notoriously crowded over holidays. You can also purchase special China rail passes ahead of time to reserve a space on the train (although you may need to purchase additional tickets for a specific seat).
