How to travel from Beijing to Xian

Overview
Are you wondering what is the fastest or cheapest way to travel from Beijing to Xian? Xian is one of the most popular tourist cities around Beijing, and it attracts millions of tourists comr to Xian from Beijing. Actually, it's very easy and convenient travel between Beijing and Xian since the rapid development of transportation in China. Beijing is the capital city of China and one of the main entry port for western tourists. There are many options for travelling from Beijing to Xian, such as flight, high-speed train, normal train and long-distance bus. Distance between Beijing and Xian is about 1200KM. High speed train and Plane are the most recommended ways for travellers to visit Xian from Beijing, it takes around 2.5h by air and 4.5h-5.5h by high speed train. They are not only saving your travel time but also giving you an interesting and unique experience.

How to travel from Beijing to Xian by Train

1. High-speed trains from Beijing to Xian
The journey from Beijing to Xian by high speed train is pretty amazing. The high speed train is fast, comfortable and it is a very popular transportation for travellers and the locals. The railway with a total length of 1200KM between Beijing and Xian, it takes around 5 hours from Beijing to Xian, the speed for the high speed trains can reach 300 km/h. Taking high speed train from Beijing to Xian is an affordable and convenient way for most travellers, there are more than a dozen of daily high-speed trains going between Beijing and Xian, the price for train tickets is from CNY515.5 to CNY1627.5, there are three types of train seat, 2nd class seat, 1st class seat & business seat. All the high speed trains depart from Beijing West Railway Station to Xian North Railway Station.

Departure from Beijing West Railway Station to Xian North Railway Station
Earlist Train: G89; Duration: 4h31m; 2nd Class Seat: CNY515.5; 1st Class Seat: CNY824; Business Class Seat: CNY1627.5
Latest Train: G25; Duration: 4h26m; 2nd Class Seat: CNY515.5; 1st Class Seat: CNY824; Business Class Seat: CNY1627.5

2. Normal Trains / Overnight Trains from Beijing to Xian
Taking normal trains or overnight trains from Beijing to Xian is a very cost-efficient way to travel. Taking the overnight trains will allow you to save on the cost of a hotel room and have more time to visit tourist attractions. Normal train numbers have the Z, T or K; Normal trains offer hard seats or soft seats of varying comfort as well as hard sleepers, soft sleepers and deluxe soft sleepers on some trains. It takes around 13 hours from Beijing West Railway Station to Xian Station or Xian South Railway Station, the price for the tickets is from CNY148.5 to CNY780.5
1) Departure from Beijing West Railway Station to Xian Railway Station
Train Number: T231; Duration: 13h1m; Hard seat: CNY148.5; Hard sleeper: CNY254.5; Soft sleeper: CNY398.5;

2) Departure from Beijing West Railway Station to Xian South Railway Station
Train Number: Z43; Duration: 13h43m; Hard seat: CNY156.5; Hard sleeper: CNY268.5; Soft sleeper: CNY422.5; Superior sleeper: CNY780.5

How to book Beijing Xian train tickets in China
There are a couple of different ways to book your Beijing to Xian train tickets, if you are planning to travel to Beijing and Xian during the holidays, such as Labor Day, National Holiday, Chinese New Year... you'd better book the train tickets from Beijing to Xian in advance in case all the train tickets are sold out. 

1) Book train tickets online on your own, you can buy China train tickets online on www.trip.com(English website) or www.123.06.cn(it's the official webiste for China train tickets but only in Chinese); You can use your credit card to pay on trip.com, the tikcets are available to purchase up to 28 days in advance and at least 35 minutes before the train’s departure. For train ticket pickup, go to any railway station or authorized ticket office in Mainland China with your ticket pickup number along with the ID or Passport that you used for booking.

2) Buy train tickets at Beijing train station train station or any trains stations in China, the ticket windows at China train stations are openning 24 hours a day. There is a window for foreigners or English-speaking staff in the train station. The self-service machines that you see next to train station ticket windows can only be used with Mainland China ID cards. When you tell the staff where and when you want to go, you will see the available trains and departure times showed on the screen. Choose the best ticket for your trip, hand over your valid passport and booking code, and the tickets will be printed for you. 

3) Ask for your hotel staff in Beijing or local travel agent to help you to book the train tickets in advance.

How to take train from Beijing to Xian
Step 1: you should find the main entrance to enter the station and go through security with your train tickets and vaild passport or ID Card.
Step 2: you should check the big screen to find the information of your train and from which gate is departing, go to find your check gate and wait nearby since the gate will open 15 minutes before your departure time.
Step 3: Once the gate open pass the ticket trough the electronic machine to get access to the platform.
Step 4: Next, you need to find your right number of carriage and seat according to the information on your train tickets.
Step 5: Enjoy the wonderful train journey, the train may stop at different stations before reaching your destination, but no worries the stops will be announced in English as well.
Please keep your ticket since it is still reuqired when you get out of the train station.

Travel Tips for taking train in China
It’s very important to bring your passport along with you when you take train in China, it is required for collecting tickets and boarding the train. You should arrive at train station at 1 hour in advance before your departure time. Lots of stations in China start to accept passengers with e-tickets only now. For those passengers, they can enter these railway stations and get onboard via the manual channels with their ID certificate used to buy the e-ticket, like passport. In this case, you can print out your e-ticket beforehand. All seats are numbered, you might find people in the wrong seats but just show your ticket and it will be easily sorted out.

Information about Beijing & Xian Railway Stations
1) Beijing West Railway Station
Beijing West station is located in western Beijing's Fengtai District. This railway hub is a terminal for both regular and high-speed connections covering all major destinations in western and southwestern China like Chengdu, Lhasa, Xian, and Chongqing. If you plan to start your China exploration from this station, you can travel on the high-speed, bullet, fast, express, and overnight trains. You can take metro line 7 & 9 from Beijing city or take taxi to reach Beijing West Railway Station.

2) Xian North Railway Station
Located on the Shangxin Road, Weiyang District. As the largest and the most important station in Northwest China, the station operates many high-speed trains connecting to major cities in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Suzhou, and Chengdu.

3) Xian Railway Station
It is Located on the No.44 Huancheng North Road, Xincheng District; it's the old railway station in Xian city. Xian Railway Station only operates normal trains or overnight trains to other cities, like Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Dunhuang, etc. 

4) Xian South Railway Station
It is located in Yinzhen, Changan District; You can take Xian City Bus No.918 at the north gate of the government of Chang'an District

How to Travel From Beijing to Xian by Flight
Travel From Beijing to Xian by Air is an easy and great way for tourists. It's the fastest way but most expensive option travel between Beijing and Xian, the flight is only take around 2 hours, but after factoring in travel time to the airport, checking-in, security, traveling by plane is almost the same if not longer than taking the high-speed train. This also assumes that there are no flight delays, which as we all know can add considerable travel time to your trip. There are numerous flights all throughout the day, you can book the flight tickets according to your schedule. Flights depart from Beijing Capital International Airport and land at Xian Xianyang Airport. Normally, travel by air is expensive than train or bus, but sometimes you can book very cheap discount air tickets even cheaper than high speed train. There are more than 20 direct flights from different airline companies per day flying from Beijing to Xi’an.

Beijing & Xian Airports Travel Guide
Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK)
It is located 32 km northeast of Beijing city center, at Chaoyang-Sunyi District. It is the main international airport serving the city and the world’s busiest airport and the largest Chinese airport.

How to get to Beijing Capital Airport from Beijing downtown
1) By Taxi: Taxi is the best option for travelers arriving late or with a lot of luggage. Many taxi drivers speak limited English. Don’t assume the worst if they ask you for more money: You’re responsible for tolls on the expressway.
2) Airport Shuttle Bus: The airport shuttle bus is the most inexpensive option from Beijing city to Beijing Capital Airport, and you won't need to change subway lines/trains. There are many stations in Beijing city, you can find one close to where you stay.
3) Airport Express Train: It is the fastest option, but you’ll need to make a transfer or two onto the busy subway system. This can be a challenge with luggage.
4) Book a priavte airport transfer

Xian Xianyang International Airport (XIY)
It is located within the administrative area of Xianyang city, about 40KM northwest of Xian city. Xian Xianyang Airport is the only one airport in Xian, and it is the largest airport in the northwest part of China. 

Get to Xian downtown from Xian Xianyang Airport
1) Airport Shuttle Buses: There are many routes for the Xian airport shuttle bus, you can conveniently take the airport shuttle bus bettween Xian Xianyang International Airport to Xian city centre, such as Xi Shao Men, Xian Railway Station, Hi-Tech Development Zone, Xian Hotel, Jianguo Hotel, Rainbow Hotel, Xi’an South Intercity Bus Station, Xian North Railway Station eight airport shuttle bus lines. It takes around 1 hour from airport to get in Xian city.

2) Taxi: By taxi is the the most convenient way between Xian airport and Xian city on your own. It costs more than airport shuttle buses, the fee is different from daytime and nighttime for taxi. Make sure you have the illegal taxis from Xian airport.

3) Book a private airport pick up service: Highly recommend you to book a private transfer with a driver if you are travel with lots of luggage.

How to travel from Beijing to Xian by Long-Distance Bus
Travel from Beijing to Xian by bus is available, but not as comfortable as trains or flight. Distance between Beijing and Xian is about 1200KM, you can buy the tikcets for bus 7 days in advance, the price for the bus ticket is CNY280. It takes around 13 hours from Beijing to Xian by long-distance bus, it almost same as normal trains from Beijing to Xian. There are two stations in Beijing have the buses to Xian: Yongding Gate Bus Terminal (Departs at 13:00); Liuliqiao Long-distance Bus Terminal (Departs at 17:45).

How to travel to Top Attractions in Xian
1. How to get to Terracotta Warriors
From Xian Xianyang International Airport: 1) Take airport shuttle bus to reach Xian Railway Station, it takes 1 hour from airport to Xian railway station, then transfer to tourist bus No.306 to Terracotta Warriors. The whole journey takes around 2 hours from airport to Terracotta Warriors by this route; 2) You can also take airport shuttle bus to Lintong, and then take bus Lintong No.101 to the Terracotta Warriors about 15 minutes; 3) Take city taxi or book a private transfer from airport to visit Terracotta Warriors directly.

From Xian North Railway Station: 1) Take metro line 2 from Xian north railway station to get off at Beidajie Station, then transfer to Line 1 to Banpo station. You can take the city bus No. 307 to reach Terracotta Warriors (Bingmayong Station) when get off at Exit A; 2) Take the free tourist shuttle bus from North railway station to Terrracotta Warriors, you can get a free bus card from Xian Travel Consultation & Distribution Service Center if you take the G-trains to Xian North Railway Station; 3) Take city taxi or book a private transfer from airport to visit Terracotta Warriors directly.

From Xian Railway Station: 1) Take tourist bus No.306 from Xian train station East square to the Terracotta Warriors directly, it costs CNY7 for one way. 2) Take city taxi or book a private transfer from airport to visit Terracotta Warriors directly.

2. How to get to Xian Ancient City Wall
From Xian Xianyang Airport: 1) Take airport shuttle bus "Airport - East Bus Station Line" to Xian downtown, then transfer to city bus No.221 to reach Xian Ancient City Wall; The duration is about 60 mins and costs CNY25/person. 2) Take city taxi or book a private transfer from Xian Xianyang International Airpot.

From Xian North Railway Station: Take metro line 2 from Xian north railway station and get off at Yongningmen Station to go up the City Wall from the South Gate. Or get off at Anyuanmen Station to go up from the North Gate; 2) Take city taxi or book a private transfer from train station.

From Xian Railway Station: As Xian Railway Station is located in the downtown of Xian city, it's many ways to get to Xian Ancient City Wall: 1) You can take city bus No. 321, 402, 405 from railway station, it takes around half an hour; 2) Take city taxi to visit the ancient wall directly, it takes around 10 mins.

3. How to get to Mt. Huashan Scenic Area
From Xian Xianyang Airport: 1) Take long-distance bus from Bus terminal at Xianyang airport, there are several direct buses available, departs at 10:30?12:30?15:00?17:30. It takes around 2 hours from Xianyang airport to reach. 2) Book a priavte transfer or a package tour to Mt.Huashan.

From Xian North Railway Station: 1) You can take high speed train from Xian north railway station to Huashan North Station, it takes around half an hour by high speed train. Once you arrive at Huashan north station, take taxi from there to Mt. Huashan; 2) Use the private vehicle from Xian North Railway Station to Mt.Huashan directly.

From Xian Railway Station: 1) Take the regular tourist buses departing from Xi’an Railway Station, bounded for Huashan’s Visitor Centre. The bus ticket cost CNY35 to 40 per person for one way. And the bus journey takes 1.5 to 2 hours. 2) Renting a Xian private vehicle with local angency or book a Mt.Huashan tour.

4. How to get to Big Goose Pagoda
From Xian Xianyang Airport: 1) Take the airport shuttle bus " Airport-West Bus Station-Xi'an Hotel" Line and get off at Xi'an Hotel, transfer to a taxi or city bus for 4 kilometers to Big Goose Pagoda Square; 2) Take the airport shuttle bus "Airport-North Railway Station" Line and get off at Xi'an North Passenger Station, transfer to Metro Line 2 to Xiaozhai, walking around 1KM to east then you will reach Big Goose Pagoda. 3) Take taxi from airport to Big goose pagoda directly.

From Xian North Railway Station: 1) Take metro Line 2 and get off at government centre station, transfer to metro Line 4 to reach Dayanta Station (Big Goose Pagoda Station), walking about 1.4km you will reach there; 2) Take taxi from Xian North Railway Station to Big goose pagoda directly.

From Xian Railway Station: 1) Walking about 900 meters to Wu Lu Kou Station to take metro Line 4 to reach Da Yan Ta Station, it takes around 10mins, when you get off walking about 1.2KM to Big Goose Pagoda; 2) Take Xian City Bus No.41 from Xian railway station and get off at south square of Big Goose Pagoda; 3) Take city taxi

Top Beijing to Xian Tour Packages
1. Beijing to Xian 1 Day Tour: All Inclusive Xian Terracotta Warriors Tour From Beijing by Flight
2. Tours From Bejing: 2 Days Beijing to Xi'an Essence Highlights Tour by Bullet Train
3. Tours from Beijing: 4 Days Xi'an Highlgiht Tour With Taiji Boxing Lesson From Beijing by Bullet Train
4. Tours From Beijing: 2 Days Classic Xian Tour From Beijing by High Speed Train 
For more Beijing Xian tour packages, please refer to Xian Side Tour.