China is a huge country. If you are a tourist or a traveler in China, the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to getting around China is by flying. However, you have to consider that China is a big country and there are quite a lot of things that you may want to see that you will never have a chance in seeing when you travel by air. Today, many people as well as tourists are now taking trains as one of the best way in getting around China.
Although trains are a lot slower than airplanes, you will see that taking the train instead of the airplane will have more benefits. So, why should you take a train to get around China? There are quite a lot of reasons why.
First of all, in China, railway stations are located within cities. However, airports are only located in major cities. This means that you will be able to have a chance to visit more of China's cities by traveling in trains rather than through air. You will also see that aside from a costly plane ticket, you will also spend more traveling from the airport to another city in China. Taking the train is much cheaper and a lot easier.
Although trains are a lot slower than traveling by air, you have to consider the timetable. In most cases, train routes between major cities can only take one night. This means that it will be able to save you one night accommodation as you will be spending the night on the train, which will have no extra charge. It will also mean that you will arrive at your destination at first light where you will be fully refreshed after a good night's sleep and ready for taking the tour around the city.
Another great advantage in taking trains is that it allows you to mingle with the locals and even make friends with them as well as other tourists. Here, you will be able to learn about the real China as you will be able to interact with fellow passengers. For most people, this is definitely a great experience and you will learn more about the culture.
The next question would be what kind of ticket you should get?
Basically, trains in China have four types of tickets. These are the soft sleeper, soft seater, hard sleeper, and hard seater.
If you want to have a comfortable journey and save money at the same time, then taking the hard sleeper is the best way to go. Usually, the beds are arranged in berths of 6. This means that there is less headroom here than in the soft sleeper.
However, the beds here are just as comfortable as the soft sleeper. And, because you will be sharing the berth with 5 other people, you will be able to interact with them. Chinese people who know a little English will want to practice their English by speaking to you. And, this is also a great way to practice your Mandarin. You can also learn a thing or two about proper etiquettes in China.
Basically, in the soft sleeper, you will just pay to share with less people.
These are some of the tips that you should remember when taking the train in China. So, if you want to discover the real China, try taking the train. Here, you will not only have a great time viewing the countryside, but you will also be able to interact with the locals and really learn about the true China.