Beijing to Xi'an by High-Speed Train: Everything NZ Travellers Need to Know

The high-speed train from Beijing to Xi'an is one of those travel experiences that changes how you think about transport. It's fast, comfortable, punctual, and the journey itself — 1,200km across the North China Plain and into Shaanxi Province — is genuinely interesting to watch unfold through the window.

If you're visiting both cities on a China tour, this train is almost always the right choice over flying. Here's everything you need to know.

The Basics

Route: Beijing South Station → Xi'an North Station
Train class: G-class (Gaotie) high-speed, 2nd class seating
Journey time: Approximately 4–5 hours depending on service
Top speed: Up to 300km/h
Distance: Approximately 1,215km

The G-class trains are China's flagship high-speed services — wide seats, quiet carriages, smooth ride, and a catering trolley that passes regularly with drinks, snacks, and instant noodles. 2nd class is the standard booking for tour groups; it's comfortable and entirely adequate for a 4-hour journey.

Beijing South Station

Beijing South is one of China's largest railway stations — a vast, modern terminal with multiple levels for high-speed and conventional rail. It's not in central Beijing; allow at least 30–40 minutes from the city centre by metro or taxi, and arrive at least 30 minutes before departure.

On a guided tour, your guide handles the logistics: tickets are collected in advance, the group moves through the station together, and boarding is straightforward. For independent travellers, the station is well-signposted in English, and the process — showing your ticket at the gate, finding the platform, boarding the correct carriage — is manageable with basic preparation.

Xi'an North Station

Xi'an North is similarly large and modern, located about 15km from the city centre. Taxis and the metro (Line 2) connect it to the city. Again, on a guided tour, your guide meets the group at the station exit and transfers you to your hotel.

The Journey

The train departs Beijing and passes through southern Beijing's outer suburbs before entering the North China Plain — a vast, flat agricultural landscape that extends for hours. This is one of the most densely populated and historically significant agricultural regions in the world, and watching it scroll past at 300km/h gives you a visceral sense of China's scale that no map or statistic can replicate.

As the train approaches Xi'an, the landscape changes: the plains give way to the hills of Shaanxi Province, the loess plateau that has shaped Chinese civilisation since its earliest recorded history. By the time you arrive at Xi'an North, you have crossed something you can feel as well as see.

Why Not Fly?

Several reasons, in rough order of importance:

The airport experience is worse. Domestic air travel in China means getting to the airport 90 minutes before departure, check-in queues, security, gate waits, boarding, taxiing — add it up and the time saving over the train is often minimal, while the comfort deficit is significant.

The train stations are more central. Beijing South and Xi'an North are both connected to the city metro. The airports are further out and less convenient.

The journey is part of the experience. The train crossing northern China is genuinely interesting. The flight is not.

Lower carbon footprint. For travellers thinking about this: high-speed rail produces significantly less CO₂ per passenger-kilometre than domestic air travel.

On a CTS Tour

CTS Tours includes the Beijing–Xi'an high-speed train (2nd class) as a standard inclusion in the A Tale of Two Cities Discovery tour. Tickets are arranged in advance, and your guide accompanies the group from Beijing South to Xi'an North. There's nothing you need to organise or worry about — you simply turn up at the station and board.

View the full Beijing & Xi'an tour →