Tibet is one of the most visited tourist destinations in China and gets millions of tourists from around the world every year. There are several routes to get to Tibet through various cities and territories. One of the most popular and easiest route to get to Tibet is via Hong Kong. Hong Kong is situated in Southern China and it itself is one of the major transportation hub and tourist destinations.

There are several routes to Tibet from Hong Kong, and all of them gives you the chance to explore a number of famous Chinese cities. Let's explore the best possible routes to get to the roof of the World from Hong Kong.

Route 1: Hong Kong to Tibet via Beijing

First Phase: Hong Kong to Beijing

By Air

Here, your first destination will be Beijing. There are over 20 daily flights to Beijing from Hong Kong as several domestic and international carriers offer direct flights. These flights normally take 3 hours 35 minutes to get to Beijing from Hong Kong and the ticket will cost you around $242.

By Train

While traveling by train you have two options; either by high-speed trains or by normal trains. The normal trains take around 24 hours while the high-speed trains complete their journey in about 9 hours.

Second Phase: Beijing to Lhasa, Tibet 

By Air

After reaching Beijing, you will head to Lhasa; the Tibetan capital city. You will have only one flight that takes about 4 hours 30 minutes. It cost you around $450. Only one flight takes off daily.

By Train

There are several trains from Beijing to Lhasa on a dailybasis that takes around 40 hours to complete their journey. Although, It is cheaper than the air flights, its worth-trying at least once because it brings you some of the best landscapes and scenery from the Tibetan Plateau.

Route 2: Hong Kong to Tibet via Shanghai

First Phase: Hong Kong to Shanghai

By Air

Over 35 direct flights run to Shanghai from Hong Kong daily that costs as low as $141 and the average flight time is 2 hours 35 minutes.

By Train

A number of normal and high-speed trains get to Shanghai from Hong Kong daily. The normal train takes 19 hours to complete its journey while the high-speed train takes around 8 hours 20 minutes to get to Shanghai.

Second Phase: Shanghai to Tibet

By Air

You have the option to fly to Tibet 5 times a day from Shanghai. Two of these flights are direct and rest are indirect making stopovers at Chengdu or Xi'an. Normally these flights take seven to nine hours to make it to Tibet from Shanghai covering a total of 3,000 km.

By Train

There is daily one train from Shanghai to Lhasa, Tibet that complete its journey in 46 hours and pass through the eight provinces of China in this tiring journey.

Route 3: Hong Kong to Tibet via Chengdu

First Phase: Hong Kong to Chengdu

By Air

Chengdu is one of the most preferred gateways to access Tibet with seven direct flights daily. It takes 2 hours 35 minutes to complete this aerial journey and costs around $387. Travel by train is not preferred between these two destinations because there are very fewer train options.

Second Phase: Chengdu to Tibet

By Air

There are around three dozen flights to Tibet from Chengdu and almost 12 of them are direct flights. The aerial distance between Chengdu and Lhasa, Tibet is 1286 kilometers which are covered in two and a half hour by air.

By Train

Chengdu is the most popular among all the seven gateway cities to get to Lhasa, Tibet. While traveling by train, it takes 36 hours to complete the journey by covering about 3000 kilometers of distance. The train leaves every second day from Chengdu to Tibet and costs about 627 Chinese Yuan.

 

Route 4: Hong Kong to Tibet via Guangzhou

First Phase: Hong Kong to Guangzhou

By Air

Guangzhou is the major Chinese city closest to Hong Kong and it provides you with multiple best options to get to Lhasa. There are daily two flights from Hong Kong to Guangzhou that get you to the destination in around an hour and cost you $131.

By Train

Here, trains are better options for you to take. Multiple pairs of normal and high-speed trains run between both the cities daily. High-speed trains normally take 50 minutes to get to Guangzhou while normal speed trains complete their journey in around 2 hours.

Second Phase: Guangzhou to Tibet

By Air

There are daily 3 flights to Lhasa, Tibet from Guangzhou daily, one direct and two indirect flights via Chongqing. Total air travel is around six hours along with a one-hour stay if traveling on indirect flights.

Guangzhou to Tibet

You can get to Tibet from Guangzhou by train by traveling the almost entire length of China in a 4980-kilometer journey which takes about 50 hours. Not preferred if your schedule is tough.

Route 5: Hong Kong to Tibet via Xi'an

First Phase: Hong Kong to Xian

By Air

There are three flights daily from Hong Kong to Xi'an, two of them are direct flights while the third one is a connecting flight through Guangzhou. The direct flights take around three and a half hour to get to Tibet.

Second Phase: Xian to Tibet

By Air

There are daily eight flights from Xi'an to Lhasa, Tibet that takes around 3 hours 20 minutes on direct flights while 4 hours 20 minutes on indirect flights. If you are traveling from Xian to Tibet, the aerial journey is preferred because there is almost no option of traveling by train.

By Train

There are no direct trains from Xi'an to Tibet. The trains from Guangzhou and Shanghai takes a stop in Xi'an but the trains are usually full due to high demand so it is difficult to get a ticket. Traveling to Xi'an by train is not recommended as you may suffer if unable to get a train ticket.

Route 6: Hong Kong to Tibet via Chongqing

First Phase: Hong Kong to Chongqing

By Air

It takes around two hours 35 minutes to get to Chongqing by air but there are very less daily flights between both cities, i-e, four.

Second Phase: Chongqing to Tibet

By Air 

There are daily 10 direct flights and 12 indirect flights from Chongqing to Lhasa, Tibet. A direct flight cost 1890 Yuan for an economy class ticket and it takes 2 hours 50 minutes to reach to the destination, i-e, Lhasa, Tibet.

By Train

Trains depart every other day from Chongqing to Tibet, interestingly, on odd days of the months such as 2, 4, 6, etc., for the half year while on even days of the months such as 1, 3, 5, etc., for the other of the half year. The train travel between Chongqing and Lhasa takes around 35 hours to complete and several types of berths can be booked as per your budget and needs.

Final Words:

We recommend you route 3; Hong Kong to Tibet via Chengdu, because this route gives a golden chance to explore Chengdu, which is the cultural hub of Southwest China. There are more than 10 direct flights between Lhasa and Chengdu daily. Furthermore, the train from Chengdu to Lhasa is also a great route, because this route gives a chance to experience Qinghai-Tibet railway within 36 hours.

Besides all the cities mentioned above, Xining,  Lanzhou, Zhengzhou, Guiyang, and Kunming also have direct flights to Lhasa. Any doubt please do not hesitate to contact us.