Getting from 北京 Beijing to 哈尔滨 Haerbin Hei Long Jiang

China is now a land of remarkable engineering achievement with an railway system that connects even the farthest bits of the country to the capital. There is even a train connecting Beijing to Lhasa! Harbin, Norway, Canada and Hokkaido are famed for their Ice & Snow Festivals. I decided to catch a train northwards from Beijing towards the frigid cold Haerbin to catch sight of this winter spectacular.

A ticket to Haerbin can be bought for any railway station in Beijing （北京西站(Beijing Xi Zhan)/北京北站/北京站(Beijing Zhan)/北京南站）Foreigners are advised to buy their tickets from Beijing Xi Zhan or Beijing Zhan, because there are special designated counters for foreigners with english speaking staff on hand. Tickets can be purchased 5 days in advance. It is advisable to queue for your tickets earlier, or it will be very difficult to get a ticket, especially during the peak season. Please bring your passport to purchase a ticket. The queues at the railway station can be quite long, so please bring something to entertain you while you wait. The train usually glides out of the station on the dot, so please arrive at the station 1 hour in advance.

Depending on your budget you can choose a soft sleeper(4 in a cabin with your own personal tv), hard sleeper(6 in cabin), soft seat or hard seat.

It can be quite confusing for foreigners, to determine the railway station to board the train.
The quickest way to figure out is by looking at the ticket
EG: 北京站(Starting Point) ---------> 哈尔滨(Destination)
The starting point will show you the railway station to board the train.

Food is available in the dining carriages, however most people will bring cup noodles to eat in the cabin, as there is free hot water.

It takes about 10 hours to get from Haerbin to Beijing, therefore do enjoy the gradual change of scenary from a bustling metropolitan city to vast empty land covered in powdery snow with frozen lakes and a few herds of sheeps or goats.

Points to note when flagging a cab at the station:

1)There is no designated Taxi Stand at Haerbin Train Station (哈尔滨 火车站) and most passengers tend to go to the main road to flag a cab.
2)If you find it difficult to hail a cab, you can approach a police officer for help.