How to Travel to Harbin from Beijing

Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang Province in northeast China. It is known as the Ice City not only for its climate, also for winter tourism, sports and for its well-known ice sculpture festival. While your visit in Harbin you shouldn’t miss Ji Le Temple, Harbin Grand Theatre, Saint Sophia Cathedral, and its stunning architecture around. The following page is about how to travel to Harbin from Beijing:

Distance Between Beijing & Harbin
Harbin city is located in the northeast of Beijing, the distance between Harbin and Beijing is 1057 kilometers; Harbin is located with(45.75,126.65) coordinates and Beijing is located with (39.9075,116.3972) coordinates. The calculated flying distance from Harbin to Beijing is equal to 657 miles which is equal to 1057 km. If you want to go by car, the driving distance between Harbin and Beijing is 1223 km. If you ride your car with an average speed of 112 kilometers/hour, travel time will be 10 hours 55 minutes. The public transportation between Beijing & Harbin is getting develop since the Northeast China Tours are popular by domestic & international tourists. Taking train & flight are the best way to visit Harbin from Beijing.


How to Travel from Beiing to Harbin by Train
High-speed trains from Beijing to Harbin
High speed trains are available between Beijing & Harbin, it provides great convenience for Harbin tourism from Beijing. The high speed railway with a total length of 1331KM, it takes around 8 hours from Beijing train station to Harbin train station. There are 3 "D" trains are available at the monment, the trains are depart from Beijing trian station, arrive at Harbin train station & Harbin West Station.

Recommended Trains as below:
1. Beijing Train Station -- Harbin Train Station
Train number: D29 (06:34/14:57); Duration: 8h23m; Price: 2nd class seat(CNY313.5) / 1st class seat (CNY501.5);

2. Beijing Train Station--Harbin West Train Station
Train number: D25 (10:28/18:46); Duration: 8h18m; Price: 2nd class seat(CNY306.5) / 1st class seat (CNY490.5);
Train number: D27 (15:15/22:50); Duration: 7h35m; Price: 2nd class seat(CNY313.5) / 1st class seat (CNY501.5);

Note: You can also take high speed train from Beijing to Qinhuangdao Station or Jinzhou South Station first, then transfer to Harbin West Station, the whole train journey will be around 8h30m.

Regular Trains / Overnight Trains from Beijing to Harbin
For a budget travel from Beijing to Harbin, the regular train or overnight train are the good choice, there are several trains departure from Beijing daily.  It will take about 10-18 hours according to different trains. These trains start from Beijing Railway Station and stop at Harbin Railway Station. Ticket prices range from 152.5 CNY to 755.5 CNY. If you choose to take overnight trains from Beijing to Harbin, you can save a one night accommodation in Harbin city.

Recommended Trains as below:
1. Beijing Train Station--Harbin West Train Station
Train number: Z157 (05:58/16:55); Duration: 10h57m; Price: Hard seat(CNY152.5)/ Hard sleeper (CNY261.5)/ Soft sleeper (CNY409.5) / Superior sleeper (CNY755.5)
Train number: K349 (14:08/08:27); Duration: 18h19m; Price:hard seat (CNY168.5) / hard sleeper (CNY288.5) / soft sleeper (CNY450.5)

2. Bejing Train Station--Harbin Train Station
Train number: Z83(21:55/08:54); Duration:10h59m; Price: hard seat (CNY152.5) / hard sleeper (CNY261.5) / soft sleeper (CNY409.5)

How to buy Beijing-Harbin Train Tikcets
There are a couple of different ways to book your Beijing to Harbin train tickets, if you are plan to travel to Beijing and Harbin during the holidays, such as Labor Day, National Holiday, Chinese New Year... you'd better book the train tickets in advance.
1) Book train tickets online on your own, you can buy China train tickets online with www.trip.com or www.12306.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 60 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, the ticket windows at Chinese train stations are open 24 hours a day. There is a window for foreigners or English-speaking staff in Beijing 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 you want to go and at what time, you will be shown available trains and departure times on the screen. Choose the best ticket for your trip, hand over your valid ID and payment, and the tickets will be printed for you.

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

How to take train from Beijing to Harbin
Firstly, you should find the main entrance to enter the station and go through security with your train tickets and vaild passport or ID Card. Then, you should check the big screens 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. Once the gate open pass the ticket trough the electronic machine to get access to the platform. Next, you need to find your right number of carriage and seat according to the information on your train tickets. 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 still reuqired when you arrive.

Beijing & Harbin Train Stations Travel Guide
Beijing Train Station: Located in the No. Jia 13, Maojiawan Hutong, Dongcheng District. It is one of the mian train stations in Beijing and most trains are heading for the northern China & Northeast China, such as Harbin, Shenyang, Liaoning, Jilin...It also runs the international trains which heading for Pyongyang, Hanoi, Ulan Bator, Moscow. You can take subway line 2 or bus nos. 9, 24, 126, 619, 673, 674, 804, Special Line 2, Night Line 28, Capital Airport Shuttle Bus Line 3, Capital Airport Shuttle Bus Xidan Night Line, Nanyuan Airport Shuttle Bus Railway Station Line.

Harbin Train Station: Located on No. 1, Tielu Avenue, Nangang District, Harbin. One of the three train stations in Harbin. There are ordinary express trains leaving for Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Beijing, Taiyuan, Wuhan, Shijiazhuang, Shenyang, Jinan, Qingdao, Dalian, Xuzhou and Manchuria from Harbin Railway Station each day, where the high-speed trains to Beijing, Tianjin and Shenyang are also available. Once you arrive in Harbin train station, you can take bus no. 6, 11, 13, 14, 16, 21, 32, 64, 74, 89, 101, 103, 108, 109 and 115 to get into Harbin city.

Harbin West Train Station: It is located on Huochetou Avenue, Daowai District, Harbin; With 8 kilometers from Harbin Railway Station, 25kilometers from Harbin Taiping International Airport, Harbin West Railway Station is a transportation hub for high-speed trains departing southward, where the trains are mainly bound for Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, Qingdao and Shanghai. You can take bus No. 96,11,120 to get into Harbin city once you arrive.


How to Travel from Beijing to Harbin by Flight
Taking flight is the best way from Beijing to Harbin, there are over 10 daily flight from Beijing to Harbin which takes around 2 hours. It's a time saving way to travel to Harbin from Beijing. The flights are departure from Beijing Capital International Airport and arrive at Harbin Taiping International Airport, the earlist flight is departs at 08:35 in the morning and the latest one is departs at 20:10 in the evening. The schedule for Beijing-Harbin line are update frequently, the above flight schedule for your reference. Travel to Harbin by flight is not such expensive than trains, the price is lower during the off-season.

Beijing & Harbin Airports Travel Guide
Beijing Capital International Airport: 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


Harbin Taiping International Airport: Located 37 km (23 miles) southwest of downtown Harbin. Harbin Taiping International Airport works as a hub for China Southern, Shenzhen Airlines and Sichuan Airlines.

How to get to Harbin City from Harbin Taiping Airport
1) Take airport shuttle buses, there are 4 airport shuttle bus lines run between airport & Harbin downtown. You can choose to take the one close to your hotel.
2) Taxi is the best choice if you arrive in Harbin airport, it takes around 45 mins from Taiping airport to Harbin city center. The taxi fee is around CNY100.
3) Car rental service: To rent a car in Harbin Airport is a great way to explore the region on your own. You will have your personal driver pick you up from the exit once you arrive and help you with your luggage