Transportation & Travel

The bullet train from the capital to the panda capital is one of China's great rail journeys — about eight hours through the Qinling mountains. Here is what our guides tell travellers before they book.

Around five hours from the capital to the ancient capital, gliding through the North China Plain and over the Yellow River. The Beijing–Xi'an bullet train is the smart way to reach the Terracotta Warriors.

Under an hour from downtown Chengdu stands a 2,300-year-old irrigation system still doing its job — with misty Mount Qingcheng behind it. Here is how the train leg works.

China runs the world's largest high-speed network — 45,000 km of 300–350 km/h track. How to book as a foreigner, which seat class to choose, and how to never miss a train again.

An hour on the rails from Chengdu puts you at the foot of the 71-metre Leshan Giant Buddha. Here is how the train leg works — plus when a private car makes more sense.

Flight vs high-speed rail comparisons for the routes travellers actually take, plus airport logistics, luggage rules and how to handle delay culture.

The hottest one-hour train ride in western China: bullet trains connect Chongqing's neon mountainsides to Chengdu's teahouses about every half hour. Here is how to ride it smoothly.

Chengdu's metro is the fastest-growing in China and almost every tourist sight sits near a station. A practical map-in-words of how locals move around the city.

From the Pearl River delta to the Sichuan basin in a single day: the Guangzhou–Chengdu bullet train crosses some of China's most dramatic karst country. Here is what to expect and how to book.

Street-hailing is dying in China — everything runs on apps now. How to set up Didi with a foreign passport, pay without a Chinese card, and what to do when the driver calls you.

From West Lake to the Sichuan basin is a full day on the rails. Here is how the Hangzhou–Chengdu train options compare — and when we suggest flying instead.

Yes, you can ride the rails from Hong Kong's harbour all the way to the pandas — direct high-speed trains exist, and there are also smart connecting options. Here is the current picture, plus what to double-check before you book.

The new Chengdu–Kunming railway is one of the great mountain rail lines anywhere — and it links Yunnan's spring-time capital with Sichuan's in around six to seven hours. Here is how it works in practice.

1,300 kilometres in around four and a half hours — the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway is China's flagship line and one of the great train rides of the world. Here is everything first-timers need.

Shanghai and Chengdu sit at opposite ends of China's economic map, and the rail link between them is long but genuinely scenic. Here is how to decide between the day train, the night train, and a flight.

Three to four hours from the Terracotta Warriors to the pandas — the Xi'an–Chengdu bullet train through the Qinling mountains is one of China's most impressive engineering rides, and the easiest way to link two of the country's favourite food cities.

Seventy-one metres of Buddha carved into a river cliff, watched over by three converging rivers. Leshan is Chengdu's easiest big day trip — 40 minutes by high-speed rail — and choosing between the boat and the cliff stairs is the one decision that shapes your whole day.

One day, two wonders: a 2,300-year-old irrigation system that still waters the Chengdu plain, and the greenest Taoist mountain in China. Here's how to explain the engineering miracle to your travel companions — and how to choose between Qingcheng's two very different sides.