Tibet Tour From Germany

How to Get to Tibet from Germany? Multiple ways to travel from Frankfurt to Tibet.

For German tourists, there are a number of ways to travel to cities in China such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, leaving from any of four major airports across Germany, and arriving at the destination cities in China, several of which coincide with the gateway departure cities for the Tibet trains. There are also flights to Kathmandu, which run direct from Munich and Frankfurt, which are a great way to get to Tibet for those wishing to travel overland to Lhasa.

By Flight to China

Flights to China from Germany are frequent, and can be found for a relatively good price using the many comparison websites available to get the best deal. The average flight times are:

a. Frankfurt or Munich to Beijing: non-stop - 9 hours 10 minutes, one-stop – up to 20 hours 45 minutes (WAW, KBP, CAI)
b. Frankfurt or Munich to Shanghai: non-stop - 10 hours 35 minutes, one-stop – up to 29 hours 55 minutes (DEL, SVO, HKG)
c. Frankfurt or Munich to Guangzhou: indirect flights only, one-stop – from 14 hours up to 30 hours (HKG, CAI, MCT)
d. Frankfurt or Munich to Chengdu: non-stop - 9 hours 50 minutes, one-stop – up to 20 hours 35 minutes (HKG, PEK, AMS)
e. Frankfurt or Munich to Hong Kong: non-stop - 11 hours 5 minutes, one-stop – up to 27 hours 20 minutes (DEL, HEL, SVO)

After Your Arrival in China

By the time you arrive at your hotel in China, your Tibet Travel Permit will be waiting for you with the reception desk, and you will be ready to take the flight or train to Lhasa. In some extreme cases, our staff will give it to you in person at the airport or railway station. The permit is needed in order to board both train and flight, and the options for both are given below:

From Beijing to Lhasa

By flight
There is currently only one direct flight per day to Lhasa from Beijing, although there are a larger number of indirect flights that stopover in Chengdu en route to Lhasa. The direct flight takes around 5 hours to get to Lhasa Gonggar International Airport, and costs from around US$ 500 for an economy ticket.

By train
The train from Beijing to Lhasa is the Z21, which leaves daily at around 8:00pm. The journey covers 3,757 kilometers across eight provinces in mainland China as well as Tibet, arriving in Lhasa around 40 hours later at 12:10pm on the third day. However, in the summer season, from May to September, it can be hard to get a ticket for the train from Beijing to Lhasa, due to the huge demand. One option to counter this would be to take a flight to Xining, in Qinghai Province, and then get the train from there, as there are more carriages on the Xining train and a better chance of being able to procure a ticket.

From Shanghai to Lhasa

By flight
Flights from Shanghai leave several times a day, although there is currently no direct flight to Lhasa. The flights stop at Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, or Kunming, and take from around 8 hours to as much as 26 hours for the multiple-stop flights. The cheaper flights start from around US$ 455.

By train
The Z164 leaves Shanghai daily at 8:10pm, and takes around 47 hours to reach Lhasa, as distance of around 4,373 kilometers. The train arrives in Lhasa at around 7:15 in the evening of the third day, and the journey is the second longest of all the routes to Lhasa.

From Guangzhou to Lhasa

By flight
Similar to Shanghai, there are no direct flights to Lhasa from Guangzhou, although there are a number of indirect flights, with stopovers in Chongqing and Chengdu. The average flight takes from 5 hours 55 minutes to 10 hours 30 minutes, and costs from around US$ 455.

By train
Departing at 11:45am daily, the train from Guangzhou takes over 53 hours to get to Tibet, making it the longest of all the train journeys to Lhasa. Covering almost 5,000 kilometers, the train arrives in the Tibetan capital at around 5:05pm on the third day.

From Chengdu to Lhasa

By flight
From Chengdu, there are numerous direct flights to Lhasa, which take around 2 hours 15 minutes on average. With more than 15 flights a day from Chengdu, it is one of the best airports from which to fly to Tibet, and with the short travel time, it is one of the best options for those with time constraints. It is also relatively inexpensive, costing from around US$ 233 for an economy flight.

By train
The trains from Chengdu depart every other day at around 9:37pm, and arrive in Lhasa on the third day at around 9:55am. Covering a distance of 3,070 kilometers across mainland China and Tibet, the journey takes a little over 36 hours, and is one of the more popular gateway cities to travel to Tibet from. Scheduled departures from Chengdu are on odd days of the month (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc) in January, April, May, August, November, and December, and even days of the month for the rest of the year.

From Hong Kong to Lhasa

Without a direct flight to Lhasa, there are several options for connecting you to the Tibetan capital. Flights to Chengdu from Hong Kong and then on to Lhasa are very popular, as is the flight to Xining via Chengdu, and then taking the train to Lhasa. You can also take the train direct from Chengdu, or for the very adventurous, you can get a train direct to Guangzhou from Kowloon Station in Hong Kong, and then get the train from there to Lhasa, a total journey time of around almost 60 hours, that covers nearly 5,000 kilometers.

Travel Tips: The actual ticket price varies based on different airlines, flight time and particular service. The exact amount of flight or train prices are best confirmed by the airline or Tibet train you book.)

By Flight to Kathmandu

Flights to Kathmandu leave from Frankfurt and Munich Airports for direct flights, while there are indirect flights from Berlin and Dusseldorf that only have one stop en-route to Nepal. The direct flights take around 11 hours to reach Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal, although the cheapest flights are normally the indirect ones. Direct flights from Germany to Kathmandu are costly, so if you are on a budget then an indirect flight is the best option.

Kathmandu to Tibet

By Kathmandu to Lhasa flight
There are several daily flights from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, provided by Air China, Tibet Airlines, and Sichuan Airlines. The flight normally takes just 90 minutes, and has the added advantage of allowing you a bird’s-eye view of the summit of Mount Everest as the plane flies over the Himalayas. An average economy ticket costs from around US$ 400.

By the Epic Overland Tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa
Traveling overland from Kathmandu is an epic adventure that takes you across the Himalayas to the Tibetan Plateau, crossing the wide expanse of the region, through arid steppes, across vast green prairies, over high mountain passes, and alongside some of the region’s most holy lakes, shimmering in the sunlight. From Kathmandu, we suggest you using our tour vehicle and directly take you to Rasuwagadhi Fort on the Sino-Nepal border, from where you will walk across the bridge to Immigration control on the Chinese side. Once through immigration, your guide and driver will meet you and transfer you to Gyirong Town a short distance away to start your tour.