Train from Shanghai to Hong Kong

Dear friends,

we%26#39;re thinking of taking a train from Shanghai to Hong Kong on 24 April 2009 which is a Friday. can we confirm that for month of April, the train will travel on even date and not day eg 24th and not Monday, Wednesday ....? is the train a direct train or do we have to change train somewhere eg Guangzhou? how early do we%26#39;ve to book - can we book the tickets upon arrival in Shanghai on the 16th April? we%26#39;ll be staying in Hilton Shanghai; has anyone asked the hotel to help to purchase the tickets and what are the commissions like? again we%26#39;ll be heading out to Nanjing the next day, do you think we%26#39;ll be able to get the fast train tickets only upon arrival? thanks all for the help.

Train from Shanghai to Hong Kong

Even dates of the month, not even days of the week.

Yes, it%26#39;s a direct train.

Tickets go on sale 90 days in advance for this train.

Advisable to get your Nanjing and Hong Kong train tickets in advance.

Train from Shanghai to Hong Kong

thanks ellyse for the info. however we麓re confused as a travel guide from Topchinatours has replied to our enquiry and told us that there is no direct train from Shanghai to Hong Kong but we麓ll need to change train at Guangzhou. below is the reply from her:

The train (T 99A ) from Shanghai to Guangzhou leaves Shanghai Railway Station at 17: 00pm on 23th April 2009 and arrives at Guangzhou East Railway Station at 10: 19am next day. The price for one ticket of the deluxe sleeper is CNY584, so two tickets are CNY1168.

The train (T817) from Guangzhou to Hong Kong leaves Guangzhou East Station at 12:12 and arrives at Hong Kong Hunghom Station at 14:07. The ticket price including the commission charge is CNY320, so two tickets are CNY640.

any official website to verify the info?

A recommendation NOT to use Topchinatours!!

www.it3.mtr.com.hk/b2c/frmIndex.asp鈥?/a>

http://www.it3.mtr.com.hk/B2C/CMS/Upload/BJ_Sch_Eng_(1Jan09).pdf

Hey

We will traveling from Shanghai to Hong Kong on April 29th. Since its odd day of the month, is there anyother way getting into Hong Kong form Shanghai?

Geez, that agent needs to be sacked. They don%26#39;t know what they%26#39;re talking about!

Yes, plenty of ways to get from Shanghai to Hong Kong other than the direct train. Plenty of direct flights if you don%26#39;t mind the cost. ;) Or, you could always fly to Shenzhen then take bus/train/ferry over. If you mean to go overland, take the train to Shenzhen then walk across the border and take MTR to wherever you want to go in Hong Kong. If you take the train to Guangzhou East train station you could then change to another train to get to Hong Kong as well.

thanks all for the advice and info. Drumbrake, can we purchase the ticket online; could not locate the city Shanghai from the box while trying to purchase ticket. what would you suggest if we would want to get the train ticket from Shanghai to Hong Kong before arrival in Shanghai? Ellyse, we would like to try the train if possible. thanks again to all for the help.

Sorry, but you cannot purchase the Shanghai - Hong Kong tickets online; only the ones from Guangzhou to Hong Kong can be bought online.

I might be able to help you out with the tickets as I%26#39;m studying in Shanghai. PM/email me at ellyse99@yahoo.com -- put ';TripAdvisor'; and your own username (eg CitiesTraveller) in the subject line.

From my experience on Chinese trains, its quite difficult to sleep and the washrooms get dirty easily. I suggest you just fly to Hong Kong because airfares are quite low right now.

bebo