Atlas of China
Lhasa to Xining 拉萨 – 西宁
Door to door, the flight comes out ahead: about 4½ hours against about 21 hours by train, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. Fares run about ¥760 against ¥224.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TrainLhasa 拉萨 → Xining 西宁 | 20 h 31 minZ8982, fastest | 21 hours | ¥224standard class | 509:50–15:50 |
| FlightLhasa Gonggar (LXA) → Xining Caojiabao (XNN) | 2 hin the air | 4½ hours | about ¥760varies by day | 311:35–18:40 |
By train
5 direct trains a day run from Lhasa to Xining, between 09:50 and 15:50. The fastest, Z8982, takes 20 h 31 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥224. It runs overnight, so a sleeper berth saves a hotel night. Coming back, 6 trains a day, the fastest 19 h 42 min (Z223, 11:42 to 20:50).
Lhasa: Tibet Travel Permit required; trains out of Tibet are conventional, and the Fuxing trains to Nyingchi and Shigatse run only within Tibet. Xining: Starting point of the Qinghai–Tibet Railway to Lhasa (conventional trains).
By air
3 nonstop flights a day from Lhasa Gonggar (LXA) to Xining Caojiabao (XNN), 2 h in the air, 11:35 to 18:40, with Tibet Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and Lucky Air. 3 fly back. Door to door, with the airports at each end, count about 4½ hours; fares vary by day and are typically about ¥760.
At the other end
Featured places around Xining.
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Kumbum Monastery 塔尔寺
Golden roofs and butter sculptures at the birthplace of Tsongkhapa
Around Lhasa: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple & Barkhor.
On the map
Open either city on the illustrated map, or put both in a trip and let the planner lay out the days and the legs between them, with the same tables these numbers come from.
Book
About Lhasa · About Xining · All routes
Trains are every direct train on 2026-10-28 or 2026-11-11 in the 12306 timetable, with standard-class fares; one weekday, so weekend and holiday services differ, and the fastest train may not run every day. Flights are the airlines' schedules for 2026-10-28, plus routes Wikipedia lists for small airports. Drives are routed on OpenStreetMap roads (extract of 2026-10-21) where the pair was routed, else estimated from the distance. Door-to-door times add about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time to a flight. How to book is in the guide to trains and 12306; the rail times are open data on the data page.