Trains and Accommodation Lanzhou, Gansu Province

Trains and Accommodation Lanzhou, Gansu Province
Sep 10, 2007 03:18
GALLY1 Points: Join Date: Sep 10, 2007 Status: offline	We are thinking of travelling to Lanzhou in the October Holiday week. We should be able to get train tickets there, but we must be able to return to Zhengzhou on Friday 5th October, preferably on the overnight train. Is it a popular destination for the Holiday Week? Do you think we will be able to get return train tickets if we book as soon as we arrive (arrival should be Sat 29th Sept)? Also, can anyone recommend a cheap but nice hotel or hostel? Is there one that we can book in advance? And, lastly, what places would you recommend us going to during the week we will be there? Cheers

Sep 10, 2007 03:18

GALLY1
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Join Date: Sep 10, 2007
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We are thinking of travelling to Lanzhou in the October Holiday week. We should be able to get train tickets there, but we must be able to return to Zhengzhou on Friday 5th October, preferably on the overnight train. Is it a popular destination for the Holiday Week? Do you think we will be able to get return train tickets if we book as soon as we arrive (arrival should be Sat 29th Sept)?

Also, can anyone recommend a cheap but nice hotel or hostel? Is there one that we can book in advance?

And, lastly, what places would you recommend us going to during the week we will be there?

Cheers

Sep 10, 2007 07:24	#1
DANNYN Points: Join Date: Aug 25, 2007 Status: Offline	Lanzhou itself is not a popular tourist destination, but since it's along the Lhasa time, tickets to there are sometimes hard to get during the peak seasons. Tickets out of Lanzhou should pose less of a problem. Lanzhou is absolutely packed with hotels. You won't have any trouble finding one that suits your finances!

Sep 10, 2007 07:39	#2
DANNYN Points: Join Date: Aug 25, 2007 Status: Offline	There seems to be no 'edit-option' so I'll have to use this second post to tell that "along the Lhasa time" should of course be "along the Lhasa line" Sorry :S

Sep 14, 2007 09:20

JABAROOTOO
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Join Date: Jul 4, 2005
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There is a very good and reap hotel across the street from the station but it may be a good idea to book unless you get into town early in the morning. You are more likely to get a room at that time of the day thean in the evening. If you need details I can dig them up for you but there are some pretty good online hotel booking services if you google.

Good idea to book tickets as early as you can because Lanzhou is a major rail transit centre. We had trouble during the summer holidays a few years ago. See if you can buy your return tickets before you leave and the hotel acros from the station will be able to buy them for a small fee if you wait until you arrive. This will save you the hassle of queing.

Have great time

Sep 14, 2007 20:58

GALLY1
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Join Date: Sep 10, 2007
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Thanks for your reply (and Dannyn too).

Interesting that you mention buying our return train tickets before we start out to Lanzhou. We have never been able to do this in the past when travelling in China - we have always had to either queue up and purchase our return as soon as we arrive at the destination, or pay a bit extra and get the travel desk at our hostel or hotel to get the tickets once we have registered. I don't mind paying the bit extra to the travel desk but it still doesn't guarantee a ticket at peak times.

I have now heard rumours that it is possible to buy return tickets yourself before travel is commenced, but no one has come up with any details. Do you know if or how this can be done?

Maybe I should start a new query to get other people's response?

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