There are many high speed train from Guangzhou to guilin. Need to travel in 2 sections from sz to gz and then to guilin.
For the official app, you can use China mobile phone number and passport to register. Before registering, you should have used your passport to buy a ticket in the counter. In that case your passport number will be in their system and you can register successfully.
After registering, take your passport to the counter and ask them activate your online account. They would verify the registration details and activate, after which you can book tickets and help other with booking.
Last edited by shafiq; 23-08-2017 at 09:09 AM.
and they are slowly allowing some lines to travel at 350 k/h as opposed to 300. get there even faster if you are lucky.
Seat61 recommend "China DIY Travel", and they have a promo code (OCTZK) reducing service charges to USD $5 per ticket. Nothing wrong with Ctrip though, but just listing this as an alternative.
The best option is still the official ticketing system (12306) - but you can only purchase tickets if you taken a train before and your passport number is in their system. Also requires Chinese bank card.
Page Redirection
https://www.seat61.com/China.htm
I only recommend buying a ticket either on the official website or on the spot - the service charge on ctrip / elsewhere is too expensive to the extent that the service charge alone often costs more than the train ticket itself.
For example, a slow train ticket from Shenzhen to Huizhou only costs CNY 18.5, while a high-speed train ticket from Futian (Shenzhen city centre) to Guangmingcheng costs similar.
It depends how far you are going. If it is a short trip, and there are frequent trains, then yes, buy on the spot for the next train. if it is a longer journey, say to Guilin, I think buying through ctrip is worth the commission (although i agree it's expensive). The official website - does it have an English version? Does it accept international credit cards? Don't you need a Chinese mobile number to register with it? ( I think the answers are No, No, and Yes).
People on other forum recommend to get a ticket at an outlet in Shenzhen (代售點), where the commission is only CNY 5, no long queues, and instant retrieval. It is possible to get tickets within 18 days from outlets. It is the most convenient way for Hong Kong people to buy train tickets in China.
You need to get the physical ticket at a counter if you buy it on ctrip, where the queue may be extremely long at Shenzhen North Station (therefore recommend to use Futian station in this case) unless you are holding an old version of the Home Return Permit.
I don't have an home return permit, so it means to chops in my passport to enter and exit China to get a train ticket. The faster my passport gets filled up, the sooner I have to pay to get a new one. Also, the cost of getting to Lo Wu and back again is more than the ctrip commission cost, without taking into account the time involved.
I agree the ctrip commission is expensive for what you get. I also agree that having to get the physical ticket after booking online with ctrip is a pain. But, for someone living in Hong Kong, who is not Chinese and doesn't want to make a special trip to Shenzhen to get a train ticket in advance, then ctrip is a good option.