There are two major train stations in Shanghai for passengers:
1. Shanghai Station: the main hall of Shanghai railway station consists of an elevated railway and two squares: the North Square and the South Square. South Square is in front of the station waiting building. North Square is a hub for long distance buses. So if you want to take trains, you only care about South Square. Moreover, there are four exits: the 1st and 2nd South exits, the North exit, and the Subway passage.
2. Shanghai South Station: Shanghai South Station serves most trains to cities of Zhejiang province, including Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Ningbo, Jinhua and Wenzhou, for trains most of them are D trains (bullet trains), and the Southern provinces of China, like Shanghai-Hong Kong Route. The Shanghai-Kowloon Through Trains depart from this station.

There are three main railway stations in Beijing: Beijing Station, Beijing West Station and Beijing South Station.

1. Beijing Station: It is conveniently located near the center of the city. You can take Subway Line #2 to get there, and it's very easy to take baggage onto the Subway because the train doors are flat and wide. Or you may take buses to be there as Numerous bus lines pass through Beijing Railway Station. It is also very convenient for you to take a taxi from the railway station as the location to get a taxi is just next to the subway. People are required to line up to get into taxi and the taxies are well organized, you will not be chased or overcharged by the drivers as they are all legitimate. Exit through Gates C or D. Beijing Railway Station mainly handles trains from the north-east, inner Mongolia and eastern coastal China, like Shanghai and Suzhou. Some international trains such as Beijing-Moscow, Beijing-Ulbator, and Beijing-Pyongyang also depart from here.

2. Beijing West Railway Station: This station is located in the west of Beijing. It can handle 300,000 passengers daily and it is the biggest railway station in Asia, which is also well known for its Sino-European construction style. The best way to get there is to take a taxi as there is no subway stations nearby. Trains leaving for northwest and south of China depart from here, like the well-known Jingjiu Railway, or Beijing-Kowloon Railway line.

3. Beijing South Station: The station is located in the south of the city. The station mainly handle the high speed trains like the bullet trains. As this railway station is far away from city center, CTO kindly suggest you to get to the station ahead of time.

You should make the reservation at least 1 month in advance, meanwhile, your passport number is required when booking the international train tickets, and please make sure to obtain the necessary Visa.

The China Railway stipulate that the domestic (within China) tickets should be issued 10-12 days before departure, then you will need to book the tickets at least 20 days in advance with us. However, the train tickets are always under great demand for Chinese holidays like May Day (May 1st to 3rd, 3 days holiday), National Day (Oct 1st to 7th, 1 week holiday) and Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), then CTO kindly suggest you to make the reservation as early as possible if you plan to travel during these times.

The weight of small luggage that you can carry with you aboard train is limited to 20 kilograms (44 pounds) per person stipulated by China Ministry of Railways. You will have to transact the large pieces of baggage exceed the limitation before your departure.

Most of the train stations in China broadcast in Chinese, however, in some big cities like Beijing, Xian and Shanghai, they also broadcast in English.

The trains in China are categorized and named according to the speed and comfort. There are 5 different types in China, D (High-speed Bullet) Train, Z ( Quickest and non stop) Train, T (Express) Train, K (Fast) Train, and Ordinary Train.

Dining cars are provided on all trains except some of the Ordinary Train. Usually, it is set in the 10th car on the train. The food provided mainly is Chinese dishes.

The deluxe soft sleepers are the most peaceful way to travel overnight, it is the most expensive while most comfortable trains in China. A compartment with only 2 clean, comfortable berths includes a private toilet. You may enjoy your trip entirely and freely. However, these compartments are only offered on a few trains like Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Hong Kong, and Beijing-Xian as well as some other important routes to and from big cities.

The soft sleeper is also recommended for long distance travel, which is a compartment with 4 comfortable berths and the compartment is closed. The soft sleeper beds are the same beds as the hard sleepers but with better standard of sheets and blankets. At both ends of the car, there are washrooms and toilets shared by about 9 compartments.

The hard sleepers are divided into compartments of 6 berths each, 3 beds on each side (upper, middle, and lower), normal sheets, pillows and blankets are provided. However, it is one open compartment. Along the corridor, there are pairs of seats for daytime use next to the windows.

Obviously, the lower sleepers are always under great demand as it is more spacious for people to sit in and also can be easily accessed. However, the other people will also sit in the lower sleepers as the upper and middle sleepers all need to climb up and they has limited room. Then if you want to travel in a peaceful way, CTO kindly suggest you not to choose the lower sleepers.

The soft seat is more expensive while more comfortable than the hard seat, the car is air-conditioned and usually it is not too crowded.

As the name " Hard Seat " goes, the seat is harder than soft seat and usually the seats are upholstered. Of course, it is also the cheapest one. Some of the cars don't have air-conditioner and usually, they are rather crowded and not that clean compared with soft seat cars.