There are two steps for traveling to Tibet from Canada. First, you need to fly from the International Airport of Vancouver to major provincial cities of China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. And then you can arrive in Lhasa by train or domestic flight after obtaining the Tibet permit. Second, you can choose to fly from Canada to Kathmandu and enter Tibet either by flight or road trip. You may have different combinations about the transportation depending on your travel dates and personal preferences.
The first step for Tibet tour is to fly from Vancouver to China. It’s advised to book our Tibet tour in advance and sort out the important travel documents like Tibet Permit. In addition, booking your flight in advance gives you the opportunity to get a cheaper ticket and choose your preferred travel route. You can fly from Vancouver to major Chinese gateway cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Hong Kong.
a. Canada to Beijing (Duration: 11h35m non-stop; up to 28h13m with 1 stop in SFO,DFW,HKG, TPE.)
b. Canada to Shanghai (Duration: 12h non-stop; up to 18h 30m with 1 stop in HKG, SFO, PEK,ICN)
c. Canada to Guangzhou (Duration: 13h30m non-stop; up to 19h50, with 1 stop in ICN,PEK,HKG,PVG)
d. Canada to Chengdu (Duration: up to 18h20m, with 1 stop in PEK, SFO, PVG, HKG, CAN)
e. Canada to Hong Kong ( Duration: 13h35m non-stop; up to 16h59m with 1 stop in SEA,DFW,TPE,MNL)
After landing in China, all you need to do is to obtain the Tibet permit and then choose a domestic flight or train to Lhasa. Normally, your Tibet license will be delivered to your hotel in mainland China which is a necessary condition to board a Tibetan flight or train legally. Under certain special circumstances, our staff will personally provide you with a Tibet permit at the airport or railway station.
By flight
One of the most efficient ways to reach Tibet is to take the plane from Beijing to Lhasa. There are both non-stop flights and direct flights.The non-stop flight takes off at 14:40 in Beijing and lands in Gonggar Airport of Lhasa at 19:20 which takes about 4 hours and 40 minutes in total. And the direct flight takes off at 08:20 making a stopover in Chengdu and reaches Lhasa at 15：15 which takes around 6 hours and 55 minutes. The price of the non-stop flight is around 506USD while the price of direct flight is around 538 USD.
By train
Taking the train from Beijing to Lhasa (Z21) is the hottest route to come to Tibet, which will definitely give you an exciting and unique journey! The train departs at 20:00 and it takes 40hours and 20 minutes to reach Lhasa. The soft sleeper ticket costs 1144 CNY while the hard sleeper costs 720 CNY. In the peak season especially from July to August and the travel rush of the Spring Festival, there is a shortage of train tickets. In order to solve this problem, you’d better fly from Beijing to Xining first and take the train from Xining to Lhasa.
By flight
If you want to get away from the bustling modern Chinese city, it’s a good choice to fly from Shanghai to Lhasa. So far, there is only direct flight from Shanghai to Lhasa which normally makes a stopover in Chengdu or Xi’an for one hour and 20 minutes. The flight takes off at 16:50 and lands in Gonggar airport of Lhasa at 00:15 the next morning. And the total duration lasts 7 hours and 25 minutes. The price of the flight ticket is around 442USD.
By train
The train Z164 (return Z166) from Shanghai to Lhasa is the second busiest route in China by taking the train to Tibet. The train takes 46 hours and 15 minutes to travel from the eastern coastal city of China to Tibetan Plateau, which leaves Shanghai at 20:10 and reaches Lhasa Railway Station at 18:25. As for the price of the ticket, the soft sleeper ticket is 1262.5 CNY while the hard sleeper costs 793.5 CNY.
By flight
If your time is limited or it’s difficult for you to take a train for a long time, the flight from Guangzhou to Lhasa can help you save a lot of time. There is only direct flight from Guangzhou to Lhasa, which takes off at 08:10 and arrives at Gonggar Airport of Lhasa with a stopover in Chongqing after 5 hours and 55 minutes.
By train
The Guangzhou-Lhasa train Z264 (return train Z266) offers an unforgettable experience for the devoted railfans to take the train to Tibet. The Guangzhou-Lhasa train passes through 4,980 kilometers making it the longest train in Tibet across China. The train departs at 11:45 and arrives in Lhasa at 16:19 after a walloping 52h34m’s ride. The soft sleeper ticket costs CNY 1468 while the hard sleeper is CNY 865. Taking the long distance into consideration, it’s not recommended for young kids and the elderly to take the train.
Hong Kong becomes the ideal place for international tourists to land in mainland China because of its favorable location. Up to now, the most efficient way for tourists to travel from Hong Kong to Lhasa is to take a plane to Chengdu first and then transfer to another plane or take Chengdu-Lhasa train to reach Lhasa. The Hong Kong-Chengdu flight takes off at 17:10 and arrives in Chengdu at 19:55 after 2h45m’s flight. If you decide to take another plane in Chengdu, it’s suggested to get your luggage and then you can change to the flight bound for Lhasa. The second part of the flight takes off at 06:45 and lands at Gonggar airport in Lhasa at 09:40 after 2h55m’s flight.
The other option that you can choose is to take Chengdu-Lhasa train to reach Tibet. The train leaves Chengdu at 21:37 and reaches Lhasa at 09:55 after 36h18m’s journey. As for the price, the price of soft sleeper is 997.5 CNY and the hard sleeper costs 627.5 CNY. If your time permits, it’s advised to visit our office and meet your travel consultant in Chengdu. We will help you get your Tibet permit and you can have a nice chat there with us.
Travel Tips: The actual ticket prices are different according to the different airlines, flight time and particular service. It’s advised to check the exact prices of flights or trains according to the airline or the Tibet train you book.
Nepal is located on the south side of the Himalayas and is the closest country to Tibet. And Kathmandu has become the preferred gateway to Tibet because of its close distance to Tibet and convenient transportation. Tourists may choose to take Kathmandu-Lhasa flight to arrive in Tibet or enjoy the classic overland tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa so as to travel to the center of Tibet. Vancouver to Kathmandu (Duration: up to 34h48m, with 1 stop in CAN, HKG)
There is only one international flight connecting Tibet with the outside world that is the flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa. The non-stop flights are run by Sichuan Airline and Air China respectively on odd and even days. In other words, it means that you can fly to Lhasa every day and vice versa. The flight takes off at 12:50 and lands in Lhasa at 16:35 with the1h25m’ total duration. The Group Tourist Visa (3 days for process) will be got by our travel consultant which will help you board to flight legally. As soon as you arrive at Gonggar Airport of Lhasa, our Tibetan guide will be meeting you with auspicious Hada outside the airport and your Tibet Permit will also be prepared at the same time. If you want to have the best view of snow-capped Mount Everest, it’s advised to choose the seat against the window which is on the left side of the plane.
If you are travel gurus, you may find it undeniable when you appreciate the allure of epic overland tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa. The action-packed adventure across Himalayas and world-class natural wonders and Buddhist monasteries, etc. truly make the difference than flight. Our staff in Kathmandu will help you get Group Tourist Visa while staff in Lhasa will get your Tibet Permit. You can take the bus from Kathmandu to the customs at Gyirong Port (at 10:00 Beijing Time) which is the current border of Sino-Nepal after you get your Group Tourist Visa, and our Tibetan guide will be waiting for you on the other side of customs and your Tibet Permit will be prepared by us. After our meeting there, we will gradually guide you to Lhasa.
There is so much information about traveling from Canada to Lhasa. If you have more questions related to your Tibet travel plan or you have specific preferences of your future Tibet tours, please feel free to send us your inquiry and contact our professional travel consultants for Free Consultancy.
Generally speaking, our Canadian customers are friendly and optimistic. Even if the weather forecast says tomorrow will be windy and rainy, they still believe they can see beautiful sunrise tomorrow. They are always willing to visit local people’s houses and see Buddhist praying in Jokhang Monastery, Potala Palace, Barkhor Street and other religious sites in Tibet. Taking a Mount Kailash tour to see the most devout prayer in the most sacred mountain is a good option for them.
The Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are very popular tourist attractions in Tibet. For most tourists from Canada, April, May, June, September and October are the best five months for attending a Kailash Manasarovar tour. During this time, you could enjoy the continuous good weather and comfortable climates, and admire the most beautiful sceneries. Beside Mount Kailash, these five months are also the best time to see sunrise in the Mount Everest Base Camp.
If Canadian tourists don’t have time to visit the Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar during these five months, July and August can be their second options. Although these two months are rainy season, the temperature is good for taking a tour and the sceneries are beautiful.
For common Canadian citizen, the Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) is the government department where they should submit their application for China visa, but not the embassy or consulates. Only diplomatic or service passport holders need to send their submission in embassy or consulates. The address of the CVASC is Suite 1450, 220 Laurier Avenue W., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Although the open hours for CVASC is between 9:00 and 16:00 (Monday to Friday), it is closed during both Chinese and Canadian public holidays. You might be familiar with the dates of Canadian holiday, but perhaps you do not know all the dates of Chinese holiday, so it is recommended to check out if the date you plan to submit your visa application is during CVASC’s holiday time.
You need to make an appointment online after filling in the application form on the website of China embassy. www.visaforchina.org
Canadian citizen could take flight to China from many cities in Canada, such the Vancouver, Toronto. Edmonton, Montreal and Calgary. The destinations of these flights could be Guanghzou, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Qingdao, Chengdu and Shenyang. The cheapest flying route is to fly from Vancouver to Beijing first, and then take flight or train from Beijing to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. The total cost is only around 700 USD. Feel free to contact us if you want us to arrange the flights or trains to Lhasa.
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