There are two choices for people from Spain to get to Tibet. One is that they can take flights to China at first, and then transfer flights or trains to Tibet. The other is that they can take flights to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and the get to Tibet via flights or overland (train is unavailable). They can take either direct flights or connecting flights from airports in Spain, such as the Madrid International Airport, Barcelona International Airport, and Palma de Mallorca International Airport.
Direct flights to cities in China are available in Madrid International Airport and Barcelona International Airport. Flights from Madrid International Airport only land at airports in Shanghai or Hong Kong. And flights from Barcelona International Airport only land at airports in Beijing. If people want to go to cities like Chengdu or Guangzhou, they’ll need to take connecting flights from the airports in Spain, and the journey can take as long as 38 hours. Information about the schedules of flights:
a. Barcelona to Beijing: non-stop - 10 hours 50 minutes, one-stop – up to 29 hours 40 minutes (KBP, MOW, BRU)
b. Madrid to Shanghai: non-stop - 12 hours 45 minutes, one-stop – up to 32 hours 45 minutes (CDG, MUC, HEL)
c. Madrid or Barcelona to Guangzhou: non-stop – no direct flights, one-stop – up to 37 hours 45 minutes (CDG, SVO, IST)
d. Madrid or Barcelona to Chengdu: non-stop - no direct flights, one-stop – up to 27 hours 45 minutes (AMS, CDG, DOH)
e. Madrid to Hong Kong: non-stop - 12 hours 35 minutes, one-stop – up to 28 hours 30 minutes (MUC, HEL, ZRH)
Tibet is a special region in China. Foreign tourists must apply from a Tibet Permit to visit Lhasa, Shigatse and other areas of Tibet, along with passport, valid Chinese Visa and Tibet Group Visa. Once upon your arrival in China, you can get your Tibet Travel Permit from the reception desk of the hotel you booked. Otherwise you won’t be able to get aboard trains or flights to Lhasa. If needed, you can get the permit at the airport or railway station from our staff directly.
By flight
With convenient transportation, Beijing is regarded as the best gateway city to Tibet. There is one direct flight to Lhasa from Beijing every day, and the direct journey only takes about 5 hours. The flight gets off from Beijing Capital International Airport and lands at Lhasa Gonggar International Airport. An economy airline ticket from Beijing to Lhasa is about USD 500. If people can’t get a direct flight ticket, they can take connecting flights from Beijing to Lhasa as well, as there are several connecting flights flying from Beijing to Lhasa every day.
By train
Once getting to Beijing, visitors can take direct trains from Beijing to Lhasa in addition to flights. As the first stop of the railway, it is rather easy to get a train ticket in Beijing. The railway distance between Beijing and Lhasa is as far as 3757 kilometers, crossing 8 provinces and over 30 cities. There is only one direct train (Z21) from Beijing to Lhasa every day. It sets off from Beijing at around 20:00 and arrives in Lhasa at 12:10 on the third day, a duration of about 40 hours. The peak season of Tibet tour is from May to September, when a train ticket from Beijing to Lhasa is hard to obtain due to huge demand. For tourists who can’t buy a direct ticket, they are suggested to take a flight to Xining, a city of Qinghai Province, and then transfer a train to Tibet.
By flight
Several connecting flights from Shanghai to Lhasa are available every day, and they will make stops at cities like Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Kunming. For a normal flight, it takes only about 8 hours to fly from Shanghai to Lhasa. While for a flight which makes stops at multiple cities, it can takes as long as 26 hours to get to Lhasa. An airline ticket from Shanghai to Lhasa usually starts from USD 455.
By train
There is currently one direct train (Z164) from Shanghai to Tibet every day. It sets off from Shanghai at 20:10 and arrives in Lhasa at 19:15 on the third day, covering a railway distance of about 4373 kilometers from eastern China to far western China, which makes it the second longest railway route to Lhasa (after the Guangzhou Lhasa Railway).
By flight
There are several connecting flights from Guangzhou to Lhasa every day. The flights get off from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and land at Lhasa Gonggar International Airport, with stopovers in Chongqing or Chengdu. The average flight duration is between 5 hours 55 minutes and 10 hours 30 minutes. An airline ticket from Guangzhou to Lhasa usually starts from USD 455.
By train
The railway connecting Guangzhou and Lhasa covers a distance of nearly 5,000 kilometers, making it the longest one among all of the railway routes to Lhasa. It takes over 53 hours to get to Lhasa from Guangzhou, crossing 6 provinces (Tibet and Guangdong excluded). The train sets off from Guangzhou at 11:45 every day and arrives in Lhasa 17:05 on the third day.
By flight
A flight from Chengdu to Lhasa only takes 2 hours 15 minutes on average. Therefore, Chengdu has always been one of the most popular gateway hubs for travelers to take flights to Lhasa. There are more than 15 direct flights from Chengdu to Lhasa every day, which get off from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and land at Lhasa Gongga International Airport. An airline ticket from Chengdu to Lhasa usually starts from USD 233 (economy class), which is affordable for most of the tourists.
By train
The railway connecting Chengdu and Lhasa covers a distance of about 3,070 kilometers. The train sets off from Chengdu at 21:37 every other day and arrives in Lhasa at 9:55 on the third day, a duration of about 36 hours. There are 6 midway stations on the way, including Guangyuan, Lanzhou, Xining, Delingha, Golmud and Nagchu. One thing that needs to be noticed is that in months like January, April, May, August, November, and December, trains from Chengdu to Lhasa departs on odd days (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc). While in months like February, March, June, July, September, and October, the trains departs on even days (2nd, 4th, 6th, etc).
Visitors from Hong Kong can only take connecting flights to Lhasa, as there is currently no direct flight between the two places. They can take flights to Xining or Chengdu first and then transfer trains to Lhasa. Or they can take trains from Hong Kong (Kowloon Station) to Guangzhou, and then transfer trains there to Lhasa. The latter option might be fun and adventurous, as the railway distance connecting Guangzhou and Lhasa is the longest railway route in China ( nearly 5,000 kilometers), a duration of nearly 60 hours.
People from Spain can only take connecting flights to Kathmandu as there is no direct flight between them. An economy airline ticket from Spain to Kathmandu is around USD 300. Connecting flights will only make stops at one of the three cities of Istanbul, Dubai, and Qatar, while the flying duration can range from as short as 12 hours to as long as 22 hours.
Kathmandu is the only foreign city where direct flights to Lhasa are available. With short distance (about 600 kilometers) and fly duration (about 90 minutes), a lot of travelers choose to get to Lhasa from Kathmandu by flights. The Kathmandu Lhasa air route is considered to be one of the most beautiful air routes in the world, as visitors can get a bird’s-eye view of the summit of Mount Everest when the plane flies over the Himalayas. Flights between Kathmandu and Tibet are available every day, operated by Air China, Tibet Airlines, and Sichuan Airlines. The average price for an airline ticket from Kathmandu to Tibet usually starts from USD 400.
For visitors who want to immerse themselves in the landscape along the way from Kathmandu to Lhasa rather than hurrying to their destination, they are recommended to get to Lhasa from Kathmandu via a overland tour. The overland distance between Lhasa and Kathmandu via Girong Port is about 1,000 kilometers and journey along the way is just like an epic adventure. If you don’t want to worry much about the complicated transfer, you can hire tour vehicles from our company to take you to Rasuwagadhi Fort, where stands the Resuo Bridge, which marks the boundary between China and Nepal. You need to cross the bridge before going through customs. When you are through with the customs formalities, your guide and the driver will take you to Gyirong Town, where you can begin your journey in China and acclimate the abrupt altitude changes before getting into deep Tibet. Driving eastward, you can see everything you want to see in Tibet, such as the wide stretch of land, vast grasslands, and shimmering holy lakes. You can also go to visit some monasteries along the way. The destination of this road journey would be Lhasa, where you can better explore Tibetan culture and religions and visit some famous tourist attractions that you will remember forever.
Prefer to tailor a trip that totally suits your budget and interests? Tell us your needs, and we will get back to you within minutes. This is a trip that you can’t miss in your life! Just contact us and we can arrange everything for you! All you need to do is nothing but to enjoy yourself during the holiday at the Roof of the World.
The Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are very popular tourist attractions in Tibet. For most tourists from Spain, 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 Spanish 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.
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