Shigatse Railway Station

Station name and what to look for

Match the Chinese characters on your ticket to the characters above. English translations of Chinese station names vary between booking sites, but the Chinese name is the same everywhere.

About the station

Shigatse, or Xigaze, is Tibet’s second city and the seat of the Panchen Lama. The railway extension from Lhasa opened in 2014 and made it reachable by train in a few hours rather than a long road journey.

The station is on the edge of the city. The main draw is the Tashilhunpo Monastery, one of the great Gelug monasteries, which dominates the town from its hillside.

Altitude here is around 3,840 m, slightly higher than Lhasa, so the same acclimatisation advice applies with a little more emphasis.

Getting to and from Shigatse

The station is a taxi ride from the town centre and from Tashilhunpo. There is no metro and the town is compact once you are in it.

Road connections continue toward Everest Base Camp and the Nepal border, but those are long journeys by vehicle rather than by rail.

What catches travellers out here

• Tibet permit rules apply here exactly as they do in Lhasa, and Shigatse is often included as a named location on the permit. Check that your itinerary and permit match.
• The monastery is an active religious site. Dress and behaviour expectations are stricter than at a museum.

Other station guides in Tibet

Before you travel

Tickets are issued against your passport and there is no paper ticket to collect for most domestic services. Read the booking guide if this is your first Chinese train, or the seat class guide if you are choosing between a hard sleeper and a soft sleeper. For the station itself, the general station guide explains how gates and boarding work at any Chinese station.