Beijing - Xi'an Overnight Sleeper Train

Beijing - Xi'an overnight sleeper trains are running between Beijing West Railway Station and Xi'an Railway Station/South Railway Station. The running distances vary between 1,200 km (746 mi) and 1,279 km (795 mi) and the duration is from 11.5-17 hours. 

These overnight sleeper trains are much welcomed by budget travelers, because they cost less, save the hotel expense, and free up daytime. Among them, Z19/20 are the most recommended for the relatively short travel time.

In addition, high speed trains have been put into service for a long time between the two cities and they only take 4.5 – 6 hours for the journey. But they are all shuttling in the day.
 (Last Update on Apr 25, 2023)

Train No.	Departure - Arrival	Travel Time
T55	16:07 - 05:28+	13h21m
T231	18:35 - 07:36+	13h1m
Z43	20:09 - 07:51+	11h42m
Z19	20:35 - 08:29+	11h54m

Around 10 departures in total: departure time from 14:22 to 22:06; duration from 11H48M to 15H23M.
See more Beijing Schedule
  (Last Update on Apr 25, 2023)

Deluxe Soft Sleeper	Soft Sleeper	Hard Sleeper	Hard Seat
-- --	CNY 415.5 - 440.5 USD 61 - 65	CNY 272.5 - 288.5 USD 40 - 42	CNY 148.5 - 156.5 USD 22 - 23

Note: The above ticket fare is the highest fare and only for reference. Please search for the real-time schedule by the tool on top of the page. 
 

Stopovers of T55/ T56, Z151/ Z152, T231/ T232, Z19/ Z20, Z129/130, K1363/ K1364: Baoding, Shijiazhuang, Xingtai, Handan, Anyang, Weihui, Xinxiang, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Sanmenxia, Lingbao, Weinan.

Stopovers of T41/ T42,  Z43/ Z44: Baoding, Shijiazhuang North, Yangquan North, Taiyuan, Fenyang, Lvliang, Wupu, Suide, Qingjianxian, Zichang, Yan'an.
 

A sleeper will be a good choice for the long journey. The hard seat carriages may be crowded with passengers, smelly and noisy. But sleepers are always in a great demand and may be sold out in a minute, so purchase it in advance. Although it costs more than hard seats, it will guarantee you a more comfortable journey.

Put your luggage in a proper place within your range of vision, and take those valuables with you even when you go to toilet, in case that they are taken away by strangers.

Food is available on board, but they are expensive and may not be delicious. So prepare some in advance, like fast food from KFC, McDonald's, or cup noodles.

Take a bottle or some bottled water. Free boiled water is offered onboard. There are staff pulling a snack trolley selling bottled water, drinks and snacks, but they cost more than usual.

Fully charges your phones before boarding or take a portable charger with you because the limited charging sockets onboard cannot meet all passengers' need. Usually, only one charging socket is available in each sleeper carriage and no charging sockets are available in the hard seat carriages.
 

It saves you day time and accommodation fee to travel overnight. But if you are pressed for time, you are advised to travel by high speed trains which run during the day with shorter duration of only 4.5 – 6 hours. Besides, the schedule of bullet types is much denser than the normal types. Last but not least, the environment of bullet type is far better than that of normal types.
 Additionally, flight is another good choice for those who want to transfer between the two cities in a short time. There are many Beijing to Xi'an flights and vice versa, and they take about 2 hour or so. But please note that the airports are a little far from the downtown area and the flight travel may take the same time as high speed rail travel. Also, when the weather is not good, there is a great possibility the flight will be delayed. In that case, high speed will be the fastest transport between the two cities.

 See more:
How to Travel from Beijing to Xi’an
Beijing - Xi'an Train vs. Flight