Beijing → Chongli, step by step
The high-speed line built for the 2022 Olympics puts four serious ski resorts about an hour from Beijing. It is the single best piece of ski infrastructure in Asia, and using it as a foreigner takes three decisions and one app.
1Choose your departure station
Trains to Taizicheng (太子城 — the ski station) leave from Beijing North (北京北, central, on metro lines 2/4/13) and Qinghe (清河, northwest, metro line 13 and the Changping line). Qinghe has more departures and is the practical choice if you're staying anywhere north or west; Beijing North wins if you're central. Journey time is roughly 1 hour from Beijing North and ~50 minutes from Qinghe; second class costs about ¥90–110 each way.
2Book the ticket
Two workable routes:
The easy way: Trip.com's train booking in English, paying with any international card, with a small service fee. For most visitors this is the answer — book the moment your dates are fixed.
The local way: the official 12306 app/site now supports foreign passport registration and international cards. It's cheaper (no fee) but the sign-up flow is clunky and English support is partial. Worth it if you'll take several trains in China.
Either way there is no paper ticket: your passport is the ticket. Bring it to the station gates.
3At Taizicheng: the last mile
Taizicheng station sits below the resorts. Genting Secret Garden is ~15 min away, Thaiwoo ~10–15 min, Wanlong ~30 min, Fulong (Chongli town) ~20 min. Options: resort shuttles (some free with hotel bookings — ask when you book), taxis at the rank (~¥30–100 depending on resort), or a Didi ordered in the Alipay app. If you're carrying skis, pre-book the hotel transfer; regular taxis are hatchback-sized.
The realistic timeline
Leave a central Beijing hotel at 7:30am, Qinghe 8:30 train, Taizicheng by 9:20, on the lift at Thaiwoo before 10:30. Day-trips are genuinely possible, but Chongli deserves 2–4 nights — hotels are cheap enough that staying beats commuting. See our Chongli resort guides for where to base.
Want the tickets bought for you?
Train tickets, resort transfer, and a hotel that matches your dates — the Itinerary Plan includes a booking walkthrough, the Full Concierge just books it.