Demand for all train tickets out of Guangzhou is very high. Tickets become available three days before departure, but sleepers sell out swiftly, as do even hard seats on popular lines. For seats only from either of Guangzhou's stations, there's a small advance purchase office on Baiyun Lu, north of the Dashatou wharf. Queues can sometimes be daunting, but the staff are polite. Note that at least two through-trains to Shaoguan and Changsha originate east at Huizhou and west at Foshan, where you may find it easier to buy tickets.

 

Guangzhou train station (bus #5 or #31 from the south of the city) handles all destinations except Kowloon and the Shantou line, though the emphasis is shifting towards central, northern and western regions. The Shenzhen ticket hall is at the extreme eastern end of the station; otherwise, take a deep breath and head to the western side, where you'll see a large grey barrier fence surrounding the public ticket office. Entry into the main ticket hall is through guarded gateways in the fence which are closed off from time to time. Once inside, staff can be positively hostile and the queues horrendous, though you'll generally get what you want if you're prepared to wait. If not, touts often approach foreigners here, but employing an agent makes a lot more sense if you want to avoid ending up with a worthless colour photocopy instead of a ticket.

The East train station (bus #272 from outside Guangzhou train station, or the metro to Guangzhou east) handles the Kowloon express , most Shenzhen traffic - including all the fast trains - eastern lines to Shantou (and Fujian and the east coast after 2001), and an increasing number of services north through central China. On the first floor, the Shenzhen ticket office is straight ahead of the entrance (39 departures 6am-9pm), with Kowloon express tickets (¥265; five departures 8.55am-5.25pm), customs and Kowloon departure hall to the left. Note that the word "Kowloon" is Cantonese, but pinyin signs in the terminal use the Mandarin, "Jiulong". The main ticket office is on the second floor; before queuing, find the train number from the Chinese timetable on the wall, then match this with the number displayed above each ticket window. The main departure areas are on the third and fourth floors.