1) From Beijing central station take a train from Beijing to Erlian. The train departs at 7:45 a.m. and arrives in Erlian and 8:37 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in the ticket hall 售票厅 at the director’s window 值班窗口 with a valid passport. Hard Sleeper tickets are 148 RMB and Soft Sleepers are 196 RMB.

There are also sleeper buses that leave from bus stations in Beijing. You should inquire about times and schedules before going to buy your tickets. It could save you a lot of hassle. The stations are: Lizeqiao Station, Muxiyuan Station, and Liuliqiao Station. For a map and detailed info for the stations including phone numbers click here.

2) On arrival in ErLian you will need a hotel room. Standard rooms with 24 hour hot water cost between 60 and 100 yuan per night. For rooms with internet access expect to pay a bit more. 

Hotel Option #1 – Make a right out of the station. The hotel is on the left after the small shop.
Hotel Option #2-5 – Make a left and then a right out of the station. At the next intersection there is a hotel on the right side and a few others nearby.

For a map that has all the sites in Erlian highlighted click here

3) Get dinner. Erlian is known for its dumplings and there is a nice “large stuffed dumpling” 大馅饺子 restaurant on the same street as hotel option #2 . To get there, at the intersection turn right (keeping the hotel on your right) and look for the chinese characters above.

4) In the morning travel ~4 km to the border. It is appropriately called 国门 Guomen (Country gate).

The #1 bus goes from the center of town and is 1 Rmb. Taxis cost 5 Rmb. The border opens at 8:00 a.m. and its a good idea to arrive then since this is when most of the cars bound for Mongolia line up. Arrive too late and you will need to wait for new cars to arrive. In this instance make friends with the guard at the gate (they don’t have much to do anyways) and ask them to help you find a ride. The border is not crossable by foot; you must hitch a ride in a Mongolian car. Cars to the Mongolian border station generally cost between 30 and 50 Rmb depending on your friendliness and/or bargaining skill.

5) Go through Chinese and Mongolian Immigration. Map. A few points to note:

A) Before you hitch a ride pay the 5 Rmb entry/exit tax at the office to the right of the gate. Hold on to that paper stub; you will need to present it to the immigration officer.
B) Only after you reach the Mongolian border should you pay the driver. It is appropriate to say goodbye to your new friends then too。
C) After officially entering Mongolian walk to the other side of the building to get your exit stamp. Your time in Mongolia should not last more than 20 minutes depending on the line of people.
D) Find another car heading back to the Chinese side. This is the last leg of the process.
E) Don’t forget to pay the entry/exit tax again when re-entering China.

6) After you finish at the border return to town and head to the bus station (tel: 0479-7569092 ).  Most of the year there are two buses that leave for Beijing everyday. One around 12:00 and one at 15:30. Be aware however that bus schedules vary depending on the weather and a whole host of other undeterminable factors. Buy a bus ticket and start your journey back to Beijing. The bus trip takes about 11 hours. On the way you will stop for dinner at a roadside restaurant. If you are picky about food – bring your own.

In the event that there are no buses you still have three options for getting back to Beijing. The first is hire a taxi. Outside the bus station there will be people looking to fill cars to go back to Beijing (especially if there are no more buses). A car back to Beijing should cost between 250-300 RMB per person based on 4 people in the car. Another option is to take the train. There are international trains from Mongolia heading to Beijing on Mondays and Fridays. They depart at 00:57 am from Erlian and arrive the same day in Beijing at 14:04. The last option, aside from settling in Erlian, is to catch a bus or a car to Hohhot 呼和浩特 the provincial seat of Inner Mongolia. From there there are daily overnight trains heading to Beijing.

7) The final destination of the bus varies depending on the driver but you will most likely end up at the Muxiyuan station. The bus will come into the city from the north. If the bus passes by a more convenient place for you to get off, tell the driver and they will let you hop off early.

Good Luck!
The Lune Travel Team

Important note: This trip is for people who have a multiple entry tourist visa and who need to exit the country periodically. It is NOT possible to get a new visa at the Mongolian border.