Last Updated on by Talita
China is a huge country and you could spend months exploring its vast territory. However, if you’d like to visit some of its neighbors, Mongolia is a great option.
One of the most “classic” routes between the two countries is between Beijing, the capital of China, and Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.
This trip can be done several ways – plane, train, or a combination of bus and train.
Every one of these ways has pros and cons. For example, a flight between the two destinations will be the fastest at 2 ½ hours but costs at least $250.00.
In case this is your choice, take a look at our page with 16 tips to help you save on purchasing flights.
If you’d just like to use train, you’ll be traveling along the Mongolian and Chinese part of the famous Transiberian. It’s a unique trip that crosses the Gobi Desert… though it takes nearly 28 hours including the time to cross immigration. However, just that little adventure will cost you somewhere between $250.00 to $300.00 (that’s as much as the flight!!).
If you’d like to read more about the Transiberian and the other 10 most incredible train trips in the world, take a look at our page here. We also recommend using China Highlights to search for and buy your train tickets within China if that’s the way you’d like to go.
But if you have time to spare and money to save, we’ll give you the cheapest option to get from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar.
Actually, there are two choices. The absolute cheapest is when you basically don’t stop at all and the other is when you stop in Erlian (Erenhot) on the Chinese side of the border to rest and explore the dinosaur history of the region.
Table of Contents
Our Way
Get to Muxiyuan Station in Beijing
In our option, you’ll take a sleeper bus (meaning it has beds) from Muxiyuan (木樨园客运站) Station in Beijing to Erlian (also called Erenhot). To get to the bus station, you’ll need to get to Dahongmen Station on line 10 of the Beijing. Then you’ll leave from exit C and walk about 10 minutes. Here’s a map of how to get there:
It seems like the Muxiyuan station is out of operation. So, buses to Erlian should be leaving from another bus station in Beijing. I just do not know which one. 
If anyone has this new information, please let me know in the comments area that I will update the page! Thanks!
The bus from Beijing to Erlian/Erenhot now leaves from Xinfadi 新发地 station!!!
Beijing to Erlian / Erenhot by sleeper bus
Cost: 180 yuan (US $27.39)
Time: 15:10 PM to 7:00 AM
Although the official departure time is 15:10 PM, the schedule is always changing. So I recommend you arrive at the station around 10:00 AM to buy your ticket and stay around the station until your bus leaves.
Bus Terminal Muxiyuan (木樨园客运站) in Beijing
Bus ticket Beijing – Erlian Erenhot
Don’t worry if just after leaving your bus stops for a few hours by a mall to pick up some goods to bring across the border. It’s all part of the journey. Ask your driver how long it’ll take until the bus leaves again (it was about 2 hours for us) and take a walk around the surrounding stores.
Bus stopping to get some sketchy goods
Sleep in Erlian / Erenhot
Accommodation in Erlian / Erenhot
Cost: 120 yuan (US $18.26)
Arriving in Erlian/Erenhot, you can go directly to your hotel and check-in early. We talk more about what you can do in Erlian/Erenhot below.
Unfortunately, we didn’t find an option to reserve hotels in Erlian/Erenhot anywhere online. But don’t worry because there’s a map just below of how to get to our hotel from the bus station. Just in case, if you’d like to check the 6 best websites to reserve hotels and hostels, take a look at this article.
Erlian / Erenhot to Zamiin Udd by shared jeep
Cost: 50 yuan (US$7.61), but you have to negotiate! It’s normally between 40 to 100 yuan.
Time: 10:30 AM to 13:30 PM approximately
There’s also a train between these two places but it only does this route twice a week.
Otherwise, this part is relatively easy. Just go to the local square where the jeeps are parked around 9:00 AM and negotiate the price with different drivers. There’s a map below of how to get to the square.
The jeep will probably end up leaving around 10:30 AM. The trip to the border only takes 20 minutes, so it’s immigration for the two countries that’ll take up the most time on this leg of the journey.
You’ll leave the jeep for Chinese immigration, walk to the building, complete immigration, get back in the jeep on the other side, drive to Mongolian immigration, get out, go through immigration, and afterwards get in to the jeep on the other side where you’ll drive for 10 minutes to Zamiin Udd. Your trip through immigration will probably be much faster than your jeep and driver’s trip, so don’t worry if you have to wait awhile. Just bring something to read.
This map shows where to get the jeep from the hotel.
To change money, you can go to the bank within Mongolian immigration or use the ATMs to withdraw money in the local currency.
Zamiin Udd to Ulaanbaatar by train
Cost: 22.850 MNT (US$ 11.60) for a bed in a shared berth, called a “hard sleeper”
Time: 18:15 PM – 8:30 AM
The driver of your jeep will bring you right to the square in front of the Zamiin Udd train station. However, to buy the tickets you’ll have to go to the modern looking building to the left of the old station. The office to buy tickets is on the second floor.
Train Station Zamiin Udd. New building where you will buy your ticket
Totals for our way:
Cost: US $ 64.86 (including a night of accommodation for 2 people)
Time: nearly 3 days
The absolute cheapest way
We didn’t do this option personally but we met some girls along the way who did and it’s definitely the cheapest way to travel between Beijing and Ulaanbaatar.
Beijing to Zamiin Udd by sleeper bus
Cost: 220 yuan (US$ 33.48)
Time: 15:10 PM to 10:30 AM depending on how long immigration at the border takes
For this route, as we explain above, you’ll have to go to the same bus station but instead buy a ticket to Zamiin Udd in Mongolia. The sleeper bus leaves at approximately the same time as the other just that the next day you’ll stay in the bus, go straight to Chinese immigration on the border, complete immigration on both sides, return to the bus, and be dropped off at the Zamiin Udd train station. This is without a doubt the easiest option. The downside is that then you’ll then be traveling almost 41 hours straight and you won’t have the chance to explore the border town between China and Mongolia in the middle of the Gobi Desert.
Zamiin Udd to Ulaanbaatar by train
Cost: 22.850 MNT (US $11.60) for a bed in a shared berth, called a “hard sleeper”
Time: 18:15 PM – 8:30 AM
Totals for the cheapest option:
Cost: US$ 45.08
Time: 41 hours since you’ll be going without a stop
Contrary to what sometimes happens in Europe, I wasn’t asked if I have travel insurance on either side of immigration but of course I always travel with it anyways. If you’d like to read which insurance I use and find out the 3 best and cheapest travel insurances on the market, take a look at our article here.
What to do in Erlian/Erenhot on the border between China and Mongolia
Erlian/Erenhot is a place proudly called “dinosaur city” due to its internationally renowned dinosaur fossil discoveries. While driving towards the city, you’ll even see a bunch of dinosaur statues in the middle of the Gobi Desert (so try to stay awake if you’re coming from Beijing!).
Without a doubt the main attraction is Erenhot National Geopark in Inner Mongolia (also called Erlian Cretaceous Dinosaur Geopark). It’s a place where dinosaur fans can spend several hours checking out skeletons and real fossils that are still in the ground.
To arrive at Erenhot National Geopark in Inner Mongolia (Erlian Cretacaceous Dinosaur Geopark), the best way is to go by taxi because there’s no public transportation. If you’ve read my article about how to save on public transportation, you’ll know that I’m not big into taxis but in this case there wasn’t a choice!
If you’re going to take a taxi, you can go the same route that we did. First we visited the entrance to the city where there are two famous dinosaurs kissing over the road and from there we went to the Geopark. As we wanted to save, we took a taxi to the Geopark and hitchhiked to get back to the city. This cost us about 50 yuan. If you want the taxi to wait for you while you’re at the park, expect upwards of 100 yuan.
The entrance to the park is also 50 yuan and we spent about 3 hours there (though we moved really slowly and Nikki loves dinosraus). Since your taxi driver likely won’t speak English, you’re best bet is just to show him a pictures of where you want to go….. like these:
If you want to see the kissing dinosaurs, you can show him this picture first
….and then show him this to get to the geopark
In the evening, you can take a walk around the main square (called “Dinosaur Square”) where there’s a small amusement park as well as groups of Chinese dancing as they do all around China.
Here’s some more pictures from the journey:
Tips for finding tours, attractions and activities in Mongolia
It can be a little difficult to communicate in Mongolia, so research and plan the tours you want to take during your trip in advance. A great tool for this is Viator and Civitatis, on these platforms it is possible to find different activities, excursions and tours almost anywhere in the world.
Hopefully, this article was clear and will help you follow this route without any big difficulties.
The prices and schedules above are correct as of April 2016 and the exchange rates as of the 17th of June, 2016. Yuan and RMB can be used interchangeably as the name of China’s currency.
There is also one other border crossing open to foreigners going from Western Mongolia (Khovd) to Western China (Urumqi) that we’ll be writing about soon. So, if you’re looking for information about that one, keep your eyes peeled.
If you still have any questions or if any of the information above seems inaccurate, please let us know in the comments area below.
Safe journey and happy travels!
Did you know most of your favorite websites (Facebook, Google, Instagram, etc.) are blocked in China? Check out our special Best VPNs for Travelers article to learn how you can get around these blocks!
To read our other articles about China & Mongolia:
25 Things to Know Before Visiting China
25 Interesting Things I Learned Traveling in Mongolia
How to Visit Tibet Without the Chinese Permit
How We Planned Our Super Budget 3 Month Trip Around Asia and Micronesia
How to Get From Shangri-La to Litang in 1 Day
Planning your next trip?
Then don’t forget travel insurance! You don’t want to get stuck paying a ton of money and ruining your trip if you get sick or have an accident without travel insurance. Our page with The 3 Best and Cheapest Travel Insurance on the Market can help you choose the right plan and will give you some discount coupons for the biggest insurance companies!
Already reserved your hotel or hostel? If not, our article with The 6 Best and Cheapest Websites to Find & Reserve Accommodation can help you out. You’ll also find some promotions and discount codes.
Still haven’t booked your plane ticket and want to save big? Take a look at our page with 16 Tips to Save on Flights where you’ll also find the 4 best websites to buy your plane tickets.
And finally, will you need to rent a car during your trip? Then surely our page with The 5 Best and Cheapest Websites to Compare and Rent Cars Around the World will help you choose the best rental car and find a good deal.
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So happy I came across your blog after weeks of looking online! Very helpful for my trip in July 2017! Thank you
Hi Sabs!
Glad to hear it helped you 🙂
Best sure to check out our other articles about China for your trip. We haven’t written anything else about Mongolia, but hopefully we will soon.
Please let us know if you have any questions… otherwise, have a great trip!!
Very helpful. Thanks a lot. The article is written so clear and comprehensive. 😉
Hi Degi, thank you so much for the comment and support. I hope everything worked fine for you.
Soon we will write a few articles about Mongolia and also how to go from West Mongolia to Urumqi in China. So stay tuned!
All the best!
Hi, thanks a lot for your article, it really helps us for our trip planning.
Just one question: Apparently there is no way to book the bus from Beijing to Erenhot online in advance. We heard that at the airport, it can cause problems if you don’t have your return ticket to leave China, when entering the country.
Do you have any advice? Should we ask for our Visa without having a return ticket?
Thanks a lot in advance!
Hi Vako, thank you so much for the comment! Great to hear that the article is helping.
That’s correct. You can only buy the bus ticket to Erenhot in person at the bus station in Beijing. So indeed you can’t show it to be able to apply for your Chinese visa.
In our case, we actually applied for the Chinese visa twice. One time in South Korea when going to China the first time and then again in Mongolia when we were heading to China a second time.
In South Korea, we applied for the Chinese visa through a travel agency. We paid something like US$ 40 extra and they took care of everything, including creating a “fake” itinerary and proving that we had our exit flights (which we didn’t actually have). They probably produced a “fake” flight ticket just for the visa application.
In Mongolia, we went inside a travel agency and asked them if they could print an air ticket so we could apply for the Chinese visa there. The travel agency then printed a fake ticket and didn’t even charge us!
So what I suggest is that you can do the same in your home country. Just go to a travel agency and ask them to produce some kind of airline reservation that looks real so you can use to apply for the visa. Maybe they can o it for free or charge something like 10 USD. Then, you can finish the application yourself. Otherwise, you can have an agency go through the entire process for you like we did in Korea.
A final option which can be a bit more complicated is to buy a full price ticket (fully reimbursable) out of China to another country, get the visa, and then cancel the ticket and get all your money back.
And no, I don’t think you should try to apply for the visa without any ticket leaving China. I don’t think you can apply for the visa without some kind of proof. It doesn’t need to be a return ticket. It can be one ticket going into China and another one out of China, even if it is to a third country, such as Mongólia, Japan or South Korea….or any other country in the world.
As far as the airport goes, I don’t think they’ll ask to see your ticket when entering the country (they didn’t ask us). They’ll ask to see your visa which will already “prove” that you have a ticket out.
I hope I helped you, but please let me know if you have any other questions.
Enjoy the Gobi!
Hi Rodrigo, thank you for this article. I did this journey from 3/6/18-6/6/18. YES – the ticket office was closed when I was there. I found out the hard way… I arrived and someone led me across the road, up a dirt driveway, and there was a bus and the ticket office was a converted shipping container with four bunk beds in with men sleeping in it and one guy was in his underpants… At first I ran off and went back to the real ticket office but the guard outside shoo-ed me away. So do not be alarmed if you are led to a shipping container. I have NO idea what was happening with the real office as no one spoke any English and I do not understand any Chinese. The guy in his undies was the bus driver. I paid 230 yuan even though I pointed at the printout of your blog but he did not bargain on the price. I met a German guy in Zaamin Uud and he paid 220 yuan. Also, as an option for other travellers, once you get to the square at Zaamin Uud, you may be offered a taxi ride to UB. I didn’t do it this way as I wanted to experience the train, but the asking price is 50,000 tugrik (someone told me). Thank you for an awesome article!
Hi Florence,
Thanks so much for the info! I’m sorry to hear that things didn’t quite go as planned (but at least you still made it to Mongolia!). I think I’d be pretty alarmed if I had to buy a ticket from some guy in his underwear too haha.
We heard from a reader on the Portuguese side of the blog that the Muxiyuan Bus Station is now out of service….so it’s interesting that you were still able to purchase tickets from a place nearby.
Did you run into anyone else who had this same experience? I’m just curious if that secondary ticket office is going to be more permanent (in which case we can update that on the article itself), or if it was just a weird one-time thing.
Good tip on the option to get to UB from Zaamin Uud. Although, like you, I think the train is definitely an experience worth having 🙂
Thanks again Florence!
-Nikki
Hey I remember this helped me late 2019, I just wanna say you can buy a ticket that goes to Zaamin Uud from Beijing, it’s at the same bus terminal. The journey was the same as yours except when I arrived in Erenhot the driver told me to get out and return in a few hours, after which we drove to Zaamin Uud and stopped in front of the train station.
Hey Luis! Thank you for the update! That’s definitely gonna help future travelers. Since it’s been a while, it’s impossible for me to keep it updated, unless travelers like you who are doing this journey right now, keep commenting with new updates. I really appreciate that! 🙂 Take care!
The bus from Beijing to Erlian/Erenhot now leaves from Xinfadi 新发地 station. I asked on Tripadvisor where the bus now leaves from:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294212-i2147-k14899827-Muxiyuan_bus_station_in_Beijing_closed-Beijing.html#121864383
Hey, thank you so much for leaving the updated information here! I’m sure it will help other travelers. I would love if other readers would do the same. 🙂 Safe travels!