Beijing West Train Station

A city block-sized engineering feat, this station is located in the west of Beijing, buried deep in a formidable one-way traffic system that confuses taxi drivers and makes pedestrian access dangerous, if not impossible. Inexplicably bypassed by the subway system and housing a labyrinthine network of platforms and waiting rooms, its redeeming feature is the ticket office for foreigners, where some English is spoken. Tickets for any Beijing station can be purchased here up to four days in advance. Trains depart for China's far western and southern cities, as well as to Kowloon station in Hong Kong.