By LORI REESE

ou may not think trains are an exciting way to travel, but if you're going to China, you may want to think again. Rolling across the People's Republic offers a fascinating range of vistas, from Sichuan's lush mountains to Xinjiang's harsh deserts. Besides, recently opened lines and streamlined tours make railroading the most efficient way to get around a country that outsiders have a hard time navigating. Among the most interesting routes:

--With the Hong Kong handover came the symbolically important opening of a new rail route between the former British colony's Kowloon station and Beijing. The 30-hour trip passes through the province of Jiangxi, where Mao Zedong's army began its Long March to victory against Chiang Kai-shek. You may be annoyed--or delighted if you understand Chinese and have an authoritarian bent--to hear thoughts from the late Paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping, which are piped by a sound system into every coach.

--From Beijing, you have many good options. The 56-hour ride over to the red-soiled mountains surrounding the southwestern city of Kunming is particularly popular. On board, you can watch midwestern farmland erupt into the breathtaking peaks of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.

--Another excellent choice is the four-day trip from Beijing to the remote northwestern city of Urumqi. Much of the journey passes through the stark landscape of the Gobi, and a local tour guide warns that "it's just desert, no trees, no humans, no houses, no nothing." But if you let your imagination roam, you can relish the fact that you're traveling along part of the fabled Silk Road to the West.

In case you've done this before, rest assured that tickets are no longer routinely two to four times more expensive for foreigners than for locals. However, deciding what kind of ticket to buy can be a hassle if you don't understand the alternatives. Of the classes available--hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper and soft sleeper--most travelers report that hard sleeper with its three pairs of bunk beds stacked in semi-open compartments is the best value. Don't grab the bottom bunk unless you want to share it with all the other compartment mates, who may sit there to play cards and chew on watermelon seeds. Bring plenty of instant noodles, tea bags and a cup--hot water is available on all trains--unless you care to take your chances with the 10-yuan (a little more than $1) "rice box" meals.

If China is not big enough for your overland ambitions, you should know that its tracks connect to the mother of all train lines: the Trans-Siberian Railroad. This route offers one of the cheapest passages from China to Europe. The 9,441 km, 6-day journey from Beijing to Moscow (price: as little as $365) winds through the Siberian plains, known to the Tartars as "Sleeping Land," and to communists as an excellent place for political prisoners. Possible stops: Omsk, where Dostoyevsky came close to being executed, and Irkutsk near Lake Baikal, where the waters, according to local lore, add 30 years to your life. Calling Monkey Business, a travel agency with offices in Beijing and Hong Kong, is a convenient way to buy tickets for the Trans-Siberian. (Hong Kong, 2723-1376 or Beijing, 6329-2244 ext. 4406). Prices for tour packages range up to a still-reasonable $1210 (with stop-overs in Mongolia and Irkutsk).

To get places quickly, board a plane and fasten your seat belt. But to see China the right way--or venture on to Russia--better take the train.

OPEN HOUSE

Whether it's out of historical interest, reverence or just morbid fascination, tourists from around the world are buying up tickets to visit the childhood home of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Still owned by the Spencer family, the Althorp House will be open for a limited time, from Diana's birthday, July 1, until Aug. 30, the anniversary of the last day of her life. No more than 2,500 people per day will be able to see several of the mansion's 122 rooms, an arboretum planted by the Princess and a lakeside memorial. Construction has begun on a museum that will house film footage, pictures and momentos of Diana's life, perhaps including her wedding dress. Admission fees (about $16 for adults and $8 for children, with the disabled admitted free) will benefit Diana's Memorial Fund.

WEB CR@WLING

HELP FOR WORLD TRAVELERS (www.kropla.com)

ELECTRIC AVENUE
How will you check E-mail on your laptop computer in China? Steve Kropla's comprehensive worldwide guide to phone, electrical and television equipment will help you determine the right adapter, electrical plug or other appliance for use in most countries in the world. Part of the package is a handy, though perhaps legally questionable, wiretapping lesson. Included, too, are a fair search engine and good travel links. LOUIS VUITTON (www.vuitton.com)

TOP OF THE LINE
Pack up your troubles (and even the minor annoyances that keep life from being perfectly splendid) and surf Vuitton's Guide for the Cosmopolitan Traveler. The luxury luggage maker sponsors pages that are not only sophisticated but useful. You'll find trunkloads of the best hotels, restaurants and even train stations. Among the recommendations for discerning diners: Beijing's Gongdelin (vegetarian) and Singapore's Rang Mahal (Indian).

SHORT CUTS

EUROPEAN EXCURSION
Amid the continuing airfare wars, British Airways has some tempting packages for people in and around Hong Kong: between April and October, a roundtrip ticket from Hong Kong to London, including three nights in a hotel, transportation to and from the airport and an open-top bus tour past Big Ben and other sights, costs about $1,095 to $1,240 (depending upon how luxurious the accommodation). Similar packages are available for other European destinations: Paris ($1,160) and Amsterdam, Rome or Milan (all about $1,200). Prices will rise slightly during peak travel season in July and August--about $40 to $80 per person. Call 852-2868-0303 for reservations.

CHINESE CYBER TREASURES
Some of the greatest Chinese works of art may soon be available online. Taipei's National Palace Museum--repository of perhaps the world's most impressive collection of Chinese artifacts--plans to put an archive of digital images and text onto the web. A pilot project, using IBM's digital library technology, is now underway.

DETOURS

Long before Prasart Vongsakul became a land developer in Bangkok, he developed a love of art. It began with a childhood purchase of a small vase at a weekend market. Now, about 40 years later, he's fulfilled a dream by opening the Prasart Museum with a fine collection of Asian and European ceramics, sculpture and paintings (particularly notable are the Thai Bencharong bowls). Flanked by idyllic gardens, the museum is a haven from the congestion and pollution of Bangkok. Prasart is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and costs $12.50, but admission is by appointment only, and usually requires one to two days notice. Call 66-2-379-3601 or 379-3607.