# Yueyang travel guide (岳阳)

Hunan Province · Central China, China · 4 places
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/destinations/hunan/yueyang

## Quick itinerary

- **Day 1:** Miluo River and Qu Yuan Shrine → Bianhe Street (lunch) → Yueyang Tower → Junshan Island and Dongting Lake
- **Day 2:** Shiniuzhai

## The feel of the place

- **Ancient town:** Known for the saying “Dongting is the finest water under heaven, Yueyang Tower the finest tower under heaven”, this ancient city's development has been a little slow, so it looks somewhat old-fashioned and does not attract many visitors. Yet the Preface to Yueyang Tower and the beautiful legends of Dongting Lake alone make it well worth a visit.

## Getting there & around

### Getting There and Away

### Air

### Rail

Yueyang Railway Station is located on Zhanqian Road in Yueyanglou District. Buses 5, 22 and 37 all serve it.

Yueyang's high-speed rail station is Yueyang East Station. You can take a high-speed train from Yueyang East to Changsha; the journey takes about 34 minutes, and a second-class ticket costs ¥69.5, which is very convenient.

### Road

Yueyang currently has four long-distance bus stations: Yueyang Bus Station at the junction of Bali Middle Road and Chengdong Northeast Road, the Jianshe North Road bus station, Bali Bus Station on Chengdong Southeast Road, and the new Bali East Road bus station.

### Waterway

Chenglingji Port is Hunan's largest port, but long-distance passenger services have largely stopped. Behind Yueyang Tower there is a passenger wharf, from which you can take a boat to Junshan Island.

### Getting Around the City

Yueyang has many bus routes, with buses reaching all the main scenic spots; bus fare is ¥1.5 per trip. Taxis start at ¥7 per kilometre, with a surcharge of ¥2 for each additional kilometre. After 10 p.m., the starting fare is ¥8 per kilometre, with a surcharge of ¥2 for each additional kilometre.

- **Yueyang Sanhe Airport** —  (Near Qunxian and Zhenli villages, Yueyang County)
- **Yueyang Bus Station** — 

## Eat & drink

Yueyang sits on the shore of Dongting Lake, giving it exceptional geographical advantages, so locals are very skilled at cooking fish. The most famous dish is the “Bali Whole Fish Feast”, and “Butterfly Floating on the Sea”, made from sliced snakehead fish, is a Yueyang speciality prized for its crisp, tender texture. Well-known local restaurants include Weiyu Restaurant and Yunmeng Restaurant.

- **Bianhe Street** — A reconstructed old-style commercial street beside Yueyang Tower, serving shrimp cakes, potato noodles, sandapao (“three cannons”), scraped cold jelly and other snacks.
- **Dipo Braised Meats** —  (Beside Meixi Bridge)
- **Jingshui · Bali Whole Fish Feast** —  (Opposite Yueyang Tower)

## Where to stay

- **Jinjiang Inn (Yueyang Railway Station Branch)** — Beside the railway station, with convenient transport. (Near Yueyang Railway Station, 0730-2910666)

## Shopping

Traditional local specialities include paper fans and feather fans. Paper fans have fine bamboo ribs and thin, translucent paper, and each one goes through many steps to make. Feather fans are made from the feathers of birds such as the wild geese of Dongting Lake. Today, Yueyang fans come in more than 250 varieties.

Other specialities include Pingjiang osmanthus honey, Xiang lotus seeds, Dongting Spring, Turtle and Snake Wine, and Junshan Silver Needle tea.


## Things to see

- **Yueyang Tower** (★★★★): Admission ¥70; Opening hours 07:30-18:00 (winter schedule); 07:00-18:30 (summer schedule); Time needed 2–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/yueyang-tower
- **Dongting Lake and Junshan Island** (★★★★): Admission Junshan Island ¥78; Opening hours 08:30-17:30 (year-round); Time needed 2–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/dongting-lake-and-junshan-island
- **Quzi Temple** (★★★): Admission ¥55; Opening hours 08:30-17:30 (year-round); Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/quzi-temple
- **Shiniuzhai** (★★★★): Admission Combination tickets range from ¥148 to ¥248, depending on the package; Opening hours 08:00-17:00 (year-round); Time needed 3–5 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/shiniuzhai

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 1949–1955. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.