# Zhangjiajie travel guide (张家界) Hunan Province · Central China, China · 6 places Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/destinations/hunan/zhangjiajie ## Quick itinerary - **Day 1:** Yuanjiajie → Yangjiajie → Tianzi Mountain - **Day 2:** Ten-Mile Gallery → Jinbian Stream → Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon - **Day 3:** Tianmen Mountain (cableway, Guigu Plank Road, glass walkway, Tianmen Cave) ## The feel of the place Jiuzhaigou is for water, Zhangjiajie is for mountains. Indeed, nowhere else in the world will you find scenery like this: three thousand strange peaks rising from the earth and eight hundred streams winding through them. Here it is hailed as “a magnified bonsai garden, a miniature wonderland”, “a utopia” and “the original of Chinese landscape painting”. Every beautiful word has been used to describe it, yet none can fully capture the visual shock it brings. ### Preparation and Enquiries ### Language If locals speak their dialect a little more slowly, it is easier to understand. Speaking Mandarin usually works fine when communicating with local people. ### Climate and Travel Season The best times to visit Zhangjiajie are April and October, when its natural scenery is at its most beautiful. Avoid climbing on rainy days: the paths become slippery, and the mountaintops are often shrouded in fog, making the views hard to see. The best time to go up is within one to two hours after the rain stops, when the landscape is most striking. ## Getting there & around ### Getting There and Around ### By Air Zhangjiajie Hehua Airport is located in Hehua Village, Guanliping Office, Yongding District, Zhangjiajie City. It currently operates flights to more than 20 cities across China. The airport is only 5 km from downtown Zhangjiajie. Airport shuttle bus: usually stops at the airport exit. The journey takes about 10 to 20 minutes, and the fare to the Airport Hotel (机场大酒店) in the city centre is ¥5. Bus: Route 4. Fare ¥1–2. The journey takes about half an hour. Taxi: About ¥15–20 to the city centre in the daytime and around ¥30 at night. Going directly to the scenic areas is more expensive, at around ¥100. ### Note on Flights Apart from Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Chengdu, Changsha, Xi'an, Qingdao, Shenyang, Xiamen, Hangzhou and Nanjing, flights to other cities do not operate every day. Travellers should check flight schedules carefully in advance. ### By Train Zhangjiajie Railway Station has passenger train services to more than 20 major and mid-sized cities across China. Direct trains run to cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Trains to Guangzhou, Changsha and Zhanjiang start from Zhangjiajie, so they are convenient to board. Since the railway station moved to the South Station in 2007, bus routes 5, 6, 13 and 101 run from the station into the city. From the bus station, minibuses to the scenic areas cost ¥12 to Forest Park and ¥12 to Wulingyuan, departing every 10 minutes. Intercity high-speed trains run from Changsha to Zhangjiajie more than ten times a day. The journey takes 2–3 hours, and tickets cost ¥130–166. - tip: After exiting the South Station, you will walk straight into the station square, where many salespeople will try to sell you multi-day tour packages. To avoid hassle, walk directly to the large square on the left of the exit and catch your transport from there without engaging with them. ### By Road ### Getting Around Locally Local transport here mainly refers to transport within the scenic areas. Zhangjiajie Railway Station is 33 km from the Zhangjiajie scenic areas. ### Minibus Minibuses run daily between the railway station in Zhangjiajie city and the scenic areas. The fare is ¥10 and the journey takes one hour. ### Cable Cars Wulingyuan Tianzishan cable car: ¥72 one way, ¥144 return. Huangshizhai cable car: ¥65 one way, ¥130 return. Where there is no cable car, you can rent a sedan chair. Bailong Elevator: ¥65 one way, ¥130 return. - **Bus Station** — Located at the intersection of Huilong Road and Renmin Road in the city centre. It has long-distance buses to major cities within and outside the province, as well as short-distance buses to nearby scenic areas and neighbouring counties and cities. ## Eat & drink Food and drink in Zhangjiajie city is relatively cheap, with street stalls on nearly every corner serving mainly Tujia-style dishes. Inside the scenic areas, however, dining is much more expensive: a vegetable dish costs at least ¥15, and any dish with meat is ¥30 or more. It is advisable not to eat wild game, which is prohibited by law. ### Signature Flavours Tujia cuisine includes cured meats, blood tofu, reunion-dinner dishes, shefan (festival rice), and deep-fried bee brood. Tujia hotpot and Tujia snacks are inexpensive yet delicious. In Zhangjiajie you can also enjoy sweet, juicy corn on the cob and wild kiwifruit, which are hard to find in big cities. At mountain villagers' homes you have the chance to taste genuinely authentic cured pork, which city versions simply cannot match. Prices need not worry you either: the higher the mountain, the fewer the visitors, and the cheaper the food. Tujia cuisine also features dried foods, such as dried green beans and dried potatoes, which are tasty and make good gifts to take home. ### Recommended Specialty Dishes - **Hu Shifu Sanxiaguo (Bus Station Branch)** — Sanxiaguo is a dry pot, a hotpot that is simmered without any broth. A local signature dish, it braises dry-fried pork intestines and dry-fried walnut meat together. The portions are generous, and three people can share two servings. Add an order of sour radish, which is crisp, tangy and very good. (Behind the bus station, Guanli Road, 13317443333) ## Nightlife The Tujia Maogusi dance, Tujia Baishou dance, Tujia hard-qigong martial arts, Tujia brocade weaving and Tujia Yang opera all retain distinctive ethnic characteristics to this day. Local theatres and cultural centres host many spectacular ethnic performances. If you happen to visit during a festival, you can join your local ethnic brothers and sisters in singing and dancing to your heart's content. ## Shopping Kiwifruit, Qingyan Mingcui tea, lobster tea and pine mushrooms are all local specialties, affordable and good value. Sangzhi salted tofu, gegen (kudzu root) drinks, Maoping Maojian tea and Tujia-style cured meats are also worth buying. Zhangjiajie's kiwifruit is sweet and juicy. If you want to take some home, it is best to buy unripe ones, as ripe kiwifruit bruises and spoils easily. Tujia handicrafts are sold at the folk museum east of Puguang Temple, and if you're lucky, you may find one or two pieces you love. ## Where to stay Accommodation in Zhangjiajie is mainly concentrated in three areas: Suoxiyu, the city centre and the Forest Park. - **Suoxiyu** — Located in the centre of many attractions, including Tianzi Mountain, Huanglong Cave and Baofeng Lake, it offers very convenient transport to each site, and hotels of every grade are available. - **City Centre** — Close to the railway station and airport but far from the scenic areas, with both upscale star-rated hotels and budget inns. - **Forest Park** — Most hotels inside the scenic area have been demolished, leaving only a few farmhouse inns (nongjiale). Since the entrance ticket is valid for only two days, staying inside the scenic area is especially useful for visitors planning to spend more than two days here, though the facilities are not as good as those outside. During the Golden Week holiday, rooms are in short supply, so book in advance. Farmhouse inns are mainly concentrated in three areas: Yangjiajie, Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain. There are many hotels at the entrance to the scenic area, which suit visitors who only plan to visit the Forest Park. ## Things to see - **Zhangjiajie National Forest Park** (★★★★★): Admission ¥65 one-way; Time needed 1–4 days — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/zhangjiajie-national-forest-park - **Tianzi Mountain Scenic Area** (★★★★★): Admission Zhangjiajie Pass; Time needed 3–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/tianzi-mountain-scenic-area - **Yangjiajie Scenic Area** (★★★★): — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/yangjiajie-scenic-area - **Suoxiyu Scenic Area** (★★★★★): — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/suoxiyu-scenic-area - **Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon** (★★★★): Admission ¥128; Time needed 3–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/zhangjiajie-grand-canyon - **Tianmen Mountain** (★★★★★): Admission Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain: Scenic Pass ¥278 (includes admission to Tianmen Cave and the summit area, round-trip Tianmen Mountain cable car, and eco-shuttle transport); Tianmen Cave Tour Ticket ¥235 (includes scenic area admission and eco-shuttle transport); Summit Tour Ticket ¥225 (includes scenic area admission and round-trip cable car); Time needed 0.5–1 day — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/tianmen-mountain --- Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 1955–1967. 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.