# Guide de voyage : Zhangjiajie (张家界) Hunan Province · Chine centrale, China · 6 lieux Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/fr/destinations/hunan/zhangjiajie ## Itinéraire express - **Jour 1:** Yuanjiajie → Yangjiajie → Mont Tianzi - **Jour 2:** Galerie Shili → Ruisseau Jinbian → Grand canyon de Zhangjiajie - **Jour 3:** Mont Tianmen (téléphérique, passerelle Guigu, passerelle de verre, grotte de Tianmen) ## L'atmosphère On admire l'eau à Jiuzhaigou, les montagnes à Zhangjiajie. En effet, nulle part ailleurs au monde vous ne verrez un tel paysage singulier : trois mille pics étranges jaillissent du sol, et huit cents ruisseaux serpentent entre eux. Ce lieu est qualifié de « bonsaï agrandi, paradis miniature », de « pays des pêchers en fleurs » et d'« original de la peinture de paysages chinoise ». Tous les superlatifs semblent insuffisants pour décrire sa beauté, qui saisit le regard d'une façon presque indescriptible. ### Préparatifs et renseignements ### Langue Les habitants parlant lentement, le dialecte local est plus facile à comprendre. En mandarin, la communication avec les locaux ne pose généralement pas de problème. ### Climat et saison touristique The best times to visit Zhangjiajie are April and October, when the natural scenery is at its most beautiful. Avoid climbing on rainy days: the paths become slippery, and the summits are often shrouded in fog, making the views hard to see. The best time to go up is within one or two hours after the rain stops, when the scenery is at its finest. ## Y aller & se déplacer ### Getting There ### By Air Zhangjiajie Hehua Airport is located in Hehua Village, Guliping Office, Yongding District, Zhangjiajie City. It currently operates flights to and from more than 20 cities across China. The airport is just 5 km from downtown Zhangjiajie. Airport shuttle bus: generally stops at the airport exit. The journey takes about a dozen minutes; ¥5 to the Airport Hotel in the city centre. Bus: Route 4, fare ¥1–2, about half an hour. Taxi: about ¥15–20 to the city centre during the day, around ¥30 at night. Going directly to the scenic areas is more expensive, around ¥100. ### Flight Notes 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, so travellers should check flight schedules in advance. ### Rail Zhangjiajie Railway Station (张家界火车站) has passenger train connections with more than 20 major cities across China. Direct trains run to cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Trains from Zhangjiajie to Guangzhou, Changsha and Zhanjiang originate here, making boarding convenient. Since the railway station moved to the South Station in 2007, buses into the city from the station include routes 5, 6, 13 and 101. From the bus station, minibuses run to the scenic areas: ¥12 to Forest Park, ¥12 to Wulingyuan, one every 10 minutes. Intercity high-speed trains run between Changsha and Zhangjiajie about a dozen times a day. The journey takes 2–3 hours, with fares of ¥130–166. - tip: After exiting the South Station, you go straight into the station square, where many salespeople will try to sell you multi-day tour packages. To avoid hassle, it is best to leave without engaging and head directly to the large square on the left side of the exit to catch your transport. ### Road ### Getting Around the Area Here, “getting around” refers mainly to transport within the scenic areas. Zhangjiajie Railway Station is 33 km from the scenic areas. ### Minibus Minibuses run daily between the Zhangjiajie city railway station and the scenic areas. Fare: ¥10; journey: 1 hour. ### Cable Cars Tianzi Mountain cable car in Wulingyuan: ¥72 one way, ¥144 return. Huangshizhai cable car: ¥65 one way, ¥130 return. Where no cable car is available, sedan chairs can be rented for the ascent. Bailong Elevator: ¥65 one way, ¥130 return. - **Bus Station (汽车站)** — Located at the intersection of Huilong Road and Renmin Road in the city centre, with long-distance coaches to many major cities in and outside the province, as well as short-distance buses to nearby scenic areas and neighbouring counties and cities. ## Manger & boire Food and drink in Zhangjiajie city are relatively inexpensive, with street-side canteens everywhere serving mainly Tujia-style dishes. Inside the scenic areas, however, meals cost much more: a vegetable dish is typically over ¥15, and dishes with meat are over ¥30. We advise against eating wild game, which is prohibited by law. ### Local Specialities Tujia specialities include cured meats, blood tofu, reunion-dinner dishes, shefan (sticky rice steamed in a mould), and deep-fried bee larvae and pupae. Tujia hotpot and Tujia snacks are inexpensive and delicious. In Zhangjiajie you can also enjoy sweet corn cobs and wild kiwi fruit, which are hard to find in big cities. Staying with mountain families gives you the chance to taste authentic cured pork, which city versions simply cannot match. Prices need not be a worry either: the higher the mountain, the fewer the visitors, and the cheaper the food. Tujia cuisine also includes dried goods such as dried green beans and dried potatoes, which are tasty and make good gifts to take home. ### Recommended Dishes - **Hu Shifu Sanxiaguo (Bus Station branch)** — Sanxiaguo is a type of dry hotpot, a hotpot simmered without broth. It is a local signature dish, typically with dry-fried intestines and dry-fried walnut meat simmered together. Portions are generous: three people can share two. Also order a plate of sour radish, crisp and tangy, very tasty! (Back entrance of the Guanli Road Bus Station, 13317443333) ## Vie nocturne Tujia Maogusi dance, Tujia Baishou dance, Tujia martial arts and hard qigong, Tujia brocade weaving, Tujia Yang opera and more still retain distinctive ethnic characteristics. Local theatres and cultural centres host many impressive ethnic performances. If your visit coincides with a festival, you may join the local ethnic brothers and sisters in song and dance to your heart's content. ## Shopping Kiwi fruit, Qingyan Mingcui tea, Longxia tea, and pine mushrooms are all local specialities, good value and high quality. Sangzhi salted dried tofu, Gegenbao drink, Maoping Maojian tea and Tujia-style cured meats are also worth trying. Les kiwis de Zhangjiajie sont sucrés et juteux. Si vous voulez en emporter, mieux vaut les acheter non mûrs, car les kiwis mûrs s'abîment facilement. Les objets d'artisanat tujia se vendent au musée folklorique situé à l'est du temple Puguang ; avec un peu de chance, vous y trouverez une ou deux pièces qui vous plairont. ## Se loger L'hébergement à Zhangjiajie se répartit entre trois secteurs : Suoxiyu, le centre-ville et le parc forestier. - **Suoxiyu** — Situé au cœur de nombreux sites, tels que le mont Tianzi, la grotte Huanglong et le lac Baofeng, ce secteur offre un accès très pratique à chacun d'eux et propose des hébergements de tous niveaux de confort. - **Centre-ville** — Proche de la gare ferroviaire et de l'aéroport, mais éloigné des sites touristiques, ce secteur propose à la fois des hôtels haut de gamme et des établissements économiques. - **Parc forestier** — Les hôtels de toutes tailles qui se trouvaient à l'intérieur du site ont été démolis ; il ne reste que quelques fermes-auberges (nongjiale). Le billet d'entrée n'étant valable que deux jours, séjourner dans le parc est particulièrement utile aux visiteurs qui souhaitent y passer plus de deux jours. Les conditions y sont toutefois moins bonnes qu'à l'extérieur, et pendant les vacances de la Fête nationale (Golden Week), les chambres sont rares : il faut réserver à l'avance. Les fermes-auberges se concentrent principalement sur trois secteurs : Yangjiajie, Yuanjiajie et le mont Tianzi. À l'entrée du site, de nombreux hôtels accueillent les visiteurs qui ne veulent visiter que le parc forestier. ## À voir - **Zhangjiajie National Forest Park** (★★★★★): Entrée ¥65 (aller simple); Durée de visite 1 à 4 jours — https://cnatrip.com/fr/places/zhangjiajie-national-forest-park - **Tianzi Mountain Scenic Area** (★★★★★): Entrée Billet combiné de Zhangjiajie; Durée de visite 3 à 4 heures — https://cnatrip.com/fr/places/tianzi-mountain-scenic-area - **Yangjiajie Scenic Area** (★★★★): — https://cnatrip.com/fr/places/yangjiajie-scenic-area - **Suoxiyu Scenic Area** (★★★★★): — https://cnatrip.com/fr/places/suoxiyu-scenic-area - **Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon** (★★★★): Entrée ¥128; Durée de visite 3 à 4 heures — https://cnatrip.com/fr/places/zhangjiajie-grand-canyon - **Tianmen Mountain** (★★★★★): Entrée Billet général : ¥278 (comprend l'entrée à la grotte Tianmen et à la zone du sommet, l'aller-retour en téléphérique du mont Tianmen et la navette écologique) ; billet grotte Tianmen : ¥235 (comprend l'entrée au site et la navette écologique) ; billet sommet : ¥225 (comprend l'entrée au site et l'aller-retour en téléphérique); Durée de visite 0,5 à 1 jour — https://cnatrip.com/fr/places/tianmen-mountain --- Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 1955–1967. Les prix, horaires et informations de transport sont ceux de l'édition d'août 2024 et ont pu changer. Confirmez toujours auprès du site avant de voyager.