Shanghai to Zhangjiajie Free Travel Strategy

The distance from Shanghai to Zhangjiajie is quite long, so it is recommended that you do not drive yourself. Taking a plane or a high-speed train is a good choice. As someone who loves mountains and a deep sense of awe, you must go to Zhangjiajie to experience it. Below is a free travel strategy for Shanghai to Zhangjiajie.

The National Day holiday is long gone, and I finally have time to sit down and record my trip from Shanghai to Zhangjiajie. Although traveling during holidays is the least wise choice, for office workers, holidays are the only time they have free time.

This year’s National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays were combined, and many companies gave their employees an eight-day holiday. Since our company has a single day off, our holiday was only six days. I had always wanted to go to Zhangjiajie, and this time I finally made up my mind to put my dream into action.

Zhangjiajie, as an international tourist city, has many scenic spots, among which Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, the first national forest park in China, is a must-visit attraction in Zhangjiajie. There is also Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area, which includes the famous glass walkway and road spectacle, as well as the newly developed Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Scenic Area (with a glass bridge). Due to time constraints, I only visited the Forest Park and Tianmen Mountain this time.

Knowing that tickets were hard to buy during the National Day holiday, I grabbed them online a month in advance. I originally planned to leave on the night of the 30th and arrive in Changsha on the 1st, but I couldn’t get tickets for the night of the 30th, and I was also anxious to book tickets to the scenic area and accommodation. Therefore, I bought a ticket departing from Hainan Station on the night of the 1st and arriving in Changsha on the morning of the 2nd, taking the opportunity to do some sightseeing in Changsha and then transferring to Zhangjiajie at noon.

The train arrived in Changsha at 7:30 am. The weather was clear and cool in Changsha during the National Day holiday, so I took the subway from the train station to Orange Island for a stroll. Orange Island is very large; if you have time, you can spend an afternoon leisurely exploring it. Since I had bought a train ticket to Zhangjiajie for noon, I took the sightseeing train to tour Orange Island.

There are indeed many orange trees on Orange Island. If you come to Orange Island, you can buy some to taste. At the very end of Orange Island is the world’s largest sculpture of Mao Zedong as a young man. This sculpture was made based on Mao Zedong’s appearance during his youth, with a stone tablet in front of it that depicts him pointing at the world.

According to the staff, there is a firework display on Orange Island every Saturday night, starting at 8:30 pm and ending at 8:50 pm. It’s very spectacular.

The train ride from Changsha to Zhangjiajie took over five hours. I had booked accommodation in Zhangjiajie for two days in advance. There are many hotels near the Zhangjiajie train station and bus station, but due to the National Day holiday, the prices were slightly higher than usual. I recommend that students and frequent travelers book youth hostels online in advance, where you can also meet many other travel enthusiasts.

DAY1: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is located in Wulingyuan Scenic Area, about an hour’s drive from the city. I heard from friends who had been to Zhangjiajie before that the Wulingyuan Scenic Area is very large; if you want to explore the entire area, it would take three days. Therefore, I gave up the idea of traveling alone and booked a group tour online in advance. Since it was a scattered tour, there were only ten people in the entire trip.

The tour guide was a humorous young Tujia girl. She said there are five major ethnic minorities in Hunan: those with holes in their clothes are the Dong ethnic group, those who walk unsteadily are the Yao ethnic group, those who are slender and adorned with silver ornaments are the Miao ethnic group, those who have fair skin are the Bai ethnic group, those who wear rustic clothing and have dark skin like her are the Tujia ethnic group, which made everyone burst into laughter.

Along the way, she also told us many legends about the Miao people’s voodoo and the practice of corpse transportation in Xiangxi, which captivated the entire car.

We arrived at the entrance of the Forest Park at 9:30 am, and there was already a long queue. Although the tour guide had purchased cable car tickets for us in advance, we still had to wait in line for an hour. After the cable car reached the top of the mountain, we boarded a small car that took us to Tianzi Mountain and He Long Park.

Tour guide Amei said that it rains about 300 days a year on Tianzi Mountain, so unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the scenery of Tianzi Mountain.

When we were going down the mountain, tour guide Amei told us not to bring white plastic bags because there are many monkeys in the scenic area, and the monkeys will think that white bags contain food and come to snatch them.

We stayed there for about ten minutes and then boarded the small car that took us to Yuanjiajie. This is where the famous attractions “Tianxia Diyi Qiao” (World’s First Bridge) and the “Qiankun Zhu” (Heaven and Earth Pillar) from Avatar are located.

Tour guide Amei said, “In Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, you see stone pillars in Yuanjiajie, stone walls in Yangjiajie, and peak forests in Tianzi Mountain.” The scenery is truly unique. The sea of clouds comes and goes, the stone peaks appear and disappear, and the scene changes constantly.

We had a buffet lunch at the restaurant, the dishes were just average. I won’t say much about that.

Across from the restaurant is the famous Yuanjia Village. Yuanjia Village retains the characteristics of Tujia architecture. Inside the village, there are exhibits showcasing the Tujia people’s history of reproduction, living habits, and tools used in daily life.

Before entering the village, a gentleman in our group was chosen as the representative to drink three bowls of welcome wine. According to tour guide Amei, this is a Tujia custom. She also introduced that the Tujia people practice a crying wedding ceremony for their daughters. They chose a gentleman in the group to play the role of the groom, which made everyone in the group laugh.

The means of transportation going down the mountain was the Bailong Elevator. It transforms the originally rugged mountain path into a 66-second instant journey. This 66-second scenic transportation, although just a fleeting moment, provides tourists with a miraculous experience. It is a pioneering creation in China and the highest in the world, truly a marvel of human ingenuity.

We arrived at the foot of the mountain at 5 pm, and the sky was gradually getting dark. The next scenic spot we visited was the “Ten Mile Gallery.” I must say, it’s truly the essence of the scenic area. We rode the sightseeing train, listening to the introduction of the audio tour guide. Step by step, Zhangjiajie unfolded before us, as beautiful as a painting scroll, coming alive on paper.

One day was a bit short, but fortunately, the ticket for Zhangjiajie Forest Park is valid for three days. If you are staying overnight, I recommend staying outside during this season, because it’s extremely cold in the mountains, and the air conditioning is useless.

DAY2: Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park

Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area is not as large as Wulingyuan Scenic Area, and it’s perfectly suitable for traveling alone. Moreover, Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area is located in the city, just a few hundred meters from the train station, making it very convenient. Therefore, I took the bus to pick up my ticket at 6:30 am. Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area is divided into lines A, B, and C. I chose line A: take the cable car up the mountain and the eco-friendly car down (Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area is very considerate, transportation is included in the ticket). I booked the tickets two weeks in advance and chose the time slot to go up the mountain: 7 am to 8 am (Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area has time slots for entering the mountain).

Maybe because I went too early, there was no one in line at the self-service ticket machine, so I got on the cable car to go up the mountain smoothly. The Tianmen Mountain cable car is very long, and it takes about 40 minutes to reach the top of the mountain.

From the cable car, you can see the famous “Road Spectacle.” If you are not afraid of heights, taking pictures of the beautiful scenery along the way is quite worthwhile.

I successfully arrived at the top of Tianmen Mountain at 8 am. I must say that bringing a thick sweater was a wise choice, and a raincoat is essential. It was raining all the time on the mountain. When it rains, there is fog, which means you won’t be able to see the Tianmen Cave, which is a bit of a shame.

The glass walkway and Guigu Walkway under the fog also lose their terrifying aspects because you can’t see below. The glass walkway is quite short (it costs 5 yuan for shoe covers).

When you come down from Tianmen Mountain, there are two sections of escalators. The first section is free, and the second section costs 35 yuan (if you choose line B, you pay 35 yuan for the first section and don’t pay for the second section). There are many photos of celebrities visiting Tianmen Mountain on both sides of the escalator, including Li Na and photos from the previous wingsuit flying competition.

I arrived at Tianmen Cave at 10 am, and sure enough, it was shrouded in mist, and I couldn’t see anything. I was so sad. I clearly remember that when our little Wang Jiaer was here, the scenery was like this.

Despite the continuous rain and less-than-ideal atmosphere, there were still many tourists who had just taken line B up the mountain waiting in line to go up Tianmen Cave.

As I took the eco-friendly car down the mountain, the entrance was shrouded in mist, and the scenery was very pleasing to the eye.

It was more of a half-day trip than a full-day trip to Tianmen Mountain. After going down the mountain, I realized that it wasn’t raining at all at the foot of the mountain, so I had Hunan rice noodles at a noodle shop near the train station. I thought it would be very spicy, but it wasn’t. The owner of the noodle shop said their most famous dish is “Three Down Pots,” but I’m not particularly interested in food, and I was traveling alone, so I didn’t try it.

DAY2-3: Fenghuang Ancient Town

How can you go to Zhangjiajie without going to Fenghuang?

After coming down from Tianmen Mountain and having lunch, I transferred to Fenghuang Ancient Town in the afternoon. There are many trains from Zhangjiajie to Jishou, about an hour or so, and the ticket costs about ten yuan. There are many buses from Jishou to Fenghuang Ancient Town, which cost about 20 yuan, and they depart frequently. The journey takes two hours. Fenghuang Ancient Town bus station is very close to the ancient town. It’s just one yuan by bus to get there.

There are also many cars at Fenghuang bus station that can take you to the ancient town, five yuan per person. However, they will recommend the Xiangxi Corpse Transportation Bonfire Party (80 yuan) and the “Ganganchang” package (180 yuan). If you have time, you can choose freely.

During the holiday season, you must book your inn in Fenghuang in advance, and it will be very expensive during the holiday season. The stilt houses facing the river are usually around 400 yuan. But I have to say, the night view of Fenghuang is truly beautiful, captivating.

As the lights come on, the moonlight is like water, the long night is tranquil, the long road is vast, the stars twinkle and scatter, the moonlight is clear and refreshing, and the aroma is fragrant.

It’s easy to recall Mr. Shen Congwen’s “Xiangxi Sanji,” “Biancheng,” and the poignant love story of Nansong and Cuicui.

Fenghuang Ancient Town has many local specialties, such as Muhammer Biscuits, Ginger Candy, and many Tujia grandmothers who weave colored braids and locals who hold Miao clothing for tourists to take pictures with. The prices are not expensive, around ten yuan.

In the ancient town under the night sky, many bars are hidden away, with tranquility amidst singing and joy, and quietness amidst the hustle and bustle.

I stayed near the Rainbow Bridge. Across the bridge was a folk music bar. When I went to bed at night, I heard a singer singing Zhao Lei’s songs, “Southern Girl” and “The Letter Not Given to My Sister.” The tone was hoarse, somewhat like Lei’s. If I hadn’t known that Zhao Lei was performing at the Nanjing Music Festival that day, I would have almost thought he had come here.

Fenghuang in the morning was drizzling with rain. Compared to the hustle and bustle of the previous night, it was much quieter in the morning. Walking on the cobblestones of the ancient town, I felt a reluctance to leave.

The buses from Fenghuang station still departed frequently. As I sat on the bus, looking at Fenghuang in the morning, although I was about to leave, I couldn’t bring with me the fleeting but beautiful memories of last night.

Notes:

①Friendly reminder: When traveling during holidays, absolutely avoid long-distance buses, especially if you are transferring buses, otherwise, you might miss the bus back home. It’s quite common to get stuck in traffic for a dozen hours. Don’t ask me how I know, it’s a story for another time.

②Regarding expenses: This trip was quite economical. For the Forest Park, in addition to the entrance fee, I spent over 800 yuan on the cable car to the top of the mountain, the Bailong Elevator, Yuanjia Village, and the sightseeing train. Tianmen Mountain cost about 200 yuan, plus accommodation, Shanghai to Changsha, Changsha to Zhangjiajie, Zhangjiajie to Fenghuang, Fenghuang back to Shanghai, and other expenses, it was less than 3000 yuan.

I returned to Shanghai early on October 6th and went to the World Expo Park in the afternoon to watch the Shanghai Simple Life Music Festival, because my idol was performing there.