Looking for what to see in Zhangjiajie and don’t know where to begin? You’re not alone. Even though there’s plenty of info online, planning this visit was one of the toughest parts of our China trip. The area is vast, with multiple access points, varied ticket systems, and confusing naming—all of which make organizing a Zhangjiajie trip before your visit quite daunting. That’s why, after returning, I decided to create this complete guide on things to do in Zhangjiajie, explaining how to organize your visit to the spectacular Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Tianmen mountain and other interesting places around.
Zhangjiajie seems straight out of a movie. Its towering stone pillars draped in greenery inspired the floating world of Pandora in Avatar. No wonder: the landscapes you’ll find here are unlike anything you’ve seen before.
Located in Hunan province, southern China, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park was the first forest park declared in the country and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Before you begin, it’s essential to clarify that the national park isn’t in the city of Zhangjiajie itself, but in nearby Wulingyuan — about 30 km north. Similarly, Tianmen Mountain, Baofeng Lake, and the Grand Canyon are separate attractions and require their own tickets.
This Zhangjiajie itinerary includes everything you need to know: what to see, how to choose the best ticket, navigating the park, arrival logistics, accommodation options, and dining tips. Whether you have just one day or plan to explore thoroughly, this Zhangjiajie travel guide gives you all the practical info for an unforgettable experience
At the end of this section, I’ve attached a map drawn by myself to explain the different routes and bus stops, I hope it helps you!
🎟️ Buying Tickets for Zhangjiajie National Forest Park: Ticket Types & Pro Tips
Before you dive into the wonders of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, it’s crucial to understand how the ticket system works. Getting a grip on your entry options—from the layout of the park to the things to see in Zhangjiajie—can save you time and stress.
📌 Where to Buy Tickets
You can purchase tickets at the main ticket booth in Wulingyuan, but to avoid queues and sold-out time slots during peak season, it’s best to book in advance via platforms like Trip.com, WeChat, or through your hotel or local travel operator.
🎫 Ticket Types & Entry Strategy
A general-entry ticket grants access to all major zones of the park and includes unlimited access to the eco-shuttle buses that connect key attractions. The ticket is valid for 4 consecutive days from your first entry, and you’ll need to select your initial entry window—after that, you can freely exit and re-enter the park.
This flexibility is perfect for mapping out “things to see in Zhangjiajie” over multiple spots without repeating areas.
When purchasing, you’ll need to choose:
- Your entry time slot
- The visitor circuit (Line A vs. Line B)
🅰️ Line A vs. Line B: What’s the Difference?
The park operates two major circuits to streamline visitor flow—Line A and Line B—each covering different landscapes. If you’re using this Zhangjiajie itinerary for a one-day visit, choose your circuit based on your must-see spots.
🅰️ Line A heads toward the Bailong Elevator
🅱️ Line B heads toward the Tianzi Mountain Cable Car
Each circuit leads to different panoramas in the Avatar mountains of China, so plan your route accordingly.
🚌 How to Get Around Inside Zhangjiajie National Park
If you’re planning your trip and wondering what to see in Zhangjiajie, you first need to understand how to get around this huge park. Zhangjiajie National Park is vast and divided into two levels, so knowing the transport options will save you time and energy.
Once you enter the park, hop on one of the free shuttle buses to reach your starting point. These buses are included unlimited with your general admission ticket and connect the main tourist areas and entrances via clearly marked routes. Walking between major attractions is not practical (except for a few exceptions we’ll mention later). Each site has its own bus stop, and you basically hop on and off as you explore all the places you want to see in Zhangjiajie.
🚠 Cable cars and elevator inside the park – To reach the Tianzi Mountain area, you’ll need to take a cable car, while to get to Yuanjiajie you’ll have to take the Bailong Elevator. There are also cable cars to access the scenic areas of Yangjiajie and Huangshi Village.
🚞 Scenic train at Ten Mile Gallery – There’s an animal-themed train that runs through the Ten Mile Gallery to the very end, perfect if you’re tired or traveling with kids or elderly visitors.
🥾 Walking the trails – Scenic routes at each point of interest can only be done on foot. Additionally, it’s possible to: hike up and down in Yangjiajie, hike down from Yuanjiajie via the trail that connects to Golden Whip Stream, and descend from Tianzi via the trail that connects to Three Sisters Peak and the Ten Mile Gallery.
As mentioned earlier, there are two bus routes: one that runs along the lower part of the park (Blue Route) and another along the upper part (Red Route). Footpaths and hiking trails are marked in green.
💳 Zhangjiajie National Park Ticket Prices
- General admission only: 227 RMB – 🚫 Important: This ticket does not include extras like the Bailong Elevator or the Tianzi Mountain cable car, which have separate fees.
- General admission + 3 cable car rides + 1 elevator ride: 480 RMB
- General admission + unlimited rides on all cable cars and the elevator: 525 RMB
- Bailong Elevator: 72 RMB per ride
- Tianzi Mountain Cable Car: 72 RMB per ride
- Huangshizhai Cable Car: 65 RMB per ride
- Yangjiajie Cable Car: 76 RMB per ride
- Ten Mile Gallery Train: 38 RMB per ride
Epic One-Day Itinerary: Things to See in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
🚨ATTENTION! This whirlwind Zhangjiajie itinerary spans 11 hours (7:00 to 18:00), with only a brief 10-minute break between stops—there’s no long lunch break. Make sure your plan covers all the things to see in Zhangjiajie efficiently.
If you’ve been following our travel series, you’ll know our visit to the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park was disrupted by a typhoon, forcing us to condense a two-day schedule into just one day. We strongly recommend spreading it across two days at a more relaxed pace if you’re focused on exploring all the best things to see in Zhangjiajie. What we pulled off was pure madness—but unforgettable.
All that said, if you’re like us and must cram everything into a single day, be prepared for sore muscles the following day.
Bailong elevator
We entered through the south gate (Wulingyuan Gate) at 7:00 AM. A shuttle bus took us directly to the Bailong Elevator, one of the most iconic attractions in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and a must on any things to see in Zhangjiajie list. This glass elevator, considered the tallest in the world, climbs 326 meters up a sheer cliff in under two minutes. Emerging from a tunnel, you’re suddenly surrounded by colossal stone pillars—like stepping right into Pandora, the legendary Avatar mountains of China.
Normally, the elevator drops you off beside the shuttle to Yuanjiajie. On our visit, however, the road was blocked due to storm damage, so we had to head back down immediately.
Golden Whip Stream
After returning to the base, we boarded a shuttle to the “Water Windings and Four Gates” stop—right at the start of the Golden Whip Stream trail.
This scenic route winds 7.5 km along the Jinbian River, flanked by towering stone pillars and verdant cliffs. It takes about two hours to traverse, and you’re very likely to spot wild monkeys—please don’t feed them! Bag-snatching was common, so keep your belongings secure.
Although this flat trail is long, it can be slippery, especially when wet, so wear anti-slip shoes. An alternate, more accessible path is also available in parts.
The trail ends at “Oxygen Square”—known for having one of China’s highest concentrations of negative oxygen ions. From here, a 1.5-hour hike leads to Huangshi Village, or you can catch a shuttle to the cable car.
Huangshi Village
A top highlight and one of the must-see scenes in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is Huangshi Village. We chose to ride up via cable car.
At the summit, a 2 km circular route links several viewpoints with epic panoramas of Zhangjiajie’s pillars—like the famous “Five Fingers Peak” and “Southern Sky Column.” Despite the name, there’s no village atop the limestone. We even encountered a few macaques along the way. The saying goes: “A trip to Zhangjiajie isn’t complete without a visit to Huangshi Village.” Be sure to make it part of your “things to see in Zhangjiajie” list!
To descend, you can either take the cable car again or walk back down (about an hour).
Yangjiajie
Our next stop was the scenic area of Yangjiajie. Its dramatic rock formations are another attraction you cannot miss in Zhangjiajie. From the Huangshi cable car station, ride a shuttle to Longfengwan. Then, climb stairs for about 20 minutes to reach another bus that takes you to the Yangjiajie cable car station.
Yangjiajie is one of the park’s most pristine and less explored areas—perfect for those seeking jaw-dropping landscapes of the Avatar mountains without the crowds. You’ll find dramatic scenes like the Tianbo Mansion overlook and natural sky bridges appearing to hang between sheer cliffs.
Unfortunately, many of the trails were closed due to the typhoon, so visibility was limited on our visit.
From Yangjiajie, two routes branch out: one heads to Tianzi Mountain, and the other to Yuanjiajie, home to the iconic Avatar Mountains of China.
Yuanjiajie
From Yangjiajie, take a shuttle to Tianqiao—a great starting point for exploring Yuanjiajie.
This zone is arguably the most famous part of the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and an essential stop if you’re planning what to see in Zhangjiajie. It’s where the “Avatar Hallelujah Mountain” resides—the real-life inspiration for the film’s floating peaks. The southern sky pillar, the “First Bridge Under Heaven,” and countless vegetated spires make it feel like another world.
The standard walking route takes around two hours at a steady pace. To descend, you can hike toward Golden Whip Stream—though this involves backtracking—or find the “Enchanted Spot” shuttle stop, which brings you to the Bailong Elevator for a seamless ride toward Ten Mile Gallery next.
Ten Mile gallery
The Ten Mile Gallery trail is one of the most serene and photogenic segments in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, making it perfect to wrap up a busy day. This ~2 km level path runs through a valley surrounded by pillar formations with whimsical names—**“Old Man Gathering Wood,” “Rabbit Listening,” “Three Sisters”—even if you need a bit of imagination to see the shapes!
The path changes like a nature gallery. While it lacks high-altitude views, the grounding perspective and calm ambiance are excellent. Plus, it’s paved—your feet will thank you.
You can stroll the gallery or take an animal-themed audio-guided train (in Chinese) for 38 RMB per ride. We took it to the end and made the return walk ourselves.
🗺️ Zhangjiajie map with interest points
Below is a map I’ve drawn to help illustrate where the shuttle buses stop, where the cable cars are located, and other key points mentioned in this guide. I hope it makes it easier to understand how the park works. There are many more bus stops than the ones shown here—these are simply the ones we used on our route.
🏔️ Things to do in Zhangjiajie: visit Tianmen Mountain
Tianmen Mountain (Tianmen Shan, 天门山) is one of the top things to see in Zhangjiajie and, along with Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, is a must-visit in the region. Located just 8 km from the city center, this sacred peak—whose name means “Mountain of the Heaven’s Gate”—is famous for its dizzying road with 99 sharp curves, its spectacular natural arch at the summit (Tianmen Cave), and its glass cliff walkway (not to be confused with the Glass Bridge at Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon).
We had high expectations, as many say the views from the top are simply unforgettable. Unfortunately, due to a typhoon, visibility was zero, several trails were closed, and we couldn’t see a thing. So the information below is based on our prior research and brief experience.
🎟️ Ticket Types and Prices: Lines A, B, C, 1, and 2
There are several itineraries depending on the type of ticket you buy. Lines A, B, and C include two cable car rides, while Lines 1 and 2 have one cable car ride and one bus ride.
🔴 LINE A
- Take the Tianmen Mountain cable car from downtown Zhangjiajie to the summit.
- Explore the mountain top.
- Use the internal escalators to reach Tianmen Cave.
- Walk down the 999 steps of Tianmen Cave.
- Descend via the express cable car to the mountain entrance.
- Shuttle bus back to the cable car station in the city center.
💵 Price: 275 RMB
🔴 LINE B
- Shuttle bus from the cable car station to the mountain entrance.
- Ascend via the express cable car to Tianmen Cave.
- Climb the 999 steps.
- Use the internal escalators to reach the summit.
- Explore the summit area.
- Descend to the city center via the main cable car.
💵 Price: 275 RMB
🔴 LINE C (Double route)
- Shuttle bus to the mountain entrance.
- Express cable car to Tianmen Cave.
- Climb the 999 steps.
- Internal escalators to the summit.
- Explore the summit.
- Return to Tianmen Cave via the internal escalators.
- Descend the 999 steps.
- Express cable car to the entrance.
- Shuttle bus back to the city.
💵 Price: 275 RMB
🔵 LINE 1
- Main cable car from Zhangjiajie to the summit.
- Explore the summit area.
- Internal escalators down to Tianmen Cave.
- Descend the 999 steps on foot.
- Return to the city via the 99-curves road by bus.
💵 Price: 232 RMB
🔵 LINE 2
- Bus from the city to Tianmen Cave via the 99-curves road.
- Climb the 999 steps.
- Internal escalators to the summit.
- Explore the summit.
- Main cable car back to the city center.
💵 Price: 232 RMB
📍 Points of Interest on Tianmen Mountain
Once at the summit, there are two scenic walking routes.
🟢 West Route: Mixian Qijing
Located on the west side of the summit, this route is closely linked to the culture of hermits and legends of immortals. It’s short—about 1 to 1.5 hours—perfect for a light walk with stunning views.
Highlights include:
- Heaven-Approaching Platform
- West Cliff Glass Walkway
- Rainbow Pass
- Guigu Cliff Walkway
- Suspension Bridge
- Bai He
- Cave of the Mother Wishing for a Child
- Cherry Bay
- Tianmen Mountain Temple
🔵 East Route: Biye Yaotai
This is the longer route at 3.7 km, featuring a wilder and more natural landscape. There are over 20 points of interest, including:
- Suspended Cable Car
- Davidia involucrata Garden
- Fairyland Corridor
- Tianmen Turbulent Waters (next to the internal escalator station)
- North Viewpoint of Tianmen Cave
- Fairy Spring
- Happy Forest
- Yu Hu Peak
- Drunken Clouds Pavilion
- Immortal’s Fountain
- East Cliff Glass Walkway
- South Viewpoint of Tianmen Cave
- Love Between Trees and Rocks
- Cherry Bay
- Tianmen Mountain Temple
🌡️ Best Time to Visit Zhangjiajie
Zhangjiajie is located in south-central China, within the continental tropical monsoon climate zone. There is fog or rain for more than 200 days a year, so it’s important to take this into account when planning your trip.
We recommend visiting during the dry season, from November to March. Winter can be very cold, and it may even snow. Try to avoid the rainy season from May to August — especially June, which is the wettest month in Zhangjiajie.
🛬 How to Get to Zhangjiajie
Although Zhangjiajie might seem “in the middle of nowhere,” it is actually much more accessible than you might think. Like most destinations in China, you can reach it by both plane and train from several major cities.
✈️ Zhangjiajie Hehua Airport (DYG)
Zhangjiajie Hehua Airport is located very close to the city center and the Tianmen Mountain cable car, and about 35 km from Wulingyuan. It’s a small airport but offers direct flights from major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi’an.
🚄 Trains to Zhangjiajie
The city has two train stations: Zhangjiajie Railway Station, which serves intercity trains, and the newer Zhangjiajie West (Zhangjiajiexi) station, which receives high-speed trains from cities like:
- Chongqing — just 2 hours away on a recently inaugurated route (compared to 6 hours on the old slow train)
- Changsha — 2 hours
- Chengdu — 5 hours
You can also take regular and sleeper trains (type K), which are slower but more affordable. Zhangjiajie West station is located about 8 km from the city center and 26 km from Wulingyuan. To reach either area, you can take a DiDi (China’s equivalent of Uber).
🚐 How to Get from Zhangjiajie City to Wulingyuan
The distance between Zhangjiajie City and Wulingyuan is about 35 km, and the trip takes around 40–50 minutes, depending on traffic and your choice of transport.
🚌 By local bus
From Zhangjiajie Central Bus Station (located in front of the old Railway station, near the Tianmen Mountain cable car station), buses to Wulingyuan depart every 10–15 minutes from 6:30 to 19:00. The ride costs around 12 RMB and drops you off at Wulingyuan Bus Station, just a short walk from the main park entrance. This is the cheapest and still quite a comfortable option.
🚗 By Didi or taxi
If you’re carrying a lot of luggage, traveling in a group, or arriving late, you can just order a Didi or take a taxi. The fare is usually 80–90 RMB and takes you directly to your hotel, with no need to walk from the station.
If you arrive by train or plane and your accommodation is in Wulingyuan, it’s worth going straight there by Didi/taxi to save time and avoid transfers
🛌 Where to Stay: Zhangjiajie or Wulingyuan?
One of the most common questions when planning what things to do in Zhangjiajie is where to stay — in Zhangjiajie city or in the Wulingyuan district, which is closer to the National Park.
There’s no right or wrong choice; the ideal location depends on how you’ve planned your itinerary and what you’re going to visit. In our case, we spent one night in Zhangjiajie city and two nights in Wulingyuan.
🏨 Staying in Zhangjiajie City
Zhangjiajie City is the urban center of the region, where both the airport and the train stations are located.
✅ Advantages
- Very close to the airport and train station.
- Greater variety of restaurants and shops.
- Perfect if you plan to visit Tianmen Mountain first, as it’s only 10–15 minutes from the center.
❌ Disadvantages
- Located 40–50 minutes by car from Zhangjiajie National Park, which means more daily commuting if you’re visiting the park several days in a row.
- Less natural and touristy atmosphere compared to Wulingyuan.
- This is a good choice if you arrive early and plan to visit Tianmen Mountain on your first afternoon, or if you arrive late at night and want to visit the mountain early the next morning.
Recommended hotel: Yunmenqi Boutique Inn
We arrived from Chongqing by train at 15:00 and had tickets to Tianmen for 16:00, so we booked this guesthouse just a 5-minute walk from the cable car station. The rooms are very basic and could use some renovation (in the Trip.com photos they look newer), but they were clean. Considering the price, we couldn’t really complain. The receptionist was lovely and even took us personally to a local restaurant when we asked for a non-touristy place to try regional food.
💵 Price: €13/night
🏕️ Staying in Wulingyuan
Wulingyuan is the district located right next to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. It’s smaller, quite touristy, surrounded by nature, and filled with hostel-style accommodations.
✅ Advantages
- Only 5–10 minutes from the park entrance, perfect for starting early.
- More natural and relaxed environment.
- Plenty of hostels, boutique hotels, and backpacker-friendly cafés.
❌ Disadvantages
- Far from the airport and Tianmen Mountain.
- Fewer service and transport options.
If you’re dedicating several days to the park, Wulingyuan is definitely the best option. We stayed here for two nights after visiting Tianmen Mountain.
Recommended hotel: Destination Youth Hostel
We chose this hostel for its proximity to the park entrance, and it was a great decision. From the moment we booked, the host Ralph was attentive, gave us advice on which routes to take for Tianmen Mountain and the park, and even purchased our tickets at a discount. Both he and the receptionist spoke perfect English.
The room was huge and very clean, with a floor-to-ceiling window, an extra-large bed, and plenty of space for our backpacks. They also offer laundry service, so we took the chance to wash and dry all our clothes for just 30 RMB.
💵 Price: €17/night
🍜 Hunan Cuisine and What to Eat in Zhangjiajie
Hunan cuisine is one of the most famous in China for its intense flavors and generous use of chili. In Zhangjiajie, traditional recipes are mixed with local specialties from the Tujia ethnic group. Here are some dishes you shouldn’t miss:
- Stir-fried pork with green peppers: One of Hunan’s signature dishes. Made with thin slices of pork (sometimes pork belly, sometimes lean cuts), spicy green peppers, garlic, and ginger. It’s incredibly juicy, slightly smoky, and deliciously spicy — we honestly lost count of how many times we ordered it. It became our go-to dish.
- Braised pork belly Tujia-style: Pork belly slow-cooked with soy sauce and local spices. A traditional celebration dish among the Tujia people, very tender and flavorful. The traditional method includes three cooking stages: boiling, steaming, and pan-frying. The result is melt-in-your-mouth pork.
- Sanxiaguo: A hearty clay-pot stew popular in Zhangjiajie. Made with three types of meat (usually pork, beef, and offal), tofu, vegetables, and a spiced broth. Perfect for sharing, though a bit too much for one person.
Where to Eat en Zhangjiajie
Shiquan Jiumei (食全酒美)
In China, there are two main types of places to eat: standard restaurants and what locals call “shops” — small, family-run eateries with little fuss but often the best food. We asked our hotel receptionist for recommendations, and she personally walked us here. She even told the owners not to make our food spicy, which we appreciated. We tried two dishes: the Tujia-style braised pork belly and a pork belly and mushroom stew that was absolutely delicious.
💵 Price: 6€/persona
Where to Eat in Wulingyuan
Local restaurant (Name unknown)
Funny enough, one of the best meals of our entire China trip was here — and we forgot to note the name! But we can give you directions. Look for intersection 435 on Wuling Street (the main road) and take the perpendicular street. From Baidu Street View photos (last updated 2021), it seems the place used to be a printer shop. It’s not marked on Amap or Baidu, so the closest identifiable location is next door: 衣缘阁 服装店. You’ll recognize the restaurant by its gray brick façade.
We ordered stir-fried pork belly with onions and rice, plus spicy noodles with meat and cilantro — the kind of noodles I still dream about.
💵 Price: 2€/persona
Jundi Street Night Market
Near our hostel, at the end of Jundi Street, a lively night market is set up every evening, full of street food stalls: skewers, oysters, fried rice, all kinds of noodles…
💵 Price: 2€/persona
✨ Traveling to Zhangjiajie: Is it worth?
Visiting Zhangjiajie feels like stepping into a dream: from the towering stone pillars that inspired the floating mountains of Avatar to the impressive Tianmen Mountain with its famous “Heaven’s Gate.” Its unique mix of nature, culture, and activities makes Zhangjiajie a destination with something for everyone — and one that deserves a top spot on your China bucket list if you love the outdoors.
If you were looking for inspiration on what to see in Zhangjiajie, we hope this guide helps you plan your trip. And if you have any questions, drop us a comment!
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