You are dreaming of a relaxing adventure in Zhangjiajie, but it can be a frustrating orienteering challenge or a big-group rush between huge-crowd holdups. The difference is the way you travel. Your success is 50% decided at the planning stage.
All you need are some insightful suggestions, like itinerary suggestions and how to avoid crowds, from this article.
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The Best Attractions to Visit in Zhangjiajie
You travel for the most classic experience, and to see the highlights. See below our recommendations:
1. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park: It is the epitome of Zhangjiajie. If asked to recommend one attraction, we would recommend this one. The "floating mountains and peaks" that inspired Avatar are concentrated in this park. Missing this is like missing the pyramids in Egypt!
2. Tianmen Mountain This mountain features spectacular valley views, cliff path skywalks, and a record-breaking cableway with 70-degree inclines above deep valleys. There is actually a "stairway to heaven" with 999 steps.
3. Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon: Get away from the bustle and hustle - this deep valley offers a quiet hiking experience in dense forests, along stunning waterfalls, and limpid streams. One of its highlights is the world's longest and highest glass bridge.
| Attraction | Hours from Zhangjiajie | Time for a visit | Scenery*Activities | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhangjiajie National Forest Park | 40 minutes | 1 to 3 days | Precipitous Pillars hiking, photography |
5 |
| Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon | 40 minutes | 3 hours | Mountains, streams, cliffs hiking, walking on the glass bridge, photography |
5 |
| Tianmen Mountain | 10 minutes | 1 day | vertical cliffs; hiking, cable car riding, photography | 5 |
| Yellow Dragon Cave | 1 hour | 2 hours | Natural cave | 3 |
| Baofeng Lake | 1 hour | 2 hours | Boat ride | 4 |
Choosing the Best Time for Your Best Zhangjiajie Experiences
For Zhangjiajie, there is a best time for the weather, but it may not be the best time for your travel experience. Zhangjiajie can be visited all year round.
The best time for weather is from September to late October when the weather is comfortable with sunny days. But it is also the most crowded season.
So, the best times we recommend are just before or after the peak tourist season, such as March to April, September, or mid-October to mid-November.
Travel from April to June: it is the rainy season in Zhangjiajie. The mountains may be covered in mists. It is quiet, relaxing, and refreshing in this season.
Traveling during Chinese holidays: The Chinese holidays mean attractions everywhere are crowded. Book 3 months in advance if you plan to visit during these Chinese holidays:
- China's summer holiday season (July and August)
- Labor Day (May 1–3)
- National Day (October 1–7)
- Spring Festival (late January or early to mid-February)
Let experienced local travel experts like us help you arrange your tour so that you could enjoy a good travel experience on a good day without being trapped in huge crowds and queuing for hours. Even if the weather is not so good, our arrangements could enhance your experience for you as much as possible.
See more on Best Times to Visit Zhangjiajie
How Many Days to Stay? - At Least 4 Days
Our guests touring Zhangjiajie National ParkWhen we recommend how many days to stay, we mean the number of days needed to ensure you have a classic experience of Zhangjiajie. Traveling Zhangjiajie should not be a rush to catch the last bus – it's about enjoyment, escape, and discovery.
We recommend our customers allow at least 4 days for Zhangjiajie: a day for the national park, a day for the Grand Canyon with the glass bridge, a day for Tianmen Mountain, and a day for settling in and traveling. See our 4-day Essence of Zhangjiajie tour or get more ideas on our How Long to Spend in Zhangjiajie
To visit nearby Fenghuang Ancient Town (about 4-hour' s drive from Zhangjiajie), you need to allow one or two more days.
- 7-Day Changsha, Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang Ancient Town Tour
- 9-Day Zhangajie, Fenghuang and Guizhou Tour
Recommended Zhangjiajie Itineraries
| Length | Attractions | Itinerary | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-day | - Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon | AM: Glass Bridge PM: Baofeng Lake |
Very Brief - the Highlights |
| 3-day | - Zhangjiajie National Forest Park | Day 1: Arrival Day 2: National Park Day 3: National Park; departure |
Very Brief - the Highlights |
| 4-day | - Zhangjiajie National Forest Park - Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon - Tianmen Mountain |
Day 1: Arrival Day 2: National Park Day 3: Grand Canyon Day 4: Mountain adventure; depart |
The Classic Way |
| 5-day | - Zhangjiajie National Forest Park - Fenghuang Ancient Town |
Day 1: Arrival Day 2: National Park Day 3: National Park Day 4: Ancient Town Day 5: Ancient Town; departure |
Amazing Scenery & Ancient Culture |
How to Get to Zhangjiajie
There are flights and trains to Zhangjiajie from China's major cities. Zhangjiajie is easily accessible from China's gateway cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
There are daily flights from Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong to Zhangjiajie.
The new bullet train is available from Changsha to Zhangjiajie, taking about 2-3 hours. You can also take the bullet train from Guilin (6.5 hours) or Hong Kong (7.5 hours).
Easy to Extend Your Tour
Zhangjiajie's onward transportation to several major destinations is very convenient, so it is often included in the itineraries of first-time or second-time visitors to China.
Based on our experience, customers who visit Zhangjiajie often also visit Chengdu, Huangshan, Guilin, and/or Hangzhou, or take a Yangtze cruise. See 16-Day Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Xiamen, Yiwu and Hengdian Tour
Find the Best Place to Stay
Don't expect too much of hotels in Zhangjiajie. Hotels of the same star rating may not have the same comfort level as hotels in big Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai.
Most hotels in Zhangjiajie are concentrated in two areas: downtown Zhangjiajie and the area close to the national park - Wulingyuan town.
Hotels in Wulingyuan - Convenient for Visiting the Park
Wulingyuan is just outside the national park. It is convenient for visiting Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, and there are numerous accommodation options ranging from hostels to 5-star hotels.
Hotels in Zhangjiajie City - Convenient for Catching Flights or Trains
Hotels in the city of Zhangjiajie are good for tourists who arrive in Zhangjiajie on the first night, or who have finished their trip and are going to catch a flight or train the following morning, or who only want to visit the sights around the city of Zhangjiajie, such as Tianmen Mountain.
We will arrange a hotel in the city of Zhangjiajie on the first day as most flights land at night, sometimes very late.
Read more on the Best places to stay in Zhangjiajie.
The Best Travel Style: Privately-Guided, in a Group, or On Your Own?
China Highlights' guide Foster Wu and his customerThe best travel style is to travel with a private tour to make sure you have the best experiences:
Traveling on your own is possible if you don't mind risking getting lost in the mountains or ending up in the wrong places. There are no English signs and very little English is spoken in Zhangjiajie. We don't recommend that you travel on your own in Zhangjiajie.
Going with a tour group, you won't get lost or waste time with directions, but there'll be no relaxing and no escape at all. Want to stay longer in the park or escape the crowds? Sorry, you'll need to stay with your group.
Traveling with a private tour you can explore at your own pace, with a totally flexible itinerary. You can stay longer for great photos in front of "the Hallelujah Mountains" or to go quickly to avoid the Chinese tour groups. The choice is yours.
"During the day, it was so nice to be able to give them the worries we usually have when we travel on our own. Just being able to get into your waiting car outside of a location or having them show you areas out of reach of the tour buses. Some of the walks that David took us to in Zhangjiajie (the Avatar Mountains) were gorgeous and not another person in sight."
- Victor and Mary Ann Cognato, China Highlights customers
Touring Zhangjiajie with China Highlights
Touring Zhangjiajie with us.We aim to provide you with the best travel experience possible.
Contact us and we will be with you every step of the way on your Zhangjiajie trip, helping you get over any difficulties you encounter and, moreover, eliminating potential problems at the planning stage.
Our Zhangjiajie tours can be customized. Just tell us your interests and requirements and we will tailor-make a Zhangjiajie tour for you