Zhangjiajie is a city, region, and national park located in Central China, approximately 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from Hong Kong (a 6.5-hour train ride away).
Are you impressed by the Hallelujah Mountains in Avatar? The real ones are in Zhangjiajie. There are 243 peaks and more than 3,000 pinnacles and spires in the national park. Scenes in Avatar come to mind when the peaks are caught in the right light or when the early morning mountain mist rolls in around them.
In 1982, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park became China's first national forest park.
Why People Love to Visit Zhangjiajie
Zhangjiajie is not suited to everyone's taste, just as not everyone enjoys watching the movie Avatar. But for those who love nature, wish to seek adventure, and want to escape from the daily hustle and bustle, Zhangjiajie is a must for your travel itinerary.
- Get up close and personal with the mountains from Avatar. Don't just be impressed by videos and pictures. Travel to see the real ones - they are only a day's journey from you.
- Escape from your busy routine to see the most beautiful scenery and rejuvenate your mind and body.
- Enjoy the adventure of hiking in Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon in dense forests and by stunning waterfalls and limpid streams.
Top Things to Do in Zhangjiajie
It would be a shame to travel halfway around the world to Zhangjiajie but then miss any of the highlights. Reviews are not always helpful for you to find the best things to do as people rate by personal expectations and preferences. We have given you the recommendations below according to the majority of our customers' feedback as well as our own 20+ years of traveling.
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park: If we were asked to recommend just one attraction, it would be this. All of the mountains and peaks parodied in the movie Avatar are concentrated in this national park.
Zhangjiajie National Forest ParkZhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge: If you love adventure, you won't want to miss a hiking trip in Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. There is a glass bridge over the canyon and you'll love this if you crave fun and exciting experiences.
Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass BridgeTianmen Mountain or Heaven's Gate Mountain: The 999 steps to Heaven's Door, the 70-degree inclines above deep valleys on the longest cable car ride... your mind may be flooded with imaginings reading about these, let alone the spectacular valley views and thrilling cliff path skywalks.
Tianmen Cave, Tianmen Mountain, ZhangjiajieQixing Mountain Sky Ladder: It is about a 15-minute drive from Tianmen Mountain and approximately 30 minutes from Zhangjiajie West Station. This is a challenge of climbing 168 meters in the air at an altitude of over 1500 meters. The entire process takes about 3 hours and includes some rock wall climbing, making it an exhilarating and breathtaking experience. Once you successfully reach the summit, you will be rewarded with magnificent views of the stunning peaks and valleys below, giving you a strong sense of accomplishment.
Qixing Mountain Sky Ladder72 Strange Buildings or 72 Qilou: These traditional stilted buildings are located in Zhangjiajie downtown area, about a 20-minute drive from the Tianmen Mountain. During the day, you can explore the area in about an hour, enjoying various snacks. We recommend visiting in the evening for more performances and to see the buildings beautifully lit up. Even if you don't enter the scenic area, you can capture impressive photos of the stilted buildings from the road across the street, especially at night.
72 QilouHow Many Days to Stay? - At Least 4 Days
When 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. You can add a visit to the Qixing Mountain Sky Ladder and the 72 Strange Buildings (or 72 Qilou) if they interest you.
Nearby Fenghuang Ancient Town and Furong Ancient Town can be great options if you are interested in Chinese ancient towns.
Best Times to Visit Zhangjiajie - Spring and Fall
Our guests touring Zhangjiajie National ParkFor 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)
See detailed information on Zhangjiajie Weather.
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.
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How to Get to Zhangjiajie by Air/Train
Our clients was visiting Zhangjiajie.Zhangjiajie is a small city surrounded by mountains, with a small airport and a high-speed railway.
The best way to get to Zhangjiajie is to take a plane directly from Beijing (2.5 hours), Xi'an (1.5 hours), Shanghai (2 hours), or Chengdu (1.5 hours), or to take a high-speed train from Changsha (2.5 hours), Guilin (7.5 hours), Guangzhou (6 hours), or Hong Kong (6.5 hours).
It's hard and exhausting to figure the transportation all out. When booking, you will find it even harder so let the people who are good at this help you, like China Highlights. We will save you a lot of time and, most importantly, we know the best options. Let us help you create your Zhangjiajie trip.
See more detailed information about How to Get to and around Zhangjiajie.
The Best Places to Stay
There are international hotel chains in Zhangjiajie, such as Pullman Zhangjiajie, but the hotels are generally of a lower quality compared with hotels of the same star rating in major Chinese tourist cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai. Except for 5-star hotels, the hotels generally don't provide a Western breakfast and spoken English is limited.
Most of the hotels in Zhangjiajie are concentrated in two areas: downtown Zhangjiajie and a small town adjacent to the national park, called Wulingyuan.
We suggest our customers stay close to the national forest park most of the time because it is convenient for sightseeing in the park and some of the best hotels in the region are there. 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.
Read more on the Best places to stay in Zhangjiajie.
Zhangjiajie Food and Cuisine
Spicy local foodThe local cuisine in Zhangjiajie is spicy and has strong flavors. Don't worry if you can't eat spicy food because there will be Western food choices available at your hotel. We still recommend that you be adventurous and try it - learn about the place through your stomach.
Food options inside the national park are very limited but our guide will find the best ones for you. You can find a few Western restaurants, such as McDonald's and KFC, inside the park.
There are no vegetarian restaurants in the city but we can also arrange that and any other special requirements by talking with the chefs.
Zhangjiajie, Jiuzhaigou, Huangshan, or Guilin?
Zhangjiajie vs GuilinA lot of travelers consider the differences between Zhangjiajie, Jiuzhaigou, Huangshan, and Guilin, and try to figure out which is the best to visit. Our recommendations are as follows:
- Guilin's good for first-time visitors, or for comfort or those tight on time. Read more about Guilin Or Zhangjiajie, Which is the Best to Visit?
- The Yellow Mountains are good for classical mountain views, and preferable for hiking. Read more on Zhangjiajie or Huangshan, which one is the best to visit for you?
- Jiuzhaigou is best for those with more than a week's time to appreciate the alpine mountain and lake views. Continue to read details on: To Travel Zhangjiajie or Jiuzhaigou?
- Zhangjiajie's great for steep peak and gorge views and adventures, but not so great for comfort.
Accessibility: Zhangjiajie, Guilin and Huangshan are easier to access than Jiuzhaigou.
Travel comfort: Guilin's best, Huangshan's second, Jiuzhaigou's third, and Zhangjiajie's fourth for quality of accommodation, facilities, and infrastructure.
Scenery: Zhangjiajie features "gravity-defying" mesas. The huge forest park pillars seem to float in seas of clouds. Jiuzhaigou has colorful Alpine lakes, snowy peaks, and waterfalls in deep glacial valleys. Huangshan is known for its seas of clouds, peculiar-shaped rocks and pines, sunrises/sunsets, and ancient villages nearby. Guilin features celebrated water (the Li River and tributaries) and karst landscapes (bizarrely-shaped limestone hills).
Travel to Zhangjiajie with China Highlights
A trip to Zhangjiajie should be relaxing and enjoyable but the reality may not always seem like this. How does it feel to queue in a large crowd for over 2 hours? Your guide will help you to get where you want to go and to navigate around the crowds.
See our most popular customizable Zhangjiajie itineraries:
- 4 Days Zhangjiajie Tour - the most popular Zhangjiajie tour itinerary
- 7-Day Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang Tour - Visit the Highlights in Zhangjiajie and experience the minority cultures of Fenghuang
- 14-Day Beijing - Xi'an - Zhangjiajie - Guilin - Shanghai Tour
- 17-Day Beijing, Xian, Yangtze, Zhangjiajie, Guilin and Shanghai Tour
- Zhangjiajie Tours: more tour options that can be tailored to your interests
Or we can create a trip especially for you from your interests and requirements.