Travel Guide from Shanghai to Zhangjiajie

The distance from Shanghai to Zhangjiajie is still very long, so I suggest you not to travel by car. Taking a plane or high-speed rail are both good options. As a person who loves mountains and deep feelings, I must go to Zhangjiajie to experience it. This is your guide to traveling from Shanghai to Zhangjiajie.

The National Day holiday has passed for a long time, and I finally have time to calm down and record this trip from Shanghai to Zhangjiajie. Although traveling during holidays is the most unwise choice, office workers only have free time during holidays.

This year’s National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival are connected together. Many units have eight days of vacation. Because our company has a single holiday, the holiday is only six days. I have always wanted to go to Zhangjiajie, but this time I finally made up my mind to put my dream into action.

As an international tourist city, Zhangjiajie has many attractions. Among them, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, as the first national forest park in China, is a must-see attraction when visiting Zhangjiajie. There is also the Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area in Zhangjiajie, including the famous The glass plank road and highway wonders, as well as the newly developed Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Scenic Area (with glass bridge). Due to time constraints, I only went to Forest Park and Tianmen Mountain this time.

Knowing that tickets are hard to buy during the National Day, I grabbed them online a month in advance. The original plan was to leave on the evening of the 30th and arrive in Changsha on the 1st. However, I did not buy a ticket on the evening of the 30th. I was in a hurry to book attraction tickets and accommodation, so I bought a ticket that departed from Hainan Station on the night of the 1st and arrived in Changsha on the morning of the 2nd. By the way, I walked around Changsha for a while and then transferred to Zhangjiajie at noon.

The train arrives in Changsha at 7:30 in the morning. During the National Day, the autumn weather was crisp in Changsha. I took the subway from the train station to Orange Island. Orange Island is very big and you can spend an afternoon strolling there. Since I bought a train to Zhangjiajie at noon in advance, I took the sightseeing train to Orange Island.

There are indeed many orange trees in Orange Island. You can buy some when you come to Orange Island to try. At the top of Orange Island, there is the world's largest statue of Mao Zedong Youth. This statue is also made based on the situation of Comrade Mao Zedong when he was young. There is a stone tablet in front of the statue.

According to the staff, every Saturday night, there will be a fireworks show in Orange Island, starting at 20:30 pm and ending at 20:50 pm. Very spectacular.

It takes more than five hours to take a train from Changsha to Zhangjiajie. Accommodation in Zhangjiajie is booked two days in advance. There are many hotels near Zhangjiajie Railway Station and Bus Station, but because it is the National Day period, the room prices are slightly higher than usual. It is recommended that students and friends who travel frequently book youth hostels online in advance, and they can also meet many friends who like to travel.

Day 1: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is located in Wulingyuan Scenic Area, about an hour's drive from the city. Friends who have been to Zhangjiajie before said that Wulingyuan Scenic Area is so big that it takes three days to visit it all. So I gave up my plan to travel alone and signed up for a one-day tour online in advance. Because it was a group break-up, there were only ten people in the whole trip.

The tour guide is a very humorous Tujia girl. She said that there are five ethnic minorities in Hunan. Those with holes in their clothes are the cave dwellers, those who walk unsteadily are the Yao people, those with slim figures covered in silverware are the Miao people, and those with white and clean skin are the Bai people, who are well-dressed and look like her. People with such dark skin are Tujia people, which made everyone laugh.

She also told us about the poisonous poisons of many scenic spots and the corpse extermination in western Hunan along the way, which attracted a lot of people in the car with great interest.

It was already half past nine when we arrived at the entrance of the Forest Park Scenic Area. There was a long queue at the scenic spot. Although the tour guide bought us cable car tickets in advance, we still had to wait for an hour. After the cable car reached the top of the mountain, we took the bus to Tianzi Mountain and Helong Park.

Tour guide Du Shimei said that among the 365 days in Zhangjiajie, about 300 were rainy days, so I regretted not seeing the scenery of Tianzi.

When we were going down the mountain, the tour guide Du Shimei told us that we could not bring the white tiger.

The tour guide Du Shimei said, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park: Yuanjiajie looks at the stone pillars, Yangjiajie looks at the stone wall, the word Tian Look at the peak forest. The scenery is really strange, the sea of ??clouds is thick and light, and the stone peaks are looming. The scenes are ever-changing.

I had a buffet at the scenic spot at noon. The food was average, so I won’t go into details here.

Opposite the restaurant is the famous Yuanjia Village, which inherits the characteristics of Tujia architecture. Some of the Tujia people's reproduction history, living habits, daily necessities, etc. are displayed in the village.

Before entering the village, the group selected a man as a representative and drank three bowls of wine, which is said to be the etiquette of the Tujia people. Tour guide Du Shimei said that Tujia women cried when they got married, and a man in the group was chosen as the groom. Everyone there was laughing.

The means of transportation down the mountain is the Bailong Ladder, which turns the originally rugged mountain road into a 66-second instant direct route and a 66-second scenic spot transportation. Although it is only a short moment, it gives tourists a miraculous experience. This is the first in China and the highest in the world. It can be called a world wonder.

It was already five o'clock when we reached the foot of the mountain, and it was slightly dark. The next attraction to visit is Shili Gallery. I have to say that it is really the essence of the scenic spot. Sitting on the sightseeing train, listening to the introduction of the audio guide, Zhangjiajie is as beautiful as a picture scroll, step by step.

A one-day trip is indeed a bit short, but fortunately the ticket for Zhangjiajie Forest Park is valid for three days. If you want to stay, it is recommended to stay outside during this season because it is super cold in the mountains and air conditioning is useless.

The next day: Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park

The Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area is not as large as the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, so you can travel freely. Moreover, Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area is located in the urban area, a few hundred meters away from the train station, which is very convenient. So, at 6:30 the next morning, I took the bus to pick up the ticket. Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area is divided into Line A and Line B. It seems that there is also Line C. I chose Line A: the cableway goes up the mountain and the eco-friendly car goes down the mountain. (Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area is more user-friendly, and transportation is included in the ticket.) Tickets are booked half a month in advance, and the selected time period for going up the mountain is from 7 to 8 o'clock. (Entering the Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area is divided into different periods)

Maybe it’s because I went too early. There was no one queuing in front of the self-service ticket machine, and I got on the uphill cable car smoothly. The Tianmen Mountain Cable Car takes more than 40 minutes to reach the top of the mountain.

You can see the famous "Highway Wonder" from the cable car. If you are not afraid of heights, this is a good time to take photos of this beautiful road.

At eight o'clock in the morning, I successfully reached the top of Tianmen Mountain. I have to say that bringing a thick sweater is a very wise choice. And the poncho, so I had to bring that. It has been raining on the mountain, and when it rains there will be fog, which means Tianmen Cave cannot be seen. Some regrets.

Under heavy fog, the Glass Plank Road and Guigu Plank Road are much less scary, because you can't see below and the glass plank road is very short. (shoe covers 5 yuan).

Coming down from Tianmen Mountain, there will be two escalators. The first one is free, the second one is 35 yuan. (If you choose Line B, the first one is 35 yuan, and the second one is free). Posted on both sides of the escalator are many photos of celebrities visiting Tianmen Mountain, including Li Na, as well as photos of previous wingsuit flying competitions.

It was already ten o'clock when we arrived at Tianmen Cave. Sure enough, it was so cloudy and foggy that nothing could be seen. Blue lean mushrooms. I clearly remember that when Wuli Wang Jiaer came here, his style of painting was like this.

Although it has been raining and the atmosphere is not harmonious, there are still many tourists who have just climbed the B-line mountain lining up in front of Tianmen Cave, preparing to climb the mountain.

When riding an eco-friendly bike down the mountain, the entrance was filled with mist and the scenery was very pleasant.

Tianmen Mountain is not a one-day tour, but a half-day tour. After I came down the mountain, I found that it hadn’t rained at all, so I ate Hunan rice noodles by the train station. I thought it would be spicy, but I didn't expect it. I heard from the rice noodle shop owner that their most famous one is called Sanxi hotpot. Maybe I didn’t park the car

We came down from Tianmen Mountain, had lunch, and transferred to Fenghuang Ancient City in the afternoon. There are many trains from Zhangjiajie to Jishou, which takes more than an hour. There are many buses from Jishou to Fenghuang Ancient Town, which cost more than 20 yuan. The whole journey takes 2 hours. The bus station in Fenghuang Ancient City is very close to the ancient city, and the bus only costs one yuan.

There are also many buses at Fenghuang Bus Station to take you to the ancient city. Costs five dollars per person. However, on the bus, I will recommend you to go to the bonfire party in Xiangxi (80 yuan) and the sideline catching package (180 yuan). If you have enough time, you are free to choose.

During the holidays in Phoenix, the inn must be booked in advance, as the holidays will be very expensive. The stilted buildings along the river probably cost around 400, but I have to say that the night view of Phoenix is ??so beautiful and intoxicating.

At the beginning of the lantern, the moonlight is like water, the night is long and the road is long, the stars are dotted, the moonlight is clear and the fragrance is overflowing.

It is easy to think of Shen Congwen's "Xiangxi Xiangji", "Border Town", and the tragic love between Nuo Song and Cui Cui.

There are many special snacks in Fenghuang Ancient City, such as wooden hammer cakes and ginger candies. There are also many Tujia grandmothers who can do color analysis, and there are also local people taking photos of tourists with Miao costumes. The price is not expensive, about ten yuan.

In the dark ancient city, there are many bars hidden, singing joy in the silence, mixed with noise in the silence.

I live in Hongqiao, opposite a folk bar. When I was going to bed at night, I happened to hear a singer singing Zhao Lei's songs, "Southern Girl" and "Undelivered Letter to My Sister". His voice was hoarse, a bit like Lei Zi. If I hadn't known in advance that Zhao Lei was performing at the Nanjing Music Festival that day, I almost thought he was coming.

In the early morning, it was raining lightly in Phoenix. Compared to the bustle of the night before, it was so quiet early this morning. Stepping on the bluestone road of the ancient city, I really have the urge to leave.

The bus at Fenghuang Station was still running smoothly. I sat in the bus and looked at Fenghuang in the early morning. Although I will leave soon, what I cannot take away is the short but beautiful memory of last night.

Notes:

Warm reminder: Never choose long-distance buses when traveling during holidays, especially those who are in a hurry to change buses. Otherwise, we will not be able to catch the bus back, and it is common to be stuck in traffic jams for more than ten hours. Don't ask me why I know it. If I talk too much, I'll burst into tears.

About the cost: This trip is quite frugal. In addition to the large entrance fee to the scenic spot, the Forest Park also has a cable car and a white dragon ladder. Yuanjiazhaizi and sightseeing trains cost more than 800, and Tianmen Mountain costs more than 200, plus accommodation costs from Shanghai to Shangsha, Changsha to Zhangjiajie, Zhangjiajie to Fenghuang, and Fenghuang back to Shanghai. All added up, it’s less than 3,000 yuan.

I returned to Shanghai in the morning of October 16th, and in the afternoon I went to the Shanghai Simple Life Music Festival because of my idol.