Changsha 5-Day, 4-Night Ultimate Guide

Health codes and local transportation

Health codes are not interconnected across the country. When you exit the high-speed rail or airport, scan the QR code and follow the WeChat official account "Hunan Province Resident Health Card"; you need to show it when entering venues.

? Nucleic acid testing:

Only the health code is checked; venues and public transportation do not require a negative nucleic acid test.

? Local transportation:

For buses, directly use Alipay's "Transport" feature.

For the metro, you need to download a separate app, link it to WeChat or Alipay, and pay a 10-yuan deposit—quite troublesome. If your trip is short, it's more convenient to buy tickets directly from the machines.

? Hunan Provincial Museum:

Same name on WeChat. General exhibitions are free; special exhibitions charge. Current theme: "We Asia: Ancient Asian Civilizations Exhibition," ticket price 50 yuan/person. Free tickets are extremely hard to get; other apps offer guided tour tickets for free exhibitions at around 20 yuan. We booked special exhibition tickets directly on the official account, which includes access to free exhibitions. The free exhibition area has text and video explanations, so you can explore freely without a guide.

Same name on the mini-program; only available for same-day booking within the first 100 slots. We went on a Friday and entered before 6 PM without any queue—smooth entry. Later you have to queue, and the longer you wait, the more people there are.

? Yuelu Mountain, Orange Isle, Taohualing Scenic Area, Xiao Jinguang's Former Residence:

Mini-program "Yuelu Mountain Reservation," can only be booked within 3 days, free entry. We only visited Yuelu Mountain and Orange Isle. Although there were many people, we could still reschedule and book on the same day.

? Transportation within Yuelu Mountain:

Hiking: Enter via the northeast gate and exit via the south gate without visiting scenic spots—pure hiking takes 40 minutes.

Cable car ascending: single trip 30 yuan/person.

Electric cart ascending: single trip 20 yuan/person.

Sled descending: single trip 30 yuan/person.

We took a taxi to the cable car entrance (Mafengwo says it's the east gate, but the driver said it's different; just navigate to "Yuelu Mountain Cable Car"). We wanted to buy tickets on-site for the cable car up, but were told it would be a 1-2 hour wait, so we switched to the electric cart. For sightseeing, we walked down the mountain—smooth and enjoyable, and we didn't take the sled. Not sure if online booking is available in advance.

? Yuelu Academy:

Same name on WeChat. Ticket 50 yuan/person, can be booked only within 3 days. We went on a weekend; a tour guide mentioned that on weekdays, teachers and students have classes inside, and visitors can experience it, which might be more fun. We didn't find it very interesting—better to spend more time on Yuelu Mountain.

? Orange Isle Sightseeing Train:

Mini-program "Longxiang Orange Isle." Round-trip ticket 40 yuan/person. Book in advance or on the day of visit; both work. We went on a weekend; right outside the metro station there was an automatic QR code ticket purchase, but only round-trip option was available.

? Xie Zilong Photography Museum:

Same name on WeChat. Entry to the venue is free; the 2nd and 3rd floor exhibitions charge. Official account booking for a double ticket is 220 yuan, 110 yuan per person, covering the current three exhibitions. The 4th floor charges extra. On-site ticketing is cheaper: group tickets for about 10 people cost only 80 yuan per person. We didn't find it very interesting—the exhibitions aren't worth the price. Just go inside and take photos; if you're really interested in an exhibition, buy a ticket on the spot.

? Li Zijian Art Museum:

Same name on WeChat. Entry is free.

? Itinerary suggestions:

Skip Yuelu Academy and skip the paid exhibitions at Xie Zilong Art Museum; the free ones are optional.

Since it was our first visit and we wanted a relaxed schedule, we went from Thursday night to Monday morning.

To save time and accommodation costs, you could depart after work on Friday, stay Friday and Saturday nights, and return Sunday evening.

DAY 1: Xueyi Flour Noodle Shop > Yuelu Mountain > Qi Hao Xi Yan (Seven Happiness Banquet) > Orange Isle > Pedestrian Street > Si Xi Fu Qiao (Four Happiness Fuqiao)

DAY 2: Hunan Provincial Museum > (Xie Zilong Art Museum > Li Zijian Art Museum, optional) > Pedestrian Street