A Four-Day Four-Night Travel Itinerary from Beijing to Changsha and Zhangjiajie

1. Depart from Beijing on the 21st at 19:20 from Capital Airport T3 to Changsha Huanghua Airport T1

The flight is scheduled to arrive at Changsha Huanghua Airport at 21:50. From the airport, take Metro Line 6 and transfer to Metro Line 2 to reach the hotel.

(After arriving at the airport, check the location of the booked hotel. Taking the metro from the airport to the hotel is very convenient, with fares roughly similar to Beijing's metro fares. If arriving at night, the metro is mostly empty and you can find a seat.)

2. Check in to the hotel on the evening of the 21st.

3. On the morning of the 22nd, head to Orange Isle. Take Metro Line 2 from Yuanjialing Station for 5 stops to Orange Isle Qinglian Station. There are signs in the metro directing you to the scenic area. Note: You need to reserve tickets for Orange Isle 1-2 days in advance. Search for "Orange Isle" on WeChat.

From the entrance to Chairman Mao's statue is about 3-4 km. You can walk or take a shuttle bus (round trip 40 RMB, one-way 25 RMB; search "Longxiang Orange Isle" on WeChat to purchase).

4. On the afternoon of the 22nd, take high-speed train D7472 from Changsha Station to Zhangjiajie at 16:32, scheduled to arrive at Zhangjiajie West Station at 18:50. There are many high-speed trains from Changsha to Zhangjiajie West Station. The journey takes about two hours. Ticket prices are 151 and 166 RMB.

5. On the evening of the 22nd, check in to a hotel near the Tianmen Mountain Cable Car Center. Take a taxi from the train station (about 9 km). The hotel I stayed in is a guesthouse/B&B. It takes about 3-4 minutes to walk to the entrance of Tianmen Mountain Cable Car Line A. The hotel offers free pick-up service. One side of the room overlooks residential buildings, the other side offers a view of the mountains.

6. After checking in on the evening of the 22nd, take a taxi to Zhangjiajie 72 Qi Lou. It's about 6 km from the hotel to 72 Qi Lou. For photos, it's best not to go directly to the building's base; it's too close to take good photos. When taking a taxi from the hotel to 72 Qi Lou, there is an intersection where the taxi would turn around to reach the building. Don't turn around; instead, get off just before that intersection on the opposite side of the road from 72 Qi Lou for better photos. You'll see many people taking photos there, and there are also live streamers. There is a noodle shop downstairs at 72 Qi Lou (I forget the name) with decent food. Next to it is a snack store where you can buy snacks for the next day at Tianmen Mountain at reasonable prices.

7. On the 23rd, after lunch, head to Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area. Take the cable car from the hotel lobby to Tianmen Mountain. It is recommended to buy a Line A cable car ticket for visiting Tianmen Mountain. (There are three types of cable car tickets to go up the mountain, all priced at 278 RMB per person. Line A: First, take the world's longest cable car from the cable car center to the top of the mountain (about 30 minutes). Then, when descending, take the aerial bus (a short cable car). After getting off, walk to the eco-car stop and take an eco-car back to the cable car center. Line B is the reverse of Line A: first, take an eco-car from the cable car center to the entrance of the aerial bus (short cable car) to go up to the mountainside, then after sightseeing, take the longest cable car directly down to the cable car center. Line C: both ascending and descending use the short aerial bus. Tip: The longest cable car holds 8 people; the aerial bus holds 22 people.) Choose Line A to avoid fatigue, as you go up to the top first then walk down. Line B goes up to the mountainside first, then you climb up. The main difference is the 999 steps at Tianmen Cave, the iconic attraction. All three lines have entry time requirements; you select a time slot when buying tickets. It's best to go as early as possible to avoid crowds. (If unsure about the entry time, consider the Sightseeing Package at 335 RMB per person, which includes the Tianmen Cave Mountain-Piercing Escalator and the Summit Forest Sightseeing Cable Car. The Summit Forest Sightseeing Cable Car is a small two-person cable car from Tianmen Mountain Temple to Yunmeng Xian Ding. The Tianmen Cave Mountain-Piercing Escalator is an elevator that goes directly from Tianmen Cave to Tianmen Cave Square, saving you the 999 steps. If you buy this package, Ctrip will call you the day before to provide a contact number to call on the day of your visit. Someone will activate it at the group ticket office, allowing you to scan your ID at the two attractions.) Tianmen Mountain is divided into East and West lines. We chose the West line. The specific route is shown below:

Segment 1: The longest cable car ascending the mountain.

Segment 2: The entire West line. The first attraction is the Glass Bridge (5 RMB per person).

Segment 3: The Summit Forest Sightseeing Cable Car mentioned above.

Segment 4: Two options: either walk down from Yunmeng Xian Ding, or take an elevator inside Yunmeng Xian Ding, then walk through a tunnel. Both lead to the place where you started on the longest cable car (called Tianmen Mountain Cable Car Upper Station). This completes the West line.

Segment 5: A path from Tianmen Mountain Cable Car Upper Station to the Mountain-Piercing Escalator (this escalator has two sections; here it's free and goes directly inside Tianmen Cave). There are a few scenic spots along the way.

Segment 6: From inside Tianmen Cave to Tianmen Mountain Square. Two options: walk down the 999 steps directly, or take the Mountain-Piercing Escalator (paid, 5 sections) down to the square. (If you didn't buy the package and are tired, you need to purchase this separately.)

Segment 7: A path from Tianmen Mountain Square to the rapid cable car (the aerial bus).

Segment 8: Take the aerial bus down the mountain, then take an eco-car back to the cable car center.

Note: The Mountain-Piercing Escalator consists of two sections. Segment 5's escalator requires riding 7 parts; Segment 6's paid escalator requires riding 5 parts. (You'll stand on these escalators for a long time; they are very long.)

This is the Summit Forest Sightseeing Cable Car mentioned above.

Following this route means you'll miss some attractions on the East line. If you have enough energy, you can skip the escalator at Segment 5 and continue forward to explore the East line, then come back to take the escalator down.

We followed this route, mainly the West line. We left the hotel at 10:00, had breakfast nearby, then queued for the cable car. The queue took about 30-40 minutes. When we reached the top, there weren't many people on the West line. Some tour groups also took the West line, but more went directly to the East line. I personally guess it's because Tianmen Cave is on the East line, so tour groups with tight schedules skip the West line. At the Tianmen Mountain Cable Car Upper Station, there are stairs leading to a restroom. That's the fork for East and West lines. There are three paths: from right to left: East line entrance, West line entrance, and Li Na Villa. The restroom faces the East line (you'll see it as soon as you go down the stairs). The West line entrance is to the left of the East line entrance. Walk a bit forward and you'll see the sign. You can't see the sign from the rest area in front of the restroom.

Notes for visiting Tianmen Mountain: 1) Wear long pants, not skirts. The glass walkway may reflect, and there are many small insects (which smell like cilantro when dead) that land on you. 2) Apply sunscreen. When we went, it wasn't too crowded or sunny, but some sections (especially East line) have direct sunlight. 3) Bring food like biscuits, bread, and water. Even with the recommended route, it takes at least 3-4 hours and you'll get hungry. 4) Bring an umbrella or disposable raincoat if rain or clouds are expected (hotels often provide disposable raincoats free). 5) There are no monkeys on Tianmen Mountain. 6) I wrote a few lines of doggerel while resting at Tianmen Mountain Square: 'Heaven's axe split open the gate of heaven; below the gate are all mortal men; in mortal hands are mortal tools; these tools belong only to the red dust; the red dust is full of worldly affairs; only in the mountains can the spirit be nurtured!' (First line praises the wonder of Tianmen Cave; second line notes the large crowd; third and fourth lines comment on people just taking photos without appreciating nature; last two lines are self-explanatory.)

8. After descending from Tianmen Mountain, we went back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and took a taxi (the same car that picked us up from the station, a BYD business van, cost 100 RMB; contact me if needed, or just hail a taxi for about 100 RMB; there is also a bus to the East Gate of the forest park for about 10 RMB per person) to the East Gate (also called Biaozhi Gate) of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Nearby, you'll find many restaurants, hotels, breakfast shops, and foot massage places. The hotel owner explained the routes for visiting the forest park and could help book tickets (most hotels in the area offer this service). All tickets allow unlimited entry within four days. Note: On the first day, you must enter at your booked time; for the remaining three days, there is no time restriction. On the first day, you enter with your ID card; afterward, you use facial recognition. Hotel-booked tickets are usually multi-route tickets, meaning the one you see on Ctrip that includes three cable cars and one elevator plus four-day admission. When purchasing, you choose between single-route and multi-route. Single-route means one ride each on the Yangjiajie Cable Car, Tianzi Mountain Cable Car, Huangshizhai Cable Car, and Bailong Elevator. Multi-route allows unlimited rides within four days. On Ctrip, multi-route is 521 RMB per person; through the hotel it's 450. We booked four-day tickets plus single-route Tianzi Mountain Cable Car and Bailong Elevator on Ctrip for 364 RMB per person.

9. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park has four main scenic areas: Yuanjiajie, Yangjiajie, Tianzi Mountain, and Huangshizhai.

We started at 10:00 am after breakfast. We entered through the East Gate (Biaozhi Gate), took an eco-car (about 30 minutes) to the Bailong Elevator stop. After getting off, we queued for the elevator for about an hour (very crowded). (Here's roughly how long the queue is: from the ticket area, there is a queue fence, then a long staircase pavilion of about 100-200 steps. If people stop moving, it means there is flow control above. After the pavilion, continue queuing, scan your ID, then queue indoors for about another 100 meters until you see stairs; you can queue upstairs or downstairs.) There are three Bailong Elevators, each with two floors. At the end, it's a matter of luck. If you happen to be among the first few at the front of the next group, you'll have an advantage in choosing a spot in the elevator. The elevator has glass on three sides, but only the front large glass allows a full view for photos. Avoid the side glass – you can't see anything. After exiting the elevator, walk a short distance (you'll see monkeys) to a boarding point for an eco-car to Yuanjiajie. Get off and start exploring Yuanjiajie attractions (also with monkeys): such as Mihun Platform, World's First Bridge, and the filming location of Avatar. These attractions are crowded with tour groups of elderly people, and the paths are narrow. It's recommended to go early to avoid crowds. Yuanjiajie has many forks, usually each attraction has two entry/exit paths. It's easy to get confused. Due to heat and crowds, we didn't enjoy the scenery much. After leaving Yuanjiajie, take a bus from Tianqiao Station to Yangjiajie. It is said that most scenic spots in Yangjiajie were destroyed by a fire, so the area is under repair. Only a place called Natural Great Wall is viewable. It was too hot, so we didn't go; instead, we queued for a bus directly to Tianzi Mountain. At Tianzi Mountain, after getting off the bus, there is a restroom; above it is a food street. Walking through, you first reach He Long Park and He Long Mausoleum, then the two main attractions: Tiannü Sanhua and Yubi Feng. The viewing platforms for these two are on opposite sides of the same road. After visiting, we queued for an eco-car to the Tianzi Mountain Cable Car to descend. After the cable car, we took an eco-car back to the East Gate. On the way back, we didn't go directly to the East Gate; we made a detour to Ten-mile Gallery. There, you can take a small train for sightseeing (requires separate ticket). (Online reviews say the train is for kids, but when we went, all passengers were adults. It was too hot and we were tired, so we didn't take the train; we just hung around the entrance and left.) The small train has no roof. You can also walk the trail. (In the morning, when taking the eco-car from East Gate to Bailong Elevator, we passed by here.) From Ten-mile Gallery, there is a direct eco-car to East Gate. Thus ended the first day.

The next morning, we went to the South Gate of the forest park. (Two ways: taxi for about 50 RMB, or bus from the bus station for about 10 RMB per person. We took a taxi.) Since this was the second entry, there was no time restriction; we didn't need an ID, just facial recognition. As soon as we entered, we saw monkeys. The South Gate primarily accesses two areas: Huangshizhai and Golden Whip Stream. (We had to return to Beijing that day, so we skipped Huangshizhai and only went to Golden Whip Stream.) After entering the South Gate, walk to O2 Bar (oxygen bar square). On one side is the cable car to Huangshizhai; on the other is the trail along Golden Whip Stream. At O2 Bar, you can see the mountain that appeared in Journey to the West. Take photos here. Walk along Golden Whip Stream to the Journey to the West filming location; this covers the highlights of the stream. Most tour groups turn back here. If you like the atmosphere and air, you can continue further. Golden Whip Stream is long, stretching from O2 Bar to Water Wraps Around Four Gates (accessible by eco-car from East Gate).

(Above is a screenshot from Journey to the West; below is the view from O2 Bar.)

Impressions: Online reviews say the forest park is more scenic than Tianmen Mountain, but I preferred Tianmen Mountain – fewer people, more comfortable. Maybe it's a time issue? Particularly, I think to appreciate the grandeur of mountains, you need to look up from below. Both scenic areas offer views from above, which are panoramic. From below, one mountain blocks another. For example, at Tianmen Mountain, the view of Tianmen Cave from Tianmen Mountain Square is better than from the East line. For the forest park, I liked the view from Ten-mile Gallery looking up at the mountains more than the top-down view.

Whether staying at a hotel near Tianmen Mountain or the forest park, the hotel provides route explanations and free maps of scenic spots. These are my own summaries for reference. Hotels offer free mosquito repellent, so no need to buy. Disposable raincoats are also usually free. We didn't encounter rain, so we didn't ask, but they listed it as free. For the forest park, avoid carrying food in plastic bags or bringing fruits, as the smell may attract monkeys. Don't tease or smile at monkeys, as they may perceive it as a threat. We didn't encounter monkeys stealing food; instead, many people were feeding them.

In Zhangjiajie, you can try the local 'Three Pot' hotpot. There are two styles: stir-fried (dry pot) and stewed (similar to iron pot stew). Near the East Gate, there are many restaurants. We went to Laozhao Tai, where the Three Pot was stewed. At night, there is a short food street near East Gate selling fruits, stinky tofu, etc. Breakfast buffets are usually 15 RMB per person, offering fried rice, rice noodles, porridge, buns, youtiao, wontons, and noodle/rice noodle soup.

There are many foreign tourists in Zhangjiajie, especially Koreans. Locals say that whether rich or poor, Koreans must bring their parents to Zhangjiajie, or else they are unfilial.

Essential items for these two scenic spots: 1) Sun protection: arm sleeves, sunscreen clothing, sun hat. 2) Food: bread, biscuits, water; maybe a can of Red Bull. Also a selfie stick. Some mountain paths are narrow, making it hard to take good photos. A handheld electric fan can be useful. Some thoughtful people bring trash bags, but I think it's unnecessary, especially on the West line corridor of Tianmen Mountain, where there are trash bins every few steps.

This is my first travel journal. I hope it helps and is entertaining!