Beijing Single Mom's Three-Day, Two-Night Guide to Huangshan and Hongcun with Her Son, No Waiting in Lines
From August 9 to 11, 2024, as a single mom, I took my 8-year-old son on a three-day, two-night trip to Huangshan. We basically followed our pre-planned itinerary and completed the whole journey smoothly. We were very satisfied with the plan, and I hope this article can serve as a reference for everyone. We had long heard of Huangshan's fame—it's said that after seeing the Five Sacred Mountains, you don't want to see any other mountains, and after returning from Huangshan, you don't want to see the Five Sacred Mountains. So we always wanted to go, but I was worried about traveling far with my child alone, and we couldn't drive. After discussing with my son, we decided on a short three-day, two-night trip. Two weeks in advance, my son and I worked on the itinerary together, hoping that through this entire process, I could teach him some planning skills for outings and cultivate his thinking ability.
Originally, we planned to visit only Huangshan, but after checking guides, we realized that the high-speed train from Beijing to Huangshan takes six to seven hours, so visiting just Huangshan seemed a bit wasteful. We finally decided to visit both Huangshan and Hongcun. We didn't choose Xidi this time because online reviews said the two places are quite similar. So after climbing Huangshan, we wanted to find a place to rest and explore, and also learn about southern folk customs. So we chose Hongcun, and it turned out to be a great decision.
First, essential items: ID card, power bank, sunscreen, sun hat, water bottle, motion sickness medicine, and mosquito repellent. I recommend buying a hiking pole—climbing Huangshan is really tiring. No need for a pole for the child; he runs faster than anyone. As for raincoats, I bought one but didn't use it. I suggest not buying one in advance; if needed, you can get one on the mountain. Otherwise, carrying too much luggage will make you exhausted—you'll feel that even an extra piece of paper is too much. I prepared a spare T-shirt and long pants, but during our visit, the city temperature was 39°C. Even on the mountaintop at night, I didn't need the long pants. Also, for those prone to motion sickness, remember to bring motion sickness medicine. After arriving at the high-speed rail station, you need to take two buses to reach the starting point of the Huangshan hike, and there are long winding mountain roads. My son and I took motion sickness medicine before setting off, but when descending the mountain after the tour, we forgot to take it. We later felt a bit dizzy and quickly took some.
Second, I recommend buying tickets online in advance according to your planned itinerary. Two weeks early, I booked Baiyun Hotel (I'll explain how to choose a hotel later) on Ctrip, high-speed rail tickets for both adult and child, and the Shedéyuan Inn in Hongcun. We planned to ascend via the Yuping Cable Car on the front mountain, so I bought the scenic area tickets (adult 190 yuan) and the Yuping Cable Car up tickets for both adult and child. After planning the tour route, we just waited for the trip to begin.
On August 9, 07:21–13:48, we departed from Beijing South Station on G2553, arriving at Huangshan North Station. The tickets for adult and child cost 943.5 yuan (child half price). After arriving at Huangshan North Station, follow the signs. Walk a few minutes to the bus station and buy tickets to the Huangshan Scenic Area (adult 30 yuan, child 15 yuan). We bought tickets for the 2:30 pm departure. At the waiting room, we bought a hiking pole. The bus ride took about an hour to reach the South Gate of Huangshan.
On the afternoon of August 9, we arrived at the South Gate around 3:30 pm. Then we needed to transfer to a scenic area bus to go up the mountain. Remember to scan the QR code at the bus station or buy tickets at the window (adult 19 yuan, child 9 yuan). The bus took about 20 minutes on winding mountain roads to reach the Yuping Cable Car entrance (last bus stops at 5:30 pm). We swiped our ID cards (scenic area ticket: adult 190 yuan, one adult and one child: child free. I had bought a child's ticket in advance, but when entering, the staff told me one adult and one child means the child is free, so I contacted Ctrip after returning to Beijing for a refund, and they handled it quickly. Yuping Cable Car: adult 90 yuan, child 45 yuan, suggested to buy online in advance).
Once inside the scenic area, it was easy. We followed our pre-planned route smoothly. Since we arrived in the afternoon, the Yuping Cable Car had no line. We took the 20-minute cable car ride, and it wasn't too sunny, so we could enjoy the beautiful views. After getting off at the Yuping Cable Car exit, we started hiking. Our route was: Yuping Cable Car exit – Greeting Pine – Lotus Pavilion (viewing Lotus Peak from afar) – Hundred Steps Ladder – One Line Sky – Turtle Peak – Baiyun Hotel. The whole process took about three hours. We didn't go to Tiandu Peak because it's quite challenging with a child. Those with energy can choose to climb it. Lotus Peak was closed for the season, but you can take photos from a distance—it's still very beautiful.
On the evening of August 9, let me explain why I chose Baiyun Hotel. If you ascend from the front mountain (Yuping Cable Car), accommodation options include Baiyun Hotel and Guangmingding Hotel. I chose Baiyun Hotel because: 1) Its hardware facilities are better than Guangmingding Hotel, the service is good, it includes dinner and breakfast, and it's child-friendly; 2) You can watch the sunset at Turtle Peak, then return to the hotel for dinner (dinner ends at 7:30 pm) and rest; 3) Climbing up was really tiring, and the next stop is Guangmingding, about 15 minutes from Baiyun Hotel—I really didn't want to climb further, so I saved Guangmingding for the next morning's sunrise; 4) Baiyun Hotel has an evening performance that children can enjoy to recover energy; 5) Baiyun Hotel is close to the West Sea Grand Canyon's small train, making it convenient to return after visiting the canyon.
On the morning of August 10, the butler at Baiyun Hotel provided one-on-one service, telling us the sunrise time. We set our alarm, the hotel provided cold-weather jackets, then we headed to Guangmingding to watch the sunrise. After watching the sunrise, we returned to the hotel for breakfast (breakfast ends at 8:00 am).
On the morning of August 10, the butler recommended two routes. Considering the child, I chose to walk down to the West Sea Grand Canyon. Let me mention that you don't need to check out first—you can go light to the West Sea Grand Canyon, then return to the hotel to rest and check out before noon. If you leave before 8:00 am, you'll have enough time. The scenery along the way is very beautiful, great for photos, and walking downhill is relatively easy. There were a few difficult sections, but my son found them challenging and enjoyed them very much. There were also sights like Monkey Gazing at the Sea. I want to thank the butler for recommending a route perfect for a child. Walking down to the West Sea Grand Canyon took about 3 hours. Then we reached the bottom and took the trendy small train uphill (adult 100 yuan, child 50 yuan, recommended to buy in advance). We could have bought tickets the night before on August 9. Since we set out early, the small train had no line, and it took about 2 minutes to reach the top. Everything went smoothly. We returned to Baiyun Hotel around 11:30 am, rested, and then checked out and descended.
On the afternoon of August 10—descending. The descent took about 1 hour. We had to climb up to Guangmingding again, then follow the route: Viewing Stone Pavilion – Bai'e Villa – Bai'e Ridge – Cloud Valley Cable Car entrance. We were heading to Hongcun in the afternoon and were quite tired, so we descended directly. If you have more energy, you can check out other routes, like Black Tiger Pine or Beginning-to-Believe Peak. The Cloud Valley Cable Car ride took about 10 minutes to reach the bottom (adult 80 yuan, child 40 yuan, recommended to buy in advance). Then we needed to transfer to the scenic area bus again. First, we bought tickets at the ticket office, telling the staff our itinerary, and bought the scenic area transfer bus ticket and the bus to Hongcun together (scenic transfer bus: adult 19 yuan, child 9 yuan; bus to Hongcun: adult 15 yuan, child 8 yuan).
On the afternoon of August 10—Hongcun. We arrived at Hongcun around 3:00 pm (adult ticket 94 yuan, one adult and one child: child free). After arriving at our lodging, we rested a bit, then strolled around Hongcun's small shops—they all have character, and my son found them novel. I really don't recommend buying souvenirs at the scenic area; you can basically buy them online, and they are too expensive there. But you can try local snacks. There is a Mixue Bingcheng near our lodging, so we could get regular cold drinks there at good value. In the evening, we found a specialty restaurant to try local dishes. We ate little, so we only tried chestnut chicken and a green vegetable; ordering more would have been wasteful.
On the evening of August 10, we stayed at a guesthouse called Shedéyuan Inn. It is about a 5-minute walk from South Lake and South Lake Academy (South Lake is near the main gate). I chose it for a few reasons: 1) After descending Huangshan, we were very tired and our legs hurt. The bus station is about 500 meters from Shedéyuan Inn, so we could quickly reach our lodging and rest; 2) The inn is on the main street, so we could easily browse the small shops. Hongcun has many alleys, and at night it's easy to get lost, but since the inn is on the main street, we didn't have that problem; 3) From the inn, a 4-minute walk leads to South Lake, convenient for watching sunrise the next day.
On the morning of August 11, it is said that both sunrise and rain scenes in Hongcun are very beautiful. So we got up at around 5:00 am and went to South Lake to watch the sunrise. There were few people in the morning, so taking photos was easy. On South Lake there is the Painting Bridge, and the scenery was indeed beautiful. I suggest spraying mosquito repellent in the morning, as there are mosquitoes by the lake. After watching the sunrise, the nearby breakfast stalls were open, so we had breakfast. After breakfast, I strongly recommend going to the bus station (about 400 meters walk) to buy return tickets from Hongcun to the high-speed rail station, to avoid running out of tickets in the afternoon and missing your train. Our high-speed train was at 14:51, so we bought tickets for the 12:50 bus.
On the morning of August 11, after buying the bus tickets, we returned to Hongcun. Taking advantage of the sparse crowds, we hurried to Moon Pond. I suggest not lingering but taking photos quickly, because after 8:00 am, the crowds start to increase. Later, we hired a local guide, who systematically explained the folk culture and water engineering of Hongcun to my son. It was very meaningful. The cost was 90 yuan for one adult and one child. The guide was professional and even issued a receipt. The tour lasted about an hour. After that, we had free time to wander. After 10:00 am, it became very hot, so we returned to our lodging to rest. My son watched TV to cool down. We had a simple lunch and waited to leave for the high-speed rail station in the afternoon.
On the afternoon of August 11, 14:51–21:14, we departed from Huangshan North Station on G304, arriving at Beijing South Station. Tickets for adult and child cost 943.5 yuan (child half price). The trip ended.
Excluding various snacks and meal costs, the total expenses for tickets, cable cars, guide, etc., came to 5,189 yuan. The biggest expenses were the overnight accommodation on the mountain and the round-trip high-speed rail tickets. Considering my child, we decided to stay one night on the mountain. Although it was expensive, we were satisfied.
