Zhangjiajie
Zhangjiajie is definitely unlike anywhere else. Sandstone pillars rising from the forest, glass bridges over canyons, the longest cable car in the world. Everything depends on the weather though, in clouds it loses a lot, in clear weather it’s stunning. Check the forecast daily and be flexible with your days.
Allow at least 3 days:
- 2 days for the Avatar Mountains (the park is huge) + Grand Canyon and glass bridge
- 1 day for Tianmen Mountain + city center
How to Book
Use Trip.com, it works like Booking.com but also covers domestic flights and high-speed trains within China.
Getting There
High-speed train to Zhangjiajie West station.
Important about train booking: booking in advance puts you in a pre-reservation phase confirmed only one week before departure. Check that date carefully. No physical ticket, your passport is your ticket at the gate. Use your full name exactly as on your passport.
Avatar Mountains – Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
⏱ 1 full day per visit – 2 days recommended
The mountains that inspired the film Avatar, thousands of sandstone pillars rising vertically from the forest, many shrouded in mist. Cable cars and glass elevators take you to different viewpoints.
Two days is ideal to see the park from different angles: Yuanjiajie plateau one day, Tianzi Mountain and Yangjiajie the next.
The park ticket (~€40) is valid for 4 days. Cable cars and escalators are paid separately (~€10 each way). Take a photo of the park map at the entrance, no English maps are distributed and there are no reminders further inside. Your face is your ticket, the park scans your face on entry and uses facial recognition for buses and attractions inside.
Day 1 – Yuanjiajie & Bailong Elevator Wulingyuan entrance → bus → Yuanjiajie cable car → forest path (a few monkeys on the way) → 2.5km walk to the natural stone bridge and Hallelujah Mountain viewpoint → optional stop at 10 Miles Gallery → Bailong Elevator (world’s tallest outdoor elevator, 326m, starts inside the mountain then bursts out into open air – about 90 seconds) → exit
Day 2 – Tianzi Mountain & Yangjiajie Bus → Tianzi Mountain cable car → views from the plateau → down to Yangjiajie for a completely different angle on the pillars → exit
Tianmen Mountain
⏱ 1 full day
Accessible via the longest cable car in the world, 7,455 metres, departing from downtown, climbing 1,279 metres in about 28 minutes.
On the mountain:
- 999 steps up to Tianmen Cave, a natural arch 131.5 metres high. At the bottom you can see the famous hole through which the Wingsuit video was filmed, and on the other side the impressive 99-bend road
- Road of 99 bends – the legendary winding road, best seen from the cable car on the way up
- 2 glass skywalks and a suspension bridge between two mountains during the 8km circuit
- Buddhist temple complex at the summit
Grand Canyon & Glass Bridge
About 60km from Zhangjiajie city but only 20km from the east gate of Avatar Park, possible to combine the two in one day if you leave the park early enough. Note: entry closes at 16h00 but you can stay inside after that.
- Glass Bridge – the longest glass-bottomed bridge in the world: 430 metres long, suspended 300 metres above the canyon floor
- From the bridge you can also do a zip line across the canyon, a bungee jump at 260 metres, a descent by panoramic elevator, or a 2-hour walk along the river at the bottom
Zhangjiajie City Center
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