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Zhangjiajie Transportation

How to get to Zhangjiajie? Currently, Zhangjiajie can be reached by air, train and coach from most cities in China like Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an and Changsha. Within the city, long-distance buses and taxis are accessible to suburban sights like Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and Grand Canyon. For a short-distance travel around the city center, city buses and shared electric bikes are good choices for their low price.

Air

Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport, the only airport in Zhangjiajie, is around 6 km (4 mi) from downtown area, 40 km (25 mi) from Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, 5 km (3 mi) from Tianmen Mountain (Heaven's Gate), and 55 km (35mi) from Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. The airport operates flights to many domestic cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an and a couple of international cities, mainly Southeast Asian regions like Seoul and Bangkok.

Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport

Shuttle buses are available here, taking passengers from airport to city center for free. City bus No.4 and taxi are also in service between the airport and downtown.

Train

There are two railway stations in the city: Zhangjiajie Railway Station and Zhangjiajie West Railway Station. The 2 stations connect Zhangjiajie and big and medium-sized cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Changsha by bullet train, normal-speed train, or both.

Zhangjiajie Railway Station is 4 km (about 2.5 mi) from the city center, mainly operating normal-speed trains.

Zhangjiajie West Railway Station, although further from downtown than the above railway station, about 8.5 kilometers (5 miles) away, is busier, because it operates both high speed trains and normal-speed trains

Zhangjiajie West Railway Station

To get to major attractions or city center from the 2 railway stations, city buses and long-distance buses are both available.

Major Rail Lines from Zhangjiajie to:

See detailed Zhangjiajie Train Schedule

Long-Distance Bus

Long-distance buses in Zhangjiajie depart mainly from Central Bus Station or High Speed Bus Station.

The destinations include Wulingyuan Bus Station, next to which is Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, Seven Star Mountain, and other major attractions. The service hours of most buses are about 6:30 – 17:30 daily. It charges based on the running distances, ranging CNY 5 – 26.

Long-distance Bus to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Also, Zhangjiajie has long-distance buses to and from other places including Changsha, Shanghai, Wuhan, Furong Ancient Town, and Changde, which provide economic transportation modes for visitors with limited budget.

Central Bus Station: It is located in the city center and about 10 min's walk from Zhangjiajie Railway Station.

High Speed Bus Station: The Bus Station stands to the southeast of Zhangjiajie West Railway Station, about 8 min's walk away.

City Bus

City Bus

As there is no metro in Zhangjiajie, city bus is the most convenient and economic public transportation code within the city proper. The bus net covers many attractions in downtown, the 2 railway stations, and Zhangjiajie Airport.

Service Hours: from 6:00/6:30 to 20:30 in the downtown area, to 21:00 around the West Railway Station

Ticket Fare: CNY2 per ride

Payment Method: Cash

City buses passing by major places in Zhangjiajie

Destination	Bus No.
Zhangjiajie Airport	4, 8
Zhangjiajie Railway Station/ Central Bus Station	102, 1B, 101, 13, 17, 1A, 6, 8, , 9A, 5, 9B, 203, 4
Zhangjiajie West Railway Station/ High Speed Bus Station	16, 17, 4, 6, 7
Lower Station of Tianmen Mountain's Cable Car	101, 102, 13, 17, 1A, 1B, 203, 4
72 Strange Buildings	16, 17, 7, 4, 6

Tips

1. There are no ticket conductors on the bus, so please prepare cash in advance.
2. Wechat Pay also works if you can activate it.
3. For visitors planning to have a long tour in Zhangjiajie, registering a local city bus card is convenient and economic, which offers 15% discounts per ride. Also, if you ever register the transportation card with the “T-Union” sign in other cities, it is also useable in Zhangjiajie.
4. In peak season and morning and evening peak hours, traffic jam is very common.

In addition, there is free double-decker sightseeing bus running from Zhangjiajie Railway Station. The main passing-by stops include 72 Strange Buildings, Tianmen Mountain Cable Car Lower Station, and Tujia Folk Custom Garden. It operates roughly from 17:00 to 22:30.

Taxi

Taxi in Zhangjiajie

It is easy to take a taxi in Zhangjiajie. Around railway stations and Hehua Airport, let alone attractions, there are specialized sites for you to hail a taxi. Also, traveling around the city by taxi is inexpensive. The official flag-fall price is only CNY6 for the first 1.6km (1 mi) and every additional kilometer costs CNY 2. As the downtown area is small, you can reach most places at a cost of no more than CNY25. To National Forest Park or Wulingyuan Scenic Area, the reference cab fare is CNY100, departing from the downtown or Hehua Airport.

Taxis can be easily flag down, but some drivers won’t charge by the meter or their price for per km is higher than the official price. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to negotiate a flat rate with drivers before getting onboard.

Online taxi hailing services like Didi is in operation in Zhangjiajie, too. However, due to the extra charge by the operators of online hailing apps, it sometimes costs more than taking a taxi.

Shared Electric Bikes

On peak hours, shared electronic bicycles can be a better choice than city bus if your travel is not long. In Zhangjiajie, it charges CNY 4 in the first 20 min and about CNY2 every additional 10 min.