Where to Stay in Zhangjiajie

In Zhangjiajie, the famous attractions like Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon are far from city center. Therefore, if you plan to visit these places the next day, it is suggested to stay in Wulingyuan, specifically around the East Gate of the Forest Park as there are most choices for dining and accommodation. While, for visitors going to climb Tianmen Mountain (Heaven's Gate) or to catch an early train or flight the next day, staying in downtown is advised.
 

Starting here, one can walk to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in several minutes, which enables tourists to enter the scenic area early without queuing for a long time. It is about 40 minutes’ journey by taxi to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon; if from Zhangjiajie city area, it needs about 70 minutes. For covenience, it is advised to stay near below areas:
 

 East Gate of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park: East Gate is the most convenient area to stay where there are restaurants and hotels of various standards. In addition, compared with other gates, this is the closest one to Wulingyuan Long-distance Bus Station - only 15 minutes' walk, where you can take a bus to city area.

For boutique homestays and upscale hotels, go to Xibu Street or Suoxiyu Tourist Resort; for cheap hostels and homestays, then please walk to Jundi Road.

 South Gate of the Park: It is the nearest gate to the core sights of the Forest Park: Golden Whip Stream and Huangshizhai. However, note that the dining and accommodation choices are not as abundant as around the east gate.

 Middle Gate of the Park: Staying here, you can quickly go to the lower station of Bailong Elevator.

The Park also has West Gate and North Gate, but it is not suggested to stay there for the remote location to the Bus Station and the core attractions.

 Prices for Reference:

Service Standards of  Hotels/ Homestays	Chain Hotels	Local Boutique Homestays
3-Star or Similiar	CNY200 – 300	CNY110 – 260
4-Star or Similar	CNY230 – 430	CNY200 – 530
5-Star or Similar	CNY420 – 620, with a few over CNY1,000	Over CNY900

For the regular hostels, common homestays and inns, the price is about CNY100 – 200/room/night. Note that their environment may not be good. In addition, some hostels may not be qualified to serve foreigners.

 Top Ticks:

	Rating	Location
Home Inn	4 Stars	No.309-8, Baofeng Road, next to the east gate of the Forest Park
Zhangjiajie Tingtang Homestay	Medium	No.185, Weiyang Road, Wujiayu Community

Kind Reminder: To return to railway stations or the Airport, the long-distance bus at the Wulingyuan Bus Station and taxi are the main ways.
 It is within 30 minutes' drive from Zhangjiajie Railway Station, Zhangjiajie West Railway Station, and Zhangjiajie Hehua Airport. Travelers arriving at the city late at night can quickly find a hotel to rest. Vice versa, for those who need to catch a train or flight the next early morning, staying here means no need to get up early. 

Modern Hotels in Zhangjiajie Downtown

For those night owls, it is very suitable to stay here for the core of Zhangjiajie nightlife – 72 Strange Buildings which features various delicious food and night performances. 

Although it is far from the core attraction, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, the high-frequency daily long-distance bus will bring you there in one hour.

There are hotels of different prices, both upscale ones like Hilton, Ji Hotel, and Atour Hotel, and homestays. It is suggested to stay around the lower station of Tianmen Mountain Cable Car. Many hotels and restaurants gather there, within 10 - 15 minutes's walk.

 Average Prices for Reference:

Service Standards of  Hotels/ Homestays	Chain Hotels	Boutique Homestays
3-Star or Similar	CNY120 – 260	CNY100 – 150
4-Star or Similar	CNY160 - 400	CNY300 – 500
5-Star or Similar	CNY340 – 360	High-end homestays are few here and the prices are over CNY800

 Top Picks:

	Rating	Location
Ji Hotel	3 Stars	Nan Cheng Jin Zuo Community, Yingbin Road, about 560 meters (610 yards) to the southeast of the lower station of Tianmen Mountain Cable Car
Huazhushe·Beizheng Homestay	Medium	Building 24, Yuhuayuan Community, Guanliping Road

 It is suggested to reserving hotels separately. You can stay at the hotels next to the attraction that you plan to visit the next day. In this way, you can enter the scenic spot early, before the peak flow of tourists, thus saving your time of queueing up at the entrance and ensuring you a better travelling experience.

If you are a budget traveler, below are travel plans including accommodation and making the most of your time and money in Zhangjiajie:
 go to downtown to visit Tianmen Mountain → head to Wulingyuan Town for a night stay → for the rest days, visit the Forest Park/ the Grand Canyon and stay in Wulingyuan Town → on the last day, leave from Wulingyuan to the railway stations or airport
 go directly to Wulingyuan Town for overnight stay → starting the next day, visit the Forest Park/ Grand Canyon and still stay overnight in Wulingyuan → in the morning of the last day, go to visit Tianmen Mountain → leave Zhangjiajie later that day

Generally, the tourist centers of most attractions offer luggage storage service. You can storage the luggage there before touring the attraction.
 1. Inside Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, there are a few homestays operated by local villagers. Staying there can help save your time and they are especially suitable for an in-depth tour of the Park. But the size and facilities are not as good as standard hotels or boutique homestays.
2. Zhangjiajie’s star hotels are not as nice as those in metropolis like Beijing and Shanghai. Some hotels haven’t been renovated for years, so the furniture may be old. It is possible that the 4-star hotels in Zhangjiajie can’t compete with Beijing’s 3-star ones.
3. Some homestays provide free pick-up service, like transferring their customers from the railway station to the homestay.
4. Around Zhangjiajie's 2 train stations or Hehua Airport, some people would recommend particular hotels. Please choose them carefully in case of being cheated.
5. Many hotels also provide luggage storage service.