The Perfect Shenzhen to Zhangjiajie Self-Drive Guide
Shenzhen to Zhangjiajie Route: Day 1, enter the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Expressway at Futian, Shenzhen, and exit at Huocun on Guangzhou's North Second Ring Road. Head for the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway (Shaoguan direction), passing Wayaogang Service Area to reach the Yuebei Toll Station. Continue to Chenzhou and arrive there. (Dad drove at 100 km/h, stopping at several service areas along the way, taking 6 hours.)
This article is compiled from the original travel notes on the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com); it is a record of trips from earlier years. Time-sensitive information such as ticket prices, schedules, and accommodation prices is subject to the latest announcements from scenic areas and transportation authorities; the itinerary ideas and attraction introductions still have reference value.
Shenzhen to Zhangjiajie travel route:
Day One
From Shenzhen Futian we got on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Expressway and arrived at the Huocun exit of Guangzhou North Second Ring Road. We set off for the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway (toward Shaoguan), passed the Wayaogang service area and arrived at the Guangdong North toll station. We set off for Chenzhou and arrived in Chenzhou. (Dad drove at 100 km/h, stopped at several service areas along the way, and it took 6 hours.)
Chenzhou was our first rest stop. At night we stayed at Huatian International Hotel (five-star), booked a special-price room on Ctrip for 328 yuan; the environment was very good. However, slippers and such cost extra.
Because of this stop, we stayed for a relatively short time. We didn't go sightseeing at local scenic areas. If you want to play, you can choose Feitian Mountain Scenic Area and Suxian Ridge Scenic Area. For meals, we ate on the first floor of the hotel; it was quite tasty. At the time the restaurant happened to be holding a food festival, with many tasty snacks.
Day Two
After breakfast we set off for Shaoshan (Chairman Mao's hometown, a place Dad insisted on going). We got on the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway toward Changsha, then switched to the Shangrui Expressway. The whole route was expressway directly to Shaoshan, and the road conditions were very good. Dad drove about four or five hours to reach the destination. We stayed at Shaoshan Hotel (the best local hotel, which has hosted many heads of state. Building No. 1, where Chairman Mao once stayed, is now a key national protected cultural relic; visiting it costs a 20 yuan ticket. Personally I don't recommend it; there's not much to see.) The service staff at Shaoshan Hotel are all of high quality, and the restaurant is also very good; breakfast is only 10 yuan per person. Highly recommend staying at Shaoshan Hotel. (A standard double room seems to be 380 per night.)
When traveling in Shaoshan, you can visit Mao Zedong's Former Residence, Mao Zedong Bronze Statue Square, the museum, the relics hall, and Dripping Water Cave. (Tickets are basically free.) It's best to hire a guide; after all, historical things can't be understood just by looking. One thing to note: guides are not allowed inside the attractions, so don't waste money hiring a guide; directly hire a guide from the scenic area at the ticket office.
Day Three and Day Four
In the afternoon we set off for Zhangjiajie, heading back toward Changsha on the Changchang Expressway (Changsha-Changde Expressway), and after finishing that, we took the Changzhang Expressway (Changde-Zhangjiajie Expressway); once you reach the end of that road, you're in Zhangjiajie. It takes about 4 to 5 hours to drive. Zhangjiajie city is still some distance from the scenic area, so I suggest staying near the scenic area. We stayed at Qinghe Jinjiang International Hotel in the Wulingyuan scenic area (one of the two local five-star hotels; the other is Wulingyuan International Resort). Personally I feel Qinghe International has a better location than the other one, and the surrounding environment is also much better. A standard double room is 480 per night; having someone book online is 20 yuan cheaper per night than booking on Ctrip.
Eating near the scenic area is outrageously expensive, and there isn't much good food either, so if you can, you should go into the city to eat. I recommend a few of the more famous places in the city: 1) The first one worth recommending is Zhangjiajie's signature dish — Sanxiaguo (Three Down the Pot). The so-called Sanxiaguo is actually a very convenient dry pot; it's made from three main ingredients, a hot pot stewed without soup. Personally, I think the "Master Hu Sanxiaguo" near Fengwan Bridge is pretty good. Sanxiaguo is 15 yuan per portion, and the portion is quite generous — for two or three people you only need to order 40 yuan's worth, and I guarantee you'll eat your fill and eat well! What I recommend is the dry-fried intestines, dry-fried walnut meat, and Xiangxi cured meat, the three stewed together. While eating, you can also order a portion of pickled radish — crisp and sour. It's truly superb!
(2) There's also a place for eating pickled cabbage beef, called Yinmandou. It's a bit hard to find — go into the small alley facing the Aviation College, adjacent to the pedestrian street. The building at the street entrance is a big internet cafe called Songzhumei, off-white in color, and the building on the other side is the three-story building of the pedestrian street. Go in from here and walk a bit; it's located in the middle section of this small alley, with a signboard. (3) Also, in the city there's a place called Sanjiaoping, where there's a spot specializing in fish head. The taste is also very good. Tell the driver when you take a taxi and he can take you there. On Beizheng Street, there are many good places to eat, especially the Xiangxi Duck King, which is all along the street. And dining there is also very affordable.
(4) The last thing I want to recommend is a supreme delicacy — the giant salamander (wawayu). The giant salamander is a Class II nationally protected animal internationally, but don't think this is illegal — the state explicitly stipulates that second-generation offspring or disabled/sick individuals of the giant salamander can be served at the table. In Nanzhuangping there's a Jin Ni Grand Hotel that specially provides giant salamander for guests. But the price is not cheap — about 2,800 yuan per jin, super luxurious!
For sightseeing, our family joined a private tour group, signing up at the travel service on the first floor of the Qinghe International Hotel. The route and everything were already designed; apart from meals and accommodation which we handled ourselves, all other expenses were covered. For four people it was 2,800. (Actually it was quite a good deal.) Dad didn't have to trouble himself with driving either — the travel agency provided us with a seven-seat minivan. I especially recommend a tour guide — she's really a very good person (you can ask her about booking rooms and such; I can provide her phone number for everyone. I declare I'm absolutely not a shill, I just want to make things convenient for other backpackers. Guide Xiang: 13907449000). Guide Xiang not only let us have a great time, helped us carry things and so on, but also booked us VIP tickets for "Charming Xiangxi," and each ticket was several tens of yuan cheaper.
When traveling in Zhangjiajie, you must go to Huanglongxi (the scenery there is beautiful, with many wild monkeys around). Huangshizhai is actually quite ordinary — it's just more famous. Tianzi Mountain is also a must-visit. You should ride the Bailong Elevator — in one minute and fifty-eight seconds it takes you from the foot of the mountain to the top. If you can, at night you must watch a performance and experience the ethnic minority culture of Xiangxi. It's very good. Our family watched "Charming Xiangxi," and I thought it was wonderful!
But I remind everyone, when going to Zhangjiajie, by all means don't go during peak season. Waiting in line for the cable car takes forever and ever~~~ and the weather is hot, with a high temperature of forty degrees, just like steaming in a sauna. The scenic area management there is also very chaotic, with many people cutting in line. It makes everyone feel very irritated, and seeing tourists arguing and fighting is commonplace. No wonder — in such hot weather, queuing for so long and having people cut in line is extremely unpleasant. Especially when waiting for the Tianzi Mountain cable car, that frustration~~ people squeezing people, squeezing people to death! Tourists even got into fights to squeeze to the front. With such chaotic management, sooner or later something will happen. The elderly and children don't have the stamina to begin with, standing in the hot sun queuing for several hours — several of them fainted.
I'd like to ask the mayor of Zhangjiajie: if you went, would you also queue like this? I hope you can consider things from a long-term perspective, otherwise who would dare come to Zhangjiajie in the future. While queuing, we tourists all said the same thing in our chats: "After all this hassle, even the most beautiful scenery is no longer worth seeing! I've been to this place once, and I won't come a second time." Zhangjiajie's economy basically relies on tourism. Mayor, oh mayor, on such a hot day you should go experience it yourself, and then think about how to improve it. A large number of tourists is not an excuse — this situation is all caused by management not being up to standard and not being humane enough. This is man-made.
Day Five
Returning from Zhangjiajie to Changsha, due to time constraints I didn't get to go to Fenghuang Ancient Town. It seems the road conditions there aren't very good, and I was in a hurry to get back to take my driving test, so I didn't go. If you can, you should still go — it's said to be very beautiful there.
Arriving in Changsha, we stayed at the Shennong Grand Hotel at night (five-star; a standard double room was 400-something, I think. A very nice hotel, also booked on Ctrip). The Cun Sao Ren Jia restaurant near the hotel is quite tasty. At night we drove around the city; Changsha is developing quite fast. The next morning we ate a bowl of rice noodles and then returned the same way back to Shenzhen.