Must-see — three days is these
- Zhangjiajie National Forest Park — the pillars themselves: Yuanjiajie, the Bailong Elevator and Tianzi Mountain. ¥165 for four days plus ¥72 for the shuttle bus. A full day for the core, two to do it justice.
- Tianmen Mountain — the mountain at the edge of the city, with Heaven’s Gate and the 999 steps and the glass walkways on top. ¥285; four to six hours; Route C only since October 2026.
- Grand Canyon glass bridge — 430 m of glass and the canyon below it. ¥219 for bridge and canyon; half a day.
Worth adding — days four and five
- Huangshizhai — the classic first climb inside the forest park, a plateau loop of viewpoints; cable car ¥65; half a day.
- Golden Whip Stream — a flat two-to-three-hour walk along the stream between the pillars; good in rain.
- Yangjiajie — the wilder ridges with far fewer people; cable car ¥76.
- Qixing Mountain and the Sky Ladder — the 168 m ladder from the videos (¥780 to climb) and a summit with a glass platform for everyone else (¥199 package); half a day to a day.
- Furong Town — the town on a waterfall, 23 minutes by train; ¥108; stay the night for the lights.
- Fenghuang — the river town an hour away by train; free to enter; stay a night.
Rainy day
- Huanglong Cave — an underground river system with 3,200 m open to visitors; about two hours, about ¥120; 20 minutes from Wulingyuan town.
- Baofeng Lake — a mountain lake with a 20–30 minute boat ride and Tujia folk singers on the water.
- Ten-Mile Gallery train — a small train through the valley below the peaks; ¥38 one way.
After dark
- Charming Xiangxi — the big theatre show in Wulingyuan town, usually from 19:30; ¥168–308 by seat.
- Tianmen Fox Fairy — an outdoor spectacle at the foot of Tianmen Mountain, nightly at 20:20 from 1 March to 31 December (closed January and February); from ¥178.
- The drone show — two thousand drones over the Suoxi River on major holidays and selected dates, about fifteen minutes after dark.
- 72 Qilou — the Tujia-style night street in the city, open from late afternoon to 11 pm, with shows and attractions charged separately; the city also has the Zhangjiajie Qiangu Qing indoor spectacular.
Fitting it in
- Three days: the forest park, Tianmen Mountain, the glass bridge.
- Five days: two days in the forest park, Tianmen, the bridge, and Furong Town or Fenghuang.
- Rain: the hours after rain are the best on the mountain; in a downpour swap that day for the cave or the lake.
Every price here is the scenic area’s own listed adult fare; all of them are on one page at Zhangjiajie tickets. Prices and timetables last checked October 2026; they change — treat them as a guide, not a quote.
Quick answers
What are the three things not to miss in Zhangjiajie?
The national forest park, Tianmen Mountain and the Grand Canyon glass bridge.
How many days do I need?
Three for the must-sees; five to add an old town.
What do I do when it rains?
Huanglong Cave or Baofeng Lake — or wait for the rain to stop and go up for the cloud sea.
What is there at night?
The Charming Xiangxi show, Tianmen Fox Fairy from March to December, and the drone show on holidays.
Is it suitable for children and older travellers?
The forest park viewpoints are mostly level and railed; Tianmen Mountain has escalators; the glass bridge can be skipped.