Last Updated on: February 16, 2023
Located in Northwestern Hunan Province, China, about 320km (199 miles) away from the capital city of Hunan - Changsha, Zhangjiajie is China’s one of the top popular tourist destinations, attracting numerous tourists there each year. Wulingyuan Scenic Area of there, which includes Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Tianzi Mountain, Yuanjiajie and Yangjiajie, was listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. Once you are there, you will definitely marvel at the grotesque peaks, deep valleys, towering trees, flourishing forests, beautiful waters and marvelous caves seen in James Cameron's Avatar.
Zhangjiajie has been planed to build the second biggest high speed rail hub in Hunan. On December 26, 2019, the first HSR - Changsha Zhangjiajie Intercity High Speed Railway has been opened, cutting down the train journey from nearly 6 hour to 3 ~3.5 hours. In July 2021, Chengdu - Chongqing - Zhangjiajie High Speed Railway opened. Currently, visitors can also ride a bullet train from Chengdu to Zhangjiajie (7.5 hours) and from Chongqing to Zhangjiajie (less than 4 hours). Taking a high speed train to visit Zhangjiajie is finally realized. Still, there are several high speed rails are under construction to connect Zhangjiajie with Fenghuang Ancient Town, Yichang and more surrounding destinations of Hunan Province.
With the opening of the new high speed railway between Changsha and Zhangjiajie on December 26, 2019, Zhangjiajie West Railway Station, the high speed train station especially serving Zhangjiajie Tourism, has officially put into operation. At present, you can catch bullet trains here to/from Chongqing, Chengdu, Changsha, etc. Surely, the future HSR network will offer great convenience for Zhangjiajie tours from Guilin, Guiyang, Guangdong, Haikou, Zhengzhou and else cities. When the Zhangjiajie-Jishou-Huaihua High Speed Railway finished, you can take a fast train travel to tour Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang Ancient Town, minority villages in Western Hunan, and experience Yangtze River Cruise once the Yichang-Zhangjiajie High Speed Railway completed. Can't wait to plan a bullet train tour to "Avatar World"? Contact us to make a perfect itinerary.
Zhangjiajie High Speed Rail Map
Railway Stations: Changsha Railway Station (长沙站) → Zhangjiajie West Railway Station (张家界西站)
Duration:about 3 - 3.5 hours
Changsha is not only the capital of Hunan Province, but also the largest and most important transportation rail hub in Hunan. There are already high speed trains available between Changsha and Zhangjiajie as the opening of Changsha Zhangjiajie Intercity High Speed Railway on December 26, 2019. Now the high speed train takes only around 3 hours. You can choose from more than 20 daily high speed bullet trains from 06:30 in early morning to 21:00 in the evening.
Related Links:
Changsha High Speed Trains | Changsha to Zhangjiajie High Speed Train Schedule | Zhangjiajie to Changsha High Speed Train Schedule | How to Get from Zhangjiajie Railway Station to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
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>> 6 Days Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang and Changsha Tour
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Changsha to Zhangjiajie Normal Trains:
Meanwhile, Changsha has over 10 ordinary trains from Changsha Railway Station in Changsha to Zhangjiajie West Railway Station and Zhangjiajie Railway Station in Zhangjiajie.The normal train travel is about 4 to6 hours, and three types of tickets are offered: Hard Seat, Hard Sleeper and Soft Sleeper.
Our Advice: Considering time and money cost, train facilities and services, we strongly suggest you experience the newly-opened high speed train between Changsha and Zhangjiajie.
Changsha South Railway Station
Boating on the Tuojiang River of Fenghuang
Railway Stations: Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station (上海虹桥站) → Zhangjiajie West Railway Station (张家界西站)
Duration:about 9 hours
Except Beijing, Shanghai is also a top gateway city for foreign travelers to explore China. Known as the most energetic center of China, Shanghai enjoys huge transportation network, both high speed train and air to all across China. And the city itself is a perfect tourist destination to witness modern and traditional architecture, skyline and night view.
High Speed Trains: Good news! Shanghai is now operating high speed trains to Zhangjiajie. The journey is about 9.5 hours, which is a bit long as a high speed rail because there are middle stops in Hangzhou, Nanchang, Changsha, Fenghuang and many other cities. If your time allows, you can travel Zhangjiajie with Hangzhou, Changsha, Fenghuang Ancient City, etc. together to shorten your train ride. The high speed trains depart from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station and stop at Zhangjiajie West Railway Station. The ticket prices are about 750~2500 RMB.
Normal Trains: Currently there are not many high speed trains to Zhangjiajie. If you fail to book a high speed train, you can go to travel to Zhangjiajie from Shanghai by normal train. There are usually several daily trains (K Trains), which all are overnight trains departing from Shanghai South Railway Station and arriving in Zhangjiajie on the next day. The normal train needs about 19 to 20 hours in total. Soft Sleeper Berth is most recommended since you will have a quite long journey on board.
Helpful Links:
Shanghai High Speed Trains | Shanghai to Zhangjiajie Train Schedule | Zhangjiajie to Shanghai Train Schedule |
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Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower
Kids Get Fear on Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge
Railway Stations: Guilin Railway Station / Guilin North Railway Station(桂林站/桂林北站) → Zhangjiajie West Railway Station (张家界西站)
Duration:about 7.5 hours
Before 2021, travelers who want to travel Guilin from Zhangjiajie must make transits in Changsha or Nanning. As the opening of high speed railway, travelers can directly take high speed trains to Guilin to enjoy Karst landscape and delicious food after their Zhangjiajie trip. The train journey is about 7.5 hours with a cost around 350~550 RMB while the landscape along the way is magnificent.
Go to the Right Train stations in Guilin
Guilin has four train stations running high speed trains, including the Guilin Railway Station, Guilin North Railway Station, Guilin West Railway Station and Yangshuo Railway Station. Only the former two stations operate high speed trains to Zhangjiajie. Guilin Railway Station is more recommended as it is located in the downtown area.
Guilin Railway Station Location (桂林站): at the junction of Shanghai Road and Zhongshan Road, No.39, South Zhongshan Road, Xiangshan District, Guilin(桂林市象山区中山南路39号,上海路和中山南路的交界处)
Guilin North Railway Station Location (桂林北站): No.6 Zhanqian Road, Diecai District, North Guilin (桂林市叠彩区站前路6号)
Helpful Links:
Guilin High Speed Trains | Guilin to Zhangjiajie Train Schedule | Zhangjiajie to Guilin Train Schedule |
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>> 7 Days Best Guilin Zhangjiajie Landscape Exploration
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Li River Cruise in Guilin
Our guest visiting Zhangjiajie
Yichang is located less than 300km (186 miles) away from Zhangjiajie. It always served as the starting or ending point of Yangtze River Cruise. The Yichang Zhangjiajie High Speed Railway is under construction. Therefore, in the future, it only takes about 1 to 2 hours to get to Zhangjiajie to view the natural masterpieces after the Yangtze River Cruise tour.
Normal Trains: There are normal trains serving between Zhangjiajie Railway Station and Yichang East railway Station. It takes about 5 hours from Yichang to Zhangjiajie or back from Zhangjiajie to Yichang.
Helpful Links:
Yichang High Speed Trains | Yichang to Zhangjiajie High Speed Train Schedules | Zhangjiajie to Yichang High Speed Train Schedules
Related Links:
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Beautiful Landscape of Three Gorge
Tujia Young People at Shennong Stream
Beijing operates not only flights to Zhangjiajie, but also high speed trains and normal trains. The high speed train railway was put into operation newly in 2021.
High Speed Trains: The high speed trains to Zhangjiajie depart from Beijing West Railway Station, arrive at Zhangjiajie West Railway Station after about 11 hours, passing by cities in Hebei Province, Hubei Province and Hunan Province, such as Shijiazhuang, Wuhan, Changsha, etc. It's a long trip but can see many different landscape, cities and towns. The ticket prices are about 950~3000 RMB.
Normal Trains: Beijing sends 3 daily K-trains traveling to Zhangjiajie each day. All the trains arrive at Zhangjiajie on the second day, for the whole journey takes at least 23 hours. But thanks to the long-time journey, you can have a deep communication with the beautiful sightseeing outside the windows, traverse from Norther China to central area. Better get a Soft Sleepers to lie down comfortably during the journey.
Helpful Links:
Beijing High Speed Rail | Beijing to Zhangjiajie Train Schedule | Zhangjiajie to Beijing Train Schedule
Hot Tours:
>> 6 Days Beijing to Zhangjiajie Fantastic Adventure Tour
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Zhangjiajie Tianzi Mountain
The Great Wall
Guangzhou is a booming city in the south part of China. Compared with Zhangjiajie, the picturesque place to view the Charm of nature, Guangzhou is a perfect place to explore the rapid development of China, understand “China Speed”. A Zhangjiajie Guangzhou tour can give you a chance to feel about the two different charms in one single trip.
Normal Trains: Each day, Guangzhou delivers about 5 normal trains to Zhangjiajie, including one arriving on the same day and the rest are overnight ordinary-speed trains. The whole journey is around 12 to 14.5 hours. A Soft Sleeper Berth is strongly suggested than Hard Sleeper and Hard Seat since you will stay one night on the train.
Helpful Links:
Guangzhou High Speed Train | Guangzhou to Zhangjiajie Train Schedule | Zhangjiajie to Guangzhou Train Schedule
Relaxing Yangtze River Cruise
Chongqing, the 8D punk city, is about 7.5 hours away from Zhangjiajie, the avatar world, by car. However, since July 2021, you can now ride a bullet train to travel between the two cities, which cuts the travel time to less than 4 hours. What good news for those who want to travel Zhangjiajie, Chongqing and Yangtze River together! Those bullet trains run from Chongqing North Railway Station to Zhangjiajie West Railway Station. Every day, there are 4 bullet trains available, including one departing from Chengdu and making stopover in Chongqing.
Normal Trains: There are also about 2 normal K trains available. The train ride is about 6.5 hours from Chongqing North Railway Station to Zhangjiajie West Railway Station.
Helpful Links:
Chongqing to Zhangjiajie Train Schedule | Zhangjiajie to Chongqing Train Schedule
Relaxing Yangtze River Cruise
1. Zhangjiajie West Railway Statuon 张家界西站
Address: Wulingshan Avenue, Shadi Street, Yongding District, Zhangjiajie City, Hunan 湖南省张家界市永定区沙堤街道武陵山大道
Transportation: Zhangjiajie West Railway Station is a recently-built high speed train station, which is located about 9km north of Zhangjiajie Hehua Airport, 5km to downtown and 18km to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. You can transfer to downtown and take city bus (about 1 hour), or directly take a taxi (about 0.5 hour) to Wulingyuan Scenic Area.
2. Zhangjiajie Railway Station 张家界站
Address: Guanli Road, Yongding District, Zhangjiajie City, Hunan 湖南省张家界市永定区官黎路
Transportation: Zhangjiajie Railway Station is an old train station mainly running ordinary trains to Zhangjiajie from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Changsha, Huaihua, Nanning. The station is situated around 6km east of Zhangjiajie Airport, 2km to city center and 30km to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in the north suburb.
Find more Zhangjiajie Transportation Guide here!
Top 3 tours chosen by most customers to explore in the best way. Check the detailed itinerary, or tailor your own trip now with us.
Zhangjiajie / Fenghuang / Fanjingshan
Beijing / Xian / Zhangjiajie / Guilin / Shanghai
Beijing / Zhangjiajie / Shanghai
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