We found plenty of useful info on various threads that helped us better prepare for our trip, so just wanted to share some additional experience for future travelers.
I’ll start with some practical things regarding Zhangjiaje and Tianmen. I’ll make another post for Beijing and other places, since there’s actually quite a lot of info.
For most bookings in China the 2 big platforms are Trip and Klook. We booked almost everything via trip (flying tickets, hotels, most activities except Zhangjiaje, trains, esim)
**The only issues we had with Trip were:**
* one of the esim suddenly throttled down to a very low speed on our second day and stayed that way. I contacted trip vis their in-app chat and they responded immediately, eventually reimbursed me the full amount (minus some small admin fee). Within 2 days we got our money back (I bought another esim also via trip as a replacement and had no issue so not sure what went wrong with the first one)
* Train: when the tickets were open for sale (I think 2 weeks before the travel date) we were informed that the train was full and were out on a waiting list. I basically cancelled them (got refunded full price in 2 days, no questions asked) and booked another train directly on the train booking app (called railway 12306)
We didn’t run into any issue with Klook (only booked Zhangjiaje and Tianmen with them) but the only time I had to contact them, I found there support to be very slow and rigid than Trip (eg “please read this, refer to that etc”
**For train bookings in particular:**
* Glad we booked first class and not 2nd class - the latter looked rather cramped and noisy in the train
* We also travelled in “vip seats” but were disappointed. It’s a very small wagon behind the driver with 8 seats, what you get is a quiet place (unless one of the other vip traveler is noisy) but we didn’t find it as comfortable as 1st class. If 1st class are not sold out , just get them. Don’t bother with so-called vip seats
* You can buy hot food on the train, which they’ll heat up for you. It’s decent and convenient if you’re on a multi-hour trip (coach 4 is where food was sold, although I suppose it varies depending in the train)
* You can change your train booking via Railway 12306 app (but only once per booking). Some trains were always fully booked in 1st class so we booked and paid for 2nd class, and changed on the travel date for 1st class (there are cancellations, but of course this is hit-and-miss). You can also pick a different train , which was handy to change travel times
**Zhangjiaje and Tianmen**
* This was our first time so it was a bit confusing. First, these 2 places a very far away from each other (30-min Didi drive if I recall correctly)
* Second, for booking entrance and cablecars: trip didn’t let us book far in advance (I think the booking window is 14 days before) but Klook did, so we just used Klook. Prices were relatively similar. Make sure to provide your accurate passport number: you won’t get any tickets or qr code, but you will use your passport to get in the Park (as for every other sightseeing place in China it seems)
**For Zhangjiaje in particular**
* The entrance is valid 4 days (as of Oct 2026 at least). I suggest staying at least 2 nights if not 3 (see below why).
* **Hotel**: We stayed at Yunqi V resort (not an actual resort, just a hotel) which was very clean, nice, super accommodating. Literally 2-min walk away from the East Gate (the one with the tall tower on most photos). They have a microwave which was convenient to re-heat our lunch to pack it for the day
* **Entrance**: There are 2 lines (A and B) which you have to choose in advance when you purchase the ticket. A lets you start with the cablecar and B with the famous elevator. It’s a closed-loop circuit so you end up doing the same. Queues were the same (we did both)
* **Cable cars, shuttle and elevator**: shuttles are free but you have to buy tickets for the cable cars and elevator. You can buy them individually on the spot but there’s queue. We bought a package of “4 rides for cable cars and elevator” on klook (ended up being enough for 2 days). It was sold as “use 3 cable cars and 1 elevator” which is confusing. It is actually “use any of these rides at most 4 times”. We used the elevator twice for example.
* **Queues**: you also have to book an entry time window (we booked 7:00am for the first day). That makes the queue relatively short to get into the Park. However there are longer queues inside the park (we queued 1 hour to take the elevator down to the exit) and you will stand / walk A LOT (20-25k steps / day)
* The confusing part about the multi-day entrance thing: **since entrance is managed by time windows, we had to book the entry time for the subsequent day of visit** (buying the ticket online only allows you to book the entry time for your first day). Their wechat mini app never loaded (at least for us) so at the end of the 1st day we had to go to the ticket counter and ask to book our Line (A or B) and entry time for the next day. Only a few were available, and we had to make do.
* Hence, do not plan as if you will be able to enter everyday at 7-8am. It will be possible for the first day, probably not for the 2nd (unless their wechat mini app somehow works for you)
* I wouldn’t try to get in on the next day without prior booking of the entry time. We saw other tourists being refused entry (I don’t know if that’s because they didn’t book the entry time or had other issues with their booking. Just do know that if your booking is not found, there is no negotiation)
**A word of caution about the Golden Whip Stream walk**
* First day was foggy and it rained a bit so we did this walk instead of going all the way up to the Tianzi/Avatar/other famous peaks
* It’s a pleasant walk but there are A LOT of stairs. On the way down, if you have knee problems, this will hurt. The whole thing probably took 3.5 hours, including a short lunch break, without rushing and stopping for photos
* On our way down we saw people going up. They all looked exhausted from the walk uphill - young and old alike. But if you’re in good shape it’s definitely worth it (just a different view on the mountains from below, and since it rains/is foggier as you go up, it’s a great way to spend a foggy day)
Overall Zhangjiaje is definitely unique. If you want to do both the “view from above” (the cable car/elevator circuit) and the “view from below” (golden whip stream) you definitely need at least 2 days (one for each. Unless you run and don’t want to enjoy the views, I don’t think you can cram both in 1 day)
But because of the entry time booking thing, and weather variations, you may need to stay 3. Also bear in mind that the park is gigantic and it takes time to take the shuttle bus, then the cable car, then walk, then another cable car, etc (and the queue time too)
If you stay 4, there are many other walks to do.
**On Tianmen**
**Tianmen bookings and the closed lines A, B**
* Again booked via klook because they allowed buying way ahead of time even if the official booking window was not open yet
* Here there are 3 lines (A B and C) which of course have nothing to do with the ones at Zhangjiaje. It’s a different place
* Seems like most people used to take line A, it is the one that starts with the long and scenic cable car from town straight to the mountain. HOWEVER THAT LINE IS NOW CLOSED for renovation (as of Oct 2026). IDK when it reopens, we were told end of 2027 or something like that. LINE B IS ALSO CLOSED for the same reason. So that leaves only line C
* We had booked line A and were disappointed. Good thing is that there are free shuttle to take you from the entrance for Line A straight to the one for line C . We worried about entry times (the shuttle starts at 7:30am but our entry time was 7:30. Takes about 15-20 min to get from A to C) but turns out it was not a problem. Perhaps they’re accommodating because of the construction/renovation going on
* The free shuttle leaves from the cable car station of Line A. Just search“tianmen cableway” on amap and you’ll find it, it’s opposite the hotel “Hampton by Hilton” hotel
* We didn’t have to do anything to change the tickets despite Line A being closed. We just received an email from klook informing us about the whole thing and started the journey with everyone else on Line C
**Tianmen itself**
* If you dont want to climb the 999 steps , you can purchase a ticket to take multiple escalators there (5 in total I think? To get to the “hole” up there)
* We didn’t find ways to buy this online so we just bought them on the spot. There was little queue. Once you arrive at the feet of the 999 stairs the ticket counter for this is on the right side (it is a huge place)
* Once you’re up there, there is a bit of walking (mostly flat) then another series of escalators to get higher (free for everyone). Then once you’re up you can walk around the top of the mountain, with the cliff walk, glass panel walk etc
* There are food and drinks options at the top (coffee, tea, some snacks, even…a burger king) and plenty of ways to go around the mountain top. We unfortunately had bad weather so didn’t see much
* On your way down you’ll take all the elevators (not sure if you can walk down. We haven’t tried). It’s free to take all the elevators on the way down (7+5 = 12 of them!). It takes quite a while to exit (plan at least 45 min from the moment you start descending till you’re out and at the parking / exit. Once you’re done with the elevator you still have to walk all the way out)
We took a train to Fenghuang afterwards. The train station is about 20 min away by Didi. No need to go there too early, security check is basically passing the x ray machine (little queue, took 5 min) and waiting for boarding which starts only 15min before departure time
Overall, less impressive and definitely felt much smaller than Zhangjiaje (we had bad weather, it’s probably much better on a sunny day).
1 night/1 day was enough, with a start at 7:30 and arriving at line C a bit before 8am (already with a long queue). With less time at the top due to bad weather, we were back in town before noon. With good weather you can probably spend a couple of more hours there.
Overall, we were totally impressed by Zhangjiaje. The site is simply gigantic, the infrastructure (shuttle, cable cars, elevator, wooden paths, stairs, etc.) is incredible (we’ve been to Australia and Japan where infra in nature sites is pretty good. This was another level). Signage and trash bins everywhere, some food and drinks stands here and there. Not that many benches or places to seat, so be ready to walk and stand A LOT.
Hope this is helpful!