Hunan, the mountains and the river towns
Hunan province: the sandstone pillars of Wulingyuan, the riverside old town of Fenghuang and the chilli cooking of Changsha.
The short answer
Hunan is the province of the sandstone pillars — around 3,100 quartz columns in the Wulingyuan area near Zhangjiajie — plus the riverside old town of Fenghuang and the chilli-heavy cooking of the capital, Changsha. Five days covers the mountains and Fenghuang, and the province links easily to Guilin and the south. April–May and September–October are best.
- Wulingyuan holds about 3,100 sandstone pillars; the Bailong lift climbs 326 m in under two minutes
- Changsha to Zhangjiajie is about 2h30 by high-speed rail; so is Changsha to Fenghuang
- The glass bridge at Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon is 430 m long and 300 m above the gorge
- Fenghuang was founded in 1704; its stilt houses lean over the Tuojiang River
- Hunan cooking is the hottest in China — more fresh chilli than Sichuan, less numbing
The city to base yourself in
Zhangjiajie is the headline of Hunan, but the province runs from Mao's birthplace at Shaoshan to the stilt town of Fenghuang and the chilli-heavy cooking of Changsha. Zhangjiajie →
The pillars
Wulingyuan, 40 km north of Zhangjiajie city, is a UNESCO site of about 3,100 quartz-sandstone pillars, some over 200 m tall. Two days is right: one for Tianzi Mountain and Yuanjiajie, one for the Grand Canyon and its 430 m glass bridge.
The Bailong Elevator lifts 326 m up a cliff face in under two minutes, and the cable car on Tianmen Mountain runs 7,455 m — one of the longest single spans in the world. Both sell timed tickets, and both queue from mid-morning.
The river towns
About 4 hours south-west of Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang is a Qing-dynasty river town founded in 1704, with stilt houses leaning over the Tuojiang River and a wall along the water. It is at its best after dark and empty again by 08:00.
Between them, the province is chilli country: Changsha's cooking is generally hotter than Sichuan's, and Hunan grows more rice than almost anywhere in China.
When to go
April to May and September to October are 18–26°C and the clearest months for the pillars, which are often lost in low cloud at other times. Summer is hot at 35°C and full of domestic school groups; winter is cold and grey, sometimes with snow on the peaks, which looks well but can close the cable cars.
Wulingyuan
About 3,100 quartz-sandstone pillars, UNESCO listed, 40 km north of Zhangjiajie city.
The Bailong Elevator
326 m up the cliff face in under two minutes, with a timed ticket and a morning queue.
Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon
A 430 m glass bridge 300 m above the gorge; the walk across takes about 20 minutes.
Fenghuang
A 1704 river town of stilt houses on the Tuojiang, busy at night and quiet at dawn.
Tianmen Mountain
A 7,455 m cable car and a cliff walk above Zhangjiajie city, with a 999-step stair.
Hunan food
The hottest cooking in China — fresh chilli and cured pork, not the numbing pepper.
Practical
| Province capital | Changsha |
|---|---|
| Main airport(s) | Changsha Huanghua (CSX); Zhangjiajie Hehua (DYG) |
| Direct flights from the UK | None; reach Changsha via Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Hong Kong |
| High-speed rail | Changsha–Zhangjiajie 2h30 · Changsha–Fenghuang 2h30 |
| Best months | April–May and September–October |
| Typical length of stay | 5–6 days |
| Wulingyuan | About 3,100 quartz-sandstone pillars; UNESCO listed |
| Bailong Elevator | 326 m (1,070 ft) up the cliff in under two minutes |
| Cuisine | The hottest in China — fresh chilli rather than numbing pepper |
| Time zone | GMT+8 (7 hours ahead of the UK in summer, 8 in winter) |
Getting there from the UK
There are no direct flights from the UK to Hunan. Reach Changsha through Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Hong Kong with one change; the total is about 14 hours.
From Changsha, high-speed rail covers Zhangjiajie in about 2 hours 30 minutes and Fenghuang in the same time. Many travellers fly into Changsha and out of Zhangjiajie, or carry on south to Guilin, which is about 2 hours 30 minutes away by rail.
How many days
Five days works well: two in Zhangjiajie for Wulingyuan, two in Fenghuang, and a day in Changsha at either end. Walkers should allow three nights at Zhangjiajie to fit in Tianmen Mountain as well. The province joins neatly to Guangxi — Zhangjiajie to Guilin is reachable in a day by rail through Changsha, and Guangdong and the coast are a short hop further south.
Worth knowing if you're travelling from the UK
British passport holders can enter China visa-free for up to 30 days until 31 December 2026, so no visa is needed for this trip. Hunan sits on GMT+8, seven hours ahead of London in summer and eight in winter. Cards are accepted at hotels and the larger restaurants, but tickets for Wulingyuan and the glass bridge are bought through mobile apps: set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly, and keep ¥300–500 for the mountain shuttles and small towns. A UK driving licence alone is not valid here.