Proper journey route in Changsha - Zhangjiajie

1. Changsha to Wulingyuan, there are both buses and trains traveling between. Trains depart at Changsha Railway station (you can check the timetable and ticket fare on this website). Buses depart both from Changsha East and West Bus Station; duration is about 4 hours and ticket fare CNY80-130. Trains are recommended as they are less influenced by weather and road condition. Upon arrival, walk to ZJJ Bus Station (nearby railway station) to take a scenic shuttle bus to Wulingyuan.

ZJJ-Fenghuang: From ZJJ Bus Station(the one nearby railway station), there are buses to Fenghuang Old City directly. The schedules are at 08:30, 09:30, 10:30, 14:00, 15:00, and 16:00. Ticket fare is about CNY65 and duration is about 2-3 hours.

Fenghuang – Changsha: Take a bus from Fenghuang ancient town to Jishou North Bus Station (about an hour). Upon arrival, walk to nearby Jishou railway station to take a train back to Changsha.

2. They are different places located in the north of the large ZJJ scenic area. Yuanjiajie is famous for Hallelujah (floating hills/mountains of Pandora Planet in the film Avatar), Heavenly Lift, No.1 Bridge under Heaven; Yangjiajie is famous for “attain the highest level in one step (Yi Bu Deng Tian)”, Xiangzhi River, Monkey Valley…
3. They are the same place.
4. It’s enough and actually more than enough. No worry.
5. Yellow Stone Stronghold and Yellow Dragon Cave are parts of Wulingyuan scenic area, like Tianzishan.
6. Baofeng Lake is in the core area of Wulingyuan. It is 1.5km from Wulingyuan government office. But 8km to Tianzishan.
7. You can see the show in the evening on the arrival day. It begins at 20:15. But I’m afraid two days are not enough to see all the scenic sites there. BTW, ticket in Wulingyuan is valid for 3 days.

Oh forget the last one. 1 day and 1 night is enough for Fenghuang ancient town. It's small compared with ZJJ and Wulingyuan.

Dear Alex,
Many thanks for your kind explanation/answered on Apr.4, I had more clear picture for ZJJ attraction ^_^
As it's my 1st time to China & I can't speak Chinese. All my trip are 6.5 days. I would like to set-up clear itinerary to cover 'must see" scenic area in ZJJ including Tianmenshan in 3 whole days. Below is my plan, please help recommend a good sequence for each scenic spot in Day 2-3 judging from its location, direction & distance.
Day 1 : Noon -Arrive Changsha Airport --> Evening - Arrive Wulingyuan & check-in hotel here for 2 nights stay
Day 2 : Start trip for ZJJ Forest Park. Please help advise each place sequence in Day 2-3 among :-
Tianzi Mountain ; Helong park ; 1st Bridge under Heaven ; Ten-mile Gallery ; Golden Whip Stream ;
Yuanjiajie, Yellow Stone Stronghold (Huangshi Zhai) ; Bao Feng Lake, Yellow Dragon Cave
and newly opened Yangjiajie (if possible times)
Day 3 : Evening - Go to ZJJ& check-in hotel here for 2 nights stay.
Day 4 : Start trip for Tianmen Mountain & see Tianmen Fox show this night
(Do you think is it better to see Tianmen Fox show in Day 3 night or Day 4 night ? as I'm not sure its location & where to buy show's ticket on arrival Day 3 evening time)
Day 5 : Morning head to Fenghuang Ancient City & stay 1 night
Day 6 : Afternoon head to Changsha & stay 1 night
(please recommend good places to stay at economy price in Fenghuang and Changsha)
Day 7 : Noon - Leave Changsha
If above plan is not feasible & not suitable, kindly recommend more proper way. Thanks a lot for your help.

Day 2: Golden Whip Stream + Yuanjiajie, 1st Bridge under Heaven
It’s advised to stay overnight at Daguantai (there are many hostels) today, so you can appreciate sunrise next morning and saving time from going into and out of the scenic area. If you are going to do so, bring some warm clothes, it’s cold up there at night.
Day 3: Yangjiajie+ Tianzi Mountain- Helong Park - Ten-mile Gallery

You can go to Huangshizhai, Baofeng Lake or Yellow Dragon Cave before Golden Whip Stream or after Ten-mile Gallery. They are not along the above mentioned routes. If time is limited, you may need to delete one or two of the three.

One thing to remind is that this is a route favored by most visitors and you may change it per your interest.

I think it’s better for you to see Tianmen Fox show in Day 4 night. Itineraries in Day 2 and 3 are tight if you are going to cover all mentioned sites.

In Fenghuang, there are many hostels along the Tuojiang river. They are local stilt houses and accommodation fee is not expensive, about CNY150 per night. You can check in one of them upon arrival.

In Changsha, you can check in one of the brand chain hotels like 7DaysInn, HomeInn, Hanting Express. It’s very easy to find one of their branches no matter which area you are going to stay. Accommodation fee is CNY200-300 per night.