Getting Around Fenghuang
Fenghuang Old Town is only one part of the wider city of Fenghuang, and the two are laid out on very different scales. The Old Town itself is compact and best explored on foot, while the bus stations, the railway station, and the newer parts of the city sit outside it and are usually reached by taxi or bus. A practical approach is to treat the Old Town as a walking zone and everything beyond it as something you connect to by road or rail.
Walking in the Old Town
The main entrance to the Old Town is the natural starting point for a visit, and from there the historic core is best covered on foot. Taxis can bring you from the bus stations to that main entrance, after which walking takes over.
- The Old Town is largely not wheelchair accessible, so visitors with mobility needs should plan accordingly.
- Because the Old Town is only part of the city, expect to use a vehicle for anything outside it.
Rail and Maglev
Fenghuanggucheng Railway Station (Fenghuang Old Town) serves the city by high-speed rail, and it has become the easiest way to reach Fenghuang. The station is linked to the city by a maglev line, and express buses are also available for the connection.
- Trains from Changsha take roughly two to two and a half hours.
- Trains from Zhangjiajie take roughly fifty minutes to just over an hour.
- To cover the final stretch between the station and the city, choose between the maglev line and the express buses.
Buses and Other Public Transport
Fenghuang has several bus stations, and travelling between them is not easy, so it is worth confirming in advance which station your route uses. Direct buses run from numerous cities in China; the most common direct routes are from Changsha, Jishou, Huaihua, and Zhangjiajie.
- From Jishou: buses leave approximately every thirty minutes from the north bus station near the railway station, and more frequently at peak times. They arrive at Fenghuang's North Bus Station.
- From Huaihua: buses leave hourly for Fenghuang's Western Bus Station, departing from both Huaihua West in the city and Huaihua South at the bullet-train station.
- From Zhangjiajie: a few buses per day run from Zhangjiajie City, plus one leaving directly from Wulingyuan. Both terminate at the North Bus Station.
- From Changsha: several buses leave daily.
- From Guilin: one bus leaves the South Bus Station at 11:00 and arrives at the North Bus Station.
One practical warning for buying tickets: ticket sellers at bus and train stations in Hunan will tack on travel insurance along with the sale of your ticket. Tell them not to include it, or you will pay a small extra charge on top of your fare.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are the straightforward way to move between the bus stations and the main entrance to the Old Town. Since the Old Town is only part of the city and is best explored on foot, the usual pattern is to take a taxi to the entrance and walk from there.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Fenghuang is served by Tongren Fenghuang Airport (TEN), located in Tongren. The airport has service from Guiyang, Guangzhou, and Beijing, as well as a few other cities in China. It sits some distance from Fenghuang, so you will need ground transport for the final leg.
- By taxi: a taxi is one of the two main options for the trip between the airport and Fenghuang.
- By bus: go to Fenghuang North Bus Station and ask for a ticket to Tongren Airport (铜仁机场). The destination is printed on the ticket, but there is no indication of the airport at the bus station itself, so simply board a Tongren-bound bus and show your ticket to the driver. You will most likely be dropped off at an intersection close to the airport, from where it is about a ten-minute walk to the terminal building.
- In the other direction: details are less clear, but there appears to be a tourist shuttle bus during the day until 16:30.
Other nearby airports include Huaihua and Zhangjiajie, with a transfer onward to Fenghuang, but neither offers direct buses. Be aware that flights are also frequently canceled during the off season, so build some flexibility into your plans.
Practical Notes on Timing
Roads and buses can be crowded on weekends and holidays, so allow extra time if you are travelling on those days. The expressway connection from Jishou has made that approach considerably quicker than it once was, but the general rule still holds: on busy dates, expect the roads and the buses to be full.