1Highlights
Huangshan is not a scenic viewpoint with a mountain behind it. It is a granite massif of jagged pinnacles, cloud seas and wind-bent pines, inscribed by UNESCO in 1990 as both a cultural and a natural World Heritage site, and it is the thing that Chinese ink painting has been drawing for a thousand years. It is also not a walk. The standard cable-car route is still six to seven hours and several thousand stone steps. Three practical facts decide whether your visit works: the money comes in three separate payments rather than one ticket, everything is booked online with name verification and nothing is sold at the gate, and you must be back at a cable car before the last car down. The good news is structural — one ticket covers three consecutive calendar days, which means splitting the mountain across two days costs nothing extra in admission. The complication nobody tells you until you arrive is that of the two great peaks, only one is open: Lotus Peak and Tiandu Peak alternate on a roughly five-year closure rotation, and in 2026 Lotus Peak is the one resting.
- Admission
- ¥190 main season / ¥150 winter
- Ticket validity
- 3 consecutive calendar days from first scan
- Shuttle bus
- ¥19 each way — compulsory
- Cable cars, one way
- Yungu / Taiping ¥80, Yuping ¥90, Donghai ¥100
- Realistic day cost
- About ¥398 before food
- Lotus Peak
- Closed — rest rotation
- Tiandu Peak
- Open, separate booking, 3,000/day
- Hiking gate cut-off
- 15:00 — cable car only after that
2Tickets
Admission is ¥190 in the main season (21 January to 19 December 2026) and ¥150 in the winter season (20 December 2025 to 20 January 2026), with half-price at ¥95 and ¥75 respectively. It is sold only through the official 'Huangshan Travel Official Platform' WeChat mini-programme, with name verification and a timed entry slot — there is no ticket window at the gate. On top of that you pay the compulsory shuttle at ¥19 each way, because private cars cannot drive up, and then each cable car separately: Yungu and Taiping ¥80 one way, Yuping ¥90, the new Donghai line ¥100; winter-season rates drop to ¥65, ¥75 and ¥80. The classic pairing — Yungu up, Yuping down — is ¥170. So a realistic single day is ¥190 + ¥38 + ¥170 ≈ ¥398, before you have eaten anything. The one genuine saving is the validity: the ticket runs for three consecutive calendar days with unlimited re-entry, so a two-day split costs the same in admission as one day. Official live prices and notices govern.
| Admission, main season | ¥190 / ¥95 | 21 Jan – 19 Dec 2026. Valid 3 consecutive calendar days from your first gate scan. |
|---|---|---|
| Admission, winter season | ¥150 / ¥75 | 20 Dec 2025 – 20 Jan 2026. Dates are set annually by notice. |
| Shuttle bus | ¥19 each way | Compulsory — private cars cannot enter. ¥38 return is unavoidable. |
| Yungu or Taiping cable car | ¥80 one way | Winter ¥65. Yungu serves the South Gate, Taiping the North Gate. |
| Yuping cable car | ¥90 one way | Winter ¥75. Upper station is beside the Greeting Pine. |
| Donghai cable car | ¥100 one way | Opened June 2026 at the East Gate. No hiking trail in that sector — the cable car is the only way in or out. |
| Tiandu Peak | Included, but capped | A ticket does not grant the climb. 3,000 a day in clear weather, booked separately. |
Scan in on day one, or the three-day ticket is a one-day ticket：The validity rule is precise, and the way it is activated catches people out. The ticket runs for three consecutive calendar days counting the first day, measured from the day you first book and actually pass through a gate — not from purchase. If you book a first day and then skip it, the multiple-entry right never activates. And on days two and three you cannot simply walk up: each re-entry still needs a separate booking in the mini-programme, made under the 'multiple-entry ticket' ticket type rather than a fresh purchase. Note also that this is counted in calendar days, not hours: entering at 14:00 on day one gives you roughly 75 usable hours, while entering at 07:00 gives you about 63.
Foreign passport holders can book Tiandu Peak in person on the day：This is the most useful sentence on the page for anyone travelling on a non-mainland document. The normal Tiandu Peak process is punishing: the official mini-programme is the only authorised channel, you submit a request between 20:00 and 21:00 two days before entering the mountain, then open the booking at 21:00 sharp, competing for 3,000 places a day in clear weather. Third-party platforms are not authorised to do it at all. However, the scenic area's own notice provides an alternative for holders of documents that qualify for admission exemptions, and for foreign, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan visitors who cannot complete the advance booking — they may book in person, on the day only, while places last. Ask at the ticket hall when you arrive rather than assuming you have been locked out. Climbing hours are 07:00–15:00, no entry to the peak after 15:00, and the round trip takes about four hours.
Lotus Peak is shut this year — plan around Tiandu or the canyon：Huangshan's two highest climbs take turns being closed so the vegetation and the steps can recover, on a rotation of roughly five years each. Lotus Peak (1,864.8m, the highest point on the massif) is currently in its closure period; Tiandu Peak (1,829.2m, the steepest) reopened on 7 April 2026. So any itinerary that has you summiting both is describing a mountain that does not currently exist. If the Tiandu booking does not come through, the scenic area's own suggestion is the sensible one: go to the West Sea Grand Canyon or Shixin Peak instead, neither of which is capped. If you do get Tiandu, there are two approaches and they are not comparable — Laodaokou, half an hour from the Yuping cable car, reaches the summit in about 40 minutes; Xindaokou, an hour and a half from the entrance gate, takes about three hours and is genuinely punishing.
Klook
Book tours, tickets and activities in China
Klook lists tickets, tours and activities for many major attractions in China with an English-language booking flow. Product inclusions, available payment methods, reservation steps, ID requirements, voucher redemption and cancellation terms vary by listing and attraction, so check the product page and the attraction's official rules before paying.
- English-language listings for attraction tickets, guided tours and day trips
- Available payment methods are shown on the individual checkout page
- Reservation and real-name ID details vary by attraction and product
- Voucher format and on-site redemption instructions are product-specific
- Read the cancellation policy and official attraction notices before booking
Disclosure: this is an affiliate link. We may earn a small commission if you buy through it, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we would use ourselves.
3Getting There
Huangshan has four gates and they are not interchangeable — each one commits you to a different cable car, a different half of the mountain and, at two of them, a different province's worth of driving. Most international visitors arrive by high-speed rail at Huangshan North, then take a coach to the South Gate (Tangkou), which is the gateway for both the Yungu and Yuping cable cars and the right default.
Coach from the tourist transport centre beside the station, about 1 hour
Scenic-area shuttle to Yungusi or Ciguangge. Private cars cannot go up.
Yungu for the rear mountain, Yuping for the Greeting Pine side
For the Taiping cable car; closest to the canyon's north entrance
Donghai cable car only — no hiking trail in or out of this sector
Direct scenic-area coaches, which is what makes a villages-plus-mountain trip work
Arrive before 15:00 or you are riding, not walking：The hiking entrances close at 15:00, and after that the only way up is a cable car. This is the single most common way an afternoon arrival goes wrong: people reach Tangkou at four, assume they will walk up for sunset, and find the trail gates shut. Main-season opening hours are roughly 07:00–17:10, extending to 06:30–17:40 on weekends and short holidays, and the cable cars generally start around 07:00 on weekdays and 06:30 at weekends. If your train gets in late, the honest plan is to sleep in Tangkou and start at first light rather than salvage the afternoon.
The East and West Gates are specialists, not alternatives：The East Gate at Tanjiaqiao opened on 11 June 2026 and is served by the Donghai cable car at ¥100 one way. The part that matters: that sector has no hiking trails at all, so the cable car is your only way both in and out — if it stops for wind, you are not walking down. The West Gate at Jiaocun (Diaoqiao'an direction) has no cable car whatsoever, and reaching the West Sea canyon lift from there is a hike of three and a half hours or more. Neither is wrong, but both are choices for people who already know the mountain. A first visit should go through the South Gate.
4Route & Photos
The classic one-day line runs Yungu cable car up → Shixin Peak → Beihai and Monkey Watching the Sea → Guangmingding → Flying-over Rock → Aoyu Peak → Yuping Tower and the Greeting Pine → Yuping cable car down. Six to seven hours, and deliberately in this direction: the rear mountain climbs gently and the front mountain descends steeply, which is much kinder on the knees than the reverse. Cable cars ¥80 + ¥90 = ¥170.
Two days is not a luxury here — it is the same ticket：Because admission covers three calendar days, splitting the mountain adds a bed and two cable-car legs but no extra entry fee. The split that works: day one takes the rear mountain and the main summit line, ending at a hotel near Baiyun or Paiyunlou; day two goes into the West Sea Grand Canyon first thing, when it is empty and your legs are fresh, then rides the ground-rail lift up to Tianhai and descends by Yuping. It also buys you insurance against the real risk on this mountain, which is not fitness but visibility — fog can close in within the hour and erase the view entirely, and having a second morning means a bad first day is not the whole trip.
Recommended Route
- 1
Yungu cable car up
From the South Gate transfer centre via Yungusi. ¥80, and it saves roughly three hours of climbing.
- 2
Shixin Peak
The rear mountain's best pinnacle cluster, and not capped like Tiandu. A good consolation if the peak booking failed.
- 3
Beihai · Monkey Watching the Sea
The named-rock belt. Also where the trail to Paiyunting and the canyon's north entrance branches off.
- 4
Guangmingding
1,860m, the central plateau and the standard sunrise and cloud-sea platform. Open on all sides, so dress for wind.
- 5
Flying-over Rock
A balanced granite slab on a ridge — the view behind it is as good as the rock itself.
- 6
Aoyu Peak and the Hundred-Step Ladder
Where the front mountain's descent begins in earnest. Steep, stepped, and where tired legs make mistakes.
- 7
Yuping Tower · the Greeting Pine
The 800-year-old pine that is the mountain's emblem. Queues are long midday and short early or late.
- 8
Yuping cable car down
¥90 to Ciguangge, then the ¥19 shuttle back to Tangkou. Check the last-car time on arrival, not on the way down.
Best Photo Spots
The Greeting Pine with Tiandu Peak behind it
The one frame that says Huangshan without a caption. Early morning or late afternoon — midday is a queue, not a photograph.
Guangmingding at first light
Cloud sea below and pinnacles breaking through it. Check the summit forecast the night before; the cloud-sea probability is published daily.
5Food & Stay
| Summit hotel restaurants and buffetsSet meals, buffet breakfast and dinner | ¥50–150 pp | Everything up here is carried up by porter, and priced accordingly. Bottled water runs about ¥10. |
|---|---|---|
| Tangkou town, at the South GateHuizhou dishes — stinky mandarin fish, hairy tofu, stone-ear chicken | ¥60–100 pp | Where to eat properly, before you go up or after you come down. Far better value than the summit. |
| What to carry upWater, Huangshan flatbread, chocolate | ¥20–40 | At least a litre of water per person. Buy it in Tangkou, not at the cable car station. |
6Tips & Pitfalls
- Book in the official mini-programme, and scan in on day one. There is no gate window, and a first day booked but not used means the three-day multiple-entry right never activates.
- Budget ¥398, not ¥190. Entry, the compulsory ¥38 shuttle and the ¥170 cable-car pair are three separate payments.
- Lotus Peak is closed this year. Tiandu Peak is the open one and needs its own 21:00 booking two days out — but foreign and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan visitors can book in person on the day instead.
- Be at the gate before 15:00 if you intend to walk up. After that the hiking entrances are closed and only the cable cars run.
- Work backwards from the last cable car, not forwards from sunrise. Confirm the day's last-car time when you arrive, and leave an hour of slack.
- Rear mountain up, front mountain down. Yungu then Yuping climbs gently and descends steeply, which is the knee-friendly direction.
- Layers and grip, even in summer. The summit sits above 1,800m, the wind is constant on the open platforms, and granite steps are slick in rain or fog.
7Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Huangshan actually cost for a day?
About ¥398 before food: ¥190 admission in the main season, ¥38 for the compulsory return shuttle, and ¥170 for the classic Yungu-up, Yuping-down cable car pair. The winter season is cheaper on all three — ¥150 admission, with cable cars at ¥65–80. These are separate payments made in separate places, which is why single-figure budgets you may have seen are too low.
Is the Huangshan ticket really valid for three days?
Yes — three consecutive calendar days counting the first day, with unlimited re-entry, measured from the day you first book and actually scan through a gate. Two conditions attach: if you book a first day but never scan in, the multiple-entry right does not activate at all; and each subsequent entry still needs its own booking in the official mini-programme under the 'multiple-entry ticket' type. Because it is counted in days rather than hours, a 14:00 start on day one gives you more usable time than a 07:00 one.
Can I climb both Lotus Peak and Tiandu Peak?
Not at the moment. The two take turns closing for recovery on a roughly five-year rotation, and Lotus Peak — at 1,864.8m the highest point on the mountain — is currently in its closure period. Tiandu Peak (1,829.2m) reopened on 7 April 2026 and is capped at 3,000 visitors a day in clear weather, with its own booking. If you cannot get a place, the scenic area's own advice is to go to the West Sea Grand Canyon or Shixin Peak instead, neither of which is rationed.
I have a foreign passport and cannot use the mini-programme. Can I still get in?
Yes. Admission is booked with name verification and the official 'Huangshan Travel Official Platform' mini-programme is the primary channel, with a foreign passport used as the identity document; if the document options give you trouble, an official name-verified timed ticket bought through a reputable platform is the workaround. For Tiandu Peak specifically, the scenic area's notice allows foreign, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan visitors who cannot complete the advance booking to register in person on the day, while places last — ask at the ticket hall rather than assuming the peak is closed to you.
Which gate should I use?
The South Gate at Tangkou for a first visit — it serves both the Yungu and Yuping cable cars, so you can go up one side and down the other, and it is an hour by coach from Huangshan North station. The North Gate (Taiping cable car) suits arrivals from the Hefei direction and is closest to the canyon's north entrance. The East Gate has only the Donghai cable car and no hiking trails at all, and the West Gate has no cable car. Those last two are choices for repeat visitors.
One day or two?
Two, if you can. The admission ticket already covers three calendar days, so a second day adds a bed and cable-car legs but no entry fee, and it lets you give the West Sea Grand Canyon a fresh morning instead of squeezing it in tired. It is also weather insurance: fog can erase the view within an hour, and a single-day visit stakes the whole trip on one forecast.
Combine With
Other Huangshan sights that genuinely pair well with this one
Before You Go
The practical guides you will actually need here
All Huangshan attractions
Airalo
The world's most popular travel eSIM
Airalo is the largest travel eSIM marketplace by users, with China plans from multiple carriers. Prices are competitive and the app is well-designed. Like other travel eSIMs, data routes through an overseas gateway so blocked sites are accessible without a VPN. A solid backup if Yesim or Saily do not have the plan length you need.
- Largest selection of China eSIM plans from multiple carriers
- Competitive pricing, especially for shorter trips
- Overseas gateway — blocked sites work without VPN
- Well-designed app, easy QR code installation
Disclosure: this is an affiliate link. We may earn a small commission if you buy through it, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we would use ourselves.
GoChinaTravel Editorial Team
Our team of China travel researchers combines on-the-ground contributor insights, official government sources, and traveler community feedback to create the most detailed English-language China guides available. Every guide is fact-checked against primary sources (NIA, 12367, official attraction websites, Railway 12306) before publication.