Downtown Zhangjiajie City and Wulingyuan sit in two different districts about 40 minutes apart. Pin your hotel branch and exact park ticket gate before heading out so you never end up on the wrong side of the mountains.

Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport张家界荷花国际机场
Zhangjiajie West Railway Station张家界西站
Zhangjiajie Railway Station张家界站
Tianmen Mountain Lower Cable Car Station天门山索道下站
Wulingyuan East Gate (Wujiayu)武陵源东门（吴家峪票站）
Forest Park South Gate (Luoguta)森林公园南门（锣鼓塔票站）
Map · Transport

Choose AMap or Apple Maps

For exploring Zhangjiajie, AMap (高德地图) provides accurate local walking paths, driving routes, and bus information. The app offers an English interface with translated names for hotels and major tourist sights. If you use an iPhone, the built-in Apple Maps app also works well across mainland China.

Download AMap from its official mobile site, then pick the iOS, Android, or Google Play store link for your device. In the App Store, search for AMap Global. Set the in-app language to English and try searching for one place to get used to the interface before your travel day.

You can search places and view routes without creating an account. Setting up an account is only needed if you want to save favorites or hail rides directly in the app.

Find the exact hotel branch

Hotel brands in Zhangjiajie frequently operate multiple locations in different parts of town. Searching a brand name alone might send you to downtown Yongding district (永定区) instead of Wulingyuan district (武陵源区), or the other way around.

  1. Copy the full Chinese hotel name from your booking confirmation and paste it into the map search bar.
  2. Check that the district and street name match your reservation.
  3. If several branches appear, paste the full street address and building number.
  4. Check the walking route endpoint to see which street the front entrance faces.

If your booking app shows only an English name, message the front desk before arrival: 请发酒店入口的定位和中文地址。 This means "Please send the hotel entrance location pin and Chinese address." A pin for the front lobby helps your driver drop you off at the correct entrance.

To decide which area suits your travel plans, check the where to stay guide.

Pin the city, stations and park gates

Plaza and buildings at the south entrance of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
Photo by Codas

Downtown Zhangjiajie City (张家界市) is the main transport hub and the base for Tianmen Mountain. Wulingyuan (武陵源) sits directly outside the national forest park East Gate. When mapping your route to the forest park, search for your specific ticket gate rather than the general park name.

Destination Chinese name to search Map link
Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport 张家界荷花国际机场 Airport map
Zhangjiajie West railway station 张家界西站 West station map
Zhangjiajie railway station (City station) 张家界站 City station map
Tianmen Mountain cableway city lower station 天门山索道下站 Tianmen lower station map
Forest park East Gate in Wulingyuan 武陵源东门（吴家峪票站） East Gate map
Forest park South Gate at Luoguta 森林公园南门（锣鼓塔票站） South Gate map

Check your train ticket carefully: Zhangjiajie West Station (张家界西站) and Zhangjiajie Station (张家界站) are two separate rail stations miles apart. The forest park East Gate is also called 武陵源标志门, while the South Gate ticket office is labeled 森林公园门票站.

If your hotel is near another park entrance, search for 杨家界门票站 (West Gate), 天子山门票站 (North Gate), or 梓木岗门票站. The forest park entrance guide explains how to pick the right gate for each day.

For Tianmen Mountain, check your ticket departure point in the Tianmen Mountain guide, then route to it. The Tianmen lower station, 天门山索道下站, is on Dayong Road (大庸路).

Use a walking endpoint and a reachable pickup point

Select walking mode when going from your hotel to a park gate or nearby restaurant. Follow the pedestrian path on your screen to find the actual front door, since car routes often end at parking lots or service roads.

When ordering a ride, pick a pickup spot along an open public road. At the high-speed rail station or airport, follow posted signs to the ride-hailing area shown in your app. Verify that your destination matches your specific hotel branch or gate before confirming the ride.

If you need to coordinate a meeting point with your driver or hotel, message: 请发上车地点的定位。 This means "Please send the pickup location pin."

Use the forest park transport map inside the gates

Inside Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, switch from city map apps to trail signs and internal transport maps. The trails, free park shuttles, cable cars, and the Bailong Elevator connect valleys and mountain peaks across separate upper and lower transit routes.

Start at your entrance gate, take the shuttle to your first scenic stop or cable car, and follow the loop back to your planned exit. The forest park transport guide explains how to move between the valley floor and upper mountain plateaus.

City transit apps do not track internal park shuttle schedules. Follow the printed signs at each shuttle station:

  • After visiting the scenic bridge at Yuanjiajie, walk to 天下第一桥停车场 for the mountain shuttle bus.
  • To travel between Yangjiajie, Yuanjiajie, and Tianzi Mountain along the upper plateau, catch the mountain shuttle at 杨家界停车场.
  • The Yangjiajie cable car descends to the valley station at 杨家界索道下站. From the valley floor, shuttles head toward the West Gate, while connections to the South Gate pass through Longfeng'an and require a short stepped trail walk between two bus legs.

Keep the useful details with you

Save your hotel's Chinese address, your chosen park gate name, and screenshots of your daily route on your phone. If your AMap app supports offline map downloads, download the Zhangjiajie city package before heading out.

Keep copyable Chinese destination names in your notes app so you can paste them into search bars or show them to station staff and drivers.

Sources & updates