TXN
Huangshan
A granite-peaked UNESCO mountain town with living Huizhou villages and cloud seas.
Huangshan is a city in southern Anhui, China, built around the granite peaks of Mount Huangshan — a UNESCO site famous for twisted pines, sea-of-clouds, and sunrise above 1,800 m. Most travelers also add the nearby villages of Hongcun and Xidi (both UNESCO old villages), Tunxi Old Street, and Huizhou cuisine. This guide covers the best time to visit Huangshan, how to get from Huangshan Tunxi Airport (TXN) to the mountain, getting around without a metro, and the trails worth your legs.
Getting around (no metro)
No subway. From Huangshan North railway station or Tunxi, shuttle buses run to the mountain's south gate (Tangkou, ~1h, ¥33). Taxis and Didi cover the city; for Hongcun/Xidi use the tourist shuttle or a booked car.
Airport
Huangshan Tunxi Int'l (TXN), ~5.5 km from the city center, elevation 134 m. Flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xi'an, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Seoul, Busan.
High-speed rail
Huangshan North Station (Hefei–Fuzhou / Hangzhou–Huangshan lines): Hangzhou ~1.5–2h, Hefei ~1.5–2h, Shanghai ~2.5h, Beijing ~5–6h, Wuhan ~3.5h.
Population
~1.32 million (2024, whole city); Tunxi district ~305,000.
Best season
Mar–May and Sep–Nov (spring flowers, autumn colors, best chance of cloud sea); skip Jul–Aug (heat, rain, domestic crowds) and the Oct 1 holiday. Winter is cold but the snow scenery is stunning.
Peak altitude
Mount Huangshan's highest peak, Lotus Peak, is 1,864 m; the city center (Tunxi) sits at ~150 m. Cable cars cut the climb roughly in half — use them if your legs protest.
Currency / plug
RMB (¥); plug Type A/C/I, 220V.
Suggested itinerary
Land in Tunxi and walk the old street
Fly into Huangshan Tunxi (TXN), 5.5 km from downtown — a taxi is ~¥15–20. Drop your bag in Tunxi and walk Tunxi Old Street in the evening: Ming–Qing timber shops, the river's murmur just beyond the lanes, and your first bowl of Huizhou food (stinky mandarin fish is the local dare). Stay in Tunxi or nearby Liyang in Lane.
Mount Huangshan, south side — your first summit day
Take the shuttle from Tunxi or the North station to Tangkou (the south gate, ~1h, ¥33). Ride the Yungu cable car up, then walk to Bright Summit (Guangming Ding) and the Flying-over Rock. If you've got the legs, push to the West Sea Canyon. Sleep on the mountain (book months ahead) or ride back down to Tangkou.
The north ridges, then down past the Welcoming Pine
Spend the morning on the north side — Beginning-to-Believe Peak (Shixin Feng) and the monkey-shaped rock, the quietest part of the mountain. Then descend via the Yuping cable car past the Welcoming Pine, the mountain's postcard tree. Back to Tunxi by afternoon; your knees will thank you.
Hongcun — the village that painted itself
Bus or car to Hongcun (~1h from Tunxi), a 900-year-old village laid out like an ox with a mirror pond (Moon Pond) and a lake (South Lake). The Huizhou houses with horse-head walls are the reason photographers lose a whole day here. Stay overnight if you can — the early light on the water is the shot.
Xidi and the old Huizhou capital
Morning at Xidi, Hongcun's quieter sister village, all stone archways and clan halls. Then push to Shexian county for the Huizhou Ancient City — the fishing-weir dam at Yuliang, the prefectural office, and the quiet lanes most day-trippers skip. This is where Huizhou culture actually lived.
Qiyun Mountain or a boat on the Xin'an River
Two easy options. Qiyun Mountain (Xiuning) is a Taoist peak with crimson Danxia cliffs and a cable car — half a day, gentle. Or take the Xin'an River boat from Shendu (Shexian) through painted-water-gorge scenery, the kind of view that gave Huizhou ink paintings their name. Pick one; don't cram both.
Tea, ink, and the airport
Last morning for souvenirs done right: Huangshan maofeng green tea, Qimen black tea, and Huizhou ink sticks make far better gifts than the trinkets on the old street. Then the shuttle or taxi back to TXN. You'll leave having climbed a 1,864 m peak and walked two 900-year-old villages — most people only manage one.
Local tips
- Best time to visit Huangshan is March–May and September–November: spring flowers, autumn colors, and the best odds of a sea of clouds. Skip July–August (heat, rain, peak domestic crowds) and the Oct 1 National Day week. Winter is cold but the snow on the peaks is spectacular.
- From Huangshan Tunxi Airport (TXN, ~5.5 km from downtown) a taxi is ~¥15–20. To reach the mountain, take the shuttle bus from the North station or Tunxi to Tangkou (south gate, ~1h, ¥33) — ignore the touts at the train station offering 'cheaper' private cars.
- There is no metro. The city runs on buses, taxis, and Didi; scenic spots need the high-speed rail plus a tourist shuttle or a booked car. Plan transfers the night before — rural buses leave early and won't wait.
- Mount Huangshan uses real-name reservation and caps daily entries in peak season. Buy tickets on the official WeChat mini-program ('Huangshan Tourism') ahead of time. Lotus Peak and Tiandu Peak rotate openings (Tiandu reopened May 2024) — check which is open before you train for the top.
- Wear real hiking shoes and carry a rain jacket; the summit weather flips fast above 1,500 m. Cable cars (Yungu, Yuping, Taiping) save roughly half the climb — use them if your knees complain. The top hotels book out months ahead if you want a sunrise.
- Hongcun and Xidi charge separate tickets (~¥104 each); both are worth it but pick one to stay in if you only have a week. The villages empty out before 8am and after 5pm — that's when they're real.
- Payment: link Alipay or WeChat to an international card before you arrive. Use Amap (Gaode) or Baidu Maps for navigation. Carry your passport — you need it for hotel check-in and some ticket pickups.
- Eat the local stuff: stinky mandarin fish (chouguìyú), hairy tofu (máodòufu), cured ham with bamboo shoots, Huangshan sesame cakes. Tunxi Old Street and Liyang in Lane are the easy clustered spots; wander one lane off the main drag for lower prices and better cooking.
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