Huangshan Travel Forum

I would appreciate some information before I fix the following itinerary:

My plan is to arrive to Tunxi from Hangzhou early morning. Leaving at 7:20 I would expect to arrive to Tunxi arround 10:20 or so. Question 1: Should I book in advance the ticket to the bus from Hangzhou to Tunxi?

Then I would like to take a bus to Yixian, ir order to visit Hongcun. Are there schedules available? Searching around I read that the last bus from Yixian to Tunxi is around 5 pm, while the last bus from Tunxi to Tangkou is around 5:30 pm. But I also know there are direct buses from Tangkou-Yixian, so I wonder if there is a direct bus (and when does the last one depart) from Yixian to Tangkou. I couldn't find any infomation in English and I don't read Chinese. My plan is to spend the night at the East Huangshan Youth Hostel in Tanjiaqiao if it is possible to get there.

The alternative plan would be to spend the night in Tunxi and then do the whole Huangshan treck in a single day, since I plan to take the night train to Shanghai the same day. But this is quite tough from what I read, specially since the cable cars and the public transportation stops so early.

Finally there is another possibility. To use taxis. But how much could it cost to go from Tunxi to Tanjiaquiao or from Tankou to Tunxi by taxi? Any one has the experience?

Thanks in advance!

1,if you would like to go to visit hongcun,I think you should have a night there ,then tomorrow morning to Tangkou.
2,Public bus in Yixian is morn than in Hongcun,so,you had better from hongcun to yixian ,then to Tangkou(best way). publice bus in hongcun,as i know,there are 2 runs available,but i don't if your time can be match.
3,You had better to arrange one night in the peak as weel.RMB100.00/bed min.
4,3 days is enough.
5, if 1 day in huangshan only,you had better take the cable car.but cannot enjoy the joy!!
6,Tunxi to Tanjiaquiao by taxi about RMB120~200.MAX.200RMB.
7,Tongkou to Tanjiaqiao : about 30 minutes.

Thanks for the tips. I see that you are also visiting Huangshan. Unfortunately I cannot postpone my trip, even if the weather seem to promise more than a few showers. Enjoy your trip!

Yes, buy the Hangzhou -- Tunxi bus in advance if at all possible.
Tunxi -- Yixian buses depart every 15 mins from 0630 to 1730, fare 12 RMB.
Tangkou -- Yixian buses depart at 0930 and 1530.

Thanks Ellyse for your reply. You are the source of most of the information that I have gathered here and other fora. Anyways I'm already back in Korea. When I have the time I will post my experience in more detail, because it might be helpful for others, or a way to update some information.

In a nutshell what I did was the following: I spent a lovely -but so hot and humid- afternoon and evening in Hangzhou. Since the plane arrived with two hours delay I couldn't try the Lingyin Temple but move around the West lake all the time. On the other hand I found all custom procedures very expedient; I did not had troubles to find the long distance bus "station" at Pudong, although after the airport this station is a bit disappointing;-)

Next day I took an early bus to Huangshan. However instead of taking the "regular" bus to Tunxi from the west bus station, I ended in a bus that left near Xixi Park I believe, that went directly to the mountain. Somehow a tout in a van got me hooked into this little adventure, because she told me -or I understood, in the few english words that she spoke- that the bus was good to get to Yixian. Anyways, all chinese in the bus except me, but aircon and confortable. Also quite some nice landscape near Shexian and Huangshan. I did not want to climb the mountain that first day, because I thought I would arrive too late to make the West Canyon and I was carrying with me all my luggage. The driver put me out of the bus without much contempt in what I thought was nowhere... but there it came inmediately a van and we negotiated a prize -120 yuan- to get to Hongcun. The driver told me it would take about an hour. Since I know they tend to overestimate times to push a bit the prices I was thinking, whow, this is really the way to go! It was a bit before 10:30... I'd might even have the time to visit Mukang!

The road was terrible, it was in the process of being asphalted. The bad luck was that at some tunnel the road was blocked. Several cars, a bus, the van I was in, all probably going to Hongcun, had to go back. Now we had the re-negotiate what to do. According to the driver this was the only way to get in Hongcun; otherwise I had to reverse all the path to Tunxi, etc. No way. It was too early on the other hand to go to the Youth Hostal. The driver finally sent me to the Emerald Valley. I spent a nice afternoon -although probably I would recommend skiping this part in a short trip to Huangshan- and then moved to Tanjiaqiao -near the East Youth Hostal. I didn't know exactly where I was and I couldn't find any bus. So I had to negotiate the drive to Tangkou and then I took a minivan to Tanjiaqiao. Now I know I could have walk down the road and take the minivan directly to Tanjiaqiao. The Emerald valley is really close to Yungu cable-car station and the Youth hostal. (The driver asked me for 100 yuan to go directly to Tanjiaqiao! Fortunately I did not accept it.)

In retrospect I believe that the bus I took from Hangzhou (unfortunately I cannot give much information on how to take it in a "formal" way) was going directly to one cable car station, possibly Yungu. It was really fast, stopping only to let passengers get out to little villages along the way. Although I did not take all the way, it could possibly be at Yungu before 11 am. So if one wants to take the typical east-side itinerary in Huangshan, this is an excellent way to get there very early! Its also a good way to get to Hongcun, because the distance from Tangkou to Hongcun is actually very short if you look at it on a map. But I cannot say if this was a regular bus. Most passengers where young chinese couples going to the mountain.

Next day I woke up early (around 5 am) to do the West Canyon. I was driven directly to the entrance for 120 yuan. They did not have the right information at the East Youth Hostal (although the people there are really very very nice and helpful) so I had to wait until 7 am (actually 6:45) to enter. I took the first cable car along only 4 other people! The view was incredible. Then after taking a wrong path and undoing my steps I started the West Canyon almost at 8 am. It is streneous but should not be missed. I met very few people (it was Tuesday), contrary to what I saw later at the common pathways. I paused only for taking pictures -very little rest- because I thought it would take longer. It was 11 am when I finished the route. (Beware, though, that you need to be fit to do it in 3 hours or less; I am relatively used to climbing mountains.) Then I followed the common path climbing a few peaks (Lotus peak is still closed) and descended via the Yuping cable car. By the way, I saw monkeys, and they are not small ones! I think it was before 2:30 pm when I descended the mountain. I walked down the forest to near the Hotel resorts and took a big bus (# 17 or 18, I was the only non chinese at that place) to Tangkou. From there again the minivan to the Youth Hostel, and another minivan at 5 pm (possible the last one) from Tanjiaqiao to Tunxi, with more than enough time to buy the night train ticket and have a good dinner before departing.

Some updated information about prices: The ticket to enter Huangshan (at least for one day) is 200 yuan. A one-way ride in the cable car is 80. The minivan from Tangkou to Tanjiaqiao if I recall well was 6 yuan, and from Tanjiaqiao to Tunxi it was between 10 and 20. They go around frequently, but the time they take depend a lot on the condition of the van. I saw ones that were terribly slow, while others were aircon and moved very fast. I took me 2 hours from Tanjiaqiao to Tunxi, and something around 20 minutes from Tangkou to Tanjiaqiao.

After a very much needed sleep in the night train I got out at Suzhou, toured around the canal and saw one garden (the Lingering garden). My idea was to go to Tiger Hill but I found I was too tired and it was *extremely* hot and humid at Suzhou, and then finally it also rained rivers. So I short-cut my tour moving to near the station (the North pagoda and the Silk factory, but I didn't enter the nearby Garden of the Humble Administrator, despite it could had probably been a very nice walk under the heavy rain). I took the fast train to Shanghai and then walk around the Bund that evening. I finally spent the next day in Shanghai. My plan was to move to Xitiang that morning, but alas, my body refused to wake up early and I had lots of things to solve, starting by the much needed laundry, and organizing a bit my following trips in Jilin, so I strolled around Xintiandi and Fuxing road, watched the circus acrobatics, and again did an evening tour from Nanjing road to both lanes of the Bund. (I would consider the Bund sight-seeing tunnel a tourist trap!) Next morning before taking the evening fligth I had time to visit Yuyuan Garden and the adjacent old street, and went to the People's square for my last visit. I had very little time left so I did not enter the Museum.

And that was all before Jilin!