Short answer
Three days is where Huangshan stops being a mountain and becomes a region. The mountain gets one night on the summit, the UNESCO villages of Hongcun and Xidi get one afternoon and night between them, and Tunxi Old Street fills whatever evening is left over near the station.
The order that saves the most travel time is villages first, mountain second, or the reverse, depending on where your train lands and leaves. What does not work is squeezing the villages into a day between two summit nights, because the roads between Tangkou, Hongcun and Xidi are slow and the buses stop in the late afternoon.
Hongcun and Xidi are each around ¥104 per adult at the gate and ¥94 booked online, valid three days with re-entry. Both share the UNESCO listing with Huangshan itself, and the mountain entry is ¥190 in peak season. Budget for three nights of accommodation, not two.
Two versions of the same three days
Which one you pick depends on your train. Arriving in the afternoon, which is when most high-speed trains land in Huangshan, means the mountain cannot start that day. Leaving in the morning means the last night should be in Tunxi, close to the station.
| Day | Villages first | Mountain first |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive, bus to Hongcun, night in the village | Arrive, bus to Tangkou, night at the south gate |
| 2 | Xidi in the morning, transfer to Tangkou, night at the south gate | Cable car up, ridge, summit night |
| 3 | Cable car up, ridge, down in the afternoon, night in Tunxi | Sunrise, front mountain down, bus to Hongcun or Tunxi |
| Best for | Anyone arriving after lunch, or who wants the villages while fresh | Anyone on an early train who wants sunrise on the last morning |
The villages-first version is the safer one. Village walking is easy and the mountain is hard, so the difficult day comes after you have adjusted to the time zone. It also means the summit night sits at the end, which is where sunrise belongs.
Day 1: arrival and Hongcun
Huangshan North Station has a transport hub on the west side of the forecourt, and buses leave from there roughly hourly during daylight.
| Route | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Huangshan North Station to Hongcun | 1h 10m to 1h 30m | ¥30-35 |
| Huangshan North Station to Tangkou | 45-60 min | ¥30 |
| Tunxi (Huangshan city) to Hongcun | 1h 20m to 1h 40m | ¥30-35 |
| Tangkou to Hongcun | About 45 min | ¥13-20 |
| Hongcun to Xidi | 20-30 min | Shuttle, a few yuan |
Hongcun is the more photographed of the two, built around a crescent-shaped pond with the whitewashed Huizhou houses reflected in it. It is also the busier. After the day-trippers leave in the late afternoon the village empties out, which is the argument for sleeping there rather than visiting from Tunxi.
An afternoon gets you the Moon Pond, the South Lake, the lanes and the clan halls. Dusk on the water is the reason photographers come. Guesthouses in the village run from basic doubles to restored merchant houses, and the ticket's three-day validity with re-entry means you can walk back in the next morning without paying again.
¥30-40 between Hongcun and Xidi. Arrange the return leg in advance if you are staying somewhere after dark.
Day 2: Xidi, then Tangkou
Xidi is the quieter village and the one many people prefer. It is smaller, more residential, and laid out along a single main street with carved stone gateways and ancestral halls. Two hours covers it properly.
From Xidi or Hongcun, head back toward Tangkou, the town at the south gate, which is about 45 minutes from Hongcun by bus. This is the night to reorganise: buy water, snacks and instant noodles at town prices, leave the big bag at the guesthouse, and pack only what you can carry up stone steps.
If your schedule puts Tunxi Old Street here instead, it is a 1.3 km street of Ming and Qing shopfronts along the Xin'an River, free to walk, with more than 200 shops selling inkstones, ink sticks and Maofeng tea. Go in the evening, when the lanterns come on and the tour groups thin out. Most shops close around 21:00 to 22:00.
Day 3: the mountain
This is the full ridge day, and it needs an early start. The park shuttle leaves the Tangkou transfer centre for Yungu Temple from around 06:30, ¥19 one way.
- Yungu cable car up
¥80peak season,¥65winter, about 8 minutes to Bai'e Ridge on the back mountain. - Shixin Peak and Black Tiger PineThe densest concentration of ancient pines on the mountain, on a short spur off the main ridge.
- Beihai, then Paiyun PavilionThrough the North Sea area toward the western edge of the ridge.
- West Sea Grand Canyon2.5 km of cliffside descent, 90 to 120 minutes, one way. Included in the mountain ticket. Closed for winter maintenance from around 1 December to mid to late March.
- Funicular to Tianhai
¥100, about 3 minutes, replacing roughly three hours of climbing out of the valley. - Bright Summit1,860 m, a 360-degree platform, the best cloud sea odds on the mountain.
- Flying-over Rock, Aoyu Peak, Hundred-Step LadderSouth along the ridge, mostly downhill.
- Guest-Greeting Pine and Yuping cable car down
¥90to Ciguang Pavilion, then the¥19shuttle back to Tangkou.
With only one mountain day, this route gives you the canyon, the summit and the pine. It does not give you sunrise, and it does not include Tiandu Peak or Lotus Peak, which are separate climbs needing extra time and, in Tiandu's case, a same-day quota reservation through the official platform.
What the three days cost
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hongcun entry, adult | ¥104 gate, about ¥94 online | Valid 3 days, multiple entries |
| Xidi entry, adult | ¥104 gate, about ¥94 online | Same concession structure |
| Student, child 6-18, senior 60-65 | ¥52 | Valid ID required |
| Huangshan entry | ¥190 peak, ¥150 winter | Valid 3 days from first entry |
| Two cable cars | ¥170 | Yungu ¥80, Yuping ¥90 |
| West Sea funicular | ¥100 | Optional, saves about 3 hours |
| Buses, station to villages to gate | ¥90-130 | Depends on the order you travel |
| Village guesthouse | ¥180-500 | Restored merchant houses at the top |
| Tangkou guesthouse | ¥150-500 | Staging post for the mountain |
| Summit room, if you add one | ¥900 and up | Dormitory beds ¥150-400 per person |
For one person without a summit night, the three days come to roughly ¥1,100-1,500 including two nights of rooms, entry tickets, cable cars and buses. A summit night replaces one village night and adds several hundred yuan.
Frequently asked questions
Are Hongcun and Xidi both worth visiting?
They are different enough to justify both, and the tickets are separate. Hongcun is the photogenic one, built around the Moon Pond and the South Lake, and it is busier. Xidi is quieter, smaller and more residential, with carved stone gateways along one main street. If you only have time for one, Hongcun is the one with the image everyone recognises.
Should I do the villages before or after the mountain?
Before, if your train arrives after lunch, because the mountain needs a full day and an early start. Doing the villages first also means the hard day comes after you have settled in. The exception is anyone who specifically wants sunrise on their final morning, in which case the summit night goes last and a village gets cut.
How do I get between Hongcun and Xidi?
Shuttle buses run frequently for a few yuan and take 20 to 30 minutes. Taxis cost around ¥30-40. Didi is unreliable in Yi County, so the practical options are the shuttle, a taxi, or a driver arranged through your guesthouse.
Is Tunxi Old Street worth an evening?
Yes, as a warm-up rather than a highlight. It is free, it is 10 minutes from the riverfront hotels in Tunxi, and it is the easiest place in the region to eat Huizhou cooking and taste Maofeng tea. Two hours covers it. Most shops close by 21:00 to 22:00.
Can I visit the villages as a day trip from Tunxi?
Yes, and many people do. Buses run from Tunxi to Hongcun every 30 to 60 minutes, taking 1h 20m to 1h 40m. The trade-off is missing the village at dusk and in the early morning, which is when it is at its best and least crowded.
Where should I sleep on each night?
Night one in Hongcun, night two in Tangkou if the mountain is next, and the final night in Tunxi if you have an early train. Summit nights replace the Tangkou night. Village and town guesthouses are cheap and easy; summit rooms are neither and need booking weeks ahead.
What about luggage?
Leave the main bag at your Tangkou guesthouse or the transfer centre luggage counter when you go up the mountain, and carry a small pack. Village guesthouses will also hold bags while you walk. There are storage counters at the cable car stations as well.
Is there anything else nearby worth adding?
Shexian, with its Ming-dynasty archway cluster and the ancient Huizhou town walls, is the usual fourth day. Qiyunshan and the Xin'an River valley are further options. All of them need a driver or a bus connection, so they suit a four or five day trip rather than three.
Related reading
Bus times and fares follow published 2026 figures for the Huangshan North transport hub and Yi County services. Village entry prices, mountain entry and cable car fares are quoted as approximate and change by season and booking channel. Confirm current prices, bus departure times and the West Sea Grand Canyon status on the official channels before travel.