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Travel archive — our 2015 visit. This is our personal story of visiting Tianmen Mountain near Zhangjiajie during low season, not a current guide to prices, routes or opening times. We missed some of the best-known attractions because of unexpected closures, but the day was memorable all the same.
China has changed considerably since that trip, with easier rail connections, phone translation and mobile payments. For modern travel context, see our return to China in 2025. For the wider Hunan journey, see Changsha to Zhangjiajie and our Avatar Mountains experience.
Our Tianmen Mountain Adventure Begins
We visited Tianmen Mountain in low season and missed several famous sights, including its glass skywalk and Tianmen Cave, or Heaven’s Gate. Even so, the cable car alone made the excursion worthwhile. From our hotel near Zhangjiajie’s bus and rail stations, we spotted the cables overhead and walked roughly five to ten minutes to the lower station.
Our Cable Car Journey
We arrived at the cable car ticket office to find ourselves second in the queue. There were ticket machines, but I couldn’t see English instructions. On our visit, the entrance and return cable car ticket cost 225 yuan. We spent around half an hour floating above winding roads and dramatic mountains, a journey of more than seven kilometres. The views were remarkable.
Choosing a Route Around the Summit
At the summit, we worked out our route from the available signs and maps. We made our way towards Yunmen Fairy Peak, with its pagoda and panoramas, then took an open chairlift towards Tianmenshan Temple. That second lift cost 25 yuan one way at the time. Other paths followed the mountain’s dramatic cliffs towards the glass walkway and the great opening of Tianmen Cave, but we didn’t manage to visit those sections.
The Attractions We Missed
We never really figured out why so much was closed. The day was beautiful, there was no obvious maintenance work and nobody explained the situation in English. Turbulent Water, Uhu Peak, the skywalk and the route down to Tianmen Cave were all off limits during our visit. A week later, we saw photographs of the skywalk open again, with the mountain covered in snow. Typical.
Highlights of Our Tianmen Mountain Visit
Of what we actually saw, the two cable cars and Tianmenshan Temple were the highlights. There were magnificent viewpoints along the way, although we thought the sandstone pillars of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park were even more spectacular. We were glad we’d visited Tianmen Mountain anyway, particularly for that ride through the sky.
Staying in Zhangjiajie and Travelling On
We stayed near Zhangjiajie’s central transport area, where modest hotels, noodle shops and places to eat were everywhere. We chose a Hanting hotel for 139 yuan a night during low season and found it excellent value. It made a convenient base for Tianmen Mountain and our separate day at Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, before we continued to Fenghuang. These prices and arrangements belonged to our 2015 trip rather than being advice for visitors today. We later travelled to Fenghuang Ancient City. I’ve retained the original Zhangjiajie accommodation link and our older China transport story.
Hi friend, at which time of the year did you go? I am going here on december and i’m afraid some attractions Will be closed. Thx