China Travel Forum

[Philip]

Does anyone know how long it takes to travel from Huangshan to Hangzhou, and is it best by bus or train.
Also any information about Huangshan would be appreciated, how long should you spend there, cheap hotels etc.
Thanks!

[Lewis]

I made the trip from Hangzhou to Huangshan in October, and it's still quite a long journey. The whole of the new expressway is not yet open, so on the way there it took us about 7 hours, and on the way back about 6 hours.
The lady on the bus said that it would take a few more years before the expressway was completely open and the time would be cut to 3 hours.
Unfortunately, there is no direct train service, so the bus is your best option.
Huangshan City is about an hour away from the mountain of the same name; the village at the foot of the monutain is called Tangkou. There are many hotels at the bottom of the mountain, but I stayed at one on the summit. It was called Beihai Fangdian and, although expensive, you can get some cheap dorm beds for about 100 - 120 yuan for the night (especially if you go with a few friends). I'd advise staying at the top, at least for one night, so you can get up early and enjoy the sunrise. You'll be able to take some magnificent pictures.
Beware that the cable car to the summit stops at about 4:30 pm, so if you don't want to trek to the top on your first day, time your arrival early. We stayed only for 1 night, but 2 nights would also suffice.
It was really cold a few weeks back, and now, I presume, it will be much colder. Take lots of warm clothing (it's expensive to hire) and buy food and drink in Hangzhou, or the village in Tangkou, since it's ridiculously expensive at the top.
Have a fantastic trip