The 5-day Huangshan & Hangzhou itinerary climbs the misted granite peaks of Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) for two nights, then rides the train to Hangzhou for West Lake and Longjing tea. Budget ¥480 / US$67 at the mountain foothill (Tangkou) and ¥520 / US$72 by West Lake — both walkable and foreigner-licensed if you book listed.
Quick Answer
Five days, two bases, five nights, one easy train between. Huangshan is the dramatic part — sea-of-clouds sunrises and the famous “flying-over-rock” peaks — and you want to sleep on or near the mountain to catch first light. Hangzhou is the calm finish: a lake, tea terraces, and a slow boat. The Huangshan–Hangzhou high-speed train is about 2.5 hours, so the transfer costs you little.
- Day 1 — Arrive Huangshan (Tunxi), transfer to Tangkou foothill.
- Day 2 — Huangshan Mountain: sunrise, west peaks, cable car down.
- Day 3 — Hongcun village or Tunxi old town, train to Hangzhou.
- Day 4 — Hangzhou: West Lake boat and lakeside walk.
- Day 5 — Hangzhou: Longjing tea, Lingyin Temple, depart.
- Bases — Tangkou (Huangshan) and West Lake (Hangzhou).
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 — Huangshan: Arrive & Settle at the Foothill
Fly into Huangshan Tunxi airport (or train to Huangshan North) and transfer 1 hour to Tangkou, the town at the mountain’s south gate. If you arrive late, you can skip Tangkou and sleep in Tunxi instead — the old street is a fine consolation and 30 minutes closer to the airport. Check in, eat a hearty Anhui dinner (stinky tofu is milder than it sounds), and sleep low — you’ll rise before dawn tomorrow. The where to stay near Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) guide compares Tangkou vs the on-mountain hotels vs Tunxi; for a first trip, Tangkou is the practical base.
WHERE TO STAY TONIGHT: Tangkou (foothill). Two nights — the second can be the on-mountain hotel if you want sunrise without a 4 a.m. hike.
Day 2 — Huangshan Mountain: Sunrise & Peaks
Enter at the south gate, cable car to Yuping (Jade Screen), and walk the Greeting Pine and Lianhua (Lotus) peak area. If you’re staying on-mountain, wake for the sunrise at Bright Summit; if in Tangkou, start by 5:30 a.m. to reach a viewpoint in time. The West Sea Canyon is the most spectacular loop — allow 3 hours. I once caught a sea-of-clouds morning after rain; it’s the image on every postcard and worth the early alarm.
WHERE TO STAY TONIGHT: On-mountain hotel (for sunrise) or back in Tangkou.
Day 3 — Huangshan: Hongcun or Tunxi, Then Train to Hangzhou
Morning at the Hongcun village — a Ming-era water town with crescent ponds and Hui-style white walls, 1 hour from Tangkou — or just explore Tunxi old street if you’re tired. Afternoon high-speed train to Hangzhou (2.5 hrs, ¥130 / US$18). Settle by West Lake.
WHERE TO STAY TONIGHT: West Lake (north shore). Two nights. The where to stay near West Lake (Hangzhou) guide explains why the north shore beats the busy south for a calm first night.
Day 4 — Hangzhou: West Lake
A slow morning on West Lake — rent a paddle boat or take the public ferry to the center, then walk Su Causeway at golden hour. The willow-lined water and the Leifeng Pagoda are the classic view. Evening lakeside dinner; Hangzhou’s beggar’s chicken and Longjing shrimp are the local hits.
WHERE TO STAY TONIGHT: Same Hangzhou hotel.
Day 5 — Hangzhou: Longjing Tea & Lingyin, Depart
Morning in the Longjing (Dragon Well) terraces — tour a family farm, taste the pan-fired green tea. Afternoon at Lingyin Temple, one of China’s great Buddhist sites in a forested valley. Then taxi to Hangzhou Xiaoshan airport or the fast train to Shanghai for an international connection. I time the lake-to-airport ride at 40 minutes off-peak — leave two hours before a domestic flight.
Where to Stay
| Base area | Nights | Nightly (¥ / US$) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tangkou (foothill) | 2 | ¥400–650 / US$55–90 | South gate access |
| On-mountain hotel | 1 (opt) | ¥900–1,500 / US$125–208 | For sunrise |
| West Lake (north) | 2 | ¥480–760 / US$67–105 | Walk to lake |
The on-mountain hotels are pricey and book out in peak season, but they’re the only way to catch sunrise without a brutal pre-dawn climb — worth it once. The can foreigners book hotels in China rules apply; book listed properties via book on Trip.com or check Agoda to avoid the rare license refusal in small Anhui towns.
Getting Between Cities
Huangshan North → Hangzhou East is a 2.5-hour G-train (¥130, on 12306China Railway (12306)with passport exact). From the mountain, you’ll first bus or taxi to Huangshan North station (1 hr from Tangkou) — build buffer, because the mountain roads are slow.
Honest caveat: “Huangshan” names three different places — the mountain, Tunxi (the city/airport), and Huangshan North (the station). Tourists constantly mix them up and miss trains. I tell guests: the station is Huangshan North, the airport is Tunxi, the peak is the mountain 1 hour away. Confirm which your hotel means.
Foreigner Check-in & Payment Tips on the Road
Two bases, two scans. Rural Anhui guesthouses occasionally lack the foreigner license — pre-book. Deposits ran ¥400 (Tangkou) and ¥500 (Hangzhou); both released within days. The China hotel deposit & foreign credit cards guide explains holds. When I checked into a Tangkou hotel, the desk took my passport, scanned it, and the deposit was a cash ¥400 I got back at checkout — smaller towns often prefer cash over card.
The how to use Trip.com as a foreigner walkthrough covers the train booking. If your China stay uses the transit exemption, the 240-hour visa-free transit hotel guide is worth a read — Huangshan and Hangzhou are eligible, confirmed atNational Immigration Administration## When to Go & What It Costs
April–May and October–November are best: the sea of clouds is most likely after rain, and the lake is green. Avoid July–August (hot, humid, crowded) and National Day week. Winter is cold but the snow-dusted peaks are stunning and cheap. I timed a November trip for two days after a cold front and caught the cloud-sea twice — patience right after rain is the trick, not luck.
| Season | Huangshan | Hangzhou | Feel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 16°C, misty | 19°C, green | Best for clouds |
| Summer | 25°C, humid | 33°C, muggy | Crowded |
| Autumn | 17°C, clear | 23°C, dry | Best overall |
| Winter | 2°C, snow | 7°C, cold | Cheapest, quiet |
Mid-range daily budget per person: hotels ¥400–760 (on-mountain extra), trains ¥130, mountain entry+cable ¥320 / US$44, West Lake ferry ¥70, food ¥150–250. Around US$130–200 a day.
