Changsha Travel Guide 2027: Orange Isle, Yuelu, Hunan Museum

Changsha is the capital of Hunan province, set along the Xiang River. It is a food city and a common gateway to Zhangjiajie. High-speed trains stop at Changsha South station. This Changsha travel guide suits first-time visitors who want an easy, well-paced stay. For the mountains, see our Zhangjiajie guide.

How many days do you need in Changsha?

You need two days in Changsha to see the main sights, or three days with a day trip. This gives you enough time to explore without rushing.

• Day 1 (West bank): Spend your morning exploring Orange Isle. In the afternoon, cross to Yuelu Mountain and visit Yuelu Academy at its base.
• Day 2 (East bank): Visit the Hunan Museum in the morning to see the ancient Han dynasty relics. In the evening, explore the historic pedestrian streets for dinner and snacks.

Add a third day if you want a day trip to Mount Heng. High-speed trains depart from Changsha South station to Hengshan West station. The train ride takes about 30 to 45 minutes (check current times). You can read our Mount Heng guide for route advice.

If you can, avoid the 2027 Spring Festival holiday from 5 to 13 February, Labour Day from 1 to 5 May, and National Day from 1 to 7 October. During these weeks, sights are usually crowded and bookings often go fast.

What do you need to book before visiting Changsha?

Book four places before you go: the Hunan Museum, Yuelu Academy, Orange Isle and Yuelu Mountain. The museum and the academy take bookings with your passport.

Orange Isle and Yuelu Mountain share one booking account, and both need a booking in your name. For the museum, bring the same passport you booked with.

Booking rules for each site:

• Hunan Museum: Entry is free, but you need a time slot. Book up to 5 days ahead, not counting today. Each new day is released at 20:00. One order holds up to 5 people. Bring the original passport you booked with. If plans change, cancel before 16:00 on the day.
• Orange Isle: Entry is free, but you must reserve a time slot. Bookings open up to 3 days ahead on the "Yuelu Mountain Orange Isle Tourist Area" WeChat account.
• Yuelu Mountain: Park entry is free and uses the same WeChat account as Orange Isle. Reserve your spot up to 3 days ahead.
• Yuelu Academy: Entry requires a paid ticket. Book through the "Yuelu Academy" WeChat account up to 4 days ahead, including today. The academy permits no entry without an advance booking. Each order allows up to 10 tickets.

Set up WeChat on your phone before you travel. Orange Isle, Yuelu Mountain and Yuelu Academy all book through WeChat accounts. The museum also books on its website, its WeChat account and in Alipay. Some booking pages may be in Chinese only, so ask your hotel or trip planner to help.

For paying in shops and at food stalls, set up a mobile wallet. Read our guide to Alipay for foreigners to link your card before you fly. You can also review China metro for foreigners for quick subway travel.

How do you visit the Hunan Museum and the Mawangdui tombs?

Book a free morning time slot in advance, and head straight to the third floor. The Mawangdui rooms usually get busier as the morning goes on.

The Hunan Museum stands at 50 Dongfeng Road in Kaifu District. Permanent exhibitions are free to enter. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:00. It is closed on Mondays and on Lunar New Year's Eve. If a Monday is a public holiday, the closing day moves later.

The Mawangdui exhibition is the main highlight for visitors. Archaeologists excavated three Western Han dynasty tombs at Mawangdui between 1972 and 1974. These tombs are over 2,100 years old.

Head to the third floor to view the collection:

• Lacquer: over 700 lacquer pieces, from dinner sets on trays to a toiletry case with nine small boxes inside.
• Silk: over 500 textiles and garments. Look for the plain unlined gauze gown, famous for how light it is.
• Writing: more than 50 bamboo slips and silk books, including books on the stars and planets.
• Painted coffins: one black lacquer coffin shows over 110 strange creatures among clouds.
• The T-shaped silk painting: a famous painting from Xin Zhui's tomb.
• Xin Zhui: the preserved body of the noblewoman buried in one of the tombs.

Museum rules:

• Outside food, drinks, and pets are not allowed inside the building.
• No flash, no filming, no selfie sticks and no tripods.
• Children under 14 must enter with an adult. One adult may accompany at most two children under 14.

How do you see Orange Isle, Yuelu Mountain and Yuelu Academy?

See these three sights together as a single west-bank day along the Xiang River. Start on Orange Isle in the morning, then cross to Yuelu Mountain and Yuelu Academy for the afternoon.

Orange Isle is a narrow island in the Xiang River. It measures about 5 kilometers from north to south, and 40 to 200 meters wide.

Take Metro Line 2 directly to Juzizhou station. The island opens daily from 07:00 to 22:00, with last entry at 21:00. Private cars cannot enter the park. A paid sightseeing train runs the length of the island. At the island head stands a 32-meter sculpture of the young Mao Zedong, completed in 2009. Arriving around 09:00 usually avoids the peak morning crowds. You can check the Hunan culture and tourism page on Orange Isle for current notices.

After your island walk, take Metro Line 2 to Yingwanzhen station for the East Gate. Alternatively, take Metro Line 4 to Hunan University station for the South Gate. Yuelu Mountain is located at 58 Denggao Road in Yuelu District. Park trails are free to enter with your advance reservation.

Walking paths lead to Aiwan Pavilion, Lushan Temple, Yunlu Palace, and Huang Xing's Tomb. Lushan Temple, at the foot of the mountain, dates back more than 1,700 years. In autumn, the maple leaves across the mountain turn red. Check current hours before you go.

At the foot of the mountain sits Yuelu Academy. An academy was an old Chinese school of learning. Founded in 976 during the Song dynasty, it trained scholars for centuries. It is now part of Hunan University. You walk through its old courtyards, halls and gardens.

Entry requires a paid ticket booked in advance.

• From November to April, hours are 07:50 to 17:00, with last entry at 17:10.
• From May to October, hours are 07:50 to 17:30, with last entry at 17:40.
• The academy is usually closed for three days during Spring Festival.

Where should you eat in Changsha?

Go to Pozi Street and Taiping Street for snacks, and order local stinky tofu at least once. These historic pedestrian lanes offer the best introduction to the city's food culture.

Taiping Street is the best-preserved old street in Changsha. It sits in the southern section of the old town. The main lane is 375 meters long and about 7 meters wide. It keeps its traditional fishbone street layout with small alleys. Shops sell local crafts, tea, and street food.

Pozi Street is in Tianxin District. In 2023 it was named one of China's ten food-tourism streets. It is known for traditional Changsha snacks.

Hunan cooking is usually spicy, with generous use of fresh chili peppers and garlic. If you prefer milder food, ask the cook for less heat when you order. Stinky tofu is the city's signature snack. The tofu is fried dark, and chili sauce goes into a hole in each piece. Read our Changsha stinky tofu guide to learn about this classic dish.

You can pay at food stalls by scanning QR codes. Link your foreign bank card through Alipay for foreigners for easy mobile payments.

Where should you stay in Changsha?

Stay around Wuyi Square on the east bank if you want food and evenings on foot, or near Yuelu Mountain on the west bank if you want quiet mornings at the sights.

Wuyi Square is the city centre. The Wuyi Square business district covers everything within a 30-minute walk of the crossing of Wuyi Avenue and Huangxing Road. Huangxing Road Pedestrian Street, Taiping Street and Pozi Street are all inside it, so dinner is a short walk from your hotel.

The area near Yuelu Mountain and Hunan University is calmer. Yuelu Academy and the mountain's South Gate are close by, and Metro Line 4 stops at Hunan University station. Metro Line 2 serves both the East Gate, at Yingwanzhen station, and Orange Isle, at Juzizhou station.

Trips that include this

• Nature Hunan, 8 days: Zhangjiajie peaks, Fenghuang old town, and a Changsha city day. This is currently our only published itinerary that features Changsha.
• First-timer with Yangshuo, 10 days: Beijing, Xi'an, Yangshuo and Shanghai. No Changsha day yet, but we can add one on request.
• Grand China, 14 days: Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Yangshuo and Shanghai. Changsha can be added on request.

See all published China tours.

LocalKey plans private trips for your own party only, planned, booked and backed. Choose between two levels under private China tours: Independent and Private Guided. On Independent, a local guide, a car and driver, and an airport pickup are optional add-ons on the days you choose. Your planner can make the museum and scenic-area bookings with you.

Want different dates or a route through Hunan? Start a custom route.