Wulingyuan (武陵源)
Zhangjiajie's in-park gateway, closest to the forest park gate

The appeal of Wulingyuan is that it is the base closest to the park. In the morning you walk out of your hotel and straight into the gate, with no hour-long drive in from the city every day. When you come back in the evening there is Xibu Street for river fish, a beer and live music along the Suoxi River — pick your pace. There is no metro here and you don't need one: the shuttle handles the park, and in town everything is close enough to walk or grab a DiDi.

• 1
  For travellers here mainly for the Avatar pillars

  Avatar pillars · Yuanjiajie · forest park first-timers

  This is what Wulingyuan was made for — if your main goal is the Hallelujah pillars at Yuanjiajie and the sea of pillars at Tianzi Mountain, staying right by the gate means you get into the park earliest and have the whole day inside, with no time lost on a round trip from the city.

• 2
  For early risers chasing the dawn mist

  Early risers · sea of clouds · sunrise on the pillars

  The mist that makes Zhangjiajie look like a painting tends to come in the morning and after rain. Staying in the park or right by the gate lets you be up at a viewpoint before the day-trip coaches arrive late morning, catching the pillars rising out of a sea of cloud — the angle only early visitors get to see.

• 3
  For an easy evening by the river

  Xibu Street · riverside bars · evening strollers

  If you like a night-time stroll and a riverside table, Xibu Street (溪布街) is your spot. After dark the whole street lights up, lined with restaurants, bars and souvenir shops along the Suoxi River — it's where travellers gather after a day in the park. Stay near Xibu Street and you can walk straight to it.

• 4
  For comfort, near the park without the hassle

  Comfort seekers · 5-star near the gate · resorts

  Wulingyuan has upper-tier hotels near the park gate to choose from — Pullman Zhangjiajie and Hilton Garden Inn Wulingyuan among them — where you sleep in comfort and still walk or take a short ride into the park. If you want an easy mountain trip without roughing it but still close to nature, this side is the answer.

Choosing where to stay in Wulingyuan comes down to your kind of trip — if you want to be at the park gate earliest and pop back at midday, stay in the area near the gate; some hotels sit just a few hundred metres from it, so you can leave your room and be in the park within 5–10 minutes. If you'd rather walk to dinner and bars in the evening and hear music by the river, choose the area near Xibu Street, which puts restaurants and bars right outside; the trade-off there is a short ride to the gate in the morning. Still deciding between Wulingyuan and the city? Read the Zhangjiajie where-to-stay guide first.

Comfortable options in Wulingyuan run from five-star hotels like Pullman Zhangjiajie and Hilton Garden Inn Wulingyuan, which are comfortable and close to the gate, to resorts and budget hotels like the Wulingyuan Hotel and Hampton by Hilton near the park. On a gentler budget, the town also has guesthouses and hotels of several grades to compare. The most popular plan is a split-stay — Wulingyuan first for the park, then move into the city or stop at Tianmen on the way out.