Tianmen Mountain｜Local Insider's Pitfall Avoidance Guide

Step-by-step guide to mastering Tianmen Mountain (with price tips + route strategies) 🌈【How to Buy Tickets Most Cost-Effectively】 ✅Must-see ticket prices ▫️Adult ticket 278 RMB (includes cable car) ▫️Student ticket 147 RMB (can use screenshot from the student info website!) ▫️Glass walkway shoe covers 5 RMB (don’t buy at the foot of the mountain! Distributed uniformly at the top) ▫️Tianmen escalator 32 RMB (a must if your knees aren’t good) ⚠️Hidden discount: Search “Tianmen Mountain package” on a certain blue travel app to save 30 RMB on tickets + three-pot meal combo! 🔥Route Choice Mnemonics 👉Lazy people/with kids choose Route A: Cable car straight to the summit → easy tour of east and west lines → take the mountain escalator down 👉Special forces choose Route B: Climb 999 steps up → hike around the summit → take the super long cable car down to watch the sunset 👉Avoid Route C: You have to climb stairs twice! Local drivers say this is “paying money to suffer” 🚗【Transportation Pitfall Guide】 🚄 High-speed rail travelers: ▫️Zhangjiajie West Station → taxi to cable car station 25 RMB (don’t take illegal taxis! Use Didi carpool directly) ▫️Bus take Route 17 “Double Loop Line” (ask the driver when boarding! Regular Route 17 doesn’t reach the scenic area) ✈️ Air travelers: ▫️Hehua Airport → taxi 15 minutes to cable car station (tell the driver to go via “Lishui Bridge” to avoid detours) ▫️Early flights recommended to stay at a guesthouse near the airport, free shuttle at 6 AM 🏠【Accommodation Money-saving Tips】 📍Near the cable car station: ▫️200 RMB for a mountain view room! Recommended “Yunqi Mountain Lodge” guesthouse (owner gives hand-drawn maps) ▫️Avoid a certain popular inn! Soundproofing is so bad you can hear snoring next door 📍High cost-performance in the city: ▫️150 RMB to stay at “All Season Hotel,” free luggage storage ▫️Evening stroll to “Seventy-two Strange Buildings” for an amazing night view 🚶【3 Exclusive Routes】 🔸Photo route (5h): Cable car station → glass walkway → Ghost Valley walkway → Tianmen Temple → mountain escalator → Tianmen Cave Plaza (amazing wide-angle upward shots) 🔸Avoid crowds route (6h): First cable car at 6 AM → West Line Cherry Bay → Panlong Cliff glass walkway → Yunmeng Fairy Peak → escalator down (all alone in the empty mountain) 🔸With kids route (4h): Tianmen Cave Plaza → take escalator up → forest sightseeing cable car → Tong Garden → express cable car down (no leg strain at all) 📸【Top Photo Spots】 1️⃣ Lower left stone steps at Tianmen Cave Plaza: place phone on the ground for upward shot, person in the middle of the heavenly ladder is stunning 2️⃣ West Line glass walkway corner: pretend to be scared holding the rock wall, capture natural expressions 3️⃣ Mid-section of mountain escalator: turn around to shoot a tunnel scene like in “The Lost Tomb” 4️⃣ Cable car cabin down the mountain: shoot at 4 PM with golden sunlight piercing through the sea of clouds 🍜【Must-eat List at the Foot of the Mountain】 🔥30 RMB per person to eat well: ▫️“Yongcheng Shibazi” cold noodles (+ mountain pepper oil is intoxicating) ▫️“Village’s Pot Pot Dish” three-pot combo (order cured meat + crispy cartilage + tofu combo) ▫️“Pig Brain Cold Noodles” taro ball ice dessert (refreshing after climbing) 💡Local secret code: Say “Came from Douyin” to the owner for free pickled radish! (Tested and works) 💔【Bitter Lessons】 1️⃣ Don’t climb 999 steps in the afternoon! The stone slabs get hot enough to fry eggs 2️⃣ Uncle charging 20 RMB per photo on the glass walkway (better to use your own 0.5x lens) 3️⃣ Grilled sausage on the summit 8 RMB each! Bring instant noodles to the restaurant for hot water 4️⃣ Don’t go on rainy days! The fog is so thick you can’t even see your own feet 🎒【Luggage Dos and Don’ts】 ✅Must bring: Foldable raincoat (weather changes quickly on the mountain) Non-slip shoe covers (you can use your own on the glass walkway) 1 RMB coin (for wishing pool at Tianmen Temple) ❌Don’t bring: Suitcase (locker 15 RMB/day is a rip-off) High heels (have seen girls climbing stairs barefoot) 📢Latest News: ❗️New night tours of Tianmen Mountain this year (open Friday/Saturday nights) ❗️Glass walkway upgraded with AR effects! Stepping on it “cracks” out a phoenix pattern ❗️Student ticket verification stricter! Graduates must bring a copy of their diploma Standing at the top of the 999-step heavenly ladder looking back The winding mountain road in the mist looks like a white ribbon Suddenly understand why they say “Panting going up, shaking legs going down, dreaming of climbing at home” But this kind of self-inflicted joy Is probably the meaning of travel💦