Day 18: Guilin to Changsha to Zhangjiajie, Wednesday 8th October 2025
Sun Pagoda at sunrise
35°, fine
NZ$1 = Y4
Y1=NZ$0.25
Today was to be a long day. Due to difficulties getting the train bookings we wanted we had the day in Guilin, with a train out at 6:10pm ( we originally wanted at 10am departure ). This occurred because we were only taking short portions of the 2 trains we were on today ( so priority is given to longer distance travellers ), it was still part of the holiday week in China, and the fact that tickets for the Chinese train system are only released 15 days before the date of travel ( so today’s trains only had tickets available after we had arrived in China, and had booked our hotels etc. ). So today would finish in Zhangjiajie at about 1:30am…. after a change of trains in Changsha at 9:30pm.
It has to be pointed out that we had ‘prebooked’ ( and paid for ) tickets for the trains through China Highlights and they were the ones who would then try to secure tickets in the trains we wanted when they became available, and they were super helpful at trying to get whatever tickets were available for this leg of our trip. So a long day ahead, with not a lot planned other than the trains.
Up at 8am, went upstairs for breakfast, then back to the room, got ready and left at 9am to go for a walk before it got too hot. We walked down to Shanhu Lake / Zhongshan Middle Rd bridge, went under the bridge then walked west around the north side of the lake and then to Rong Lake ( there are a series of lakes on the western side of Guilin town centre that are all connected ), past the ancient South Gate then across Rong Lake, and back east to the Sun and Moon Pagodas on Shanhu Lake. It is a very pleasant walk with temples and a glass bridge on the lake shore, and lots of people out doing their morning exercise. We bought drink at a fridge vending machine using Alipay, then back to the hotel along the pedestrian street, arrived at 10:15am
I managed to get a video of the hotel robot; most hotels have these. They do the room service deliveries and can call the lifts, go to the correct floor and then activate the door bell at the required room.
Rested for a bit in our room. Checked out at 11:50am( 12pm was the latest checkout time ), left our bags at reception and walked to Zhongshan Middle Rd to go to a shopping mall ( turned out to be a department store type mall rather than a mall with different shops ) then walked to the East West Mall area/laneways where had dinner a few nights ago, then under the road and up through another department store. We found McDonalds for lunch at 1:15pm, (Y80) and hung out there until 2pm. We then looked in shops as we wandered the streets then back to hotel, got our bags and ordered a Didi to the Guilin North Train Station ( Y20 ), arrived at 2:45pm ( 20 minute drive ).
Into the station, through security then upstairs looking for the Business Lounge. We had Business Class tickets for the 1st leg of our journey from Guilin to Changsha ( it is all that was available ) which gave us access to a lounge. We couldn’t find it so asked one of the many cleaning ladies and she took us to the lift and down to find the lounge ( it was tucked in the corner of the main waiting hall ). We checked into the lounge ( which had free water and snacks, and was a much quieter spot than the main hall ), found some seats and relaxed.
Got the call for our train at 5:50pm with one of the hostesses making sure we had heard it as we were the only non-Chinese in the lounge. As part of the Business Class ticket you get an escort to the train via a different route to the 1st/2nd class passengers. Up the ramps and onto the train at 5:55pm, and left at 6:10pm. This train ( G538 ) is only going from Guilin to Changsha but with quite a few stops, so it will take just over 3 hours to cover 500kms.
This train has a different configuration of the Business Class cabins to last nights train, with 6 large seats all with windows. There are business cabins at the front and rear of each train set ( a series of carriages with a drivers cab at each end ) and as our train was 2 sets joined together there were 4 Business Class Cabins in total. We had tea delivered to our seat ( after needing help from a fellow passenger to interpret the hostesses questions, and a warning that the meal was spicy ); dinner consisted of a spicy pork rice dish and soft drinks ( all included in the price ). Dinner was nice, but it was spicy. The seat has power, phone charger, and reclines fully, so we laid back, watched the sunset and relaxed for the next 3 hours. It got dark soon after leaving so there wasn’t much to see. Even with frequent stops the train topped out at 350km/h at several points of the trip.
Arrived in Changsha South Station at 9:30pm ( Changsha is famous as the birthplace of Chairman Mao, and has a population of 10 million. We got through security then down to the metro ( our Alipay switched over to Changsha metro automatically ), scanned through the ticket gate and got Line 2 for 6 stops to Changsha Railway Station, arriving at 10:00pm. Waited in waiting hall, bought some snacks etc.
Onto train at 10:38pm ( a very empty train, just 3 people in our carriage ), train number C8036, second class for this trip. We left at 10:49pm, and again it was dark outside so nothing to see, and we tried hard not to fall asleep. We only made 1 stop on the way at Changde, and we arrived in Zhangjiajie West Station at 12:42pm, on time ( the train terminates here ).
Headed downstairs and through ticket check, then down to the Didi area, we ordered a Didi and waited for it. We were harrassed a bit by the local taxi drivers who were trying to get us to cancel our Didi and take a taxi, but we ignored them. Our car arrived ( ironically it was a Taxi operating as a Didi ) and left at 1am. This is the first time we had got a Didi that was a metered fare so we didn’t know what the price would be until we arrived ( normally the Didi app gives a fee estimate when you book the ride, and this is normally pretty accurate ) . The drive into town was pretty quick ( the station, like most of the high speed stations, is on the edge of town ), even with the taxi driver missing a turn to get to our hotel, and we arrived at 1:15pm. The Didi cost Y128!.
We had been in contact with the hotel earlier in the day about our late arrival, so the front door to hotel was unlocked and our key for our room had been left on the front desk. So we grabbed the key, up in the lift to our room and to bed.
Zoomable Map ( pin is located on our hotel location )