In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · China
Changsha
长沙
Give Changsha 2 nights: one for the Hunan Provincial Museum and Yuelu Academy, one for street food and Orange Island. Skip it as a base for Zhangjiajie.
Changsha is the capital of Hunan and a 2,000-year-old city on the Xiang River, rebuilt after a 1938 fire that destroyed most of its old fabric. It is a high-speed rail junction 2.5 h from Guangzhou and 6.5 h from Beijing, and it is best known today for Mao Zedong's student years, the Mawangdui Han tomb collection and a street-food scene built on stinky tofu and mini lobsters. Two nights covers the core; most travellers pass through on the way to Zhangjiajie or Guangzhou.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 长沙
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot and humid), Chinese New Year
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥250–450 excl. bed · Mid ¥450–900 excl. bed · High ¥900+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ¥20–40 |
| Bowl of rice noodles (changsha fen) | ¥10–25 |
| Stinky tofu from a street stall | ¥10–20 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a convenience store | ¥25–45 / ¥5–10 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | ¥20–30 |
| Metro ride | ¥2–7 |
| Museum entry | Most are free; Yuelu Academy ¥40, Tianxin Pavilion ¥32 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CSX · Changsha Huanghua International
- Maglev to Changsha South Railway Station, then metro; or airport bus 06:00–22:00 to the CAAC Aviation Hotel on Wuyi Dadao, ¥16.5Maglev to Changsha South Railway Station, then metro; or airport bus 6:00 AM–10:00 PM to the CAAC Aviation Hotel on Wuyi Dadao, ¥16.5
Typical fares
- Airport bus to downtown
- ¥16.5, 06:00–22:00¥16.5, 6:00 AM–10:00 PM
- Maglev airport to Changsha South
- about ¥20, then metro to the centre
- Taxi start fare
- ¥8 by day, ¥10 at night
Get around
Five metro lines plus a maglev to the airport. Line 1 runs north–south (Kaifu Temple, Provincial Museum), Line 2 east–west (Railway Station, South Railway Station, Juzizhou for Orange Island). Buses cost ¥1–2. Taxis start at ¥8 by day and ¥10 at night.
See and do
Known for
- Hunan Provincial Museum and the Mawangdui tomb
- Mao Zedong's student years
- Stinky tofu and Hunan street food
- Orange Island and Yuelu Academy
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Zhuzhou | Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan intercity railway from Changsha Railway Station | About 1 h |
| Yueyang | High-speed or regular train from Changsha South or Changsha Railway Station | 1.5–2 h |
| Hengyang | High-speed train from Changsha South | About 1.5 h |
| Zhangjiajie | High-speed train from Changsha South, or bus from Changsha West Bus Station | 3–4 h |
| Huaihua | High-speed train from Changsha South | 2.5–3 h |
| Jishou | High-speed train from Changsha South | 3–4 h |
Sleep
- Wuyi Square / Taiping Street
- City centre, walkable to Taiping Street and Jia Yi's residence; metro lines 1 and 2. Best for a first visit.
- Changsha Railway Station area
- Metro lines 2 and 3; good for one night with bags and early trains. About 25–30 min by metro to the South Station.
- Changsha South Railway Station
- High-speed rail hub; convenient for a late arrival or an early departure, thin on food and nightlife.
- Yuelu District (west bank)
- Near Hunan University, Yuelu Academy and Yuelu Mountain; quieter, 20–30 min by metro to the centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duō shǎo qián |
| This one, please | 这个zhè ge |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kě yǐ shuā kǎ ma |
| Where is the toilet? | 洗手间在哪里？xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎ lǐ |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Hunan Provincial Museum is free but first-come, first-served with a timed ticket: arrive early or take a later slot and come back.
- Most museums close on Mondays; the Bamboo Slips Museum closes Tuesdays.
- Summer is hot and humid with heavy rain days; July and August highs reach 33–34 °C.
- The Mawangdui site is only the excavation ditch — the artifacts are in the Provincial Museum.
- Foreign visitors may need to register at an enquiries desk before entering some museums; carry your passport.
Changsha is a safe big city by day and night; the real risks are summer heat, heavy rain days and traffic. Watch your bag in crowds on Taiping Street and around Wuyi Square, and agree taxi fares by meter.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Changsha yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Hunan Provincial Museum and the Mawangdui tomb
- Mao Zedong's student years
- Stinky tofu and Hunan street food
- Orange Island and Yuelu Academy
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Changsha, revision 5333563 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5333563
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Changsha长沙
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most countries have embassies in Beijing and consulates-general in Guangzhou or Shanghai; check your own country's nearest office before you travel.
Carry your passport: museums and some sights ask for identification, and the 72-hour transit visa exemption requires an onward ticket to a third country.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/changsha). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.