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Voykit pocket guide · China
Songpan
Spend 2 days in Songpan as a base for horse‑trekking or day trips to Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong; arrive via bus or Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport.
Songpan is a small Sichuan town used as a gateway to nearby national parks and Tibetan villages. The historic wall gates and horse‑trekking outfits make a 2‑day stay enough for most visitors, with day trips to Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong and Langmusi.
- Country
- China
- Best months
- May–Oct
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (cold, possible snow)
- 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 ¥150–200 excl. bed · Mid ¥250–350 excl. bed · High ¥400–600 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 and ambulance 119
- 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 |
|---|---|
| Horse‑trek (per day) | ¥200 |
| Internet bar (1 hour) | ¥6 |
| Dorm bed (per night) | ¥12–20 |
| Single room (per night) | ¥25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- JZH · Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport
- Flights from Chengdu, about 1 h 30 min drive to Songpan
Typical fares
- Bus north station → Jiuzhaigou
- ≈ ¥80 one‑way (check)
- Horse‑trek day
- ¥200 per person (incl. food, camping)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Mostly on foot; tricycle taxis for short hops; motorbikes and horses for longer trips.
See and do
Known for
- Old town wall gates
- Horse‑trekking to Tibetan villages
- Gateway to Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve | Bus from north station, about 2 h | ≈2 h each way |
| Huanglong National Park | Bus from north station, about 2 h | ≈2 h each way |
| Langmusi | Bus northward, about 5 h | ≈5 h each way |
Sleep
- Good Luck Guesthouse
- Dorm beds ¥12–20 near bus station
- Jiaotong Bingguan
- Single rooms ¥25, attached to bus station
- Ice Mountain Hostel
- Beds ¥20–30, friendly staff, internet
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | 对不起duì bu qǐ |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duō shǎo qián? |
| Where is the bus station? | 汽车站在哪里？qì chē zhàn 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
- Altitude sickness above 2 500 m; acclimatise if coming from lowlands
- Horse‑trek guides may be rough on animals – ask to stop beating
- Summer crowds bring many souvenir stalls; watch prices
Low crime but altitude sickness above 2,500 m and rough horse‑trek guides are the main risks; keep an eye on personal belongings in crowded bus stations.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Songpan yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Old town wall gates
- Horse‑trekking to Tibetan villages
- Gateway to Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong
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: Songpan, revision 5217908 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5217908
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/songpan). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.