Fenghuang: A guide to Phoneix Ancient Town in China

We stayed in Fenghuang Ancient town and completely fell in love with it! This is what you need to know to go. You’ll find Fenghuang Ancient Town nestled in the mountains with a river running right through the middle of it, its famous wooden stilted houses and multiple bridges add to its charm.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Is Fenghuang Ancient Town worth visiting?

Yes! It’s so much better than we expected too! I was a little worried it would be too touristic or crowded but it really isn’t. The area is actually pretty long so you can get away from any cluster of people.

How to get to Fenghuang Ancient Town

We arrived by train from Guilin, but you can also jump on a train from Zhangjiajie. The most common route is Zhangjiajie – Furong Town – Fenghuang Ancient City. We loved visiting all three of these towns and you can check them out on their dedicated blogs to make sure you don’t miss anything! There are also day trips from Zhangjiajie to Fenghuang which might fit your schedule, you can check them out here.

How many days for Fenghuang Ancient City?

We stayed 2 nights and loved it, I could have even had anther couple to do some day trips! (More info later on).

Tip – Check out our China Travel Guide for all the important info you need to travel China.

Where to stay in Fenghuang Ancient Town ?

We loved our hotel, it had an incredible river view from the balcony! We would sit outside and people would call out to us from the boats, it was a lot of fun! The room was comfortable and the hosts were so lovely. You can book it here FengHuang Mengqi stilted building river view homestay.

What to do in Fenghuang Ancient Town?

There is a lot to see here and we loved exploring it as much as possible, if you want to check out all the attractions you can book here on Trip, the easiest way to book anything in China! Below is our list of our favourite things to do in Fenghuang, Phoneix Ancient Town.

The ancient streets

The main attraction here is the town itself! Walk, walk and walk some more to uncover all the secrets that lie up each alley. We loved our early morning strolls along the river before day trippers arrived.

Eat your way around Fenghuang

Home to the Hunnan cuisine you can try it at some excellent restaurants around town. They use some really unique flavours.

We also ducked up to this cute little restaurant with river views for some noodles and it turned out to be perfect! We loved their relaxed vibe and great food. I can’t recall the name but it is right opposite the stilted houses and has a great view of them!

We also grabbed a quick dinner at the underground food court- head down here in the evening to see all the vendors dancing, especially the guys at the entrance tunnel selling insects! (Don’t worry inside there’s skewers, fried noodles and rice , desserts and lots more).

There is a KFC in town in case you feel the need however we opted for this lovely ladies incredible hashbrows, they were so good! Lots of shredded potato fried with an egg in the centre! Perfect breakfast on a chilly morning!

Bridges

Yep there’s multiple bridges, each a different style and all worth walking and checking out. We walked the whole length to find our favourites. One of the most popular is the Rainbow bridge but we really enjoyed seeing them all and comparing them!

Tuo River Stepping Stones

This is an iconic stepping stone bridge in Fenghuang! One of the must see attractions in Phoneix Ancient Town it is the orginial way that the local people here would cross the river. I heard it was scary but it really wasn’t, just remmeber to look up incase you have to dodge an oncoming person! It is a lot of fun and does keep you agile!

Dress up in a Miao costume

Hiring a costume to dress up in China is big deal! We saw hundreds of local tourists dressed up and getting professional photos taken around town.

Check out the city walls

You can walk up and on the city walls, they are free to access and while originally built for defence they now offer lovely river views.

Diaojiaolou (stilted) houses

Walk along the Tuojiang River to check out the stilted houses. Thesetraditional wooden houses are built on stilts (Diaojiaolou) by the people of the Miao and Tujia ethnic groups.

Buy souvenirs

You’ll find loads of lovely older women selling their handicrafts along and in the streets behind the river. Support them by buying a piece of two. We bought some beautiful embroidered pieces which are so well done! Then we found this man who was caving intricate pictures in to bamboo and was just beautiful, as were the many water colour artists around town. We love buying our souvenirs from and supporting the people who made them directly.

The live performance Border Town show

Catch the show in the evening and be amazed by the beautiful dancing, music and lights! You can book your tickets here to make sure you get your day/time.

Spend the evening on a boat cruise

Jump aboard a boat cruise to see the town from a different perspective! We stayed right on the river and boat cruises came along calling out NiHao and waving having a great time! It’s very scenic by day but at night the town and river is illuminated beautifully which adds an extra bit of magic to the trip! You can book the boat tour and night boat ride here.

Wanming Tower the Pearl on the Tuojiang River!

This seven-story ancient tower creates a stunning reflection in the river. It makes a great photo subject!

Wind Bridge

Cross here to find yourself in the tranquil lower reaches. There are fewer people yet the views are just as lovely, perfect place to stroll and take it all in! Wander here again in the early evening when the town lights up!

Check out the bars

There’s a big bar scene in Fenghuang Ancient Town, our hotel was actually above one and we bought some drinks and sat out on our balcony to enjoy the live music! (Don’t worry it goes quiet by 11pm!)

If you’re not staying above a bar then head out and choose your favourite to grab a drink and listen to one of the many musicians that play here.

Day trips from Fenghuang Ancient Town

You can do some great day trips here, these are the two most popular.

Head out to explore the Southern Great Wall!

This is high on our list for our next China trip! I gathered this info, it’s worth double checking it before you arrive but this is what we planned. This tour is what we would do next time, it does include showing you around Fenghuang which would be interesting then out to the Southern Great Wall.

Fast Facts:

When is was built: in 1544, Ming Dynasty

Time needed: 1 to 2 hours

Entrance fee: CNY45

Opening Hours: Apr to Nov: 7:30am-6:00pm; Dec-Mar: 8:00am-5:30pm

Primary location: The most significant portion of the wall is in Fenghuang County.

Provinces it crosses: It stretches from Hunan Province into Guizhou Province.

Specific endpoints: The wall starts north of the Xique military camp in Guzhang County, Hunan, and ends south of Tingzi Pass in Tongren City, Guizhou.

How to Get to Southern Great Wall

Renting a car and driving there is the easiest but you do need a Chinese Drivers License for this.
You can take a DiDi there but it can be a little expensive but only takes about 15 mins.
Take bus from Tuqiaolong Bus Station (土桥垅汽车站) in Fenghuang County, this bus will terminate at “Alaying “(“阿拉营”), while please tell the driver to drop you off at the Southern Great Wall Scenic Area. It takes about 30 minutes.
Take a tour that includes it!

Hike it, marvel at the views, look for ancient relics and visit the ancient town!

Visit Xijiang Miao Village

This is one of the larger Miao Villages and has beautiful architecture. It may be slightly busier but is the closest to get to and there are lots of day trips you can join. The Miao people are the largest ethnic group in the area and the local dress is really beautiful. This day trip is a great way to experience it and makes it easy!

That’s it! Let us know in the comments if you have any questions or if you have visited Fenghuang or China. It is such a cool place to explore. Up next we went to Furong Town and Zhangjiajie which were brilliant too!

Are You Booking a Trip Soon? These are the sites we trust!

These are the sites we use to book, they are our affiliate links and by clicking through you will help us earn a few cents to keep our website up online. We really appreciate it!

1. Book Your Flights

We will always book our China flights through Trip.com they have great deals!

2. Book Your Accommodations

We always use Trip.com. They all have great deals and sometimes are better in different continents, for example we used Trip exclusively in China and much of Asia.

3. Buy your E-sim!

E-sims have changed the game in communication while travelling. They are cheap and easy to use, we never go without them. Our current favourite is Yesim!

4. Book Your Tours & Experiences

I usually use and recommend Get Your Guide, Klook and Viator to book tours and activities. They also have shuttle options to and from airports which is great. I love the real reviews you can check and we have never had a problem with them! However for China we recommend Trip for ALL bookings – Hotels, attractions planes and trains!

5. Book Your Rental Car

Self-driving is my favourite way to explore most destinations, we use Rental Cars.

6. Don’t Forget Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is a must, Mike travelled for years without it but now we see that was a little crazy! We feel so much better knowing we have a backstop for cancelled flights, delayed luggage, sickness on the road and wouldn’t be without it! Safety Wing is great, especially for frequent travellers.

7. Airport Lounge Access is a must!

Use Priority Pass to access to 1,400+ VIP lounges and airport experiences worldwide.