Changsha

Best time to visit

1. Jan
2. Feb
3. Mar
4. Apr
5. May
6. Jun
7. Jul
8. Aug
9. Sep
10. Oct
11. Nov
12. Dec

From the airport or station to the city

Where you land, the ways into the city centre, how long each takes and what it costs.

Getting around

Changsha sits on both banks of the Xiang River. Wuyi Square is the centre: Taiping Street, Pozi Street and the night food scene are all within walking distance. Orange Isle is in the middle of the river, and Yuelu Mountain and Yuelu Academy are on the west bank. Metro Lines 1 and 2 cross at Wuyi Square, and Line 2 stops at Orange Isle. DiDi is cheap. Summer is very hot and humid: do outdoor sights early and eat late, like the locals.

Book these before you fly

These sights need a reservation with your passport. Walk-ups are usually turned away.

• Hunan MuseumReal-name timed tickets only, capped at 12,000 a day. Book on the museum’s official website, WeChat account or Alipay mini-program, up to about a week ahead; new days open at 20:00. Foreigners book with a passport; the English website has an email sign-up for overseas passports. Bring the same passport. Weekends and holidays are gone within minutes.
• Orange IsleFree real-name booking on the official “岳麓山橘子洲旅游区” WeChat account, up to 3 days ahead; there is a daily cap. On busy days extra slots are released through the day. Chinese guides mention ID cards only; foreigners can usually enter with a passport, and staff at the gate can help.
• Yuelu MountainFree real-name booking on the official “岳麓山橘子洲旅游区” WeChat account, up to 3 days ahead; slots open at midnight. Bring your passport.
• Yuelu AcademyReal-name booking on the official “岳麓书院” WeChat account, up to 4 days ahead; the academy officially accepts foreign passports. You can also buy at the ticket window with your passport if slots remain.
• Changsha MuseumFree real-name reservation on the “长沙博物馆” WeChat account or the official website (www.csm.hn.cn); passports accepted. One booking per ID per day.
• Changsha Bamboo Slips MuseumFree real-name reservation on the “长沙简牍博物馆” WeChat account, up to 3 days ahead; new slots open at 16:30. Passports accepted.

Top sights

湖南博物院Hunan MuseumHome of the Mawangdui Han tombs: the 2,100-year-old body of Lady Xin Zhui, a silk robe lighter than 50 grams, lacquerware and silk paintings.Booking required2–3 hours橘子洲Orange IsleA 5 km-long island in the Xiang River, with parkland and a 32-metre granite head of the young Mao Zedong at its southern tip.Booking required2 hours岳麓山Yuelu MountainA forested hill on the west bank with temples, the Aiwan Pavilion famous for autumn maples, and views over the city and river.Booking requiredHalf a day岳麓书院Yuelu AcademyOne of China’s four great academies, teaching since 976 and now part of Hunan University: quiet courtyards, lecture halls and old trees.Booking required1–1.5 hours太平街Taiping StreetThe best-preserved old street in central Changsha: grey-brick shops, the former home of Han scholar Jia Yi, and snacks and tea shops.1 hour坡子街Pozi Street and the night food sceneChangsha lives at night. Pozi Street, the Huogongdian food hall and the lanes around Wuyi Square fill with stinky tofu, crayfish and grilled skewers until 2 am.2–3 hours天心阁Tianxin PavilionA three-storey pavilion on the last surviving stretch of Changsha’s old city wall, with a small park and an evening light show.1 hour杜甫江阁Du Fu River PavilionA riverside pavilion honouring the Tang poet Du Fu, who spent his last years here, looking straight across at Orange Isle.30–45 minutes开福寺Kaifu TempleAn active Buddhist temple founded over a thousand years ago, with lotus ponds, incense halls and a vegetarian restaurant, right in the north of the city.45 minutes–1 hour长沙博物馆Changsha MuseumThe city museum on the Xiang River: Shang and Zhou bronzes, Tang-dynasty Changsha kiln ceramics and the story of the city, free and usually far quieter than the Hunan Museum.Booking required1.5–2 hours长沙简牍博物馆Changsha Bamboo Slips MuseumChina’s first museum devoted to writing on bamboo and wooden slips, built around a huge cache of Three Kingdoms-era records found in a Changsha well; free, next to Tianxin Pavilion.Booking required1–1.5 hours湖南烈士公园Hunan Martyrs ParkChangsha’s biggest central park: a large lake with islands and bridges, shady paths and a memorial tower, where locals dance, fish and exercise. Right next to the Hunan Museum.1–2 hours长沙铜官窑国家考古遗址公园Tongguan Kiln Archaeological ParkA half-day trip about 35 km north: the site and museum of the Tang-dynasty Changsha kilns, whose painted ceramics were shipped as far as the Middle East. The commercial Tongguan Kiln Ancient Town is next door.Booking recommendedHalf a day including travel长沙IFS国金中心（七楼雕塑花园）Changsha IFS rooftop sculpture garden (KAWS)A free open-air garden on the 7th floor of the city’s tallest mall, with an 8-metre bronze KAWS sculpture and views over the Wuyi Square skyline.30–45 minutes梅溪湖国际文化艺术中心Meixi Lake International Culture and Arts CentreA flowing white complex by Zaha Hadid on the west side of the city, with a grand theatre, a small theatre and an art museum; the curved exterior is the main draw.Booking recommended1 hour outside; longer with an exhibition or show超级文和友（海信广场店）Super Wenheyou food complexA multi-storey food hall rebuilt as a 1980s Changsha neighbourhood, with old signs, stairwells and dozens of stalls selling crayfish, stinky tofu and other local snacks.1–2 hours谢子龙影像艺术馆Xie Zilong Photography MuseumA private photography museum in a striking bare-concrete building by the Xiang River, with changing international exhibitions.Booking recommended1–2 hours靖港古镇Jinggang Ancient TownAn old river port on the Xiang River north of Changsha, with stone-paved lanes, wooden shophouses and small museums; locals come for snacks, shadow puppetry and flower-drum opera.Half a day including travel洋湖湿地公园Yanghu Wetland ParkThe city’s largest wetland park, on the west bank of the Xiang River: boardwalks through reeds and lotus ponds, egrets in autumn and a Ferris wheel.1.5–3 hours

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