On our second day in Xi’an (and Day 8 in China), we would dedicate the entire day to Mount Huashan (华山). This is a day trip that is logistically quite complex, time-consuming and costly, as it requires multiple mode of transport to even get to the starting point.
Let me walk you through our free and easy experience conquering 4 of 5 peaks of Huashan. Is it worth the trip? Read on to find out. :)
Did you know? Huashan is one of the Five Great Mountains of China. Since young, I’ve been exposed to “Huashan” watching period drama adapted from Jin Yong’s popular novels. Many martial arts practitioners would come to Mount Hua to test their martial arts prowess.
Step by Step Guide: How to Get to Huashan from Xi’an?
Getting to Huashan from our hotel in Xi’an (located near Bell Tower) requires the following steps:
- Take subway from hotel to Xi’an North subway station. Then walk to connecting Xi’an North Railway Station (30mins)
- Take train from Xi’an North Railway Station to Huashan North Railway Station (30 mins, ¥55)
- Take connecting bus from Huashan North station to Huashan Visitor Centre (15 min, ¥5)
- Take another connecting bus to West Peak base station (40mins, ¥40)
- Climb steps (10 storey) or take incline car (¥30)
- Ride ropeway to West Peak (30 mins, ¥140)
- Start the hike at West Peak
All the above excludes waiting time, which was substantial, especially at the West Peak ropeway. We took 4 hours just to get to the trail starting point. Now see us go through the above steps.
Huashan Bundle Ticket: You can get a bundle admission that covers steps 4 to 6 (return trip).
Skip the logistics: If you prefer comfort and hate the logistics, you can charter a private car to cover steps 1 to 3. Or join a walking day tour that brings you from Xi’an to Mount Hua and offer guiding service.
From Xi’an to Huashan North Railway Station
(7.30am)
The subway from our hotel took a lengthy 30 minutes to reach Xi’an North Railway Station. There, we were impressed with the size of the station – it was so huge it looked like an airport.
There were plenty of food options, so don’t worry about going hungry. By now (Day 8 in China), I was seriously craving for good coffee and didn’t mind the rather pricey Starbucks drink (pricey in the context of China as compared to other beverages).
The comfortable train ride took just 30 minutes to reach our destination.
Reached Huashan North Railway Station
(9am)
Stepping out of Huashan North Railway Station, we crossed over to an opposite building and boarded a bus heading to Huashan Visitor Centre (¥5).
There should be free bus service here, but we didn’t mind the paid service to skip the wait.
From Huashan Visitor Centre to West Peak
(9.30am)
The bus dropped us off at Huashan Visitor Centre. There, we used the admission ticket bought online (¥140, see live price) to enter the premises.
TRAVEL TIP: Get the bundle admission that includes Huashan admission, round-trip shuttle and round-trip ropeway.
Next step is to board another bus to get to the West Peak, using bus ticket bought online (¥40, see live price here).
TIP: Remember to bring your passport as it serves as admission supporting document for tickets purchased online.
Take Ropeway up to West Peak of Mount Hua
(10.30am)
After alighting from the bus, a steep flight of stairs was before us. To get to the West Peak Ropeway Station, we could either take a fun incline car ride (¥3o), or climb the 10-storey flight of stairs. We chose the latter.
At the ropeway station was a long snaking queue – we stood in line for 25 minutes. But the spectacular ropeway view that followed was worth the wait.
I was in awe! See, multiple peaks within sight. Definitely a view to behold. The photos below don’t do justice to the magnificent scenery!
It’s amazing how a cableway can be built in such rugged landscape.
And soon, we reached the top and start of trail at West Peak of Huashan.
Mount Huashan: Which route to take?
There are five peaks on Mount Hua, and multiple permutations to cover the peaks. Some chose to hike up to North peak and come down from West Peak, while others may choose the reverse or other routes (see route details on this website).
For us, we chose a less strenuous route “West Peak up, West Peak down”, covering all peaks, but skipping the north peak (as well as Black Dragon Ridge). See picture below – our route would be anti-clockwise as follows:
- West Peak > South Peak > East Peak > Middle Peak > Back to West Peak
1. West Peak Summit (Mount Huashan)
(11.45am)
We hiked along a narrow ridge towards the West Peak summit. It was a rather crowded path, and said to offer the most beautiful scenery of Huashan.
Unfortunately, it was rather cloudy and our view wasn’t perfect. Before reaching the peak, we paused and sat by a flight of stairs to have our takeaway McDonald’s breakfast.
On the West Peak summit, we saw a 3-metre tall “Split Rock”. Legend has it that Chenxiang cleaved the mountain to rescue his mother.
This sight was so popular there were “human jams” to get to the top – we had to wait a while before being able to venture further. But trust me, this is not the worse we would experience at Huashan.
Now, let’s head to the next peak, reversing the same route we came from.
2. South Peak Summit (Mount Huashan)
(12.30pm)
South peak (南峰) – the highest peak of Huashan standing at 2,154m – was a short hike from West Peak. We managed to capture some nice photos along the way.
But once we reached the South peak, I was totally put off by how god-darn crowded the South Peak summit was.
It was also super commercialised. You’ll see photographers stationed there, occupying a large spot on the summit, trying to earn tourists’ money.
I could hardly move when on the cramped summit.
How was the view? Well, it was so cloudy leh. Also, there were red ribbons tied to the rails, which impacted the aesthetics of the photos.
INFO: There’s a Ferrata Plank Walk (长空栈道) near South peak. You can try it if you are adventurous. We aren’t. :)
3. East Peak Summit (Mount Huashan)
(1.10pm)
Next, let’s head to the third peak of Mount Hua – the East Peak (东峰). This involved climbing up a narrow ridge. The view of steep stone steps against the sky was beautiful.
Along the way, we stopped by a resting point with a “Huashan Lun Jian (华山论剑)” tablet. This was the third of such tablet we’ve seen thus far. Many would pose this way (see below) and I bet it has something to do with Jin Yong’s pugilistic drama.
Did you know? Popular novel author Jin Yong, coined the term “Hua Shan Lun Jian”. What this means is that martial arts practitioners would meet at Mount Hua to spar and test their martial arts prowess.
We further hiked up some stone steps, and sat there to take a breather. At this point, we were literally among the clouds. But, what a pity we couldn’t see the multiple peaks Mount Huashan is renowned for.
Climbing further, we reached the East Peak at 2.30pm – here’s the “misty view”.
INFO: Here, you can experience “Sparrow Hawk Flips Over (鹞子翻身)”, if you are adventurous. This activity lets you climb down the precipitous cliff. I was eager to try it, but didn’t have time to queue for the experience.
4. Middle Peak Summit (Mount Huashan)
(2.40pm)
On the way to Middle Peak of Huashan (中峰), we passed by calming pine woods.
At this smelly spot next to the toilet which we were directed to due to “fake signpost”, we saw this commercial activity near 鹰嘴崖, loosely translated as Eagle Beak Cliff. You can sit on the edge of the cliff (with a harness) to have a nice photo taken.
Fake Signpost: The hand-written signpost pointed us to “Middle Peak”. But it was a fake post that pointed us to the wrong direction towards the commercial activity. We had to reverse our route to continue our way to Middle Peak.
How was view at middle peak? Well, I’m not sure. Blame it on the bad weather or our bad luck.
5. Loop back to West Peak (A Consolation)
(3.15pm)
Surprisingly, one of the two great scenic views we’ve experienced at Mount Hua was on our way down to West Peak (the best was on the cableway).
Check out this view of us walking down between two narrow cliffs.
At the base was a scenic nature walk back to the West Peak cableway.
And that’s it. We reached West Peak Cableway by 3.40pm. From here, we would reverse the 7-step logistics path described earlier, and pay the same amount again.
And yes, you’re right. It would take a full 4 hours to get back to Xi’an.
Unique Experience (Queuing)
I was being served at a counter while getting bus tickets. But a man came so close to me to cut queue. I was naturally uncomfortable as he was invading my personal space (his hand almost touching mine, and I had to constantly shift away).
So I told him to wait as I was about to complete the transaction. To my utter surprise, the lady staff at the ticketing counter told me off. “There are many tickets available. They won’t run away.”
She’s supportive of queue cutting. And I was wrong because I didn’t follow the local culture. LOL. Served me right for being scolded.
Touristy Way out of Mount Huashan
By the time we reached Mount Hua Visitor Centre, we were dead tired. But the place was designed in a way to force us to walk one big loop to “tour” the souvenir shops.
Worse of all, the exit was at a spot with no clear signage on where to board the bus to get to Huashan North Railway station.
Lots of taxi touters approached us – one quoted ¥15 to bring us to the train station, but he wanted us to wait for car pooling. In the end, we chanced upon an old grandpa riding a buggy. For ¥10, we enjoyed a fun ride to the train station.
It was 5.40pm and the sun was setting!
Mount Huashan: Overall Thoughts
Mount Huashan is a place one has to visit (just like Terracotta Army). But the experience wasn’t pleasant.
It was too crowded, touristy and overly-commercialised. Not to forget that it’s logistically tedious to get to, and pricey (8 hours return, and over S$100 each).
We wouldn’t have minded the logistics and cost if the experience was good. But it wasn’t lah.
Perhaps, the bad weather also played a part in dampening our spirit. Still, if given a chance to choose again, we will still visit Mount Hua lah – haiz! It’s one of the five great mountains of China leh!
Now, let’s head back to Xi’An.
Memorable Experience on Subway (Xi’an)
Let me share a story. I was on the subway, standing in front of a row of seats for a very long time.
When a passenger in front of me stood up, I thought I would finally be able to rest my tired legs. But hor, a guy appeared from nowhere, dashed and squeezed in front of me to snatch the seat before I even had time to react.
So heads-up. You need to be competitive! That’s survival technique 101. :)
Rest of the Night at Xi’an
Our dinner near Bell Tower was KFC. Yes, we needed a break from Mi Xian (米线) and Rou Jia Mo (肉夹馍), a staple in this part of China.
Thankfully, the beef burger I ordered was soooooooo good – the beef was tender and fresh.
After dinner, we walked and shopped around Muslim Quarter. It was more vibrant and lively at night than in the day. Love the lights reflecting off the cobblestone floor.
>> MUST-READ: Day-time exploration and feasting at Muslim Quarter, Xi’an
I popped into many souvenir shops, selling local snacks. I’ve also shortlisted Jun Jun Green Bean cake (清真军军绿豆糕) which I will buy on the last day in Xi’an. It has an expiry of 10 days, and costs ¥20 for 8 pieces.
That’s all on Day 8. Tomorrow, I would have a more leisure day wondering around Xi’an and enjoying the second Hanfu experience. Stay tuned!
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- Day 1: From Singapore to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven
- Day 2: Step back in time at Pingyao Ancient City (UNESCO Gem)!
- Day 3: Hanfu & Photoshoot Experience in Pingyao Ancient City
- Day 4 (AM): Yellow River Waterfall: Travel Hiccups & Most Stressful Day
- Day 4 (PM): Hidden Gems at Mount Yun
- Day 5: Great Ladder Cliff of Yellow River
- Day 6: Lee Family Courtyard in Shanxi
- Day 7: Things to do and eat in Xi’an
