Finally, Someone Has Clearly Explained Fenghuang Ancient Town Tourism with a Guide

I just returned from Fenghuang Ancient Town and wrote this guide overnight. I've organized all the good food and photo spots, save this for later ⬇️
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✅Must-Visit Attractions
❤️Nanhua Bridge: You can overlook the entire ancient town with a great view!
❤️Tuojiang Stepping Stones: Individual stone piers that give a relaxed ancient town feel!
❤️North Street: Many historic stilted buildings that bring your textbook descriptions to life!
❤️Hong Bridge: Standing on the bridge, you can take overhead shots of Wanming Tower and tour boats - so poetic!
❤️Nabian Nacheng Art Shop: I thought it was just for buying souvenirs, but their coffee shop made me cry tears of joy😭! The first floor has riverside seating, super cozy when the afternoon sun shines through. You must go to the second floor where every window is surrounded by green leaves - perfect for photos! The art shop has four buildings; the others sell souvenirs, handcrafts, and designer silver jewelry!
❤️Guandi Temple: You can hang red charms/release blessing boats/get cinnabar pendants. The entrance is interesting too - from a distance it looks like "Male God," haha😁!
❤️Wu Bridge: Standing on the bridge facing Moon Bridge, you'll see a peaceful mountain view and village with Hong Bridge!
❤️Moon Bridge: You can take photos from the side of the bridge - another great photo spot!
❤️Congwen Book House: You should visit to see "Border Town." Inside you can get stamps and postcards, and the afternoon tea outside is poetic too! On weekends, you can visit the nearby Congwen Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition for 🆓!
❤️Intangible Cultural Heritage Experience Hall: Admire special ethnic costumes and get a 🆓 experience of the tiger-stepping flower carving ➕ you can take your creation home, so meaningful😭. The second-floor terrace is also a gorgeous spot for ancient town photos!
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✅Food Recommendations
👉Huilong Restaurant: One of the most photogenic and delicious restaurants in the ancient town. I suggest coming during the day - the second-floor window seats are beautiful! I casually ordered sour soup beef brisket and Miao-style vegetable tofu, both local specialties with large portions that go great with rice. About 70+ yuan per person.
👉Yunqiao Night Banquet: Recommend coming at night - when the lights are on, it truly lives up to its name! I ordered the special Yunqiao Eight Bowls, which includes 8 Miao specialty dishes. Pretty tasty, and splitting with friends only costs a few dozen yuan each✌🏻
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✅Accommodation Suggestions
The upstream area of Tuojiang River mainly has homestays and inns with average environments but convenient for watching performances. The downside is it's noisy at night. The downstream area has high-end homestays with nice environments and quiet nights. We stayed at Nabian Nacheng Homestay, which is a standalone riverside building. Open the window to river views, with an elegant rustic interior that I super loved😁. It's quite comfortable if you want to splurge with a few friends!
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✅Travel Tips
1. High-speed rail goes directly to "Fenghuang Ancient Town Station." There's a maglev for 7 yuan/person and shuttle bus for 28 yuan/person, but both require walking. If you find that troublesome, just take a taxi for 25 yuan.
2. Inside the ancient town, you'll need to walk or take boat tours. Plan for 1-2 days of sightseeing, and I recommend staying overnight as the night view is worth seeing.
3. There are performances every night from about 20:00-22:00, with lights on until 2-3 AM.
4. The upstream area is super crowded - if you want people-free photos, you need to go out at 7 AM😃. The downstream area is less crowded and more comfortable. During peak season, head toward Nabian Nacheng area to avoid crowds!