Fenghuang (Phoenix) Ancient Town, an old town built up in Qing Dynasty, is still being kept in its original appearance with 300 years passed. It is also one of the most famous and most picturesque ancient towns of China.
Fenghuang is insanely beautiful and, of course, incredibly popular among Chinese and foreign tourists and I would definitely put it on the must see list, if you’re near by. It is like a maze of quiet street-alleys where you can get lost exploring and feel the old town breathing. However, most of the time Fenghuang is over crowded. Saying that, my biggest disappointment was evening scenery. It looks beautiful in the dark but with the high demand of tourists it turns into clubbing paradise and looses its charm.
I also found overall prices to be higher then everywhere else and food quality much lower. Said that, you can still find some reasonable priced places to eat if you step outside old quarter walls. Our hostel did home cooked dinner for 10CNY ($1.50/£0.80), where they cooked something and you can join them. It was very good alternative to restaurants and much better experience.
Another thing to note is that since April 2016, you no longer need to pay the entrance fee into old town and if someone tries to charge you- don’t pay!
Where to stay:
There are many places to stay, we found a hostel on hostelworld for less then $9/night for a double room. You can also opt for a room facing the river for three times that but you will also have to live with a nightlife noise as well.
How to get in and out of town:
We came to Fenghuang on a five hour bus from Zangjiajie, which cost around 80CNY ($11/£8). Then take bus no.1A from bus station (1CNY) and get off at Nanhua Gate.
And as our next stop was Guilin we took once a day bus leaving 11am to reach it.
Even if food prices are much higher, you can still visit Fenghuang on a budget. Just plan wisely.
Happy travels!
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