Changsha: free, but sold out by 20:00
Changsha's three best sights — the Hunan Museum, Yuelu Mountain and Orange Isle — are all free, and all reservation-gated. Yuelu Mountain and Orange Isle release slots at 20:00 three days ahead, and weekend tickets vanish in minutes; the Hunan Museum books five days ahead with a hard cap of three reservations per account per week. The good news, rare in China: the Hunan Museum officially accepts passport bookings, so foreign visitors can actually get in.
Free admission to the Mawangdui Han Tomb and Hunan history galleries, but real-name timed reservation is mandatory: book up to 5 days ahead (rule changed from 7 days on 2026-07-27) via the museum's official website, WeChat service account, or Alipay mini-program; the next day's tickets are released at 20:00 daily. Open Tuesday-Sunday 9:00-17:00 (last entry 16:00), closed Mondays (extended on public holidays). Foreign visitors CAN book with passport — mainland-Chinese ID is not required.
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湖南省博物馆官方网站(hnmuseum.com)及官方预约系统参观须知 官网开放时间页:每周二至周日9:00-17:00(16:00停止入馆),每周一闭馆(逢法定节假日顺延);2026年国庆开放10月1日-7日、10月8日闭馆。预约须知(预约系统页):①2026年7月27日起预约周期由提前7天(不含当天)调整为提前5天(不含当天);②单个订单最多5张,账号月度预约上限6次、周上限3次,退票和候补均计入次数;③最新一日门票每天20:00初始放票;④⚠️外国游客关键条款:'中国内地观众仅可使用二代身份证,非中国内地观众请使用港澳居民来往内地通行证、台湾居民来往大陆通行证、港澳台居民居住证、外国人永久居留身份证或护照进行预约和检票'——护照可约可检,但须携带预约时使用的证件原件;⑤馆方严正声明未授权任何第三方平台预约,OTV上'门票代预约'均为第三方加价服务,有倒票乱象,务必走官方渠道;⑥绿色通道:65岁以上老人、残障人士、现役军人等凭证免预约(需中国颁发的相应证件)。⚠️暑期/旅游旺季馆方另发延时开放通告(如2026年8月部分日期延至20:30),以官网通知公告为准。Reviewer notes (conflicts, traps, old values)
Free entry to the 5A mountain itself, but a real-name reservation is required via the '岳麓山 橘子洲旅游区' WeChat account/mini-program (bookable up to 3 days ahead, slots released daily at 20:00). Open 6:00-22:00 year-round. Foreign passport holders can reserve with passport number. Paid extras inside the free mountain: Yuelu Academy ¥40, sledding ¥35, cable car extra.
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湖南省文化和旅游厅官网(whhlyt.hunan.gov.cn 2026-09-23)及文旅长沙/腾讯新闻2026-03-17游玩指南 湖南省文旅厅官方页面载明:岳麓山地址岳麓区登高路58号,开放时间6:00-22:00,免费开放。预约入口为「岳麓山 橘子洲旅游区」微信公众号(文旅长沙官方发布,2026-03);去哪儿攻略载可提前3天(每日20:00放票)预约。⚠️注意区分:岳麓山进山免费≠院内全免费——山腰岳麓书院(40元)、爱晚亭周边部分场馆、滑道(35元)、索道均单独收费。⚠️'免费+低门槛'≠人少:岳麓山-橘子洲是长沙最热门的免费5A片区,节假日和周末南门(湖南大学地铁站)排队长,建议东门溁湾镇进或清晨登山;日出前登顶看长沙城是最本地化的玩法。山上有黄兴蔡锷墓、长沙会战碑、古麓山寺、云麓宫,全程步行约2-3小时。Reviewer notes (conflicts, traps, old values)
¥40 full ticket (half price ¥20 for full-time students and ages 14-18/60-65 with valid documents) for the thousand-year-old academy at the foot of Yuelu Mountain. Open year-round: May-October 7:30-18:00 (last ticket 17:45); November-April 7:50-17:40 (last ticket 17:30). Advance booking via the '岳麓书院' WeChat account up to 3 days ahead (max 10 per order); walk-up purchase at the staffed window is possible with documents. Free for under-14s, 65+ seniors, disabled and active military (Chinese certificates).
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岳麓书院官方网站(湖南大学 ylsy.hnu.edu.cn)在线订票页及长沙市岳麓山-橘子洲旅游区条目 书院官网订票页:全票40元/人次、半票20元;免票为14周岁(不含)以下儿童、65周岁(含)以上老年人、残疾人、现役军人、军队离退休干部凭有效证件;半票为14(含)-18(不含)周岁未成年人、60(含)-65(不含)周岁老年人、全日制大学本科及以下在校学生。预约:搜'岳麓书院'微信公众号(含优惠/免票游客)可提前3天(含当天)预约,同一订单最多10人,未预约谢绝入院;特殊情况可人工窗口购票(须带证件)。⚠️季节边界:5月1日至10月31日7:30-18:00,11月1日至次年4月30日7:50-17:40,停止售票时间分别提前15分钟——与其他景区'4月/10月'切换不同,这里是5月/11月切换。⚠️半票/免票人群均需中国有效证件,外国留学生不适用学生半价。百度百科景区条目确认书院门票40元/人;文旅湖南官方攻略(2026-08-31)确认'岳麓山进山免费,岳麓书院需单独购票预约,学生半价20元'。书院内另有中国书院博物馆(含在书院票内参观)。Reviewer notes (conflicts, traps, old values)
Changsha attraction tickets at a glance
Official published prices. Where a season boundary exists it is named in the catch column — boundaries differ from site to site across China, and an official "off-peak" window can still be a crowded one.
| Attraction | Ticket (official) | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Hunan Museum | Free (reservation mandatory) | Book 5 days ahead; passport OK; 3 per account per week |
| Yuelu Mountain | Free (reservation required) | Slots release at 20:00, 3 days ahead |
| Orange Isle (Juzizhou) | Free (reservation required) | Same account, same 20:00 release; sells out on weekends |
| Yuelu Academy | ¥40 full / ¥20 half | Separate ticket on the mountain; hours switch May 1 / Nov 1 |
"Free Yuelu Mountain" covers the hill, the paths and the views. The Yuelu Academy — a thousand-year-old school and the reason the mountain matters — is a separate ¥40 ticket, and the cable car and sledding are extra. Book the mountain slot, then buy the academy ticket on arrival.
Getting around
Yuelu Mountain and the academy sit west across the Xiang River, reachable on metro Line 2 or 4 to Hunan University; the Hunan Museum is north of the river at Majiahe, on Line 6. Orange Isle lies in the river itself, entered from the south bank.
The city's food core is south of the river: Taiping Street for the classic snack crawl, Wenheyou and the Super Wenheyou for the spectacle, and the fireworks at Orange Isle on festival nights.
The Hunan Museum's window moved from 7 days to 5 on 27 July 2026, and one account is capped at three reservations per week — refunds and waitlists count. Foreign visitors can book with a passport (bring the same physical document), but OTA "ticket + guide" packages are unauthorized resales. Yuelu Academy's hours switch on May 1 and November 1 — not the April/October template used elsewhere.
A day count that works
- Day 1: Hunan Museum (booked 5 days ahead), Orange Isle in the evening for the statue and skyline.
- Day 2: Yuelu Mountain and Yuelu Academy in the morning; riverside walk in the afternoon.
- Day 3: Mawangdui Han tombs in the morning; Taiping Street food crawl at night.
Changsha guides on this site
The first Changsha guide is in production — the fact library for all 4 documented sites above is already verified.
The full attractions index shows which guides are live and which are in production.
Frequently asked questions
- Can foreign visitors book the Hunan Museum?
- Yes — the museum officially accepts passport bookings, which is rarer than it should be. Reserve online up to five days ahead (the window changed from seven days on 27 July 2026), bring the same physical passport you booked with, and note the cap of three reservations per account per week. OTA "ticket + guide" packages are unauthorized resales.
- Are Yuelu Mountain and Orange Isle really free?
- Yes, but not walk-in: both need a real-name reservation on the official 岳麓山 橘子洲旅游区 WeChat account, bookable only three days ahead with slots released at 20:00 daily — and they sell out on weekends and holidays.
- Do I need a ticket for the Yuelu Academy if the mountain is free?
- Yes. The mountain, paths and viewpoints are free with a reservation, but the Yuelu Academy is a separate ¥40 ticket (¥20 half), and the cable car and sledding cost extra. Its hours switch on May 1 and November 1 — not the April/October boundary common elsewhere.
Page last reviewed: 2026-10-17.