Can you buy Mount Huashan tickets with a passport?
Don't assume you can book online with a passport. The official ticket page says foreigners holding a permanent residence ID card can buy tickets online. Passport holders "must handle the relevant ticket types at the on-site special ticket office" (现场特殊票种办理处). The page does not say where that office is.
The same site pulls the other way too. Its booking FAQ (dated 2024/07/03) says tickets must be booked online in advance and the scenic area does not sell tickets on site. The official hiking guide says the same: no offline tickets. The passport note is the only place that mentions an on-site route, and no page explains how the two fit together. The FAQ does mention a "特种票办理处" (special ticket office), but only as window 3 for paper shuttle-bus invoices. It doesn't say whether that is the same office.
Check-in is the other gap. The booking guide says you walk in by swiping your own second-generation Chinese ID card (二代身份证). No page describes how a passport holder is checked in at the gates.
Call before you plan the day
Ring the hotline, 0913-8376888 / 0913-8375999 (shown in the header of the official pages; the footer shows 400-0913-777). Ask three things: can a passport holder book ahead, where is the special ticket office, and how are you checked in?
How Mount Huashan online booking works
It is a real-name, time-slot system. You pick a visit date and a time slot, and you can only check in during the slot you booked. The FAQ says an entry time can't be moved earlier or later.
The official booking guide lists four channels, all in Chinese: the WeChat official account or mini-program 华山旅游服务平台; the Alipay mini-program 华山旅游官方平台; the official 华山 ticket page on Ctrip; and the Douyin store 华山风景名胜区. The FAQ gives the WeChat steps:
- Search for the 华山旅游服务平台 official account.
- Tap 在线预约, then 华山票务预约.
- Choose route, date, ticket type and entry time slot, and read the purchase notices.
- Fill in the real names of everyone visiting and a contact, then pay.
Neither the FAQ nor the booking guide says whether a passport number can be entered at step 4.
How much are Mount Huashan tickets, cable cars and the shuttle bus in 2026?
The ticket page prints the seasons as "this year" March 1 to the end of November (peak) and December 1 to the end of February (low), with no year. Prices are per person per ride (人·次). The shuttle is the bus from the Visitor Center to the cable car lower station.
| Item | Peak season | Low season |
|---|---|---|
| Scenic-area entry ticket | CNY 160 | CNY 100 |
| West Peak shuttle bus | CNY 40 | CNY 40 |
| North Peak shuttle bus | CNY 20 | CNY 20 |
| West Peak (Taihua) cableway | CNY 140 | CNY 120 |
| North Peak (Sante) cableway | CNY 80 | CNY 45 |
The weekend guide calls CNY 140 and CNY 80 the "up" cableway and pairs them with the entry ticket and shuttle: North route CNY 160 + 20 + 80, West route CNY 160 + 40 + 140. That is CNY 260 and CNY 340 to get up in peak season.
The ride down is not priced on these pages. The guide says the down cableway can be bought online as a one-way ticket, and the ride-out shuttle (出山车) must be bought on site. It gives no down price, no shuttle price and no window location, so we can't give you a round-trip total.
The entry ticket is a day ticket: valid on the day, one entry only. The cable car ticket is valid 48 hours, so you can ride the next day. The FAQ doesn't say how the one-entry rule works for an overnight stay.
Mount Huashan discounts for foreign children, seniors and students
The ticket page has a separate foreign-visitor section. It accepts a permanent residence card, passport or similar document. It doesn't say how passport holders claim these discounts beyond the special-ticket-office note above.
- Entry ticket, free: foreign children 6 and under or 1.2 m and under, and foreign seniors 65 and over.
- Entry ticket, half price: foreign children over 1.2 m up to 1.5 m, and minors over 6 up to 18.
- Cable car, free: foreign children 6 and under or 1.2 m and under. Half price: foreign children over 1.2 m up to 1.5 m.
- Cable car, 10% off (you pay 90%): minors over 6 up to 18 who are taller than 1.5 m, and full-time students at undergraduate level and below, with passport, permanent residence card or student card.
- Cable car, 20% off (you pay 80%): foreign seniors 60 and over, with passport or permanent residence card.
- Shuttle bus: free for foreign children 1.2 m and under, half price over 1.2 m up to 1.5 m.
Keep the senior ages apart: 65 for free entry, 60 for the cable car discount. For students, the foreign section gives no half-price entry ticket; only minors 6 to 18 and children by height get that. The foreign section lists a 10% cable car discount for full-time students at undergraduate level and below. The shuttle section lists no senior or student discount.
Where to enter Mount Huashan: Visitor Center or Yuquan Courtyard?
It depends on how you go up, and the two entrances don't share tickets.
- Cable car route: check in at the Huashan Visitor Center (游客中心). It is also where the cable car trip ends, and self-drivers can park there.
- Hiking route: check in at Yuquan Courtyard to Huashan Gate (玉泉院-华山门). This entrance takes hiking tickets only, and there is no vehicle on the way.
The FAQ says a hiking ticket can't be used to buy the shuttle on site and ride in by cable car. No ticket exchange is needed: you go to the entrance that matches what you booked.
West Peak or North Peak cable car: which one, and one-day routes
| Route | Time | What the official guide says |
|---|---|---|
| West up, West down | about 4 hours | Fairly short and easier on the legs; friendly for older people and children |
| West up, North down (or the reverse) | about 6 hours | The classic one-day route; no backtracking |
| North up, North down | not given | Cheapest cable car option; North Peak only; if you're short on time |
All three start at the Visitor Center. The shuttle to the West Peak cable car takes about 40 minutes; the North Peak shuttle about 20 (home-page route map). The hiking guide puts the West cableway ride at about 20 minutes. The map shows about 1 hour for the whole route from West Peak or North Peak back to the Visitor Center via the cableway.
We'd pick West up, North down (or the reverse) if you are fit and want most of the sights in a day. With children or older relatives, the guide's own suggestion is West up, West down. North up, North down is the budget version.
Hiking Mount Huashan overnight, East Peak sunrise and opening hours
The hiking route starts at Yuquan Courtyard. The official two-day plan:
- Day one: Yuquan Courtyard to North Peak, about 4 hours. Then North Peak to East Peak, about 3 hours. Stay at East Peak for sunrise.
- Day two: East Peak to South Peak to West Peak, then the West Peak cableway down.
The home page gives the first stage as "about 4 hours / 6 km" and the hiking guide as "about 4 hours, about 12.5 km". The site disagrees on distance, so go by the time.
The guide names East Peak (Chaoyang Terrace) as the best sunrise spot, at 2096 m. It fills up before dawn. For a bed, it lists hotels at East Peak and Wuyun Peak (五云峰), and tents can be rented. It also says:
- The summit is about 2154.9 m and roughly 10 degrees colder at night. Coats can be rented at the summit.
- Most of the path has lights, so you don't need a headlamp.
- Follow the signs. Carry water: the guide suggests 2 to 4 bottles depending on fitness, and prices rise the higher you go.
Hours. The FAQ (dated 2026/05/13) gives peak-season times only. Cable car check-in to enter the mountain is 07:00 to 16:00, and the cable car runs 07:00 to 19:00. Hiking entrance check-in is 00:00 to 23:59, which is why night climbs work. The ticket page defines peak season as March 1 to the end of November. Off-season hours are not on those pages.
The site's tips name the Changkong Plank Road (长空栈道) and Sparrow Hawk's Cliff (鹞子翻身). The official pages don't say whether either is open now. Phone the same hotline before you go.
How to get from Xi'an to Mount Huashan by high-speed train
Take a high-speed train to Huashan North (华山北). The numbers below come from the 12306 English site listing for Wednesday 14 October 2026, searched on 5 October 2026. Fares change by date and by discount, so treat them as a snapshot and look up your own travel day on 12306. For train changes, see 12306 refund and change fees.
- Xi'an North (西安北) to Huashan North: 53 G/D trains that day (52 G, one D). First: G1844, 07:52 to 08:20. Last: D2636, 22:08 to 22:41. Of the 53, 34 take 28 minutes; the longest is G2230 at 41 minutes; the rest take 29 to 39. Second class is about CNY 54 to 64 (late D2636: CNY 36). First class is about CNY 85 to 101 (D2636: CNY 58). Some fares carry tags like "10% off" or "19% off".
- Huashan North to Xi'an North: 39 G/D trains (38 G, one D). First: D2635, 08:07 to 08:48 (41 minutes). Last: G2063, 22:26 to 22:54. Second class is about CNY 54.5 to 64 (D2635: CNY 38). First class is about CNY 88 to 101 (D2635: CNY 61).
- Not Xi'an North: G658 leaves Xi'an station 10:45 and reaches Huashan North 11:23 (38 minutes). G665 leaves Huashan North 22:01 and reaches Xi'an station 22:47 (46 minutes). Check the station name on your ticket; see Xi'an railway stations.
- To Huashan station (华山站), the older station: C-series trains from Xi'an station: C182 07:15 to 08:38, C162 11:14 to 12:40, C164 16:50 to 18:13. Second class is CNY 30, first class CNY 48; about 1 hour 23 to 26 minutes. Back: C167 09:42 to 11:11, C161 13:39 to 15:04, C165 19:24 to 20:49.
Coming from Beijing? See Beijing to Xi'an by train.
From Huashan North or Huashan station to the scenic area
The official transport block says city buses 1 and 2 (1路 / 2路) run free from the Huashan North exit to the Visitor Center, and the weekend guide agrees. A tip box on the same block says a dedicated Huashan North to Visitor Center line costs CNY 10. Those two lines disagree, so check which bus you are boarding. A taxi is the other option. The block shows "15 minutes" between Huashan North and Huashan without saying what it measures, so treat it as approximate.
From Huashan station, take a city bus or taxi to the Visitor Center or Yuquan Courtyard. The transport block shows 25 minutes to the Visitor Center. The hiking guide says the station is 2 km from the hiking entrance.
Driving from Xi'an
The transport block (undated) gives about 118 km, about 2 hours, and an expressway toll of about CNY 90. Drive to the Visitor Center for the cable car route or to Yuquan Courtyard for hiking.
We can arrange the Xi'an to Huashan North train ticket, a Huashan day trip by private car with a driver, an English-speaking guide and hotels in Xi'an. We can also help you plan the day and tell you how to book the Huashan side. For the city itself, see our Xi'an travel guide, and for the Terracotta Army see Terracotta Army tickets.
