Things to do in Wuhu
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Wuhu
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring flowers peak: Yashan flower sea and Zheshan cherry blossom, with mild weather and the first best window.
Warm and still good, but the Labour Day holiday brings the first Fantawild crowd spike of the year.
Plum rain season: grey, wet weeks when the Ancient City in the rain is the right attitude.
Peak heat and humidity: water park and Fantawild night sessions at their best, sightseeing becomes a morning sport.
Autumn is the best overall window, cool with chrysanthemums and Maren golden fall, except Golden Week crowds.
Late autumn colour fades, crowds thin and prices fall: a fine quiet budget month.
Damp bone chilling cold with the lowest prices, lit winter Fantawild nights and Chinese New Year lanterns as compensation.
What's on
- Fish Lantern Parade at Wuhu Ancient City Lantern Festival, first lunar month
Fish shaped lanterns, the Ancient City signature heritage spectacle for Spring Festival season.
- Yashan Flower Sea Peak March to April
Spring flower fields at Yashan in Nanling County peak, best on weekdays away from city photographers.
- Fantawild Night Sessions and Fireworks Summer, with winter weekend sessions in January
Dreamland castle fireworks and extended night hours, plus a lit ice and snow castle in winter sessions.
- Maren Qifeng Golden Fall Season Autumn
Fu Mountain slopes colour at Maren Qifeng, the scenic area flagship autumn programme.
- Iron Flower Performance at Jiuzi Performing Arts Town Evenings year round, best in autumn
Molten iron thrown into a rain of sparks, the signature night show of the performance town.
Best things to do in Wuhu
Wuhu Fantawild Oriental Heritage
The cultural Fantawild park, built around Chinese myth dark rides and the Jiuzhou Shenyun film, best for adults and older teens.
Wuhu Fantawild Dreamland
The family Fantawild park with Boonie Bears, Magic Castle and castle fireworks, best for children under twelve.
Wuhu Ancient City
The rebuilt Ming Qing old core around the City God Temple, free to enter and best after dark under lanterns.
Jiuzi Square
The sculptural riverfront plaza where the city meets the Yangtze, best passed through at sunset.
Jinghu Park
Mirror Lake, the small willow draped downtown lake for a stroll and a pedal boat, paired with Jiuzi Square.
Zheshan Park
The green hill in the middle of the city, climbed for the Wangjiang Pavilion panorama over the Yangtze.
Guangji Temple
A working Tang dynasty temple nicknamed Little Jiuhua, with 88 steps and a Northern Song pagoda in its grounds.
Binjiang Park
The long Yangtze promenade locals call the Wuhu Bund, with the old customs tower and sunset over the freighters.
Where to stay in Wuhu
Jinghu District: Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street and the riverfront
first trip, all-round base
Walk to Jiuzi Square, Jinghu, Binjiang Park, the Ancient City and Fenghuang Food Street, with the best hotels in the city.
Jiujiang District: the Fantawild resort zone
theme park families
Walking distance to the Fantawild parks, water park and ocean park, quieter and greener but dead for evening food walks.
Wuhu Railway Station / Wanda area
one night transit stop
Functional mall and station district for an early high speed train, with nothing to walk to that Jinghu does not do better.
Think twice about
- Economic and Technological Development Zone
Industrial Chery and cement plant country in the north, spread out with nothing to walk to and a long ride from every sight.
- Jiangbei north bank districts
Modern but separated from the sights and restaurants by a bridge or tunnel crossing, with thin evening dining.
- Fantawild resort zone (for non-park trips)
Fine for theme park families but a poor base for a food and old city trip, with long taxi rides and quiet evenings.
Best restaurants in Wuhu
Geng Fuxing
The century old institution for shrimp roe noodles, crab roe soup dumplings, smoked duck and red bean jiuniang.
Fenghuang Food Street
The downtown food street opposite the pedestrian street, the easiest one stop graze for a group dinner.
Xiao Cai Yuan
The reliable Anhui chain locals book for Hui and Yanjiang home style cooking in comfortable rooms.
Tong Qing Lou
The old brand banquet house for a full Hui dinner of stinky mandarin fish, hairy tofu and braised pork.
Hui Zhou Lao
The second Hui banquet option for fermented fish and mountain dishes when the first choice is booked out.
Jiang Chu Ming Men
The proper Anhui dinner near Fantawild, known for bamboo tube rice and salted pork with vegetable stew.
KouFu Tangbao Guan
A neighbourhood soup dumpling shop on Huangshan Road, the local alternative to the famous institution queue.
Lai Yi Nong Tangbao Guan
The other tangbao house in the city top rankings, worth trying alongside Geng Fuxing to pick a side.
Outdoor things to do in Wuhu
Maren Qifeng Scenic Area
Wuhu big mountain day out with a glass bridge, glass rafting, cable car and farmhouse food at the gate.
Tianmen Mountain
Li Bai famous river gate hill east of the city, a free entry literary half day with cable car views.
Yashan Huashan Stone Sea
A karst stone sea paired with broad flower fields that peak in spring, about an hour south of the city.
Crystal Peacock
The evening Yangtze sightseeing cruise with Anhui food on board, sailing past the lit riverfront and tower.
Wuhu Fantawild Water Park
The Fantawild resort water park, the summer only answer to Wuhu heat for families already at the parks.
Jiuzi Performing Arts Town
A Huizhou style performance town that earns its ticket at night, with shows and the iron flower spark performance.
Best hotels in Wuhu
HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts WUHU
The city luxury pick by the pedestrian street, with river views and the most polished service in Wuhu.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Wuhu
The international brand riverfront hotel, repeatedly praised for Yangtze views, pool and front desk service.
Golden Eagle Summit Hotel
A large full service downtown hotel with big rooms, the sensible mid range default by the pedestrian street.
JI Hotel (Wuhu Pedestrian Street Ancient City)
The reliable budget stay between the pedestrian street and Ancient City, clean, quiet and well staffed.
WUHU MACROLINK LEGEND HOTEL
The resort zone family hotel by the water park and ocean park, with lake views and a rated breakfast.
Hanting Hotel (Wuhu Fantawild Adventure Huizhou Road Metro Station)
A new budget Hanting across the road from Fantawild, with free parking and a rich breakfast for park days.
Wanda Realm Wuhu
The upper mid hotel by the station area, the easiest choice for a one night transit stop with an early train.
Is Wuhu expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CN¥220 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CN¥500 a person |
| Splurge | CN¥1,100 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Wuhu Fantawild Oriental Heritage: weeks ahead
- Wuhu Fantawild Dreamland: weeks ahead
- Macrolink Beluga Ocean Park: a few days ahead
- Maren Qifeng Scenic Area: a few days ahead
- Crystal Peacock: a few days ahead
- Wuhu Fantawild Water Park: a few days ahead
- Jiuzi Performing Arts Town: a few days ahead
- Tong Qing Lou: a few days ahead
- Buy dated Fantawild tickets in advance for Labour Day, Golden Week and summer weekends, arrive at opening, and use the park app for queues.
- Book the Crystal Peacock sailing and Jiuzi evening shows ahead only on holiday weekends.
- Book Tong Qing Lou and Hui Zhou Lao banquet rooms when you book the hotel, as weddings fill them on weekends.
Is Wuhu safe?
- In July and August sightsee at opening, hydrate, and rest at midday: Wuhu summer heat and humidity are the main risk.
- At Maren Qifeng wear flat non slip shoes and expect fast changing mountain weather.
- Watch for scooters on pavements and look both ways even on a green pedestrian light.
- Check the daily air quality index in winter if you are sensitive, as Yangtze Delta air is often moderate.
Wuhu travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not do all the Fantawild parks back to back: pick one park by group type and spend the saved day on the riverfront and food.
- Wuhu Ancient City and the Jiuzi performance town are reconstructions: go expecting a good night out, not untouched Ming streets.
- Buy red skin duck fresh sliced, not vacuum packed, and buy melon seeds at a city supermarket, not at a scenic area entrance.
- Buy iron paintings from official craft stores, as street copies are common.
- Wuhu Tianmen Mountain is Li Bai river hill, not the Zhangjiajie mountain: any tour priced as the latter is a scam.
Getting around Wuhu: public transport and more
- Ride the driverless elevated monorail at least once: Line 1 runs north south through Jiuzi Square and Zheshan Road, Line 2 serves Fantawild.
- Taxis start at about CNY 8 and a Fantawild to Ancient City hop is about CNY 15; DiDi removes language friction.
- Downtown sights walk well: Guangji Temple, Zheshan, Jinghu, Jiuzi, Binjiang and the Ancient City form one tight cluster.
- Check which station your train uses: Wuhu, Wuhu South and Wuhu North are different stations.
- Keep your passport handy for train tickets and Fantawild entry, and book Fantawild on Trip.com or at the gate.
Who Wuhu suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Wuhu your trip
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