Hotels of different levels and styles around Jiuzhaigou are available for foreigners. There are luxury hotels such as Sheraton, Hilton, and Howard Johnson, as well as intercontinental, etc. There are also economy hotels and hotels in between. Local Tibetan style guesthouses and hostels are also available. Most of the hotels are located in the river valley of Zhangzha near the entrance of Jiuzhaigou Park some closer and some further from the entrance. The part that is considered to be the “hotel and food” area of Jiuzhaigou is within 10km west to the entrance of the park and 5km east to the entrance of the park. The road that goes through the valley connects the hotels and clusters of hotels with the entrance of Jiuzhaigou Park.
It is recommended to stay near Jiuzhaigou Goukou (Valley Entrance Area), which is relatively close to Jiuzhaigou Scenic Spot. There is a food street near Goukou. After Jiuzhaigou visit, you can go to taste the local specialties at the food street, or go to enjoy a Tibetan culture show. The traffic here is also convenient. You can easily take bus to Huanglong or return to Chengdu.
Please note the nearest hotel (that can take foreigners) is 700m from the actual entrance of Jiuzhaigou Park. Most hotels are considered not very close to the entrance of park so normally you either need to use a taxi or a ride from your hotel to the park entrance. If you wish to stay closer to the park you may consider to book the hotel Holiday Inn Express. Otherwise using a taxi is also easy that normally a taxi can drop you off directly to the entrance. However if you are traveling in big bus group then the bus drivers normally won’t do the drop off or pick-up to the entrance but rather to the nearest car park, which can be 2km away from the actual entrance of Jiuzhaigou Park. Long walks are thus involved please be aware of this if you have someone in your group that can not walk this far.
No. According to the park rules, stay overnight in the national park inside is not allowed. The reason is to reduce the impact on the environment of Jiuzhaigou Park. Although there may be private guesthouses in Jiuzhaigou in Shuzheng Village that take people for overnight in discreet.
Jiuzhaigou Goukou indicates the entrance of the park of Jiuzhaigou where 99% of the people who visit Jiuzhaigou will stay at. While Jiuzhaigou City is a total different place that is the city of Jiuzhaigou County around 40km east to the park of Jiuzhaigou. Please do not be mistaken while book your hotels. Jiuzhaigou County (used to be called Nanping County) is the city of the county that is named after the park of Jiuzhaigou. The city of Jiuzhaigou doesn’t feel like a touristy place at all because most visitors to Jiuzhaigou Park won’t even pass the city. It feels like it has more connections with southeastern Gansu Province than to the park of Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan Province.
The hotel area near the entrance of Jiuzhaigou has plenty of restaurants available especially by Pengdeng and Zhangzha. When you look on a map these two places are the cluster of buildings west to the park entrance of Jiuzhaigou. Except when you booked a hotel that is far from anywhere, you don’t have to worry about where to find food in general.
Inside the park of Jiuzhaigou you may find the food option very limited. The only place where you can find restaurants is by Nuorilang, the meeting point of three valleys and also the transit center of tourist buses in Jiuzahigou. You may find boxed lunch, buffet lunch here by Nuorilang and some shops selling snacks too. The food inside the park of Jiuzhaigou is more expensive than usual and not very tasty. If you are okay with simple food you may bring some snacks for yourself instead of eating in their restaurants. And we often suggest this way because it gains flexibility on your visit.
Route: Chengdu - Jiuzhaigou - Chengdu
Route: Chengdu - Jiuzhaigou
Route: Chengdu - Jiuzhaigou
