Zhangye is a place that you have likely seen on Instagram if you have not visited it yourself because of the so-called “Rainbow Mountains” of the Zhangye Danxia Geopark. It is an ancient Silk Road city that dates back more than 2,000 years. It was visited by Marco Polo and should be visited by you. I visited on a press trip with the China Tourism Board to the Silk Road sites of the Gansu Province of China.
Zhangye Hotel is located outside of the downtown area in an area with a small park with a lake. It is a quiet area, but there are restaurants available within walking distance from the hotel, and the downtown is only a short drive away. I enjoyed an early morning stroll around the lake.
There are two buildings at the Zhangye Hotel. We stayed in the newer of the two buildings.
Public Spaces
The lobby area of the Zhangye Hotel is a large, mostly empty, and expansive room with marble floors and dark wood columns. There are a couple of different seating areas near the front door, the nearly mandatory set of 4 massage chairs ready to take the edge off your journey, and a large front desk in front of a colorful mural of beautiful mountains and Buddhist temples.
Behind the front desk is a second quiet, bright lobby space with more tables for getting together with your traveling companions. Behind that area is the breakfast room.
Room Features
The rooms at the Zhangye Hotel are bright and cheerful with muted colors and subtle designs. The bed was firm, as is typical in a Chinese hotel room bed. There was a flat screen TV, a small desk, a mini-fridge, and a two-chair seating area. I appreciate the master switch near the bed so you can turn off all the lights without the scavenger hunt for switches that one can often have in a hotel room.
- To get to facebook and other sites from China you will need a VPN.
- Get a Car Rental
- Buy Travel Insurance
The bathroom was marble and glass with a small room for the shower and another small room for the toilet.
Food and Dining
Breakfast runs from 06:30 to 10:00. The breakfast buffet was well-appointed with primarily Chinese dishes. You are not going to find your English breakfast here, but there will be enough familiar dishes for a Western palate.
For dinner, we went to one of the restaurants on the street behind the hotel. It was within easy walking distance of the hotel.
Facilities and Amenities
Two self-service laundry machines were in the new building on the ground floor to the right of the lobby. Self-service laundry, I found to be a rarity on a two-week trip to China.
Things Nearby
- Zhangye Danxia Geopark, the “Rainbow Mountains” – Colorful hills with stripes of different colored earth.
- Mati Temple Grottoes – A series of cliff-side cave shrines 65 kilometers to the south. Arrive midday when tour buses leave and the red-sandstone façade basks in bright light.
- Giant Buddha Temple (Dafo Temple) – A 34.5-meter reclining gold-plated Buddha, which is China’s largest reclining Buddha.
- Pingshanhu Canyon – Lesser-known sibling of Danxia, 60 kilometers north. Pink-red cliffs plunge into a labyrinth ideal for drone photography.
Practical Advice
Zhangye’s semiarid climate offers scorching days and cool nights from May to September. Pack layers—light cotton for Rainbow Mountain midday heat and a fleece for plateau evenings. The Danxia Geopark sunrise shuttle departs at 05:30. Tickets sell out on weekends.
Rates
Rates start around $50 a night. Check rates online at TripAdvisor.com.
Verdict
Zhangye Hotel is a modern hotel that still has that “new hotel” charm. Zhangye is a must-see destination when visiting the sites of China’s Silk Road, and this is a great place to stay when you do so.
I stayed at the Yihe Hotel on a press trip to the Gansu Province with China’s Tourism Board. They covered the cost of my stay, but the opinions expressed are my own.
