[Yichang Free Travel] How to travel in Yichang for 3 days and 2 nights, a comprehensive guide to itinerary planning!

# Yichang

Travellers Magicians

Sep 18, 2025

Contents

Trip Planner
Yichang itinerary planning overview
Day 1 in Yichang
- Three Gorges Dam Tourist Area
- Three Gorges Vertical Ship Lift
Day 2 in Yichang
- Three Gorges Waterfall
- Xiling Gorge Scenic Area
Day 3 in Yichang
- Jiaoyun Two Dams and One Gorge Cruise

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This guide carefully plans a perfect 3-day and 2-night trip to Yichang for you. Covering local attractions, authentic food and popular shopping areas, you can easily travel around Yichang and enjoy a worry-free holiday. Whether it is an in-depth exploration of history and culture or a fashionable check-in in a modern metropolis, this guide can meet your needs. Come and start your wonderful trip to Yichang!

Take the vertical boat lift through the Three Gorges Dam, cruise through the Two Dams and One Gorge and watch the big ship climb the stairs, unlocking world-class water conservancy wonders throughout the journey.
Play in the water at the Three Gorges Waterfall, explore the original Three Gorges of the Yangtze River at Xiling Gorge, and switch closely between the canyon and the rapids.

date	journey
Day 1	Three Gorges Dam Tourist Area->Three Gorges Vertical Ship Lift
Day 2	Three Gorges Waterfall->Xiling Gorge Scenic Area
Day 3	Jiaoyun Two Dams and One Gorge Cruise

The Three Gorges Dam Tourist Area is located in Yichang City. It is a large-scale water conservancy project and hydropower station. There are currently three scenic spots open to tourists in the dam tourist area: Tanzilin, 185 Observation Platform and Diversion Memorial Park. The top of the dam is not open to the public. You can overlook the dam from Tanzilin on the north bank, which is a good place to enjoy the panoramic view of the Three Gorges Dam.

Address: Jiangxia Avenue, Sanduping Town, Yiling District, Yichang City

Business hours: Open from 08:00 to 17:00 tomorrow (no admission at 17:00)

evaluate:

It's great value for money. You can spend hours wandering around there. It's shocking to see the dam with your own eyes. It's a pity that we didn't enter the scenic area until after 4 o'clock. Although we visited every tourist spot, we didn't have time to take a boat. Passengers who want to take a boat must arrive early. In addition, this is the attraction with the most specialties that I have visited…

Take a luxury cruise ship, experience the Three Gorges Vertical Ship Lift, and experience riding the 100-meter "ship lift". The Three Gorges Shiplift is hailed as the final "answer" to the Three Gorges Project. When it was unveiled to the world, many foreign experts lamented that the Chinese had accomplished another impossible task. The Three Gorges Shiplift is like a huge elevator installed on a 40-story building. It can lift ships 113 meters at a time together with the ship-carrying compartment, with a maximum lifting weight of 15,500 tons, which is equivalent to lifting 200,000 people at the same time. The entire lifting process takes about 10 minutes, and it only takes 40 minutes for a ship to pass through the dam via the Three Gorges Ship Lift. Compared with the previous one-day required to cross the dam by road and four hours required for the five-level ship lock, the Three Gorges Ship Lift is a veritable "fast track" for elevators to pass through the dam.

The Yangtze River Three Gorges No. 5 left the ship carriage and sailed into the upstream of the dam. I was shocked by the scenery of "cutting off the clouds and rain of Wushan, and emerging from the high gorge into a flat lake". I couldn't help but be impressed by the wisdom of the Chinese people in utilizing and transforming nature. The commissioning of the Three Gorges Shiplift has fully demonstrated the strong strength of Chinese manufacturing, greatly boosted and inspired the confidence of the Chinese people, and brought us one step closer to the "Chinese Dream".

Address: Sanxia Dam Area, Sanduping Town, Yiling District, Yichang City

Business hours: Open from 14:00 to 17:00 tomorrow

evaluate:

The boat takes the elevator. The fourth floor viewing seat has a nice view. It costs 40 yuan per person. I almost had an accident when I drove to Sanduping Wharf. I need to apply for a pass to take the Three Gorges Special Highway. The pass is valid for 2 days, but in fact it is only valid for more than 30 hours. The disembarkation point is different and the flight location is different. The flight arrives at Taipingxi Wharf at 11 o'clock. I took a Didi taxi back to Sanduping Wharf and it cost more than 30

The Three Gorges Grand Waterfall Scenic Area, located in Huanghua Township, Yiling District, Yichang City, is a natural geological museum that displays multiple geological periods such as the Sinian, Ordovician, and Cambrian. It is famous for its beautiful mountains, rivers, caves, and waterfalls. The air in the scenic area is fresh, and it is a natural oxygen bar. It is cool and pleasant even in summer.

The Three Gorges Grand Waterfall stream is 5 kilometers long, with more than 30 waterfalls along the way. Visitors walk along the tourist trail in the scenic area, going upstream, and will see various waterfalls such as the Tiger's Mouth Waterfall, One-Line Waterfall, Pearl Waterfall, Ya Waterfall, Continuous Waterfall, and Five-Fan Waterfall. The Three Gorges Waterfall is also a bridge museum, with a total of 21 bridges. These bridges across the canyon are ingeniously designed and uniquely shaped, blending in with the beautiful mountains and waters of the scenic area, forming a beautiful mountain gorge, stream and waterfall scenery.

Address: Provincial Road 312, Yiling District, Yichang City, Hubei Province

Business hours: Open from 08:30 to 16:30 tomorrow (ticket sales stop at 16:30)

evaluate:

There is really not much water if you go there in May. The small waterfalls on the way have no water at all, and the last big waterfall doesn't have much water even from a distance. But the experience of walking through the waterfalls is great, and we had a lot of fun. It's okay not to wear the 5 yuan raincoat, the 20 yuan one won't get wet, but how can you take pictures wearing a raincoat? I suggest you just buy shoe covers.

Xiling Gorge Scenic Area is located in the western suburbs of Yichang City, at the mouth of Xiling Gorge, a relatively long section of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. It starts from Gezhouba Dam in the east and ends at the Three Gorges Dam in the west. It is not only one of the birthplaces of Chu culture, but also a tourist attraction in Yichang. The scenic area now has Happy Valley, Three Gorges Monkey Creek, Wild Wolf Valley, Three Travel Cave, etc. Ouyang Xiu once praised this place in poetry.

Address: No. 8, Nanjinguan Road, Yiling District, Yichang City

Business hours: Open from 08:30 to 17:30 tomorrow (no admission at 17:00)

evaluate:

A non-tiring attraction, 20 minutes away from downtown Yichang! Stepping into Xiling District of Yichang City is like walking into a dream painting where nature and humanity are intertwined. Every scenery is intoxicating and every experience is unforgettable. The mountains on both sides are rolling and the beautiful scenery and the majestic river complement each other, forming a beautiful picture. Take a cruise down the river, feel the breeze on your face, and the turbulent river water and the tranquil and beautiful gorge scenery alternately appear, making you feel the infinite charm of nature!

The Jiaoyun Two Dams and One Gorge cruise mainly visits the eastern section of Xiling Gorge, a natural canyon on the Yangtze River waterway between the Three Gorges Dam and the Gezhouba Dam. Due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, the water level upstream of the Three Gorges Dam has risen, and some of the original landscapes of the Three Gorges will be changed. Only the Xiling Gorge section between the two dams (the Two Dams and One Gorge area) retains the original scenery of the Yangtze River Three Gorges. Therefore, the "Two Dams and One Gorge" has become the only remaining pristine Three Gorges in the world today and has great ornamental value.

Address: Inside the Three Gorges Visitor Center, No. 142 Yanjiang Avenue, Wujiagang District, Yichang City, Hubei Province

Business hours: Open from 07:30 to 18:30 tomorrow

evaluate:

Today, the one-day tour of "Two Dams and One Gorge" that we pre-purchased on Ctrip came to a successful conclusion. Although the sun was scorching and the heat was unbearable, everyone was singing and laughing along the way and were in high spirits. All this is largely due to tour guide Yang Jiezhen, who is skilled in her work, knowledgeable, fluent in language, sincere and friendly, and has won unanimous praise from the team. All in all, this trip was an unforgettable and wonderful experience.