Huangshan Tunxi International Airport

机About this airport

Huangshan Tunxi International Airport serves the broader Huangshan area of southern Anhui province, named for both Huangshan mountain (the UNESCO-listed natural and cultural heritage site known for its dramatic granite peak scenery) and Tunxi, the urban district that serves as the area's commercial centre. The airport sits near Tunxi, approximately 75 km from the Huangshan scenic area entrance at Tangkou or Yungu cable car station.

Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) is one of China's most visited natural heritage sites: a range of 72 named peaks of weathered granite, ancient gnarled Huangshan pine trees growing from cliff crevices, hot springs at the base, and the celebrated sea of clouds that forms when mist fills the valleys between peaks, creating the impression of summits floating above white cloud. The mountain has inspired Chinese landscape painting since the Tang dynasty and the Huangshan school of painting was a distinct artistic tradition. Accommodation on the mountain (Beihai, Paiyunlou, and other hotels) allows visitors to observe the sunrise above the clouds — the primary visual experience the mountain offers — though booking months in advance is necessary for peak periods (Golden Week, spring blossom season, summer).

Direct flights connect to major Chinese cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and others [VERIFY: current routes — May 2026]. International routes have operated seasonally to Japan and South Korea [VERIFY: current international schedule — May 2026]. The area is also accessible by high-speed rail to Huangshan City North station (Tunxi) from Shanghai (approximately 2.5 hours) and Hangzhou (approximately 1.5 hours).

The broader area served by the airport includes the Huizhou villages of Hongcun and Xidi (both UNESCO), which are southern Anhui merchant clan estates and villages of extraordinary preservation — white-plastered walls with black tile roofs arranged around internal courtyards, with carved wooden screens and stone-flagged alleyways that have changed little since the Ming and Qing periods. Hongcun's layout was planned around a central water system for fire prevention and feng shui, and its reflection in the central pond is one of the most reproduced landscape photographs in China.

The Jiuhua Mountain sacred Buddhist complex (one of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains, dedicated to the Bodhisattva Dizang/Ksitigarbha), the Qiyun Mountain Daoist site with its cliff-face temples, and the carved wood and whitewashed plaster architecture of the Xin'an River valley round out a heritage concentration that rewards three to five days of dedicated exploration.

The airport terminal has limited food options oriented toward Huizhou-style snacks (pumpkin cakes, dried local vegetables) and tea — an appropriate reflection of the area's food culture. No Priority Pass lounge is available. Ground transport to the mountain or heritage villages requires either a pre-arranged car or the local bus network; taxi availability at the airport can be limited outside peak season and pre-booking transport from Tunxi city is advisable.

Tunxi old street (Lao Jie), approximately 20 minutes from the airport by taxi, is one of the most atmospheric Huizhou commercial streetscapes surviving in the region: a 1.5 km limestone-paved street of Ming and Qing shophouses converted to tea shops, ink shops (the Huizhou ink stick is a traditional luxury product), and restaurants. Huizhou-style cuisine (hong shao pork braised in dark soy and rock sugar, hairy tofu fermented in local style, pickled vegetables as accompaniment) is well represented on the street.