I’ve been to Xinyang three times, and my spending habits have completely changed.

🌟 【Budget Planning】 💰 Around 800+ RMB per person for 3 days and 2 nights (student-friendly!) ✅ Tickets: 200 RMB (combo tickets are more cost-effective) ✅ Accommodation: 200 RMB/night (mix of homestays + boutique hotels) ✅ Food: 150 RMB/day (slurping noodles and eating fish is a blast) ✅ Transportation: 150 RMB (city taxis + direct shuttle to attractions) 📸 【4 Must-Visit Attractions】 1️⃣ Jigong Mountain · Cloudy Summer Resort ✨ Highlights: Century-old international villas hidden in the sea of clouds, cable car overlooking the Henan-Hubei border, and the refreshing stream in Changsheng Valley! 📌 Tips: Go up before 7:00 AM to skip the line, wear Hanfu to shoot vintage Republic of China-style photos at “Yilu” — absolutely stunning~ 🎫 Ticket 60 RMB 2️⃣ Nanwan Lake · Thousand Islands Tea Fragrance Tour 🚤 Activities: Take a boat island-hopping tour → pick autumn tea on Tea Island (experience tea frying + take home your own Maojian!) → watch egrets fly on Bird Island → feed cute monkeys on Monkey Island 🔥 Hidden gem: Peacock Island picnic (ticket 35 RMB), lotus flowers bloom on the lakeshore until mid-September! 3️⃣ Wenxin Tea Village · Immersive Tea Universe 🌱 Experience: Free entry to the top of vast tea fields! Wear tea-picking clothes and carry a bamboo basket to be a tea farmer for a day, enjoy free pre-rain Maojian tea at the mountaintop tea pavilion, and shoot stunning “tea mountain steps” photos from the west side of the viewing platform! 4️⃣ Shengli Road Pedestrian Street · Tea Tech Night Carnival 🌃 Night highlights: ✔️ 7:30 PM “Window of Xinyang” 3D light show (tea mountains, sea of clouds + crested ibis flying effects) ✔️ AR floor tile tea-picking game → redeem Maojian tea-themed ice cream ✔️ Try the “Fat Laoji Hot Dry Noodles,” a dark-style hot dry noodle with Maojian tea powder that’s addictively fragrant! 🚗 【3 Days 2 Nights Itinerary】 Day 1: Oxygen in the tea mountains → Sunset on the lake islands ▪ Morning: Jigong Mountain cable car → explore Yilu villas → wade in Changsheng Valley ▪ Afternoon: Nanwan Lake boat tour → tea frying on Tea Island → egret watching on Bird Island ▪ Overnight: Nanwan Lake homestay “Zhenxi Secret Realm,” open your window to the starry river! Day 2: Tea picking heritage → Old town nightlife ▪ Morning: Tea picking and making at Wenxin Tea Village → tea tasting on the mountaintop ▪ Afternoon: Haotang Village for Hui-style lotus pond photos (free!) → relax and enjoy rice fields at Jianshan Coffee ▪ Night: Eat Maojian hot dry noodles + watch the light show on Shengli Road Pedestrian Street Day 3: Forest hiking → Carb feast ▪ Bordeng Forest Park stream tracing → check in at “Bald Cypress Secret Realm” ▪ Before heading back, rush to Shenbei Road Night Market: Luoshan large intestine soup + clay pot braised rice + stone jelly noodles, Xinyang’s cuisine will win your heart! 🏡 【Accommodation Highlights】 ✔️ Nanwan Lake top pick → Zhenxi Secret Realm (180 RMB per person, floor-to-ceiling windows with full tea mountain views) ✔️ City cost-effective option → Atour Hotel (next to high-speed rail station, 200+ RMB including breakfast) ✔️ Summer resort must-go → Jigong Mountain Xiaoyao Palace (renovated century-old building, watch the sea of clouds in the morning!) 🍜 【Food Radar】 🔥 Breakfast carb trio ▫ Street hot dry noodles + spicy pepper soup (Victory Road “Old Pan’s” with sesame sauce is super fragrant) ▫ Crispy flatbread with braised egg (small stall on Shihe South Road, 5 RMB fills you up) 🔥 Must-try main meals ▪ Gushi goose hotpot (milky broth + tofu skin, 40 RMB per person) ▪ Nanwan fish two ways (fish head stewed with tofu + braised fish body, finger-licking fresh!) ▪ Maojian in dishes: Maojian shrimp, tea-scented clay pot meat (exclusive to Wenxin Tea Village restaurant) 💡 Pitfall Prevention Guide ⚠️ Don’t buy combo tickets for Nanwan Lake! Just buy one-way boat tickets (60 RMB), Peacock Island can be visited separately ⚠️ Big temperature difference on Jigong Mountain morning and night! Bring a light jacket + mosquito repellent ⚠️ For tea picking experience, go to Wenxin Tea Village (free), don’t be fooled by roadside tea gardens charging fees!