Huaihua sits on the Shanghai-Kunming railway, one of China's main east-west rail arteries, giving it fast connections in both directions. High-speed trains to Changsha take about 1.5 hours. Trains westward reach Guizhou and Yunnan. Huaihua South Station handles the high-speed services; the older Huaihua Station handles conventional trains and has more frequent connections to smaller local destinations.
Huaihua Zhijiang Airport, at the historic wartime airfield about 30 kilometres from the city centre, serves a handful of domestic routes. For most destinations, the train is faster and cheaper. Long-distance buses connect the city to nearby towns including Fenghuang (about two hours).