4-Day Private tour: From Datong to Pingyao

Day 1: Datong. O/N Datong.

1. Datong
   10m
   In the morning, your guide will meet you at Datong hotel at 9am or Datong train station and drive one hour to Hanging Monastery.
2. Hengshan Hanging Temple (Xuankong si)
   1h 30m · Admission ticket included
   The renowned Hanging Monastery, which looks like a grand relief inlaid on the steep cliff. It will be a thrilling experience to go along the hanging walkways to visit each hall of the temple. It is unique that the hierarchs of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are worshiped here together.
3. Pagoda of Fogong Temple
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Then you will take a car ride to Yingxian County to see the famous Wooden Pagoda. It is the oldest wooden tower in China, which has been around for nearly 1,000 years, and not a single nail was used during its construction.
4. 1h 30m
   The often-hostile nomadic tribes to the north meant that some regions of Shanxi Province used to be vital battlefields in the past. After lunch, we will continue our journey to the military fortresses in rural areas. Firstly, we will stop at the Guangwu Fort with tall walls surrounding the present Guangwu Village. After that, the guide will accompany you to take a one-hour hike on the wild Baicaokou Great Wall which has experienced the great vicissitudes of history and retains its original appearance.
5. Datong
   17h
   After that, your today Datong day tour will draw a perfect ending. You will take a 2-hour car ride back to your hotel in Datong.

Day 2: Datong. O/N Datong.

1. Datong
   10m
   In the morning, your guide will meet you at 9am of your Datong hotel then transfer to Yungang Grottoes, need 30 minutes driving, 16km.
2. Yungang Grottoes
   2h · Admission ticket included
   Upon arrival at the Yungang Grottoes, your guide will accompany you as you to go around viewing more than 59,000 solemn Buddha statues made during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386 - 534). Considered to be a treasure house of Buddhist arts, Yungang Grottoes took over 70 years to reach the present scale. The sculptures there integrate the superb artistry of Northern Wei and showcase the atmospheric and imperial style. You are sure to feel astonished by the magnificent scene there.
3. Huayan Temple of Datong
   1h · Admission ticket included
   After admiring the sculptural arts of the Northern Wei Dynasty, you will then be guided to Huayan Monastery to appreciate the architectural style created during the Liao Dynasty (907 - 1125). You will also see a statue of Bodhisattva with a grin on her face, which makes it stand out from the rest.
4. Nine Dragon Screen
   30m · Admission ticket included
   After lunch, you will head for the Nine-Dragon Wall which used to be a giant screen in front of a prince's mansion 600 years ago.
5. Datong City Walls
   30m · Admission ticket included
   At the end of the day, you will round off today's Datong tour with the Ancient City Wall and then take you back to Datong hotel.

Day 3: Datong - Pingyao by train. O/N Pingyao.

1. Datong
   10m
   In the morning, your driver will meet you at 7:40am and then transfer to Datong train station to catch the D5363(08:36am--10:30am) from Datong to Taiyuan.
   Note: The Datong train station drop off services, just the driver, no guide.
2. Taiyuan East Railway Station
   10m
   Upon arrival at Taiyuan train station, you will be picked up on time with your local guide and transferred to the Qiao Family's Compound.
3. Qiao's Family Compound (Qiao Jia Dayuan)
   2h · Admission ticket included
   First, you will visit the well-known Qiao Family's Compound in around one hour's drive. As a typical residence with architectural style of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) in northern China, it is elegant and superbly decorated.
4. Shuanglin Temple
   1h · Admission ticket included
   After lunch,you will proceed to Shuanglin Temple. This scenic area mainly consists of Buddhist halls in all sizes, such as the Mahavira Hall (Da Xiong Bao Dian) and the Sakyamuni Hall. Within the halls, there are a lot of vividly painted sculptures of Heavenly Kings, Bodhisattvas, and arhats. In addition, you will marvel at the exquisite frescos created in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644).
5. Ancient City of Pingyao
   18h · Admission ticket included
   Next you will be escorted to the Pingyao ancient city and you can check in first and have a short break and then a one hour Paper Cutting class is arranged for you to learn about the traditional skill of Chinese folk arts.

Day 4: Pingyao. The tour end.

1. Ancient City of Pingyao
   10m
   Your guide will pick you up at the lobby of your hotel at 09:00 in the morning and today you will going to visit the Ancient City of Pingyao.
2. City Wall of Pingyao
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Your Pingyao ancient town tour will begin with a visit to the City Wall of Pingyao, which has been well preserved. As a whole, the rectangular wall resembles a tortoise, which was considered as a symbol of longevity traditionally. Ascending the wall, you could overlook the ancient city of Pingyao.
3. Ming and Qing Dynasties Street
   1h
   Then, get down from the wall and have a stroll on the traditional Ming-Qing Street. On both sides of this not very wide street, there are many buildings in ancient Chinese architecture style, which used to be firms, exchange shops and different kinds of shops like teashop, cloth shop and salt shop. Nowadays, some of them have been turned to hotels, restaurants or shops selling souvenirs while some have been preserved as attraction sites and museums.
4. Pingyao Ancient Government Office
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Then, pay a visit to Pingyao Ancient Government Office, which is located in the middle of the ancient city for more than 600 years. Covering about 26,000 square meters (31,095 square yards), it includes many majestic courtyards and buildings. The Security Guard Company is also worth seeing for it is a museum which introduces the development of the ancient Chinese security guards.
5. Rishengchang Former Bank
   1h · Admission ticket included
   After lunch, you will proceed to Ri Sheng Chang Exchange Shop and Tong Xing Gong. Ri Sheng Chang Exchange Shop is the first money exchange shop in China as well as the founder of Chinese modern banks, which has played an important role in Chinese financial business for about one century. Tong Xing Gong was an establishment which provided private escort service for the exchange shops to guard their safety during transportation.
6. Pingyao County
   10m
   Finally, your guide will escort you to your Pingyao hotel or Pingyao train station. End of your 4 days tour.

Pickup details

We pick up any hotels of Datong or Datong train station at Day one.

• Specialized infant seats are available
• Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Can add more days if you want