Itinerary
Day 1: Take a bullet train to Datong, visit Yungang Grottoes, Nine Dragon Screen, Datong City Walls and Huanyan Temple
Stop At: Beijing Railway Station, No.13 Jiawan Hutong, Dongcheng District, Beijing China
Start your day with an early morning pickup by your private driver and transfer to Beijing Qinghe Railway Station to catch your train to Datong which departs around 7:00am. Upon arrival, your driver will assist with obtaining the train ticket for you and send you to the waiting room.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Yungang Grottoes, Wuzhou Mountain, Urban Area, Datong 37000 China
You will arrive at Datong South Railway Station at 9:05am. Your private guide and driver will hold a sign with your full name on it and meet you Datong South Railway Station (exit). Then drive about 50 minutes to Yungang Grottoes, one of the top three grottoes in China, along with Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang and Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang. Yungang Grottoes represent the outstanding achievement of Buddhist cave art in China.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Huayan Temple of Datong, Daxi Street, Urban Area, Datong 037004 China
Then drive about 40 minutes to downtown and stop to enjoy a nice local lunch (handmade sliced noodles with some dishes). After that, visit Huayan Temple, which is a Buddhist temple located in the southwest of Datong Ancient City, built in 1038 CE. It is the largest and most perfectly preserved temple of the Liao (916-1125) and Jin (1115-1234) dynasties in China.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Datong City Walls, Centre of Datong, Urban Area, Datong 037000 China
After Huayan Temple visit, continue to Datong City Walls.The City Wall was built as a clay building by the Northern Wei state (386-534) during the Southern and Northern Dynasties(420-589).It is tall and majestic, solid and steep. The base was made from stone strips, slates and blue bricks. Accompanied by your guide, wonder around on the city wall and tasty the ancient city.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Nine Dragon Screen, Yanghe Street, Cheng District, Datong 037000 China
Your last stop is Nine Dragon Screen.The nine dragons, each playing with a pearl were carved in a very lifelike manner. Colorful paint has been applied to the carvings to bring the dragons to life vividly, as they would have been over 600 years ago.
Among the nine dragons, one heading to the front with imposing appearance is held in awe by other dragons. Patterns of mountains, rivers and trees fill the left, serving as a contrast to make the dragons stand out.
Afterwards, you will be transferred to your hotel in Datong (at your own arrangement).
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
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No accommodation included on this day.
Day 2: Hanging Temple and Wooden Pagoda in Ling County, back to Beijing
Stop At: Hengshan Hanging Temple (Xuankong si), Hengshan, Datong China
Your guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel in the morning, and transfer to Hengshan Hanging Temple. Built more than 1,500 years ago, this temple is notable not only for its location on a sheer precipice but also because it includes Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian elements. The structure is kept in place with oak crossbeams fitted into holes chiseled into the cliffs. The main supportive structure was hidden inside the bedrock.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Ying Xian Wooden Pagoda, 76km (47 miles) south of Datong, Datong China
After enjoy a local lunch, drive about one hour to Ying Xian Wooden Pagoda, built in 1056 during the Liao Dynasty (916–1125),75km from Datong. It is the oldest all-wood pagoda in China, as well as the only Buddhist temple that was totally built with wood.
After the tour, you will be transferred to Datong South Railway Station and catch your train back to Beijing.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Beijing North Railway Station, Bei Jing Bei Zhan, Wangfujing, Xi Cheng Qu, Bei Jing Shi, China, 100082
Your driver will meet your at Beijing Railway Station and transfer back to your Beijing hotel.
Duration: 30 minutes
Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.