How to get to Datong from Beijing (Train,Bus,Car & Flights)

Plan your Beijing Datong tour? If you are going to visit Datong from Beijing, the first thing you’ll think of can be how to get to Datong from Beijing and vice versa – How far? Which transportation tool? By train,  long-distance bus, hiring a car or by plane?

Datong is situated approx. 400km to the west of Beijing by road. Basically you have four alternatives as for the inter-city transportation between Beijing and Datong: by rail, air,  long-distance bus, or you may also pay a little more to hire a car or van for a comfortable transfer from Beijing to Datong.

Going by train from Beijing to Datong 

Well, let’s first talk about the rail transfer from Beijing to Datong. At present, over a dozen trains run daily linking Beijing and Datong.

With the completion of Beijing and Datong high speed railway, the high speed and bullet train rides between the two cities have been shortened to two hours or so.

Daily high speed trains between Beijing and Datong

Right now, the high speed train and bullet trains as well runs several times between the two Beijing and Datong which takes about 2 hours. 

The high speed trains (“G” train) start from Beijing North Railway Station and the bullet trains (“D” trains) start from Beijing Qinghe Railway Station) and both arrive at Datong South Railway Station and vice versa.

Below is the timetable for the High Speed Trains ( “G”trains) going from Beijing to Datong:

We recommend you take the high speed trains (G Trains) or bullet trains to save time and enjoy the comfort by the modern technology.

More options for regular trains

If you prefer the old-fashioned way of train travel mixing with the locals and more slow life of viewing the countryside going by, you also have several options of choosing the regular trains and even overnight trains.

These regular or overnight trains take you about 6 hours to get to one of the two cities you travel. But please keep in mind there are mainly 4 railway stations in Beijing, some of the regular trains start either from Beijing Railway Station or Beijing West Railway Station, so make sure you get to the right train station.

Also, if you take the non-highspeed trains from Beijing, or from Datong, keep in mind that Datong Railway Station is designed for regular trains; for high speed or bullet trains, go to Datong South Railway Station (new station).

Getting to Datong from Beijing by Long-distance Bus

The long-distance buses for Datong from Beijing mainly start from Beijing Liuliqiao Long-Distance Bus Station （北京市六里桥长途汽车站).  Add: Jia 19, Liuliqiao Nanli, Fengtai District, Beijing （丰台区六里桥南里甲19号).

You can easily get to Beijing Liuliqiao Long-distance Bus Station by taking the public bus numbered 340, 982, 941, 300, 323, and 324.

There are daily 12 long-distance buses running between Beijing and Datong using Beijing Liuliqiao Long-Distance Bus Station.  The first bus leaves at 7: 10 and the last bus at 18:00.

There are three long-distance bus stations in Datong, namely Datong Long -distance Bus Station, North Passenger Transport Station and  Xinnan Passenger Bus Station.

Xinnan Passenger Bus Station (大同新南站) is used for the buses heading to Beijing,  Taiyuan, Xian, Zhengzhou,  Tianjin, and Luoyang.

So you will arrive at or leave from Xinnan Passenger Bus Station if you are going to Datong from Beijing or vice versa. Add: No.699 Xinjian Road in the South of the Datong city and you can get there by bus No.19, 28 and 30.

The flight between Beijing and Datong （Halted）

Few people know there are two daily 40-minute flights between Beijing and Datong: one morning flight (7:05 – 8:25) from Beijing Capital Airport and one evening flight (18:20 – 19:00) from Beijing Nanyuan Airport; morning flight (9:20 – 10:25) from Datong airport to Beijing capital airport and evening flight (19:50 – 20:40) from Datong airport to Beijing Nanyuan Airport.

Note: With the completion of Beijing and Datong high speed railway, the short flight between Beijing and Datong now has been suspended.

Datong airport is located about 15km in the northeast of Datong city. The Datong airport enquiry phone number: 0351-7286462.  Datong airport has one airport shuttle bus line running between the airport and the CAAC Building in Datong.

Hire a Car with driver going from Beijing to Datong

Many car rental companies or travel agencies offer the limo service from Beijing to Datong and back to Beijing. You will drive along the 390km expressway in 4 or 5 hours. There are service stations along the 4-5 hour drive expressway.

Tip:  Hassle-free Datong Guided Tours

Datong Tour
Datong Great Wall Tour
Datong Car Rental with Driver
Beijing Datong Tour
Xian Datong Tour

Pingyao Tour
Taiyuan Tour
Shanxi Tour

Further Readings

Datong Great Wall (Tips, Photos & Map)
Datong Great Wall at Deshengbu Fortress
Datong Great Wall at Zhenchuankou
Datong Great Wall at Zhenbianbu Fortress
Datong Great Wall at Shoukoubu Fortress

Best Time to Visit Datong
Top 10 Attractions in Datong
How to visit Datong in one Day
Where to stay in Datong
How to Get to Datong from Beijing
Datong Xian High Speed Train
Tourist Traps & Scams in Datong
Datong Taxi

Datong Yungang Grottoes
Hanging Monastery in Datong
Yingxian Wooden Tower
Datong Ancient City Wall
Nine-dragon Wall in Datong
Datong Huayan Temple
Shanhua Temple in Datong
Datong Drum Tower
Mt. Hengshan in Datong
Mount Wutai (Tips, Photos & Map)

Any questions, just drop a line.