Datong Tour
As the second largest city in Shanxi Province, Datong is situated in the far north, near the border with Inner Mongolia, a 6-hour train ride or 5-hour drive from Beijing. In the year of 398, Datong was set up as the capital city of Northern Wei Dynasty (386 -557). In 493, Northern Wei Dynasty moved its capital city to Luoyang. The 97-year as a Northern Wei capital has left huge cultural heritage of that time to Datong.
In a valley at Yungang, some 16km west of Datong, there are more than 45 recesses dug into the hills and filled with Buddhist statues of various sizes and shapes, 51,000 altogether, later called Yungang Grottoes ( Cloud Ridge Caves ) listed UNESCO World Heritage in 2001.
At the foot of Mt.Hengshan, 65 kilometers from downtown Datong City is located Hanging Monastery with over 1500-year history, first built 491 AD. The temple hangs on the west cliff of a hill with over 50 meters above the ground, hence Hanging Monastery. The biggest attraction of Hanging Temple is the fact that the temple includes Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.
Four hundred years later after Northern Wei Dynasty, Datong was designated as the west capital of Liao Dynasty (916 - 1125). Located in the Yingxian County 75 km south of Datong, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda was first built in 1056 during the Liao Dynasty. It is the oldest and largest wooden Buddhist pagoda in existence in the world. It is admired as one of the "Three Wonders of Pagoda in the world" together with Eiffel Tower in France and leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.
In the city center of Datong, there are many historic sites like Huayan Temple, Nine-dragon Wall and Shanhua Temple with over 1000-year history.
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 Datong Great Wall Tour4-5 hour daily hike on Datong Great Wall, designed for travelers in good shape who are interested in walking along the tamped earth Great Wall different from the Wall in Beijing. |
Datong Car Rental with Driver We offer the private shuttle service at Datong airport, Datong railway stations, hotel to Yungang Grottoes, Hanging Monastery and more. |
| Datong Highlight Tour Private day tour and multiday tour covering the highlights in Datong such as Yungang Grottoes, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, City Wall, Nine Dragon Wall, Shanhua Temple and Huayan Temple. |
Beijing Datong Tour by Car Datong is well connected by expressways to Beijing, Pingyao, and Xian. Hiring an airconditioned vehicle visiting Datong from Beijing is a good choice. |
| Beijing Datong Tour by Train The high-speed train has been operating since 30/12/2019, which shorten the travel time from 6 hours to 2 hours. A day trip from Beijing to Datong by train is possible now, and it's comfortable & economical. |
Beijing Datong Tour by Flight The 45-minute flight between Beijing and Datong enables you make a round trip to Datong from Beijing and back to Beijing. |
| Beijing Datong Extended Tour After visiting Datong from Beijing, you may further go visit Pingyao and Xian. |
Xian Datong Tour You may visit Datong from Xian by train, or including a side trip to Pingyao. |
| Datong Travel Information If you prefer to travel independently as an individual traveler, we've summed up some useful travel information on Datong, helping you arrange your own trip. |
Questions & Answers If you have any questions, just drop a line. One of our staffers will contact you for the details. |
Datong City Tourist Map
Datong Vicinity Map
Datong Great Wall Map
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 Tour Code: DTP-04 Attractions: Deshengbu Fortress, Tamped Earth Great Wall at Zhenchuankou Duration: 1 Day Tour Type: Private Tour Price: Click Here
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We offer the private shuttle service at Datong airport, Datong railway stations, hotel to Yungang Grottoes, Hanging Monastery and more. Datong Car Rental from US$ 69 |
Datong Highlight Tour
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Tour Code: DTP-01 Attractions: Yungang Grottoes, Nine Dragon Screen, Shanhua Monastery, Huayan Temple Duration: One day Tour Type: Private Tour Price: Click Here
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Tour Code: DTP-02 Attractions: Hanging Temple, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda Duration: One day Tour Type: Private Tour Price: Click Here
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Tour Code: DTP-03 Attractions: Yungang Grottoes, Nine Dragon Screen, Huayan Temple, Hanging Temple, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda Duration: One day Tour Type: Private Tour Price: Click Here
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Tour Code: BDTP-01 Destinations: Beijing Datong Duration: 2 Days Tour Type: Private Tour Price: Click Here
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Tour Code: BDTP-11 Destinations: Beijing Datong Duration: 1 Day Tour Type: Private Tour Price: Starting from US$ 149 p/p |
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Tour Code: BDTP-02 Destinations: Beijing Datong Duration: 4 Days Tour Type: Private Tour Price: Click Here
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Tour Code: BDTP-03 Destinations: Beijing Datong Duration: 4 Days Tour Type: Private Tour Price: Click Here
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Tour Code: BDTP-09 Destinations: Beijing Datong Duration: 1 Day Tour Type: Private Tour Price: Click Here |
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Tour Code: BDTP-10 Destinations: Beijing Datong Duration: 2 Day Tour Type: Private Tour Price: Click Here |
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Tour Code: BDTP-04 Destinations: Beijing Wutaishan Datong Duration: 4 Days Tour Type: Private Tour Price: Click Here |
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Tour Code: BDTP-05 Destinations: Beijing Datong Xian Duration: 5 Days Tour Type: Private Tour Price: Click Here
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Tour Code: BDTP-06 Destinations: Beijing Datong Pingyao Xian Duration: 6 Days Tour Type: Private Tour Price: Click Here
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Tour Code: BDTP-07 Destinations: Beijing Datong Pingyao Xian Duration: 7 Days Tour Type: Private Tour Price: Click Here
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Tour Code: BDTP-08 Destinations: Beijing Datong Pingyao Xian luoyang Duration: 8 Days Tour Type: Private Tour Price: Click Here
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Xian Datong Tour
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Destinations: Datong Beijing Duration: 5 Day Tour Type: Private Tour Tour Code: XAST-04 Customizable: Yes Price: Click Here
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Destinations: Xian Pingyao Datong Beijing Duration: 7 Day Tour Type: Private Tour Tour Code: XAST-05 Customizable: Yes Price: Click Here
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Datong Travel Information
When to Visit in Datong
Datong has a warm continental monsoon climate with four distinct seasons. There is difference in temperature during day and night in Datong. April to October is regarded as the best time to visit Datong. Coming from different places, people have their own favorite time or seasons to plan Datong Tours.
High season: April, May, Sept and October
Shoulder season: June, July and August
Lower season: November to March next year
Datong City Layout
Datong is a walkable city. It is quite easy to memorize the main streets of the downtown area in Datong. It has four main streests, namely Dabeijie ( Big North Street ), Dadongjie ( Big East Street ), Dananjie ( Big South Street ) and Daxijie ( Big West Street ). Its layout is similar to that of Xian or Pingyao, but the sad thing is that its ancient walls are non-exitent!.
Red Flag Square, the largest square in Datong is the center of Datong with many activities going on among the local people.
The city major attractions ( Nine-dragon Wall,Huayan Temple and Shanhua Temple) are easily accessible on foot within the downtown area.
The site of Yungang Caves is 16 KM in the west suburb with a public Bus No.3-2 - a tourist bus starting from Datong Train Station or Red Flag Square to Yungang Grottoes. There are 25 stops on the line taking about 40 minutes to get there.
Hanging Temple is located 65km in Hunyuan County, southeast of Datong while Yingxian Wooden Pagoda 70km, south of Datong. Hanging Temple and Yingxian Wooden Pagoda are only 55km apart.
Datong Railway Station lies just north of the downtown Datong and its airport is located about 15km east of Datong.
Get around in Datong
The best way to get around in Datong is walking. If you feel tired, Datong taxis are very cheap, going to anywhere within the city costing you within rmb 10.
The bus lines are a little complicated and avoid to use them. But if you are going to Yungang Grottoes, it is convenient to take the public bus 3-2 starting from Datong Railway Station or Red Flag Square directly taking you from the city center to Yungang Caves 16km west of Datong.
To visit either Hanging Temple and Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, you are advised to rent a private car or van since there is no direct bus line connectng them, or you may join the local organized day tour including Hanging Temple and Yungang Grottoes.
Where to Stay in Datong
With years'fast development, though small and a bit remote, Datong has an increasing number of hotel options basically meeting different budget travelers from budget to luxury hotels.
Datong Budget Hotels
Jinjiang Inn (Datong Zhenhua Street) Add: 90, Zhenhua South Road, Datong Tel: 0352-2128666 2128333
Home Inn (Datong Yingbin Road) Add: Yingbin Road, Datong Tel: 400 820 3333
Hongqi Hotel (Huangcheng) Add: Datong Railway Station Front Street, Datong Tel: 0352--5366666 0352--5366111
Datong Midrange & Luxury Hotels:
Garden Hotel Add: Nan Dajie 59, Datong Tel: 0352 5865888
Holiday Inn Datong City Centre Add: 37 Yingbin Road, Datong Tel: 0352-2118888
Yungang Jianguo Hotel Add: No.21 East Road, Datong Yingbin Tel: 0352 5066666
Yungang International Hotel ADD: No.38 Da Xi Street, Datong Tel: 0352-5869999
Howard Johnson Jindi Plaza Datong Add: No. 88 Pingcheng Street, Datong Tel: 0352 603 9999
Datong Hotel Add: No1 Yuhe North Road, Datong Tel: 0352-6082999
What to See in Datong
Located in the north of Shanxi Province, Datong is one of the famous historical and cultural cities in China, and it was the capital of Beiwei State more than 1,500 years ago. Now it is an energy resources and heavy chemical base and abundant in coal especially, so it is also called “coal city”.
The main sights in Datong are Yungang Grotto, Hanging Temple, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, Nine-dragon Wall, Huayan Temple, Shanhua Temple, etc. Because it is very cold in winter and rather cool in summer, Datong it a good place in summer. Spring and summer are the best seasons for traveling.
Where to Dine in Datong
Rabbit head
The locals in Datong has a long history to eat rabbit head. Its meat is plump, tender and smooth. Red oil Rabbit and Hot Rabbit head is suitable for enthusiast of hot taste.
Guangling Toufu Curd
Toufu Curd is common in most of the places, however, Guangling Toufu Curd has a distinctive flavor. With a history of 100 years, Guangling Toufu Curd is made of the certain well water and superior soybean with unique seasonings such as salt, fennel, pepper, as well as ginger.
Yellow Cake
A homely deli in Datong. With glutinous millet flour as material, knead the flour into shiver then steam. After steam, knead it again smearing with gingili oil to prevent the scarfskin from drying and cracking. Divided it into pieces, taking with the puree. It is chewy, soft, fragrant and appetitive...
What to Buy in Datong
As the important material distributing center of Shanxi, Hebei and Monglia, the market in Datong makes you reluctant to return just as its view. Its featured specialities tell the ancient story of Datong and witness its development of long history.
Its commercial area mainly gathers in Da Xi Jie, Si Pai Lou and Xiao Nan Jie. There you can find the largest Department Store, Shopping Marketplace, special stores for women and children. The Commodities are high quality and cheap.
How to Enjoy Nightlife in Datong
Comparing to big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, the nightlife in Datong is a little fade, but you could find your own position here. Most of the entertainment places such as KTV, Bars gather along the Sipailou area, where is the place of young men.
Dancing and singing here could take away the fatigue. The performances in these bars are less exquisiter, but more native. It is easy, simple played by the local music enthusiasts to release the peeve, oppression of the daylight.
Datong Travel Guide
History: During its long history, China has had many capitals. More than 1,500 years ago, Datong was the honored city. Its border location in the northern part of Shanxi Province, a notch south of Inner Mongolia, made it a convenient meeting place for many nationalities to exchange goods and ideas.
In the first century, Buddhism made its way from India to China, where it flourished. It became the state religion during the Northern Wei Dynasty, and in 460 A.D. work began on a temple/monastery complex to sanctify the Buddha, The Enlightened One. For the next three decades, monks and slaves labored alongside each other with simple hand tools. Together they honeycombed the sandstone mountain and filled countless niches with carvings that illustrate the philosophical concept of the "thousand Buddhas", symbolizing the Buddha"s omnipresence through time and space.
Climate: Situated at the northeastern edge of the Loess Plateau (Huangtu gaoyuan), Datong has a continental monsoon climate with four distinctive four seasons. The average annual temperature is about 6.8 degrees Celsius, with sharp temperature difference between day and night. The temperatures considerably throughout the year, with a high of 38 degrees Celsius in the summer months of July and August, and a low of around -25 in January and February.
Questions & Answers:
Here is only for Questions and Answers. ( For anyone who wants to have an enquiry or customized tour, please email us to 
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