4 Days Tour to Pingyao & Datong

Day 1 Arrival at Pingyao

Pingyao City Wall
Our guide will greet you at the railway station in Pingyao according to your train arrival time. You will then be transferred to the hotel for check-in. Our guide will recommend you a good local restaurant and leave some time for you to have lunch if you need. Then we will set out for this 4 days private Pingyao & Datong tour package.

The first stop is the Ancient City of Pingyao. Strolling along the Ancient Ming-Qing Street, you will see plenty of houses and shops arranged orderly in this prosperous and bustling block. 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. Afterwards, we will guide you to the Rishengchang – the first Chinese exchange shop. Pingyao City Wall, the ancient military defense facility of the city will be the last stop of today’s private Pingyao tour. Then, we will drive you back to the hotel.

Meals: No meals, advice freely available

Day 2 Pingyao – Datong

Qiao Family’s Compound
After breakfast, we will continue the private Pingyao tour in the Ancient City, and then a one hour Paper Cutting class is arranged for you to learn about the traditional skill of Chinese folk arts.

After lunch, we 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). Next you will be escorted to 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.

After two hours’ stay in Qiao Family Compound, we will drive to Taiyuan Railway Station, where a train to Datong is waiting for you. The train takes around 3 hours. Upon arrival at Datong, you will be picked up on time and transferred to the hotel.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 3 Datong

Our clients visting Yungang Grottoes
In the morning, we will drive one hour and accompany you to visit Hanging Monastery, a temple embedded into sheer cliffs and supported by wooden pillars. It is unique that the hierarchs of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are worshiped here together.

After lunch, we will lead you to Yungang Grottoes to admire the excellent and brilliant ancient grotto art. Today’s private Datong tour will end here, and we will return to the hotel.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4 Departure from Datong
After breakfast, we will go to Huayan Monastery. Built in the Liao Dynasty (907 – 1125), the large-scaled Mahavira Hall in the upper Huayan Monastery deserves a careful look.

Your 4-day Pingyao & Datong tour will draw to an end. We will send you to the Datong Railway Station for your departure and see you off. Have a nice journey!

Meal: Breakfast