Datong Travel Guide
Datong City, located in the north of Shanxi Province about 240 kilometers due west of Beijing and some 20 kilometers south of the Great Wall, which follows, roughly, the border between present-day Shanxi Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is one of the famous historic and cultural cities of China. In ancient times, Datong was a military stronghold whose mission was to hold back the hordes that frequently pushed south into China proper, from Mongolia. Indeed, this was the very raison d'être of the Great Wall. Today, however, Datong, alongside its tourism-oriented role as an important Chinese historical venue, provides one of the country's primary sources of energy, as significant coal deposits have been found here, giving Datong the somewhat dubious title of China's "coal capital". more about Datong »
- Chinese Name: 大同
- Chinese Pinyin: dà tóng
- Location: North China
- Latitude: 40° 01' N
- Longitude: 113° 03' E
- Elevation: 1000 M (3281 FT)
- Time Zone: (UTC+8)
- Area Code: 0352
- Population: 3.2 million
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Datong Top Attractions
Datong Nine Dragon Screen Wall
Summary As one of three famous walls of this style in China (the other two are in Beihai Park in Beijing and in front of Taiji Gate of the Forbidden City in Beijing), Datong Nine-Dragon Wall is the oldest, largest and the most enchanting one among the three. Overview Built during the Ming Dynasty (1271-136... more about Datong Nine Dragon Screen Wall
Datong Maps
Datong Photos
Shopping in Datong
Datong is situated in northern Shanxi Province and bordered by Inner Mongolia to the north and Hebei Province to the east, so it has become a key center of material collection and distribution among the three provinces. The most well-known local products are Yungang Silk Dolls, Datong Egg Carvings and Yanggao Preserved Apricots. Yungang Silk Dolls...more info about Datong Shopping »
Recommended Datong Tours
- Tour Code: CHT-WH-03
- Attractions: Tian'anmen Square, The Forbidden City, Treasure Houses, Hutong Tours in a Rickshaw, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Jinshanling Great Wall, Chengde Summer Palace, Putuozongcheng Temple (Potala), Pule Temple, Puning Temple, The Yungang Grottoes, Datong Nine-Dragon Screen Wall, The Shang Huayan Temple, Shanhua Monastery, Hanging Temple (or the Temple in Midair), Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, Wutai Mountain Scenic Area, Chongshansi Temple, Pingyao Ancient Town, Qiao Family's compound, The Rishengchang Draft Bank, The Mingqing Street, Armed Escort Company Museum, The Ancient City Wall, The City Wall, Shaanxi History Museum, The Terracotta Warriors and Horses, Big Wild Goose Pagoda
- Tour Code: CHT-WH-03
- Attractions: Tian'anmen Square, The Forbidden City, Treasure Houses, Hutong Tours in a Rickshaw, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Jinshanling Great Wall, Chengde Summer Palace, Putuozongcheng Temple (Potala), Pule Temple, Puning Temple, The Yungang Grottoes, Datong Nine-Dragon Screen Wall, The Shang Huayan Temple, Shanhua Monastery, Hanging Temple (or the Temple in Midair), Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, Wutai Mountain Scenic Area, Chongshansi Temple, Pingyao Ancient Town, Qiao Family's compound, The Rishengchang Draft Bank, The Mingqing Street, Armed Escort Company Museum, The Ancient City Wall, The City Wall, Shaanxi History Museum, The Terracotta Warriors and Horses, Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Hi Rich,
We are a tour agency in China. We specialize in：
Independent China Package
Organized Group Tours
Do you need us to arrange a tour for you?
Regards,
Coco
Sebbytan, Usually the railway station will start the sale at 6am. If the train tickets are round way (e.g. Beijing-Datong-Beijing), you may try to buy them both at Beijing railway station.
For your plan one day Datong tour, it will a 230km (4-5 hours), taxi may ask from CNY600. Considering the regular opening period for scenic spots (9am-5pm), it might be probelm to finsih all during the day time. Good luck!
Karen
Thanks Karen... I will be traveling from Pingyao to Datong ... so can't get the round trip back to BJ... BTW do you company in Datong has a day trip in Datong and how much it cost per person ... thanks
Hi Josh Lim,
It will be quite cold in November in Shanxi Province, especially in Wutaishan area. You'd better take your warm coats. Sometimes it snow in November.
Wish you a nice time in China. If you need any assistance when you are in China, please feel free to contact us.
It is very easy to climb up to the temple, only some steps. but if you fear height, you should think about if you still want to climb up when you are there.
Hello, James,
The Huayan Temple in Datong has been being renovated for a year and we cannot tell whether it would open in October.
The surrounding of the Yungang Grottoes is also being renovated. But it does not affect the visit inside.
In spite of that, your visit time is correct as the October has the best weather in Datong.
If you need any private travel services, please feel free to contact us at service@chinahighlights.com. We are looking forward to help you further.
Dennis Su
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