4-Day Datong and Pingyao Tour
Explore the Buddhism relics - Yungang Grottoes in Datong, combine with the Pingyao Ancient Town and Wang's Family Compound.
Tour Highlights
- Step onto the Hanging Temple, and enjoy the thrilling but safe experience
- Visit one of the biggest Buddhism Grottoes in China, the Yungang Grottoes
- Ramble in Pingyao Ancient Town. Measure the history with your eyes, and see the daylight fade until the lanterns light up
- Explore the "Forbidden City for Common Folk" - the Wang Family Compound. Trace back life to the Ming and Qing dynasties (1338–1911), and see how a rich family lived
China Highlights, Asia Highlights, and Global Highlights collaborate to provide families and couples with personalized and stress-free experiences in diverse destinations.


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Der Partner für eine individuelle China Reise
Die Agency (in unserem Fall vertreten durch Tutu Sun) hat für uns eine perfekte Reise organisiert. Sehr gute Kommunikation im Vorfeld der Reise und vor Ort. Zu 100% verl?sslich, immer pünktlich und an jedem Ort sehr freundliche und engagierte Guides. Wir k?nnen eine Buchung bei diesem Unternehmen absolut und uneingeschr?nkt empfehlen. In Beijing hatten wir mit Herrn Chen 3 interessante Tage inklusive einer sehr spannenden individuellen Wanderung auf der grossen Mauer. more
Aug 2023,
Jeanne K
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Beijing Tour
Bruce was an amazing guide and very knowledgeable. He got me past ALOT of long lines fast and knew all the best places to go to take pictures! Also provided good recommendations for additional activities! If you get Bruce you’re in good hands! more
Aug 2023,
Anthony L
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Great two weeks in China with China Highlights
The trip included Shanghai where Kris was our amazing guide, Guilin and Yangshuo with Gary who did an amazing job at adjusting the schedule to meet our needs given the incredible heat, Chengdu with Helen who shared her passion for the Pandas with us, had fun in the peoples park with us and introduced us to the local opera which was fascinating and ensured we were able to taste amazing Sizhuan food without burning up! We then moved on to Xian with Jenny who ensured we got to the Terracotta army early enough to get an amazing view, took us to try our hand at making our own warriors, was very knowledgable about the history of Xian which was very interesting and lastly allowed us to try making dumplings which we all loved. Our final stop was Beijing. Ethan was our tour guide and he again did an amazing job ensuring we got to the Great Wall of China early enough to see the amazing wall without too many people and whilst it was still relatively cool, share his great knowledge of the Forbidden City and Summer Palace with us, introduced us to the Beijing Hot Pot and importantly ensured we were able to celebrate our sons 18th birthday in style and with his favourite Chinese food!! Thank you again for making our 2 weeks so special and we will for sure be back very soon. more
Aug 2023,
Sandra
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There is tour guides and there is felix
I had a blast with this tour! Felix is such an amazing person and so knowledgeable! He understands how to share knowledge and make us interested! Me and my friends had a wonderful day with Felix around the city I highly recommend China Highlights and would most likely recommend felix!!! more
Aug 2023,
PrettoMauricio
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Jennifer is an awesome guide and the…
Jennifer is an awesome guide and the tours were great! more
Aug 2023,
Renan Santos
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Beijing2023 a not to be missed experience!!
We spent 3 days in Beijing with Jennifer as our tour guide. The Great Wall, Forbidden City and the Summer Palace were all amazing, the Hutong tour was very interesting and we enjoyed seeing a typical home from that era. Jennifer was a wealth of information in Chinese history with names and date’s giving us insight into what we were seeing and the historical significance. She was warm, friendly, kind and professional and I would highly recommend her to enhance your trip more
Aug 2023,
Rita A
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Amazing Time at Honk Kong, Beijing and The Great Wall
We were a group of 10 people, our trip started at the beautiful Hong Kong, we had the best guide ever, Ken Ku, a really polite man and He always was worried for our needs. We met the Abeerden harbour, the beach side, the grand Buda, beautiful templesVictoria Peak, Temple Street, Jade market and lots of amazing places. Also we spend some days at Beijing and there we were in the main places you should go. The Summer Palace, Tiananmen Place, Chaoyang theater and spectacular show. We also travelled to the Mutianyang area to see the unveliable Great Wall, we eat in spectacular restaurants, we had a comfortable and fresh bus to travel all places. I tried to resume everything but still missing things. Thanks to all the team and our guide Lluvia in Beijing, She was so sweet. more
Aug 2023,
Community Manager
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High quality and flexibility
Bruce has been a very good guide to us. We spent different days with him, trekking on the great Wall, visiting forbidden City, hutong, summer palace and many other places in Beijing. He was also able to arrange for me a last second calligraphy class in a school as well. I strongly recommend him to anyone visiting the city. more
Aug 2023,
Isabella L
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Amazing 3 day tour in Beijing with Linda
We are from France and arrived in the best conditions. First of all, Linda, our Beijing tour guide came to pick us up, and we knew straight away that the 3 next days would be amazing. She is incredibly kind, so professional and very passionate. We’ve learned so much with her, from the Great Wall to the Summer Palace, through the hutong and more for you to discover! We are so grateful to have met her and we highly recommend her for your future journey to Beijing. Thank you some much Linda and hope to see you again soon! more
Aug 2023,
Remi Crozet
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Amazing 3 days in Beijing with Linda
We are from France and arrived in the best conditions. First of all, Linda, our Beijing tour guide came to pick us up, and we knew straight away that the 3 next days would be amazing. She is incredibly kind, so professional and very passionate. We’ve learned so much with her, from the Great Wall to the Summer Palace, through the hutong and more for you to discover! We are so grateful to have met her and we highly recommend her for your future journey to Beijing. Thank you some much Linda and hope to see you again soon! more
Aug 2023,
Alain
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Amazing Trip
We had a great experience with china highlights. Very helpful and careful. Our trip was splendid, very comfortable and safe cars. Our guide Jack gave us good tips and knowledge. more
Aug 2023,
Allan Lima
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Our Amazing China Trip with China Highlights…
Our China Trip with China Highlights was absolutely and truly remarkable. The service we received from China Highlights guides (Jack in Beijing, Mervyn in Xi'an, William in Guilin and Martin in Shanghai), drives and their office team was second to none. more
Aug 2023,
Somma Mohammadi
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China, beyond what you hear!
Beijing: A mega-historical city. Our tour guide, Jack welcomed us in the airport with a big smile. We stayed at a nice hotel in CBD. In China, if I want to name a problem, it would be language barrier that hardly you can find people who can speak English. Thanks to our tour guides we did not have any issues in our trip. Also, with so many free apps for translation, there is zero problem even we don’t speak any Chinses. Beijing, with the combination of old and new buildings, living side by side, you feel the city is transiting from old to modernism with a high speed. But with the rich history inside the town, I got distracted to chase signs of modernism and rather preferred to sink in the deep well of this ancient history. The resting time inside my 5 star hotel, was a place to think of the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and waiting to see the next wonder which was expecting us in the next day. Amongst all the famous and popular areas that you are expected to visit, I was most impressed when the tour introduced us to a local family in a traditional part of the town to have an afternoon tea with them. That provided us the opportunity to know how traditional people still live. How hospitable these people were. The tour always got our opinion for foods and our answer always was Chinese food. Local Chinses Food. Diversity of the menu is big and everyone can choose multiple options. Meats, pork, chicken, seafood, vegetarian… you name it. After 3 days we went to Xi-An with “bullet train”. This was another careful choice by the tour to give us the opportunity to see the cities and villages on our way. The train with a speed of 310 km/hr was very convenient and clean. On the way, I could see the fast tracking of new construction sites and developments. One think that was interesting for me, most of the machineries that were being used, seem to be “made in China”. Xi-An We arrived at Xi-An at a night maybe 9 pm. This city is the starting point of The Silk Road. Welcomed by our tour guide Mervyn, we entered a smaller city than Beijing. You could see that Xian was more regulated than Beijing. The city was live with many people walking around. We inspected the mysterious Terracotta Warriors where the venue was overly populated by visitors. But what completed the experience for us, thanks to our tour, was meeting a local artist who taught us how these warriors were made with clay. Each of us, even kids, was given some clay and moulds and we made our little statues. After that we visited the city museum where I could see how Chinese were using nice plates and bowls 1500 years ago, some were as fashionable as those we use today. I also visited Muslim district. It was interesting how different religions live peacefully next to each other inside this ancient city. And the surprise here, was visiting a busy street and trying street foods by our choice, and it was all shouted by China Highlights . Oh, I cannot say how much we loved this. Mingling with people and nice shop keepers, taking photos, testing the foods, … Guilin And then we flew to Guilin. Which is a smaller city in East China. It was night. We were welcomed by our tour guide, William. Friendly man with some sense of humour which we all loved it. At night we could not see much comparing to Beijing and Xian. Full of little restaurants on each side of the street and people all out, like it is a national celebration. Later William told us, how people in this city like to enjoy their time. We stayed in Shangri-La in Guilin, very high quality in foods, accommodation and entertainment. This hotel really respects its brand regardless of the location. In the morning when I opened the curtain, I wasn’t sure if the scene in front of me is a minotaur or a natural scenery. Series of mountain peaks, sitting next to each other, like those that you see in cartoons. So, first day we started going to rice terraces in the rural area of Guilin. The extent of beauty cannot be described in writing, but feel free to google “rice terraces, Guilin” and trust your eyes. After some hiking through the terraces, we got to this small village, without proper modern access but all narrow footpaths. We entered a local house and tried local food. Sticky rice cooked and smoked in bamboo, that we learn and prepared it ourselves. Beef, pork, vegetables, rice wine… It was a feast better than those you can find in any luxury restaurant in the cities. The next day we boarded on a ferry to flow on the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo. Here I witnessed the peaky range of mountains that I had seen from my hotel window yesterday. It was close to 40 degrees outside, but it couldn’t stop me from staying on the roof deck and enjoying the scenery. Day after, we were off to next destination, Shanghai. Unfortunately, the flight had major delay that night. But few interesting things happened in the airport that I cannot miss to add them. First and for most, was the continues support of our tour guide, William, who checked on us until 1:15am when the plane eventually took off and even, I saw his later follow up to make sure we landed safe and been handed to the next guide in Shanghai. This is beyond normal responsibility that you expect. On top of that, we had Kimi, our tour supervisor who kept checking on us. Kimi kept updating us of his follow up with the airline which was happening in the background. In addition to that, kids liked to have KFC which was only available on the other side of security gate. In China, rules are strict and if you have passed the security checks, it is very difficult to cross the gate and start it again. But here, police were so nice and helpful, who kindly helped my family to get their food, stayed with them and after some formalities, escorted them to pass the security gate without any hassle. Maybe 2 or 3 policemen and women, spent 45 minutes of their time to make sure, visitors are in comfort inside the airport and in response to our appreciation they told us, we are just doing our normal work! Oh, I remembered, in China police does not carry guns, when walking on the streets. This is the level of safety! Shanghai Around 4 am, we landed in Shanghai. Welcomed by our very friendly and knowledgeable tour guide, Martin. When we arrived to the hotel, we just went to bed and rest. In the morning, I thought the beds are smaller than King Size as we had in our contract. I checked it with Martin. He double checked with hotel and explained to us the standards are bit different in each hotel. But never the less, they upgraded our rooms to sweets to ensure of our comfort. The new rooms were generously large, double bathroom and shower and high level… it was a heavenly gift mostly for the kids. Next day, we had a walk through the city. Where I was amazed by the tall buildings, modern urban design, strict traffic rules and in one word, a modern city with its high-class citizens. What amazed me even more, was that all these had happened in the last 30 years. We tried to visit the Shanghai Tower, but the queue was more than 3 hours wait, so we gave up. Next day we went to Disney Land. The “Promised Land” for the kids, from the minute we decided to visit China. I, personally am not a fan of manmade excitements, but even me spent 11 hours in Disney Land and enjoyed my time like everyone. This was a good example of cross-cultural understanding between China and the West. And last day, we did some walk around the city before we are taken to the airport. And here was a catch of the day as we have had in every other city. Martin came to us and said he has arranged to visit the restaurant-bar of J- Hotel in level 120 of Shanghai Hotel which is even 2 floor higher than the public observatory that we could not visit yesterday. We were shouted by China Highlights to spend some time in this most luxurious bar! And this is how we left China with the most unforgettable memories. And by the way, we had our two young children with us, 6 and 8 years old. And not that they have been practicing hiking or walking in the past. Like other kids, they prefer watching TV and games, but the walks and places were so attractive to drag them all way with us for 110km walking in 12 days. more
Aug 2023,
Shaha R
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At rather short notice Carol organised…
We were appreciative of all our guides (Jenny, Jacob, Helen, Nur, Karem and Felix) who all spoke good English, were mindful of our needs and flexible in their approach. We really enjoyed our journey out west along the ancient Silk Road and while it had some challenges we have returned with so many great memories. more
Jul 2023,
Gary McPhee
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Trip Beijing - Shanghai 9 days
After hearing that China was opening its doors for tourists, even though our tour schedule is for next year, Roger Li convinced us to book early because the price was affordable and if it turns out that we cancel the booking, China Highlights will return the full down payment His expertise, patience, and insightful suggestions have been invaluable in work out our itinerary. Roger has been diligent in addressing all our queries, making this planning phase a breeze. Roger Li has been great at working with us and our changing agenda. He is very responsive and very professional Highly recommend his services . Georges N. more
Jul 2023,
Georges
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a happy tour in Beijing
My son Taylor booked the tour for us from chinahighlights. we stayed in Beijing for four days.Bruce was our tour guide. He spoke fluent English and there was no barrier between us. He was very patient, he met us at the airport and our flight was delayed for three hours, but when I met him, he was smiling and very warm. He was very professional, He explained every scenic spot to us carefully. We learned a lot about Chinese history from him.We had planned to visit a local Beijing family to learn how to make some Chinese food, but because they were traveling, we couldn't. Bruce rearranged the itinerary for us, and we went to the Confucian Temple and the Imperial College, which was a great place to visit. more
Jul 2023,
lois A
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China Highlights goes above and beyond!
Beijing would take a lifetime to fully explore, but we only had 2.5 days. Fortunately, Cactus, our amazing China Highlights tour guide got us up and going early (the July heat was unbearable!) and guided us through the city and it's treasures. It's was clear she loved history as much as we did and she gave us insight into the rich physical and cultural past, present, and future of the city, country, and all of the dynasties. She answered our questions, fed us well, and even parted us with a beautiful gift that we will cherish for a long time. A few days after our tour, we had a few lingering questions and she helped us find what we were looking for and she even made a reservation at a restaurant for us that we were struggling to do with our limited language skills. She went above and beyond. Anyone traveling in Beijing would be lucky to tour the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and so much more and even luckier to have Cactus as their guide! more
Jul 2023,
Kaila W
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Great day with our guide Tom
We had an amazing tour with our guide TOM. Everything ran smoothly from the pick-up from our hotel and all the transport between the sites. The tour is well organized and completely hassle free as all of the tickets for the sights are arranged by your tour guide and we had just the right amount of time at each sight with the option to spend more time at each if we liked. Our guide TOM was so knowledgeable about all the sites we visited and answered all of our questions. We got a cable car up to the Great Wall which was lovely and scenic, we also weren’t too tired to walk along the wall when we reached the top. It was honestly the highlight of our trip to Beijing. Thanks to China highlights,we highly recommend to everyone for China highlights and best tour guide TOM more
Jul 2023,
Aline F
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A reimagined schedule leads to fantastic 2 day tour
We booked a 2-Day tour and were assigned Olivia Tian as our tour guide. She was excellent. Very knowledgeable about the sights we did see and made sure to keep everyone informed. Both my Chinese in-laws and myself (American) had great time. Olivia also made the most of our time by rearranging our schedule a bit to take advantage of the weather and time. The original plan was Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Great Wall on Day 1 and Temple of Heaven, and Summer Palace on Day 2. Instead, we did the Great Wall first time on day 1, which meant it was cooler for the hiking. And we did a bit of a faster tour through the Temple of Heaven to be able to catch a theatrical show Olivia recommended. If you enjoy performing arts, the $40-55USD per person tickets are well worth this 60 minute show, the Golden Mask. Great Wall, Temple of Heaven and the Golden Mask Show made up the 1st day. Day 2 was Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace. All were great and Olivia was awesome at knowing some shortcuts and getting us by some of the lines where she could. The day ended sort of early (around 330pm) but depending on how much hiking you did at the Great Wall, (and how fit you are), this might be just what you want. Overall, Olivia provided an excellent touring experience and I can't help but recommend her to others looking for a trip to Beijing. more
Jul 2023,
Jonathan M.
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A reimagined schedule leads to fantastic 2 day tour
We booked a 2-Day tour and were assigned Olivia Tian as our tour guide. She was excellent. Very knowledgeable about the sights we did see and made sure to keep everyone informed. Both my Chinese in-laws and myself (American) had great time. Olivia also made the most of our time by rearranging our schedule a bit to take advantage of the weather and time. The original plan was Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Great Wall on Day 1 and Temple of Heaven, and Summer Palace on Day 2. Instead, we did the Great Wall first time on day 1, which meant it was cooler for the hiking. And we did a bit of a faster tour through the Temple of Heaven to be able to catch a theatrical show Olivia recommended. If you enjoy performing arts, the $40-55USD per person tickets are well worth this 60 minute show, the Golden Mask. Great Wall, Temple of Heaven and the Golden Mask Show made up the 1st day. Day 2 was Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace. All were great and Olivia was awesome at knowing some shortcuts and getting us by some of the lines where she could. The day ended sort of early (around 330pm) but depending on how much hiking you did at the Great Wall, (and how fit you are), this might be just what you want. Overall, Olivia provided an excellent touring experience and I can't help but recommend her to others looking for a trip to Beijing. more
Jul 2023,
jkjmueller
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Suggested Itinerary
Your private guide will be holding a sign with your name, and waiting for you at the exit of the train station / airport. A comfortable private car (non-smoking), and experienced driver will be ready. You will explore the main attractions in Datong city.
The Datong Nine-Dragon Screen Wall is the oldest and largest glazed screen in China. A screen wall is a traditional Chinese architectural feature, used for block the view from the front gate.
Huayan Temple is not far from the Nine-Dragon Screen Wall. It has the world's second largest wooden pagoda. Under the pagoda there is an underground Thousand Buddha Palace, which is made of pure copper. It is all copper from the ceiling to the floor.
Lunch will be arranged in a local social restaurant, and your tour guide will assist you to make the order, so you can taste the most authentic local food.
In the afternoon you will visit one of the biggest Buddhist grottoes in China - the Yungang Grottoes . We will arrange a battery cart at the attraction, so you can avoid the long walk between grottoes and have more time to see the statues.
After the day trip, have a good rest in your hotel, and prepare for the adventures of the next day. Your guide will be happy to recommend some local restaurants near you hotel for your dinner.
Accommodation
Garden International Hotel (4-star)/ Shanxi World Trade Hotel (5-star)
It takes about 5½ hours by car from Datong to Pingyao, but don't worry: you won't feel boring on the way! After breakfast in your hotel, drive 1½ hours to the Hanging Temple.
True to its name, the Hanging Temple is hanging on a cliff. Ancient people built this temple to store food and water for people who passed by, and accepted three major Chinese religions, so that travelers of those religions could stay there.
Why built so high? It followed a requirement of Taoism: "Do not hear the rooster crow and dog bark." It meant the temple had to be built in a quiet place, far from noisy living.
Lunch will be arranged near the Hanging Temple, and then you will head to the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda. As a UNESCO site, the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda is the oldest and tallest surviving wooden structure in China.
After the pagoda travel by highway directly to Pingyao, and check in at your hotel in Pingyao Ancient Town.
Accommodation
Hongshanyi Inn (4-star)/ Yunjincheng Folk Hotel (5-star)
Most hotels and hostels in the ancient town are in traditional Chinese style, you will see antique courtyard and wooden furniture, and even have a chance to experience sleeping on a "kang"-- heatable brick bed that popular in North China. Extra quilt can be required to soften the bed.

Wake up in your traditional-Chinese-style room. It's better to start the day with the Ancient City Wall. If you are a photographer, sunrise at the Ancient City Wall is a great chance to grasp the charm of the ancient town.
The core history of Pingyao Ancient Town is the history of Chinese banking system. Rishengchang Former Bank was the first draft bank in China. There you will learn how the banking system was born, and how it developed until the first bank was defunct.
Lunch will be arranged in a local restaurant.
To protect the tangible currency, armed Escort Companies came into being. The Armed Escort Company Museum shows how this special business was formed and how it was run, and also introduces the top 10 escort companies and top 10 guards - they were all kung fu masters.
Mingqing Street area, which is the most prosperous area in the ancient town. The lanterns are all on at night, and it is very lively there in the evening.
Accommodation
Hongshanyi Inn (4-star)/ Yunjincheng Folk Hotel (5-star)

After breakfast in your hotel, your guide will be waiting for you in the lobby on time. You will explore the rich culture outside of the ancient city wall.
Driving for 10 minutes, you will visit the Shuanglin Temple first. The Shuanglin Temple is considered to be the "unrestored glory" of Pingyao, and it has over 2,000 colored mud sculptures preserved under its humble-looking roofs. Every sculpture has its own face and expression, and each of them is a rare treasure.
Then you will drive in a southerly direction for one hour to the Wang Family Courtyard. Lunch will be arranged in a local restaurant on the way - your tour guide will assist you with reading the menu and ordering the dishes, and you will taste the most authentic local food.
Lunch will be arranged in a local restaurant.
The Wang Family Compound is about 1½ hours from the ancient town. It is the former residence of the Wang family - a reputable official's family that lived there for over 300 years. Its total area is about 25 ha. (62 ac.), with 123 courtyards and 1,118 rooms. The structure of the compound embodied the different status of men and women, masters and servants.
After your trip, your guide and driver will drive you to the train station and say goodbye.

Trip Notes
1. Pingyao Vicinity Map

2. Hanging Temple Tips:
Comfortable shoes and a light backpack are suggested, as for all excursions.
The stairs to the Hanging Temple are narrow, only allowing one person to pass, and the rail is short, so be careful. It is 60 to 90 meters above the ground, so people who fear heights should consider this before going up.
Continuing heavy rain might cause rock falls, so for safety the temple will be closed in bad weather.
The viewing platform that under the mountain and opposite the river is a great place to have a full view of the Hanging Temple. People can take pictures from the square if they don't plan to go up, or when the temple was closed due to bad weather.
Note: Due to the continuing rain and large area rock falls, tourists are not allowed to climb the mountain and go into the Hanging Temple since 13th Oct. 2015. People can still have a full view of the Hanging Temple at the viewing platform that under the mountain and opposite the river. We will continue to watch the situation and update the information.
3. Photography
If you are a photographer, taking a shot of the sunrise at the ancient city wall is a great opportunity to grasp the charm of the ancient town. The sun rises at around 6am. As the morning fog fades away, people start to come out and prepare for the new day. If you want to wait for the right moment, it is suggested that you take a photo first, and then go back to your hotel and have breakfast.
Another good time to take photos on the ancient city wall is at 4pm, because the sunlight slants on the tall wall and you can capture a sense of the historical vicissitudes. Many great photos have come from this moment.
Aerial photography with a drone is currently allowed in Datong and Pingyao, and it is a good way to have a bird's-eye view of the ancient town. Our package tour provides the most flexibility for you to stop and fly a drone, and your private tour guide will help you to avoid the curious crowds. Be aware of electric wires and inconspicuous trees in the ancient town when flying a drone.
4. Easy Trip Planning
Our 1 to 1 private travel advisors will give you professional suggestions, you can alter the itinerary, extend or shorten it to suit your price, interest and schedule. Feel free to tell us your requirements, and we are happy to help you arrange with our professional knowledge and experience.
5. Payment Methods
We now offer 3 payment methods: PayPal, credit card authorization via fax and wire transfer. PayPal is recommended for its safety and efficiency. You can pay USA dollars, Australian dollars, European dollars and Great Britain Pound directly with your credit card or debit card, even if you don't have PayPal account.
Tour Price
Price includes:
Start planning your tailor-made tour now. Your 1:1 travel consultant will reply within 1 working day.