Henan is a landlocked province in central China, on the middle Yellow River, that held the capitals of several dynasties. It is home to the Shaolin Temple, the Longmen Grottoes, the Shang dynasty Yin Ruins and Song dynasty Kaifeng, all linked by fast high-speed rail from Zhengzhou.
Local currency: Chinese Yuan Renminbi (CNY/RMB).
Daily budget by traveller style
Typical per-person daily spend in Henan.
- Mid-range
- ¥400/day (~$60)
- Luxury
- ¥1,070+/day (~$160)
Cost breakdown
Typical price ranges across major spending categories.
Accommodation
- Hostel
- ¥50-100 (~$7.5-15)/night (dorm bed, Zhengzhou or Luoyang)
- Budget
- ¥150-250 (~$22-37)/night
- Midrange
- ¥300-600 (~$45-90)/night (3-4 star)
- Luxury
- ¥800-2000 (~$119-299)+/night (5-star)
Food
- Street
- ¥5-20 (~$0.75-3) (street food)
- Local
- ¥25-60 (~$3.7-9) (huimian or dumpling meal)
- Midrange
- ¥80-180 (~$12-27) (sit-down restaurant)
- Fine
- ¥300-700 (~$45-104)+ (banquet or Water Banquet)
Transport
- Bus
- ¥2-4 (~$0.30-0.60) city bus
- Taxi
- ¥12-40 (~$1.8-6) short Didi or taxi ride
- Airport
- ¥7-30 (~$1-4.5) Zhengzhou Xinzheng Airport (CGO) to city by metro line 2 or taxi
- Daytrip
- ¥20-100 (~$3-15) high-speed rail to Kaifeng or Luoyang
Activities
- Museum
- ¥0-60 (~$0.00-9) (Henan Museum is free with passport reservation)
- Sites
- ¥70-90 (~$10-13) (Shaolin Temple about ¥80, Longmen Grottoes about ¥90, Yin Xu about ¥70)
- Tour
- ¥300-700 (~$45-104) half-day guided tour
- Excursion
- ¥600-1200 (~$90-179) full-day private driver
Trip budgets by length
What a typical trip to Henan costs end-to-end.
Budget traveller
¥1,200 for 7 days (~$179); hostel, street food, public transport
Midrange traveller
¥2,800 for 7 days (~$418); hotel, restaurants, day trips
Luxury traveller
¥7,500+ for 7 days (~$1119); 5-star hotels, private driver
Money-saving tips
Practical ways to stretch your budget further.
Use metro and buses (¥2-8) rather than taxis.
Book high-speed trains on the Trip.com app or 12306; second class is cheap.
Eat breakfast soups and huimian for under ¥40.
Buy combination attraction tickets where available.
Travel outside Golden Week (October 1-7).
Free things to do
Memorable experiences that cost nothing.
Henan Museum, Zhengzhou
One of China's major museums; free with advance passport-based reservation on the official WeChat account
Kaifeng Gulou Night Market
Free to walk; pay only for food
Luoyang Old Town streets
Free walking in Laocheng and Laojie
Zhengzhou City God Temple precinct
Free to browse the old-city snack lanes
Yellow River scenic area viewpoints
Free riverside walks outside the paid enclosure