Shanxi is a landlocked province on the Loess Plateau of north China, west of the Taihang Mountains and east of the Yellow River. It holds more surviving pre-modern timber buildings than any other Chinese province, three UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the Yungang Grottoes, the Ancient City of Pingyao and Mount Wutai), the cliff-clinging Hanging Monastery, the 1056 wooden pagoda of Ying County, the Qing-era merchant mansions of the Jin traders and the thundering Hukou Waterfall on the Yellow River.
Local currency: Chinese Yuan Renminbi (CNY/RMB).
Daily budget by traveller style
Typical per-person daily spend in Shanxi.
- Mid-range
- ¥680 (about $100 USD)/day
- Luxury
- ¥1,700+ (about $250+ USD)/day
Cost breakdown
Typical price ranges across major spending categories.
Accommodation
- Hostel
- ¥50–90 (about $7–13 USD) per dorm bed in Pingyao or Datong hostels
- Budget
- ¥120–250 (about $18–37 USD) for a simple courtyard guesthouse room in Pingyao or a budget chain hotel in Taiyuan or Datong
- Midrange
- ¥250–500 (about $37–74 USD) for a restored courtyard inn in Pingyao or a 4-star hotel in Taiyuan
- Luxury
- ¥800–2,000+ (about $118–294+ USD) for international five-star hotels in Taiyuan or top heritage courtyard hotels in Pingyao
Food
- Street
- ¥10–25 (about $1.50–4 USD) for a bowl of knife-cut noodles or Pingyao snacks
- Local
- ¥40–80 (about $6–12 USD) per person at a local Shanxi restaurant
- Midrange
- ¥100–180 (about $15–26 USD) per person for a sit-down meal with drinks
- Fine
- ¥300–600 (about $44–88 USD) per person at hotel restaurants or banquet-style dining
Transport
- Bus
- ¥1–2 (about $0.15–0.30 USD) city bus; ¥2–6 (about $0.30–0.90 USD) Taiyuan metro
- Taxi
- ¥15–40 (about $2–6 USD) for most city rides in Taiyuan or Datong
- Airport
- ¥2–6 (about $0.30–0.90 USD) by metro or ¥30–50 (about $4–7 USD) by taxi from Wusu Airport to central Taiyuan
- Daytrip
- ¥25–33 (about $4–5 USD) high-speed train Taiyuan–Pingyao; about ¥86–140 (about $13–21 USD) Taiyuan–Datong
Activities
- Museum
- Free: Shanxi Museum in Taiyuan with advance reservation and passport
- Sites
- ¥48–125 (about $7–18 USD) for major sites: Yingxian Wooden Pagoda ¥48, Jinci ¥80, Qiao Family Compound ¥115, Yungang Grottoes ¥120 (¥100 in winter), Pingyao combined ticket ¥125
- Tour
- ¥215 (about $32 USD) for the Hanging Monastery including the climbing ticket
- Excursion
- ¥500–1,000 (about $74–147 USD) per day for a car with driver
Trip budgets by length
What a typical trip to Shanxi costs end-to-end.
Budget traveller
¥1,750 (about $257 USD) for 7 days (hostels and guesthouses, noodle shops, trains and buses, selective paid sites)
Midrange traveller
¥4,760 (about $700 USD) for 7 days (courtyard inns and 4-star hotels, restaurant meals, all major sites, a day with a driver)
Luxury traveller
¥11,900+ (about $1,750+ USD) for 7 days (five-star and boutique courtyard hotels, private driver, guided visits)
Money-saving tips
Practical ways to stretch your budget further.
Use high-speed trains between Datong, Taiyuan and Pingyao instead of tours; tickets are cheap and journeys short
Buy the ¥125 Pingyao combined ticket only if visiting several sites; the streets themselves are free
Reserve the free Shanxi Museum tickets online in advance
Use Taiyuan Metro Line 1 for the airport instead of a taxi
Eat at noodle shops: a filling bowl of knife-cut noodles costs ¥10–25 (about $1.50–4 USD)
Students and seniors get half price or free entry at many sites with valid ID; children under 1.2 m usually enter free
Share a driver between several people for rural loops such as the Hanging Monastery and Yingxian Pagoda
Travel outside Golden Week and Spring Festival, when hotel prices can double
Stay in a Pingyao courtyard guesthouse rather than a chain hotel for better value and atmosphere
Free things to do
Memorable experiences that cost nothing.
Shanxi Museum
The provincial museum on the west bank of the Fen River in Taiyuan, with Jin-state bronzes, Buddhist sculpture and Jin merchant exhibits; free with advance online reservation
Pingyao Ancient City streets
Walking the lanes of the walled town, including Ming-Qing Street (Nan Dajie), West Street and East Street, is free; only individual sites need the combined ticket
Liuxiang and Zhonglou Street pedestrian area
Taiyuan's historic shopping streets in Yingze District, busy with snack shops and evening crowds
Fenhe Park riverside
Long landscaped park along both banks of the Fen River through central Taiyuan, popular for walking, cycling and evening dancing
Datong Ancient City lanes
The restored old town inside Datong's rebuilt city wall, with the Drum Tower and Nine Dragon Wall area, is free to wander; individual sites charge admission
Jinyang Lake Park
Large public park and lake in southwest Taiyuan, free to enter