Open Travel Guide
Day trips from Shanxi

Best Day Trips from Shanxi 2026

Escape the city with the best day trips from Shanxi.

By Updated

Shanxi has 10+ day trips covered in this guide, led by Jinci Temple, Pingyao Ancient City and Qiao Family Compound. Each entry below includes the practical details — what it costs, when to go, and how to plan around it.

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.

Top day trips

Handpicked excursions within easy reach.

About 25 km southwest of central Taiyuan

Jinci Temple

Taxi or Didi from central Taiyuan (about 40 minutes), or city bus 308 from Taiyuan Railway Station to the Jinci terminus (about 1 hour)
About 100 km southwest of Taiyuan

Pingyao Ancient City

High-speed train from Taiyuan South to Pingyao Gucheng station (30–50 minutes, ¥25–33 / about $4–5 USD second class), then bus (about ¥3) or taxi (about ¥20–25) for the 10 km to the old city gates
About 55 km south of Taiyuan; about 40 km north of Pingyao

Qiao Family Compound

Didi or hired car from Taiyuan or Pingyao; often combined with Pingyao on the same day by private driver
About 6 km southwest of Pingyao Ancient City

Shuanglin Temple

Taxi or Didi from Pingyao's South Gate (about 15 minutes); electric scooters rented inside the old town can also make the trip
About 230 km northeast of Taiyuan by road

Wutai Shan (Mount Wutai)

Coach from Taiyuan East Bus Station to Taihuai (about 4 hours, ¥66–78 / about $10–11 USD), or conventional K-train from Taiyuan to Wutaishan station (about 3.5 hours) then a ¥20 (about $3 USD) bus to Taihuai
About 45 km southwest of Taihuai; about 200 km northeast of Taiyuan

Foguang Temple

Hired car or taxi from Taihuai (about 1 hour); best combined with a Wutai Shan stay as there is no convenient public transport
About 16 km west of central Datong

Yungang Grottoes

Didi or taxi from central Datong (about 30 minutes); city buses also run to the grottoes (check Amap for the current route number)
About 65–75 km southeast of Datong

Hanging Monastery (Xuankong Temple)

Shuttle from the Yungang Grottoes to the Hanging Monastery at ¥39 (about $6 USD) each way, or a hired car from Datong, often combined with the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda
About 75 km south of Datong; about 60 km west of the Hanging Monastery

Yingxian Wooden Pagoda (Fogong Temple)

Hired car from Datong, usually combined with the Hanging Monastery in one loop; coaches also run from Datong to Ying County
About 170 km west of Linfen; about 400 km southwest of Taiyuan

Hukou Waterfall (Shanxi side)

High-speed train from Taiyuan South to Linfen West, then the Linfen–Hukou scenic direct bus or a hired car; an overnight in Linfen or Ji County makes the trip comfortable

Trips by distance

How far you can go in a day.

Under 50km

50 150km

Over 150km

Getting there

Transport options for day trips.

High Speed Rail Hub
Taiyuan South Railway Station for Pingyao Gucheng (30–50 minutes), Datong South (about 2 hours) and Linfen West; Datong South for the north
Tourist Bus Lines
Yungang Grottoes–Hanging Monastery shuttle (¥39 each way); Linfen–Hukou Waterfall scenic direct bus; Taiyuan city bus 308 to Jinci
Chartered Car Note
Rural sites such as Foguang Temple, the Hanging Monastery plus Yingxian Pagoda loop and Hukou Waterfall are easiest with a hired car and driver

Multi-day tours from Shanxi

If you have longer than a day, these are organised multi-day trips that start here.

Browse multi-day tours from Shanxi

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Day trip tips

Make the most of your excursions.

Tip

Base in Datong for the Yungang Grottoes, Hanging Monastery and Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, and in Taiyuan or Pingyao for Jinci, the Qiao Family Compound and Shuanglin Temple

Tip

Book Yungang Grottoes tickets in advance on the Yungang WeChat or Alipay mini-programme with a passport; there are no on-site ticket counters

Tip

Plan Wutai Shan as an overnight rather than a day trip; the coach from Taiyuan takes about 4 hours each way

Tip

The Pingyao combined ticket covers the city wall and around 20 sites but not Shuanglin Temple, which is sold separately

Tip

Check river conditions before travelling to Hukou Waterfall in July–August; the viewing area can close during Yellow River flood peaks

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