Explore the route, then refine the details.
A China Adventure Club route through northern heritage and landscapes. Explore the operator’s itinerary outline, then refine its pace and arrangements for your dates.
Adapted from China Adventure Club’s original regional and national collection. The outline below describes the source route; your written proposal establishes the current order, overnight stops and service arrangements.
Itinerary outline
Select a route section to explore the map. Tap a stop for its location or use the directions link for the next leg. Flights, trains, cruises and hiking arrangements follow your itinerary.
1 Beijing Directions to Datong
2 Datong Directions to Yungang Grottoes
3 Yungang Grottoes Directions to Hanging Temple
4 Hanging Temple Directions to Beijing
5 Beijing
Itinerary
5:30 a.m.: Beijing hotel pickup.
6:40 a.m.: Bullet train from Beijing North Station to Datong.
11:00 a.m.: Arrive in Datong South Station. Pickup by your English-speaking guide and driver. Drive to Yungang Grottoes. Start the tour here for two hours.
The caverns are excellent examples of rock-cut architecture and one of the three most famous ancient sculptural sites of China. They were mainly constructed in the period between 460-525 AD during the Northern Wei Dynasty. They are an outstanding example of Chinese stone carvings from the 5th and 6th centuries. Altogether, the site is composed of 252 grottoes with more than 51,000 Buddha statues and statuettes. In 2001, the Yungang Grottoes were announced as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Yungang Grottoes is considered by UNESCO as a "masterpiece of early Chinese Buddhist cave art... [and] ...represent the successful fusion of Buddhist religious symbolic art from south and central Asia with Chinese cultural traditions, starting in the 5th century CE under Imperial auspices."
1:00 p.m.: Gourmet Chinese northern style dishes and noodles. :)
2:00 p.m. - Drive to Hanging Temple.
2:45 p.m.: Tour Hengshan Hanging Temple (Xuankong si)
The Hanging Temple, also known as Xuankong Temple, is built into a cliff near Datong. More than 1,500 years old, it brings together Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian traditions. Oak beams fitted into the rock support the structure, while the overhanging cliff shelters its buildings and painted interiors.
4:00 p.m.: Drive to Datong South Station.
4:45 p.m.: A brief dinner.
6:07: Bullet train leaves Datong.
8:25 p.m.: Beijing South Station pickup and transfer to your hotel.
A Video about Yungang Grottoes
Things you can do
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TAILOR-MADE TRAVEL
What to refine before booking
Protect the travel days
Review the full hotel-to-hotel transfer for every intercity leg. Avoid relying on a flight or train arriving early enough for a tightly timed major attraction unless the final schedule supports it.
Choose a comfortable pace
Confirm stairs, slopes and time on foot. Ask which optional visits can be shortened or removed, and where an additional night would make the biggest difference.
Make inclusions explicit
Request the actual hotel and room choices, guide language, vehicle arrangements, admission coverage, meals and any activity-specific support in the written quotation.
Compare another approach
For a more spacious route, explore the original journey briefs in our national and regional collections. These show overnight allocations, transfer days and the tradeoffs behind each route.