Yungang Grottoes Caves & Pingyao
5-day tour of UNESCO World Heritage sites

Ping Yao is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Han Chinese city, founded in the 14th century. Its urban fabric shows the evolution of architectural styles and town planning in Imperial China over five centuries. Of special interest are the imposing buildings associated with banking, for which Ping Yao was the major centre for the whole of China in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Yungang Grottoes, in Datong city, Shanxi Province, with their 252 caves and 51,000 statues, represent the outstanding achievement of Buddhist cave art in China in the 5th and 6th centuries. The Five Caves created by Tan Yao, with their strict unity of layout and design, constitute a classical masterpiece of the first peak of Chinese Buddhist art.

TOUR SCHEDULE

Day 1 Beijing/Datong
Take the overnight train N205 (23:29 - 7:05) from Beijing to Datong, the famous coal city in China.

Day 2 Datong/Pingyao (by tour bus or car)
A local tour guide will meet you at the railway station and take you out for breakfast. Our bus will leave for Yungang Buddha Grottoes and Hanging Temple at 9:00 am and return to the railway station at approx. 4:30 pm. This gives you enough time to walk around the downtown area where you will see the Nine-Dragon Wall, Bell Tower and some old streets. Take the overnight train 2462 (22:28-07:48) to Pingyao, a Unesco Culture Heritage Site.

Day 3 Pingyao
A local tour guide will meet you at the railway station and take you to your hotel (Folk Hotel). The highlight of today's tour will be wandering around the old town of Pingyao, which was built according to the traditional Han Chinese town planning and architectural style. Four main streets, eight narrower ones and 72 small lanes formed a neat grid. The town's dwellings were built either in the style of courtyard houses or man-made cave-houses. Old temples and shops are still scattered all over the town which bring back memories of its flourishing past. A visit to Shuanglin Temple in the afternoon. Return to Folk Hotel.

Day 4 Pingyao/Taiyuan/Beijing
After breakfast, we will go to Taiyuan, the capital city of Shanxi Province, and visit Qiao's Courtyard Houses Complex and Jinci Temple on the way. After dinner, we will take the overnight train N202 (21:30-07:50) from Taiyuan to Beijing.

Day 5 Beijing
Arrive in Beijing in the morning.

• TOUR RATES (CNY-Chinese RMB, minimum two people):
           CNY2780/pax (hard sleeper) CNY2960/pax (soft sleeper)
           The single supplement: CNY200/pax
           The prices do not apply to National Holidays (Spring Festival, Labor Day, National Day).

The prices include:
• Entrance fees, 3-star hotel accommodation, breakfast, tour buses/taxies, English-speaking tour guide, return train ticket, travel service liability insurance.

The prices do not include: :
• Lunch and dinner, individual travel insurance, tips, any personal expenses such as hotel laundry service, telephone and fax charges, optional visits and entertainments.

Note:
•  Reservation should be made at least three days before departure time.
•  The train schedule released above is only for your reference. We reserve the right to choose the train according to the seat.

Reserve your tour today!

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