How to Get to Yungang Grottoes

What attracts you to Datong? If Yungang Grottoes is not the only reason, it must be one of most important reasons. With 252 Buddhist caves and 51,000 Buddhist statues, Yungang Grottoes shows the splendid Buddhist cave art of China. As a masterpiece listed in UNESCO World Heritage sites, it catches many travelers’ and Buddhist followers’ eyes. If you want to get a close sight of this cultural wonders and admire the religious symbolic art, don’t hesitate to visit Yunggang Grottoes. Here we list the detailed information of how to get to Yungang Grottoes to help you plan a smooth and efficient holiday.

Where is Yungang Grottoes

Yungang Grottoes is located in the suburb of Datong (a prefecture-level city of Shanxi Province) and about 23km away from city center. Datong is located in northern Shanxi, bordering with Suozhou (in Shanxi) to southwest, Xinzhou to south, Zhangjiakou (in Hebei) to east and Ulanqab (in Inner Mongolia) to north. It is about 340km away from Beijing, 900km away from Xian, 280km away from Taiyuan (Shanxi’s provincial capital) and 380km away from Pingyao (another popular destination is Shanxi)

Best Datong Tours with Yunggang Grottoes:

☞ 2 Days Datong Yungang Grottoes Tour

☞ 3 Days Datong Culture Tour with Hanging Temple and Yungang Grottoes Tour

Step One: Get to Datong City First

Travelers always travel Yungang Grottoes from Datong city which can reached by flights and high speed trains conveniently. Many travelers choose to travel Datong from Beijing because of the short distance and the operation of high speed trains. Some others choose to visit Datong after their trip in other destinations in Shanxi province, like Pingyao, Xinzhou (Mount Wutai), Linfen (Hukou Waterfall), etc.

Beijing to Datong Transfer: There are over 5 daily high speed trains running from Beijing North Railway Station or Beijing Qinghe Railway Station to Datong South Railway Station. The whole trip cost about 2~2.5 hours. It is also possible to take a nonstop flight to travel from Beijing to Datong during November ~ March. Check details>

Xian to Datong Transfer: Some travelers also choose to travel Shanxi after their Xian tour. Both high speed trains and nonstop flights are available from Xian to Datong. There are 2 high speed trains from Xian North Railway Station to Datong South Railway Station, taking about 6 hours totally. There is one daily flight from Xian Xianyang International Airport to Datong Yungang Airport. The whole flying journey need about 1 hours and 40 minutes. Check details>

Pingyao to Datong Transfer: Some travelers prefer a Pingyao tour to admire spectacular Pingyao Ancient City before arriving in Datong. There are about 3 daily high speed trains departing from Pingyao Railway Station to Datong South Railway Station. It is a 3~3.5 hours’ journey. Check details>

Taiyuan to Datong Transfer: Owning the international airport of Shanxi, Taiyuan can be reached by international flights from St. Petersburg (USA), Sydney (Australia), Bangkok (Thailand) and Osaka (Japan). After a short stay in Taiyuan, you can take a 2~2.5 hours’ high speed train to Datong. Usually, there are over 10 high speed trains available. Check details>

Best Datong Shanxi Tour and Datong China Tours:

☛ 4 Days Essence of Datong & Pingyao Tour

☛ 6 Days Essence of Shanxi Tour

☛ 9 Days Ancient Treasures of China Tour (Beijing / Datong / Pingyao / Xian)

Step Two: Get to Yungang Grottoes from Datong City

It will easy to travel from Yungang Grottoes from Datong city or the main transportation hubs in Datong.

Datong City to Yungang Grottoes: Yungang Grottoes is about 23km away from city center. The nearest public bus stop is Yungang Station(云冈站) which can be reached by several public bus lines, including No. 603 and No. 3 from Datong city area. It needs about 1.5 hours usually. You can drive or call a taxi to get there which takes only 40 minutes.

Datong South Railway Station to Yungang Grottoes: Some travelers may want to visit Yungang Grottoes directly as soon as they get to Datong South Railway Station by high speed train. The distance between Datong South Railway Station is 25 kilometers, needing about 40 minutes’ drive. There is no direct public bus running from Yungang Grottoes and you need to make transfer. Renting a car or taking a taxi is the fastest way.

Datong Airport to Yungang Grottoes: Covering a distance of 46 kilometers, it needs about 1 hour to drive from Datong Yungang International Airport to Yungang Grottoes. It is easy to call a taxi to Yungang Grottoes from the airport. Taking public bus is also available but you need to make transfer as well.

Hanging Temple to Yungang Grottoes: Hanging Temple is another must-be-visited site in Datong. Almost all travelers will visit Haning Temple and Yungang Grottoes together. Yungang Grottoes is 100km away from Hanging Temple and the drive between them needs about 100 minutes usually. There is no direct bus running from Hanging Temple and Yungang Grottoes. You are suggested to travel Datong City from Hanging Temple first and then take a public bus to Yungang Grottoes.

Private Transfer with China Discovery

Currently, Datong is not equipped with metro lines and you need to transfer at least one time sometimes. It is strongly recommended to travel with China Discovery. Our local travel guide and driver will pick you up at the airport or train station as you arrive with an air-conditioned and non-smoking vehicle, and then escort you to your hotel or every attraction listed in your itinerary. Great freedom will be given to you whenever you need to stop for sightseeing and photograph. You are sure to enjoy a comfortable, safe and efficient experience.

Far more than that, China Discovery is professional to provide high-quality customizable tour. Before your tour, our travel expert will comminute with you one to one and make an itinerary according your own interest, need and budget. Every details – transfer, hotels, attractions, etc. will be arranged well for you and you just need to focus on sightseeing. Feel free to contact us to start your worry-free private tour now!

How to Plan a Datong Tour

It usually needs 2 days to cover the highlights in Datong. Without any doubt, Yungang Grottoes are a must. It consists of 53 grottoes with 51,000 statues and is a real treasure of traditional Chinese art. After that, you can go to Shanhua Monastery to appreciate a set of well-preserved buildings of Liao Dynasty (905-1125). Then, continue to have a look at Nine Dragon Screen, the oldest and largest glazed screen in China and later head to Huayan Temple, which keeps the largest wooden structure of Buddhist temple hall with elegant mural and scriptures. The next day is for the attractions a little far from downtown such as Hanging Temple, an unusual temple standing on the precarious cliff built over 1500 years ago, and Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, the highest wooden pagoda in the world.

☛ 2 Days Datong Yungang Grottoes Tour
☛ 3 Days Datong Culture Tour with Hanging Temple

In addition, the convenient transportation of Datong provides opportunities to discover more of Shanxi to Taiyuan, sacred Buddhist mountain Mount Wutai, world heritage site Pingyao Ancient City, magnificent Hukou Waterfall, etc.

☛ 4 Days Essence of Datong & Pingyao Tour
☛ 5 Days Datong & Wutaishan Discovery Tour
☛ 6 Day Datong Pingyao Tour Plus Wutaishan Visit

If you have more days and want to travel outside Shanxi, it is highly recommended to extend your tour to capital Beijing (Great Wall, Forbidden City), time-honored Xi’an (Terracotta Warriors), and modern metropolis Shanghai (the Bund).

☛ 9 Days Ancient Treasures of China Tour
☛ 11 Days Golden Triangle Tour with Shanxi Highlights

Yungang Grottoes, Hanging Temple, Pingyao and Mount Wutai in Shanxi