Top 10 Attractions in Luoyang| What to See in Luoyang

Luoyang, has a history of more than 4000 years, is one of the most ancient cities of China. Geographically located in central plain of China, it was the capital city of 13 imperial dynasties and becomes one of the most significant cradles of Chinese civilization. Naturally, numerous cultural relics left over in Luoyang, making it an attractive destination to experience the ancient culture or make a study of history. Moreover, Chinese Buddhist also began here. For Chinese culture enthusiasts and Buddhist followers, a Luoyang tour must be in the bucket lists. Jut find all the must-see Luoyang sights and arrange your itinerary easily by checking our list of all the top Luoyang attractions.

No.1: Longmen Grottoes - Masterpiece of Chinese Stone Carving

Type: World Heritage Sites, Historical Sites, Buddhist Spots

Recommended Visit Time: 4~5 hours

Opening Hours: March to November: 7:00~18:30; December to February: 7:30~17:30

Address: on the Yi River bank, 12 kilometers from the ancient city of Luoyang

Longmen Grottoes, or Longmen Caves, are located on both banks of Yi River, 6 km south of Luoyang. The construction of Longmen Grottoes began in AD 493 of Northern Wei Dynasty and it took over 400 years to finish it. Because of its outstanding complex and great artistic creativity, Longmen Grottoes was listed in UNESCO World Heritage sites. It is also listed in China's Three Greatest Buddhist Grottoes because of its large numbers, massive scales, variety of subjects, delicate carving and profound meaning. No matter how little you know about Buddhism or sculpture, you will be impressed by the scale and complexity of the ancient work here.

The highlights of Longmen Grottoes include Vairocana Buddha in Fengxian Temple, Bingyang Cave - first royal cave, Wanfo Cave housing 15,000 small sitting Buddhas and Guyang Cave - the oldest cave with the richest contents. The whole grottoes can be divided into Western Hill and Eastern Hill, but the most worth-seeing caves are located in Western Hill. The recommended sightseeing route is West Hill Grottoes - East Hill Grottoes - Xiangshan Temple - Baiyuan Garden. Here, you'll not only experience the rich culture of grottoes, but also enjoy the beautiful landscape.

★ What to See in Longmen Grottoes | How to Get to Longmen Grottoes

☛ 2 Days Luoyang Longmen Grottoes Tour

No.2: White Horse Temple - First Buddhist Temple in China

Type: Historic Religious Sites, Buddhist Sites

Recommended Visit Time: 2~3 hours

Opening Hours: 07:30-18:00 (a little Fluctuation with low/peak time)

Address: Baimasi Town, Luolong District, Luoyang City, Henan Province (河南省洛阳市洛龙区白马寺镇)

Two envoys at the behest of Emperor Mingdi of the Eastern Han Dynasty visited the western regions to invite Buddha and learn Buddhism. They successfully invited two monks to China and used a with horse carrying man Buddhist scriptures. In 68AD, White Horse Temple was established to keep the scriptures. With a long history of over 1,900 years, White Horse Temple has so many Buddhist First here, including first Chinese ancient pagoda, first Indian monk lived, first Chinese Buddhist scripture, first place for translating scripture, etc.

The present temple can be divided into three parts, the Main Temple, Qiyun Pagoda and International Zone. The Main Temple is the origin White Horse Temple cherished with many old buildings which houses various Buddha statues. Qiyun Pagoda is an old tiered brick pagoda. The surrounding garden is peaceful for a leisurely walk. In the International Zone, you can appreciate featured Thailand Temple, India Temple and Myanmar Temple, which showcase an interesting blend of Chinese Buddhism, Thai Buddhism, Indian Buddhism and Burmese Buddhism. You can also track back the root of all Buddhist schools of the East Asian to this place.

☛ 3 Days Essence of Luoyang Tour

No.3: Shaolin Temple - The Birthplace of Shaolin Temple

Type: Religious Sites, Sights & Landmarks

Recommended Visit Time: 3 ~ 4 hours

Opening Hours: March ~ November: 07:30 ~ 18:00; December ~ February: 08:00 ~ 17:30

Address: Songshan Mountain, Dengfeng City, Henan Province (河南省登封市嵩山)

Shaolin Temple is not in Luoyang administratively, but it is only 55 kilometers (about 1.5hrs' drive) away from Luoyang City. Therefore, many travelers start a Shaolin Temple from Luoyang. Longmen Grottoes is a world-known martial art monastery, famous as the birthplace of Shaolin Kung Fu and Zen Buddhism.

For Kung Fu lovers around the world, it will be a lifetime trip to Shaolin Temple. You can discover the depressions made by monks from years of training and see the current monks practicing the fighting forms. There are also scheduled Kung Fu Show that performed by the monks. Don't forget to visit the Pagoda Forest, which is actually a cemetery made up of pagodas to commemorate those important monks and abbots in Shaolin Temple. Early visit, about 9:30 am to the temple, allows you to have the chance to see the monks taking their practice in the outside field. For those travelers who have a deep interest on Shaolin Kung Fu, it is also available take a Kung Fu training class to learn basic Kung Fu styles. For nature buffs, it is recommended to extend your Shaolin Temple trip to Songshan Mountain.

★ Shaolin Kung Fu Show | How to Get to Shaolin Temple | Shaolin Kung Fu Training

☛ 3 Days Shaolin Kung Fu Tour including Luoyoang Highlights

No.4: Luoyang Museum - Mirror to Look up to Prosperous Luoyang

Type: History Museums

Recommended Visit Time: 1.5 hours

Opening Hours: 09:00 ~ 17:00

Address: Nietai Road, Luolong District, Luoyang City

Luoyang Museum, is a wonderful museum with rich exhibits from which you can learn about Luoyang from all perspectives of Luoyang. This museum has two floors with 7 exhibition halls, including Heluo Civilization Hall, Tang Tri-color Glazed Pottery Hall, Treasure Hall, Royal Relics Hall, Han Tang Pottery Figurine Hall, Calligraphy and Paintings Hall and Stone Caving Hall, which clearly show five different social development stages (such as the Primitive Society, the Slavery Society and the Feudal Society) as well as different culture of Luoyang (such as Huoluo culture, Yangshao culture, Longshang culture, and the culture of Xia, Shang and Zhou Periods).

There are about 1,000 cultural relics in the Luoyang Museum. Its representative treasures include Bronze Tripod Jue with the Pattern of Nipples (乳钉纹铜爵), Tri-colored Black Glazed Pottery Horse (三彩黑釉马), White Jade Cup (白玉杯), Stone Bixie (石辟邪) and Jinsi Nanmu Pagoda (金丝楠木塔).

☛ 3 Days Luoyang Culture & Nature Appreciation Tour

No.5: Luoyang Tianzi Jialiu Museum - Informative but Interesting Museum

Type: Historical Sites, Museums

Recommended Visit Time: 1~2 hours

Opening Hours: March to November: 7:00~18:30; December to February: 7:30~17:30

Address: Xigong District, Luoyang City

Located in the center of Luoyang, Tianzi Jialiu Museum (translated as Museum of Emperors Chariot Drawn by Six Horses) is worthy of a visit. Just as its name suggests, this museum has sacrificial pits of an emperor with many chariots driven by horses. Compared with other museums in China, this museum is a little small. However, the exhibits can only be viewed in Luoyang and cannot moved anywhere else. The museum is built over the sacrificial pit area for the emperors in Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770BC - 256BC) with its capital at the site of present day Luoyang.

It is divided into two main parts: the sacrificial pits and the exhibition building. The remains of horses and chariots that were sacrificed during Eastern Zhou Dynasty are in the sacrificial pits, while the exhibition building displays the history and culture of Eastern Zhou Dynasty. The burial of the royal horses and chariots here is earlier than that of Terracotta Warriors in Xian.

☛ 3 Days Luoyang Culture & Nature Appreciation Tour

No.6: Wangcheng Park - Largest Park in Central Downtown

Type: Parks

Recommended Visit Time: 1 hour

Opening Hours: 08:30~19:00

Address: No. 226, Zhongzhu Middle Road, Xigong District, Luoyang City

Wangcheng Park, literally meaning king city park, got it name because of Luoyang - the capital city of Zhou Dynasty (BC1046 - 256BC). As largest park located in the city center, it integrates history, garden landscape, animal view and leisure amusement together.

As the famous heritage park, there are many pseudo-classic buildings from which you can take an insight of Zhou Dynasty, like Chenxiang Pavilion and Shaoyue Platform. There is zoo with over 100 kinds of wild animals in western part of Wangcheng Park as well. You can see Giant Panda, South China Tiger, Siberian Tiger, Leopard, Black Bear, Brown Bear, Red-crowned Crane, etc. Moreover, Wangcheng Park is the main venue for Luoyang Peony Festival which take place during early April to early May every year. During the festival, hundreds of thousands of peonies bloom together in a majestic display of natural beauty. Besides, the park is equipped with recreation facilities. You can see many local people have fun there.

Please Note: If you travel Luoyang during Luoyang Peony Flower Culture Festival, you can also visit many other parks or gardens to appreciate peony flowers, like Luoyang National Peony Garden, Luoyang International Peony Garden, Shenzhou Peony Garden, Wangcheng Park, etc.

No.7: Luoyang National Peony Garden - Great Place for Peony Flowers

Type: Parks, Gardens

Recommended Visit Time: 1 ~ 2 hours

Opening Hours: 07:00 ~ 19:00

Address: Luoyang Bridge South, Luolong District, Luoyang City, Henan Province (河南省洛阳市洛龙区洛阳桥南)

Luoyang National Peony Garden is also one of the most important site for appreciating peony flowers during Peony Culture Festivals. It is located on the ruins of Luonan Sui and Tang Ancient City, starting from Luoyang Bridge in the east, Mudan Bridge in the west, Luoyi Road in the south, and the south embankment of Luopu Park in the north. With a total planning area of a length of 2500 meters from east to west, it is currently the largest peony ornamental garden in China.

Luoyang National Garden is divided into six scenic areas from west to east, namely West Entrance Scenic Area, Peony Cultural Area, Peony Historical and Cultural Area, Embankment Touring Area, East Entrance Scenic Area, and Production Management Area. Among them, more than 500,000 peonies of more than 1,000 varieties are planted, including nine major color systems of peonies, and more than 2 million plants of more than 100 varieties of trees, shrubs and various plants are planted. During the festival, you may also see the wonderful shows performed by the actors who are in traditional Chinese garments.

Please Note: If you travel Luoyang during Luoyang Peony Flower Culture Festival, you can also visit many other parks or gardens to appreciate peony flowers, like Luoyang International Peony Garden, Shenzhou Peony Garden, Wangcheng Park, etc.

☛ 3 Days Luoyang Peony Culture Festival Tour

No.8: Xiaolangdi Scenic Area - Amazing Nature of Luoyang

Type: Nature, Dams

Recommended Visit Time: 2 ~ 3 hours

Opening Hours: March to October: 08:00~18:30; November to February: 08:00~18:30

Address: Xiaolangdi Village, Mengjin County, Luoyang City, Henan Province (河南省洛阳市孟津县小浪底村)

Xiaolangdi Dam is an important dam impounding the Yellow River. It becomes most attractive when the dam start to discharge flood in rainy seasons. As the dam is put into operation, travelers will definitely get amazed by the powerful sediment-laden water. It fully shows the power of nature.

The surrounding scenery of Xiaolangdi is great as well and a scenic area was built to enjoy the natural beauty. The flood water of Yellow River here form a big lake with a large number of peninsulas, isolated islands and peaks, and travelers praised it as "Little Thousand-island Lake". The whole scenic area spans the north and south banks of the river. From south bank, you can get a panoramic view of the dam. In the north bank, you can see Taihang Mountain and Wangwu Mountain which are large ecological gardens.

☛ 3 Days Luoyang Culture & Nature Appreciation Tour

No.9: Guanlin Temple - General Guan's Tomb

Type: Monuments/ Statues, Historic Sites

Recommended Visit Time: 1 hour

Opening Hours: March to November: 7:00~18:30; December to February: 7:30~17:30

Address: Guanlin Town, Huoyang City, Henan Province (河南省洛阳市关林镇)

Guanlin Temple is a series of memorial temples built in honor of Guan Yu, the famous general of the Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdom Period. It is the place where Guan Yu's head was buried. General Guanyu is one of the few people in Chinese history who enjoy great respect by Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism alike. People have regarded him as a legendary and noble hero, worshiping him like a god. If you are interested in Three Kingdom's history or would like to see the traditional style of Chinese architecture, Guanlin Temple is nice for your exploration.

The highlights of Longmen Grottoes include Vairocana Buddha in Fengxian Temple, Bingyang Cave - first royal cave, Wanfo Cave housing 15,000 small sitting Buddhas and Guyang Cave - the oldest cave with the richest contents. The whole grottoes can be divided into Western Hill and Eastern Hill, but the most worth-seeing caves are located in Western Hill. The recommended sightseeing route is West Hill Grottoes - East Hill Grottoes - Xiangshan Temple - Baiyuan Garden. Here, you'll not only experience the rich culture of grottoes, but also enjoy the beautiful landscape.

No.10: Luoyang Old City - Best Place to Experience Local Life

Type: Historic Sites

Recommended Visit Time: 1 hour

Opening Hours: always open

Address: Laocheng District, Luoyang City, Henan Province

Luoyang Old City, also called Luoyang Old City Historical and Cultural Ancient Street, is the best place to find remaining ancient architecture, explore profound Heluo culture, see local life and art as well as taste local food and snacks.

Entering into Luoyang Old Town from Lijing Gate, you will be dazzled by the bustling local life. The area features a museum for folk art that contains local art such as paper cutting, local clothing and other local artwork. There are two kinds of streets in the old town: the shopping streets and the residential streets. The prosperous ancient shopping streets are full of small shopping standing terraced along both sides. If you are interested in peony paintings, Tang Dynasty three-colored glazed pottery, you can buy them here. The residential streets are old and narrow, filled with small shops and old apartments lining both sides. Besides, you could visit Muslim community, taste the local food (water banquet) in the old town.

Other Recommended Attractions in Luoyang

In fact, Luoyang is dotted with many big or small attractions to satisfy your different tastes. For Chinese history and nature lovers, Erlitou Site Museum will be a great pleasure. Erlitou Site is believed as the capital of Xi Dynasty (2070 BC ~ 1600 BC), the first dynasty in China’s long history. Visiting this museum allows you to take a probe into a world 3,500 years ago. For more history exploration, you can also visit Yinxu which is the capital city of Shang Dynasty (the second dynasty of China). Sui and Tang Dynasties Ruins Park, once the key area of the capital of resplendent Sui and Tang Dynasties (581~907), is a good site to learn about the two dynasties. Laojun Mountain, the main peak of Funiu Mountains, is a Taoist mountain with magnificent palaces and picturesque landscape. If you want to take a savory of Taoist atmosphere and natural beauty, don’t miss it. It is also available to visit Baiyun Mountain, another peak of Funiu Mountains for nature appreciation. If you want to have a tour with these attractions or more others, please feel free to contact us to customize your own style Luoyang tour.

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