Datong Three-Day Essential Travel Guide: Best Ancient City Night Tour Route

Travel back in time to the Northern Wei Dynasty👑! Here’s the latest 2025 Datong nanny-level guide～ ⏳【Three-Day Classic Itinerary · Walking Tour Version】 🎇Day 1: Northern Wei Culture Walk ☀️Morning: Yungang Grottoes (Rush before 7:30! Caves 5/6/12/20 are must-sees) 🤳Secret tip: Rent AR glasses to see the painted restorations and instantly travel 1500 years back in time! 🌃Evening: Ancient City Wall Night Tour (The light show at the South Gate is stunning, wearing Hanfu and carrying lanterns makes for amazing photos📸) ⛰Day 2: Hengshan Adventure ⚠️Arrive at Hanging Temple at 6:30 sharp! Only 3,260 climbing tickets issued daily; latecomers face a 3-hour queue 🌅Afternoon: Take the cable car up the back mountain of Hengshan; recommended sunset viewing spot for descending: parking lot viewing platform 🍜Day 3: Slow Life in the Ancient City ✨Must visit: Huayan Temple Underground Palace + Shanhua Temple (very few Jin Dynasty colored sculptures) 🍻Food route: Fenglin Pavilion for Baihua Shaomai → Dongfang Knife-Cut Noodles with a bowl of pork Shaozi noodles 【Deep Player Plus Version】 🗿Day 4: Datong Earth Forest (Sunset shots from 18:30-20:00 are amazing!) 🌋Day 5: Volcano Cluster to collect basalt / Ying County Wooden Pagoda (Book one month in advance to climb the second floor!) 🌈【Must-Check Spots in This Lifetime】 1️⃣Yungang Grottoes: fewer people and beautiful light after 2 PM 2️⃣Hanging Temple: use a wide-angle lens to capture the "three horse-tail beams hanging midair" 3️⃣Huayan Temple: AR light show on weekends from July to September 4️⃣Earth Forest Sunset: shoot the golden earth pillars! The starry sky is also breathtaking🌌 🍽️【Datong on the Tip of Your Tongue】 🥟Fenglin Pavilion: Baihua Shaomai dipped in spicy cold jelly oil! Average cost 60 RMB 🍜Dongfang Knife-Cut Noodles: add a portion of "fermented pickles" for authenticity 🥬Kaige Restaurant: remember to order the traditional version of fried pork 🌭Drum Tower Night Market: lamb offal soup paired with yellow millet cold cake is unbeatable 🚖【Transportation & Accommodation】 🏨Ancient City Courtyard: Fenghai Quelou (smart room control system) 🚄High-speed train: Beijing → Datong fastest in 1 hour 46 minutes 🚗Car rental: Yungang + Hanging Temple one day 400 RMB/car ⚠️【Pitfall Avoidance Guide】 ❌Hanging Temple climbing tickets must be grabbed at midnight 3 days in advance ❌Ying County Wooden Pagoda second floor limited to 50 people/day ❌Avoid "set meals" near the Nine-Dragon Wall! Local neighborhood shops taste much better💯 💡【Local Secrets】 ☕Northern Wei Ming Tang: wear Hanfu and drink AR coffee 🌄Liang Sicheng Memorial Hall: see ancient architecture manuscripts 🌅Come in mid to late September! Fewer people, beautiful scenery, and red leaves🍁 The vibrant life of Datong🔥 is hidden in the steam rising from a bowl of knife-cut noodles~ Avoid the crowds and converse with a thousand years through morning and dusk!