Atlas of China
North China’s heritage line: Beijing, Datong, Pingyao and Xi’an
From the Forbidden City to the Yungang Grottoes, a Ming walled town where the clocks stopped, and the Terracotta Army, all by train.
- Days
- 97 seeing, 1.5 travelling
- Stays
- 4Beijing · Datong · Pingyao · Xi'an
- Trains and flights
- ¥456per person, planner's figures
- Distance
- 1,033 kmbetween the stays
- Best time
- May to June and September to October
The high-speed line from Beijing to Xi’an runs past some of the oldest things in China, and a trip that stops twice sees more than the four-hour express. Datong has the Yungang Grottoes, fifty thousand Buddhist carvings from the fifth century, and the Hanging Temple pinned to a cliff. Pingyao is a complete Ming and Qing county town inside its walls, where the first Chinese banks opened. Xi’an closes the line with the Terracotta Army. Every leg is a direct train of under three hours.
Day by day
Laid out by the atlas's trip planner from the stops below, with the trains and flights in its tables; open it on the map to change the days, the order or the stops.
Day 1 · Beijing
Day 2 · Beijing
Day 3 · Datong
- High-speed train Qinghe → Datong South, 1 h 45 min (G2509, 48 a day); about 2 hours door to door, ¥157. Compare ways
- Yungang Grottoes
Day 4 · Pingyao
- Hanging Temple
- High-speed train Datong South → Pingyao Gucheng, 2 h 28 min (D1037, 10 a day); about 3 hours door to door, ¥146. Compare ways
Day 5 · Pingyao
Day 6 · Pingyao
- Pingyao Ancient City continued
- Shuanglin Temple
Day 7 · Xi'an
- High-speed train Pingyao Gucheng → Xi'an North, 2 h 27 min (D2799, 12 a day); about 3 hours door to door, ¥153. Compare ways
- Muslim Quarter
Day 8 · Xi'an
Day 9 · Xi'an
- Terracotta Army continued
- Free
Why this order
The stops sit on the line in this order, so there is no backtracking, and each is a different century: imperial Beijing, Northern Wei Datong, Qing-dynasty Pingyao, Qin and Tang Xi’an.
When to go
May to June and September to October. Datong is high and cold; Pingyao’s old town is at its best outside the public holidays, when it fills.
Good to know
- Stay inside Pingyao’s walls in a converted courtyard house; cars cannot enter, so travel light from the station.
- The Hanging Temple and the Yungang Grottoes are in opposite directions from Datong; a car for the day covers both.
- Trains for Datong leave from Beijing North or Qinghe, not Beijing West; check the station on the ticket.
Before you go
- Visas and visa-free entry Can I visit China without a visa?
- Paying for things How do I pay for things in China without a Chinese bank account?
- Internet and apps Will Google and my other apps work in China?
- Trains and 12306 How do I book train tickets in China with a foreign passport?
- Book popular sights early Which sights in China need booking in advance, and how?
- When to go When is the best time to visit China?
On the map
The map opens with these 9 stops in a trip; "Plan my days" lays out the same days and lets you move stops, change the days each gets, or choose where you arrive and leave.
Other trips
- China in 10 days on a first visit: Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai and Suzhou 10 days · Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and Suzhou
- The Silk Road by train: Xi’an to Dunhuang, Turpan and Ürümqi 11 days · Xi'an, Zhangye, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Turpan and Ürümqi
Written for the atlas and last checked October 2026. Days and legs come from the trip planner: the fastest practical way between stays from the 12306 timetable for 2026-10-28 or 2026-11-11 and the airlines' schedules for 2026-10-28, with about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight, and standard-class fares where the timetable has them. Entry rules, tickets and opening arrangements change: confirm with official sources before you travel.