What a Trip to Datong Costs

The short answer

A comfortable day in Datong works out at roughly ¥600–900 per person once you include a room, three meals, tickets and taxis. Stay in a hostel, eat noodles and take the bus and the same day can come in at ¥250–350. If you hire a car for the Hanging Temple day, budget ¥1,100 or more.

Two lines dominate the total: long-distance transport and tickets. A return high-speed train from Beijing is around ¥300–360, and the four headline sites together run ¥200–300 per person.

Tickets, at 2026 prices

These are the officially published prices. Peak-season pricing starts on 1 April; off-season tickets are cheaper and the sites are far quieter.

• Yungang Grottoes: ¥120 peak season / ¥100 off-season
• Hanging Temple: ¥15 entry + ¥100 to climb (2,475 a day; confirm the booking channel)
• Mount Heng: ¥45, plus the shuttle between the sites
• Huayan Temple: ¥50 in peak season
• Nine Dragon Screen and the city wall: free, or a few yuan per gate

Getting there

The high-speed train from Beijing North or Beijing Qinghe to Datong South is the best value fast option: second class is about ¥150–180 each way, so ¥300–360 return. Slower trains cost less and take considerably longer.

A taxi from the city centre to the Yungang Grottoes is roughly ¥40; bus 603 covers the same route for a fraction of that. For the Hanging Temple and Mount Heng, 60 km southeast, a hired car or a group day tour is the practical choice: a private car for the day runs several hundred yuan, while a seat on a group tour costs far less per person.

Hotels and food

Hotel rates in Datong move sharply with the season. Inside the old city, a mid-range double room is roughly ¥200–400 in shoulder season, and noticeably more during July, August and the National Day holiday. Hostel beds are commonly ¥60–150.

Food is the cheapest part of the trip. A bowl of knife-cut noodles at a local shop is usually under ¥20, and a dinner for two with lamb and a couple of dishes lands around ¥60–120.

The figures in this section are 2026 estimates from typical listings, not official prices. Check real rates for your dates before you set a budget.

Where to save, and where not to

Save on tickets by travelling in the off-season, on transport by taking bus 603 to the grottoes, and on food by eating where the noodles are cut in front of you.

Do not leave the Hanging Temple climbing ticket to chance in peak season. The official notice gives the current booking channel and hours: online reservations for dates within the next seven days run 07:20–21:00 daily through “Bei Yue Yun You”; overseas visitors can use the authorized Trip.com channel. On-site morning and afternoon allocations open at different times. Travel insurance is also worth its small cost next to a medical evacuation or a cancelled trip.

• Cheapest months: November to March, excluding Chinese New Year
• Peak pricing: July, August and the first week of October
• Check the Hanging Temple ticket channel before you travel; in peak season it decides your day
• Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you arrive; many small shops no longer handle cash well