S-BJ13: 3 Days Private Datong Tour from Beijing

Today, you will take a high speed train for about 2 hours from Beijing to Datong by yourself. We will book train tickets and deliver them to your hotel in advance. Upon your arrival in Datong, your private guide will pick you up at the railway station and transfer you to check in at the hotel for a two-night stay.

After a short rest in the hotel, your Datong tour from Beijing will start with a visit to Yungang Grottoes, one of the four greatest grottoes in China. Situated to the west of Datong City, Yungang Grottoes were carved at the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain, stretching for about one kilometer (0.6 miles) from east to west. There are altogether 252 niches and 51,000 vivid Buddha statues, representing the highest achievement of the Chinese stone carving art in the 5th and 6th centuries. Afterwards, we will continue to visit the Shanhua Temple, which is the largest and most complete temple building in the Liao and Jin dynasties (907 - 1234 AD). Finally, you will be transferred back to the hotel.

Accommodation: Yungang Meigao Hotel

After breakfast, we will drive to another amazing site in Datong, the Hanging Monastery. Constructed about 1,500 years ago during the late Northern Wei Dynasty (386 - 534 AD), the Hanging Monastery, as its name suggests, was enchased in the cliffs of the Mt. Hengshan. Although 1,500 years has passed, 40 halls of the monastery still stand there solidly and firmly.

In the afternoon, we will head to visit the Wooden Pagoda in Yingxian County, which is the world's highest wooden tower recognized by the Guinness. It is also one of the three miraculous towers in the world, together with the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Paris Eiffel Tower.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast