North China
A complete Ming-dynasty county town, walls and courtyards and temple roofs intact, where the first Chinese banks ran the empire's money. Two nights inside the walls — one for the lanes, one for the lanterns — is the difference between a visit and a memory.
The case for going
The full six-kilometre circuit at lantern-lighting time.
The first Chinese bank, inside a courtyard fortress.
The temple roofs that define the skyline from the wall.
The Ming painted clay sculptures — 2,000 of them — outside the walls.
The merchant family compounds north of the city, Qiao and Wang.
The grottoes three hours north, the natural pairing on the same route.
Practical
Continental. Cold dry winters, hot summers, bright spring and autumn.
High-speed rail from Beijing or Xi'an to Pingyao Gucheng station, then 15 minutes by car to the gate. Nearest airport is Taiyuan (TYN), 90 minutes.
Airport. Taiyuan Wusu International Airport (nearest) (TYN)
Rail. Pingyao Gucheng station: about 4 hours from Beijing, 2.5 from Xi'an North, 40 minutes from Taiyuan.
In pictures
Questions travellers ask
Two days: the city wall and the merchant courtyards, with Shuanglin Temple's sculpture hall on the second morning. It pairs with Datong on a Shanxi route.
Inside the walled old town — the courtyard inns are the experience, and the wall walk at dusk is the point of staying overnight after the day visitors leave.
High-speed rail to Pingyao Ancient City station — about 4 hours from Beijing, 2 from Xi'an. The old town is 15 minutes from the station by taxi.
Yes — it is the best-preserved walled city in China and the heart of the Shanxi merchant story. Two nights turn it from a stop into one of the route's memories.
Routes through here
North China
5days
The China that survived: a complete walled town where the first banks ran the empire, 51,000 Buddhas carved into a cliff in the fifth century, and the monastery pinned to a cliff face. Five days of the deepest history in the country, all by high-speed rail.
From US$1,350per person
Combine it with
Where to stay
Jing's Residence · Luxury
A restored courtyard mansion inside the walls, five courtyards deep, run with the standard of a city design hotel. The way to experience Pingyao after the day trippers leave the lanes.
From US$160 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
