Luoyang travel guide for foreign visitors

Best time to visit

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

From the airport or station to the city

Where you land, the ways into the city centre, how long each takes and what it costs.

From Luoyang Longmen Station (high-speed rail)

洛阳龙门站

MetroTime20–30 minCost¥2–4
Metro Line 2 stops under the station (Longmen Gaotiezhan). Ride north to the city centre; change to Line 1 at Jiefang Road for east–west trips. Zhengzhou East is about 40 minutes away by high-speed train.
TaxiTime10–25 minCost¥15–45
Taxis and DiDi pick up at the marked ranks. The Longmen Grottoes are only about 4 km south, roughly 10 minutes.
BusTime15–20 minCost¥1–2
City bus 71 runs from the station to the Longmen Grottoes.

From Luoyang Beijiao Airport (LYA)

洛阳北郊机场

TaxiTime20–30 minCost¥30–50
A small airport just north of the city with limited flights. Most international travellers fly into Zhengzhou Xinzheng (CGO) and take the train. Taxis and DiDi wait outside arrivals.

Getting around

Luoyang has two metro lines: Line 2 runs north–south from Longmen Station through the centre, Line 1 runs east–west past the old town; the old town, Lijing Gate and Luoyi Ancient City sit close together. Taxis and DiDi are cheap, and city buses reach the Longmen Grottoes and the White Horse Temple. Shaolin Temple is about 80 km east in Dengfeng: take a coach from the long-distance bus station or hire a car for the day. Henan is fully inside the 240-hour visa-free transit area. Carry your passport; most sights check ID.

Book these before you fly

These sights need a reservation with your passport. Walk-ups are usually turned away.

Top sights

The giant Vairocana Buddha at Fengxian Temple, Longmen Grottoes

龙门石窟Longmen GrottoesOver 100,000 Buddha statues carved into the cliffs on both banks of the Yi River, crowned by the giant Vairocana Buddha.Booking required3–4 hours

Stone archway at the entrance to White Horse Temple

白马寺White Horse TempleTraditionally China’s first Buddhist temple, founded in the 1st century, with Indian, Thai and Burmese-style halls built next to it.Booking recommended2 hours

The red mountain gate of Shaolin Temple with a stone lion

少林寺Shaolin Temple (day trip)The birthplace of Zen Buddhism and kung fu on Mount Song, with a forest of monks’ stone pagodas and daily martial-arts shows.Booking recommendedFull day including about 1.5–2 hours’ travel each way

The modern Luoyang Museum building and its tall column

洛阳博物馆Luoyang MuseumA big, free museum covering 13 dynasties that ruled from Luoyang, with superb Tang tri-colour pottery and bronzes.Booking required2–3 hours

Lijing Gate's tower and arched gateway in Luoyang's old town

丽景门Lijing Gate and the Old TownA rebuilt Ming-style city gate with its barbican and moat, opening onto the lanes and snack stalls of Luoyang’s old town.1–2 hours, best in the evening

A stone bridge over a pond among traditional buildings in Luoyi Ancient City

洛邑古城Luoyi Ancient CityA rebuilt old quarter around a Ming pagoda, busy with visitors in rented Hanfu robes, lanterns and evening shows.Booking recommended1.5–2 hours, evening

The rebuilt Tiantang pagoda and Mingtang hall at the Sui–Tang Luoyang City site

隋唐洛阳城Sui–Tang Luoyang City: Mingtang, Tiantang and Yingtian GateGrand reconstructions over the ruins of Empress Wu Zetian’s palace: a ritual hall, a five-storey Buddhist tower and the palace gate, lit up at night.Booking recommended2–3 hours, late afternoon into evening

Taixu Hall, the Northern Wei-style main hall of the Luoyang Museum of Ancient Tombs

洛阳古墓博物馆Luoyang Museum of Ancient TombsReal tombs from Han to Song times moved underground here, with painted murals you walk right into.Booking required1.5 hours

The main gate of Guanlin Temple, where Guan Yu's head is said to be buried

关林Guanlin TempleTemple and burial mound where, by tradition, the head of the Three Kingdoms general Guan Yu was buried; Ming and Qing halls, old cypresses and stone lions.1–1.5 hours

Excavated Eastern Zhou chariots and horse skeletons in the Six-Horse Chariot pit

天子驾六博物馆Emperor’s Six-Horse Chariot MuseumAn Eastern Zhou chariot pit excavated where it lies under a downtown square, including the only known royal chariot drawn by six horses.Booking recommended1 hour

The low-slung main building of the Erlitou Xia Capital Site Museum

二里头夏都遗址博物馆Erlitou Xia Capital Site MuseumA large modern museum beside the Erlitou site, often linked to China’s earliest dynasty, with early bronzes and a turquoise dragon.Booking required2–3 hours

Giant bronze ding vessel on the central plaza of Wangcheng Park

王城公园Wangcheng ParkThe city’s main park, built over the Eastern Zhou royal city, and its best-known place to see peonies in April.1–2 hours

Peonies in full bloom at the China National Flower Garden

中国国花园China National Flower GardenChina’s largest peony garden, on the south bank of the Luo River, with over 1,000 varieties in bloom from early to late April.1.5–2 hours

Entrance of the Sui–Tang Grand Canal Museum in Luoyang

隋唐大运河文化博物馆Sui–Tang Grand Canal MuseumA large new museum on the Luo River about the Grand Canal, which once made Luoyang its hub, with boat models, excavated finds and an interactive exhibition on how grain travelled.Booking required1.5–2 hours

The main hall of the Luze Guild Hall, home of the Luoyang Folk Customs Museum

洛阳民俗博物馆（潞泽会馆）Luoyang Folk Customs Museum (Luze Guild Hall)A folk museum in a large 1744 guild hall built by merchants from Shanxi, with a theatre stage, carved halls and displays on local weddings, festivals and crafts.1 hour

The ancient "General" cypress in the courtyard of Songyang Academy

嵩阳书院Songyang Academy (Dengfeng)One of China’s great classical academies, at the foot of Mount Song, with quiet courtyards, a huge Tang-dynasty stone stele and cypress trees said to be thousands of years old.Booking recommended1–1.5 hours (a full day with Shaolin Temple)

The Ming-era main hall of the Duke of Zhou Temple in Luoyang

洛阳周公庙博物馆Duke of Zhou Temple MuseumA historic temple to the Duke of Zhou, the statesman credited with founding Luoyang some 3,000 years ago, with quiet courtyards and exhibitions on the Zhou dynasty.45 minutes–1 hour

Red sandstone cliffs and a waterfall above a pool in Longtan Grand Canyon

龙潭大峡谷Longtan Grand Canyon (day trip)A narrow red-sandstone gorge in the hills north-west of Luoyang, with a walking trail past pools, waterfalls and wave-carved rock walls; a national geopark.Booking recommendedA full day including travel

Lantern-lit food stalls at the night market in Luoyang's Old Town

老城十字街夜市Shizi Street Night Market (Old Town)Luoyang’s best-known night market, in the old town since the early 1980s: rows of stalls with skewers, cold bean-jelly noodles, pan-fried dumplings and local soups.1–2 hours

Map

What to eat here

洛阳水席Luoyang water banquetA Tang-era banquet of around 24 dishes, most served in soup or broth, one after another “like flowing water”. Order a set menu for a group.

不翻汤Bufan soupThin mung-bean pancakes in a sour-peppery broth with seaweed, shrimp and vermicelli; a cheap old-town snack.

牛肉汤Beef soup breakfastLuoyang’s breakfast: rich beef bone soup with sliced beef, dipped with flatbread. Add chilli and coriander to taste.

浆面条Fermented-mung-bean noodlesNoodles simmered in slightly sour fermented mung-bean water with greens and peanuts; a love-it-or-hate-it local staple.

胡辣汤Hot and peppery soupHenan’s thick breakfast soup, heavy on black pepper, with gluten, beef and vegetables; often eaten with fried dough sticks.

Places added by travelers

Add a place

From other travelers

Write a review

Coming to this page

Hotels, tickets and experiences you can bookComing soon