Datong City



Datong (大同 Dàtóng) is a city in Shanxi Province, China.

Understand
Datong is a small city with relatively little experience with foreigners. People here are friendly and curious. For simple entertainment, stop at a chuanr (meat on a stick) stand near Red Flag square, or Red Flag square itself and chat up the locals.

By bus

 * Hohhot - Buses depart from Hohhot's bus station (next to the train station) regularly all day. Just turning up and buying a ticket should usually get you on a bus within an hour, two at most. The journey takes about 5 hours with average traffic conditions, costing ¥85 (August 2013) The buses terminate at Datong main bus station (a ¥6 taxi ride from the train station).
 * Wutai Shan - Three buses a day in summer from Wutai Mountain from 8AM to 1PM. ¥75.

By train
Long-distance trains stop at the.


 * Beijing - 6 hr. Daily overnight trains run from Beijing to Datong and back.  A hard sleeper ticket costs around ¥108.  Night trains are available from both Beijing West Station (Beijing Xi Zhan) and Beijing Station (Beijing Zhan).  In addition to the night train, there is a daily morning train, starting at 8:50AM and ¥54 for a hardseater.
 * Pingyao - overnight train
 * Xi'an - overnight train, approximately 17 hr. Train leaves Xi'an at 10:54PM. Hard sleeper (Feb 2010) ¥140.

Climate
Temperate continental semi-arid monsoon climate.

Affected by the monsoon, the four seasons are distinct.

By bus
Buses within Datong are ¥1. Trips to the Yungang Caves are ¥1.5.


 * Bus 4 - runs from the train station into town (6th stop (四牌楼) for 9 Dragon wall, 7th stop (清远街, bus sign “青年宫”) for Huāyuàn Monastery and Youth Hostel, 8th stop (红旗广场) for Red Flag square. The final stop on bus line 4 is the start of bus line 3.
 * Bus 3 - runs from the Xinkaili bus station (final stop of bus 4) to the Yungang Caves (end of the line).
 * Bus 15 - runs from train station to near the main bus station (the fifth stop from train station 市供排水集团 shìgōng páishuǐ jítuán, from that bus stop walk ahead to crossroads, turn left and main bus station 大同汽车站 is just ahead on left.)
 * Bus 30 - runs from the train station all the way to the south bus station (新南客运站), the last stop (45 min or longer).

By taxi

 * Short trips in town cost at least ¥7.
 * It may be convenient and less stressful to hire a taxi to visit the main sites out of town. A trip to the Hanging Monastery and Wooden Pagoda (both out of town - this is about 5 hours travel time) for 2 people was ¥260 in August 2011 - but agreeing to pick up other tourists on the way if available to fill the empty seats. You might not manage this cheaply.  You can try to find a taxi yourself (e.g. in front of the train station in the morning there may be taxi drivers seeking this business) or ask at China International Travel Service (CITS, +86 0352 5101816, +86 13008088454). If asking via CITS, do not forget to ask for a new taxi or you may end up in an old car which is not safe for a trip out of town. You can join a day trip for the Hanging Monastery, Mount Heng and the Yungang Grottos including lunch for a little over ¥400 per person. Note that your time spent on the mountain is limited as most tour operators and guests expect to only climb 30 min to the last big monastery. Sometimes the tour guide asks to add the Wooden Pagoda at extra costs if enough/all guests agree. A round trip to all four attractions takes from ~7:30AM to ~6PM.

Eat
刀削面 (dāoxiāomiàn - knife-cut noodles) are a Shanxi specialty that you can find in restaurants.



Go next
Booking tickets at the Datong Train Station can be difficult because many tickets for popular routes are snatched by black market sellers when they become available four days before the train runs. So book tickets from Datong as early as possible.


 * Beijing - Approx eight buses a day depart for Beijing from the Xīnnán Bus Station. ¥128 ordinary seat, ¥158 luxury seat. Approx 4½ hours depending on the traffic.
 * WuTai Shan - 2 buses per day in summer at 8:30AM and 2:10PM from Xīnnán Bus Station. ¥75.  4 hours.
 * Taiyuan - Many buses per day, or coaches. From Taiyuan you can continue to Pingyao or try to find a direct bus.

Xīnnán Bus Station (新南客运站 Xīnnán Kèyùnzhàn) is the last stop on Datong local bus 30 that departs from Datong Train Station. 45 minutes or more, depending on traffic.