Luoyang Travel Guide 2026 — Longmen Grottoes, White Horse Temple & Peony Festival

What's inside this guide Bucket List · Highlights · Q&A · Itineraries · Attractions · Activities · Where to Stay · Food · Getting Around · Shopping · Practical Info · Day Trips · Tips · Background · Plan Your Trip

Luoyang Bucket Listthe little things that make this ancient capital unforgettable

Gaze at the Longmen Grottoes

China's grandest open-air sculpture gallery — 2,345 niches and 100,000 statues cut into the cliffs over 400 years, crowned by the 17 m Vairocana Buddha.

Ring the bell at White Horse Temple

China's first Buddhist monastery, founded in 68 AD when two Indian monks arrived on white horses — the birthplace of Chinese Buddhism.

Bow at Guanlin

The forest tomb of Guan Yu, the warrior-god of the Three Kingdoms — 800 ancient cypresses around the general's head burial mound.

Walk the old town & Li Jingmen Gate

Ming-era streets, the restored Li Jingmen gate and the water-street night market — the living 'Old City' of the imperial capital.

See the peonies in April

The national flower city's great month — a million peonies across Wangcheng Park and the National Peony Garden, in every colour but blue.

Meet the Six Horses of the Emperor

The Tianzi Jialiu Museum displays a full Zhou-dynasty imperial chariot-and-six-horses burial — the largest such find in China.

Top Highlightswhat Luoyang does best

No.1
Royal grottoesLongmen is the high point of Chinese stone carving — a cliff-face museum the Tang court funded for a century.
No.2
The first monasteryWhite Horse Temple's original two monks and their sutras began two millennia of Chinese Buddhism.
No.3
Peony cityEvery April Luoyang turns into a flower city — 'national beauty and heavenly fragrance' is the old phrase for the peony.
No.4
The old capitalThirteen dynasties left palaces, tombs and temple foundations under the modern streets — the deepest history of any Chinese city.

Questions & Answerswhat travellers always ask about Luoyang

When is the best time to visit Luoyang?

April is the peony month — Wangcheng Park, the National Peony Garden and the streets fill with flowers for about three weeks. Spring and autumn are otherwise the sweetest seasons; summer is very hot and the grottoes get crowded. Winter is quiet, cold and free of queues.

How many days do I need?

Two days covers the essential Luoyang — Longmen, White Horse Temple and the old town. Three days adds Guanlin, the Tianzi Jialiu Museum and a Shaolin Temple day trip; four stretches to the nearby 'Shangri-la of the Central Plains' sights and the Yellow River.

Can I visit Longmen in one morning?

Yes — the grottoes take about 2.5–3 hours on the main trail (west bank out, bridge over, east bank back). Start at 8:00 opening to beat the tour groups, and add the night session in season (until 22:00) for the illuminated statues.

Is Shaolin Temple near Luoyang?

It is about 80 km away in Dengfeng — a day trip by bus or taxi. Alternatively, many visitors pair Luoyang with the Shaolin Temple and the Songshan mountains over 2–3 days.

What should I eat in Luoyang?

The classic is 'Luoyang water banquet' (shuixi) — a 24-course soup-based feast served in bowls; plus the lamb soup, beef soup and noodle dishes of the old town's morning markets, and peony pastry as the sweet souvenir.

Can I book my Luoyang trip through ToursChinaTravel?

Yes — email [email protected] or message us on WhatsApp. Our team arranges hotels, Longmen tickets, guides and the Shaolin day trip, free of charge.

Sample Itinerariesthe ancient capital in one, two or three days

Luoyang Classic 2-Day Tour

The imperial essentials — grottoes, the first monastery, the old town and the peony park. View the plan →

Day 1

Morning at Longmen Grottoes (west bank out, bridge back), lunch of Luoyang lamb soup, afternoon Guanlin and the Tianzi Jialiu Museum, evening in the old town by Li Jingmen.

Day 2

White Horse Temple in the morning, then Wangcheng Park and the peony gardens (April), before the HSR back to Zhengzhou.

Luoyang & Shaolin 3-Day Tour

Adds the cradle of kung fu — the Shaolin Temple and the Songshan mountains. View the plan →

Day 1

Longmen Grottoes and the east-bank temples, afternoon Guanlin and the museum, old town at night.

Day 2

White Horse Temple, then the Peony Garden (in season) and the Luoyang Museum's Han-dynasty treasures.

Day 3

Day trip to the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng — the pagoda forest, the monks' martial arts show and a climb up Songshan.

All plans are bookable end-to-end by our team — see the full day-by-day Luoyang itineraries hub, or the day-trip pages for single-day options.

Top Attractionstickets, hours, transport & insider tips

Longmen Grottoes

The greatest open-air Buddhist sculpture gallery in China — 2,345 niches, 100,000 statues and 2,800 inscriptions carved 493–1127 AD into the cliffs of the Yi River, led by the 17 m Vairocana Buddha of the Fengxian Temple.

¥90 · 08:00–18:00 (night until 22:00 in season) · UNESCO · 3 h

View details →

White Horse Temple

China's first Buddhist monastery, founded 68 AD when Emperor Ming sent envoys west and they returned with two Indian monks and sutras on white horses — the cradle of Chinese Buddhism, with the original pagoda and courtyards.

¥35 · 07:30–18:00 · Temple · 2 h

View details →

Guanlin

The tomb forest of Guan Yu — the Three Kingdoms general deified as the God of War — with 800 cypresses and the head burial mound; the great shrine of loyalty in Chinese culture.

¥40 · 08:00–18:00 · Shrine · 1.5 h

View details →

Old Town & Li Jingmen

The Ming-era old city behind the restored Li Jingmen gate — cross-street shops, the water-street night market and the evening lanterns make it the friendliest place in Luoyang.

Free · All day · Old town · Half day

View details →

Wangcheng Park & Peony Gardens

The 800,000 m² imperial garden park — in April it hosts the peony festival with 300+ varieties; year-round it is a pleasant lake-and-pavilion escape.

¥20 (April peak ¥35) · 06:30–20:00 · Garden · 2 h

View details →

Tianzi Jialiu Museum

The 2002 excavation of a full Western Zhou imperial burial — six horses, chariots and 28 riders in the original pit, the largest 'son-of-heaven' chariot find in China.

¥30 · 08:30–18:00 · Museum · 1.5 h

View details →

More in the region on the Henan attractions page.

Activities & Festivalsflowers, martial arts and imperial culture

Luoyang Peony Festival

From early April the city celebrates the national flower — Wangcheng Park, the National Peony Garden and the International Peony Garden fill with 300+ varieties for about three weeks.

Shaolin kung fu day

The cradle of Chinese martial arts at Dengfeng — the pagoda forest, the monks' demonstrations at 11:00/15:00 and the Songshan trails make a classic day trip.

Longmen night session

In high season the grottoes stay open until 22:00 with the Vairocana Buddha floodlit — the most atmospheric way to see the statues.

Old-town morning market

The lamb-soup and noodle breakfast streets inside Li Jingmen — follow the locals' bowls from 6:30 and eat like the imperial capital.

Where to Stayfrom the old town to the riverfront

Every hotel below is bookable by our team; browse the full Henan hotels directory.

Luoyang Peony Hotel

The grand classic near Wangcheng Park — the peony city's traditional address since the 1950s. From ¥400.

Phone: +86 379 646 8 100 · Book: Henan hotels · or email [email protected]

Huayang Plaza International Hotel

A modern tower beside the peony gardens and the museum district. From ¥500.

Phone: +86 379 628 8 888 · Book: Henan hotels · or email [email protected]

Old Town guesthouses

Courtyard inns inside the Ming walls by Li Jingmen — the most atmospheric beds in the city, steps from the night market. From ¥180.

Book: Henan hotels · or email [email protected]

Luoyang Jinjiang International Hotel

Reliable mid-range on Zhongzhou Road, handy for the metro and the airport bus. From ¥350.

Phone: +86 379 652 6 666 · Book: Henan hotels · or email [email protected]

White Horse Temple Village stays

Simple family hotels near the monastery for the earliest start — popular with pilgrims. From ¥120.

Book: Henan hotels · or email [email protected]

Food & Restaurantsthe water banquet and soup streets

Luoyang water banquet (shuixi)

The imperial feast — 24 soup-based courses served in succession, from the 'peony swallow vegetable' opener to the sweet finale. The old town's Zhen Butong and Laoji are the classic houses.

Lamb soup (yangtang)

Luoyang's great breakfast — lamb and offal boiled overnight in a clear broth, eaten with oil-splashed chili and flatbread.

Beef soup & tofu soup

The morning soup trinity — beef soup, and the famous 'not tofu' tofu soup made from mung-bean skins, served by 9:00 in the old town.

Peony pastry

The flower-shaped sweet made of bean paste and pastry — the souvenir every visitor takes home, sold all along Li Jingmen.

Guan Tang rou jia mo

The 'meat in a bun' of the Central Plains — stewed pork and chili in a crisp sesame flatbread, the fastest and cheapest good meal in town.

Shopping & Souvenirspeonies, porcelain and imperial crafts

Peony pastry & peony tea

The flower city's classic gifts — boxed pastry and dried peony petals for tea.

Luoyang san cai pottery

The Tang-dynasty 'three-colour' glazed ware — camels, horses and figurines, still made in Luoyang workshops.

Longmen ink rubbings

Stone inscriptions of the grottoes sold as ink rubbings near the west gate — a heavy but beautiful souvenir.

Baima Temple sutras & beads

Wooden prayer beads and printed sutra scrolls from China's first monastery.

Full local-product guides live on the Henan specialties page.

Getting There & Aroundhigh-speed rail hub of the Central Plains

By rail

Luoyang Longmen HSR station

The HSR station (west of the city) links Zhengzhou in 35 min, Xi'an in 1.5 h and Beijing in 3.5 h — the classic Luoyang station handles slower trains downtown. Metro lines 1–2 connect both.

By air

Fly to Luoyang Beijiao Airport

Domestic flights serve Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Kunming; the airport is 15 km north of the city (taxi about ¥40). Zhengzhou Xinzheng (2 h away) is the international alternative.

By coach

Regional buses

The long-distance stations run coaches to Dengfeng (Shaolin), Zhengzhou, Kaifeng and the Yellow River sights; buses to Longmen leave from the downtown stations every 15 minutes.

Around town

Metro lines 1–2 (¥2–4) reach Longmen, the old town and the museum district; buses are cheap and frequent. Taxis start at ¥7.

To the grottoes

City buses 81/99 and the metro line 2 get you to the west gate in about 40 minutes; the site itself is a one-way loop across the river bridge.

Central Plains roads

Luoyang sits on the G30/G36 expressway network — driving is easy, but summer parking at Longmen fills by 10:00; use the official car parks and shuttle.

Day Trips From LuoyangShaolin, the Yellow River and the grottoes at night

Shaolin Temple & Songshan (1 day)

The cradle of kung fu — pagoda forest, monk demonstrations and the Five-Ridge peaks of the Central Sacred Mountain, 80 km from Luoyang.

Longmen at night (half day)

The floodlit Vairocana Buddha — the grottoes' evening session (in season) is the city's most dramatic sight.

The Yellow River & Xiaolangdi Dam (1 day)

The 'clear water and blue waves' of the Yellow River at the great dam reservoir — boat rides, wetlands and the river at its gentlest.

Kaifeng — the Song capital (1 day)

An hour by HSR, the former Song-dynasty capital: the Iron Pagoda, Qingming Riverside park and the night market of the imperial city.

Travel Tipsthings to remember

1 · Book Longmen for opening time

The grottoes' west-bank trail is single-direction and fills with tour groups by 10:00 — be on the first shuttle at 08:00, or come back for the night session.

2 · April means crowds and flowers

The peony festival brings the whole of China — book hotels a month ahead, and see the flowers at Wangcheng Park rather than the crowded National Garden.

3 · Try the soup streets early

The great breakfast soups are gone by 9:30 — the old town's best bowls sell out fast. Go with an empty stomach and a local guide.

4 · One ticket for the grottoes

The ¥90 Longmen ticket covers both banks — keep it for the east-bank temples and the Xiangshan grottoes after the main trail.

5 · Metro beats taxis in traffic

Line 2 reaches Longmen directly and the old town is on Line 1 — in rush hour the metro is far faster than a taxi.

Background & Historythirteen dynasties on one bend of the Luo

Geography & climate

Luoyang lies in the west of the Central Plains, in the basin where the Luo River meets the Yi — the 'land of the centre' that dynasties chose for its defended position. A warm-temperate monsoon climate: hot summers, cool springs and autumns, and the April peony bloom that defines the city.

A brief history

The Xia and Shang left capitals here; the Zhou built the first 'Luoyang' as the eastern capital in 1021 BC; and the Eastern Han, Wei, Western Jin, Northern Wei, Sui and Tang all ruled from the city — thirteen dynasties in all. The Northern Wei carved Longmen from 493 AD; Buddhism arrived at White Horse Temple in 68 AD; and the Sui–Tang canal system made Luoyang the empire's food-and-flower capital. Its 105 emperors are buried across the surrounding plains.

The peony connection

Legend says the only flower Empress Wu Zetian failed to command into bloom was the peony — punished to Luoyang, it flourished, and the city's April festival was born of that imperial grudge. 'The national beauty and heavenly fragrance' remains Luoyang's signature phrase.

Plan Your Luoyang Tripattractions, hotels, flights and specialties — all in one place

Everything on ToursChinaTravel is bookable through our team by email or WhatsApp. Here's where each part of your Luoyang trip lives on the site.

Luoyang Travel Guide — the ancient capital of Thirteen Dynasties

Luoyang Bucket Listthe little things that make this ancient capital unforgettable

Gaze at the Longmen Grottoes

Ring the bell at White Horse Temple

Bow at Guanlin

Walk the old town & Li Jingmen Gate

See the peonies in April

Meet the Six Horses of the Emperor

Top Highlightswhat Luoyang does best

Royal grottoes

The first monastery

Peony city

The old capital

Questions & Answerswhat travellers always ask about Luoyang

When is the best time to visit Luoyang?

How many days do I need?

Can I visit Longmen in one morning?

Is Shaolin Temple near Luoyang?

What should I eat in Luoyang?

Can I book my Luoyang trip through ToursChinaTravel?

Sample Itinerariesthe ancient capital in one, two or three days

Top Attractionstickets, hours, transport & insider tips

Activities & Festivalsflowers, martial arts and imperial culture

Luoyang Peony Festival

Shaolin kung fu day

Longmen night session

Old-town morning market

Where to Stayfrom the old town to the riverfront

Luoyang Peony Hotel

Huayang Plaza International Hotel

Old Town guesthouses

Luoyang Jinjiang International Hotel

White Horse Temple Village stays

Food & Restaurantsthe water banquet and soup streets

Luoyang water banquet (shuixi)

Lamb soup (yangtang)

Beef soup & tofu soup

Peony pastry

Guan Tang rou jia mo

Shopping & Souvenirspeonies, porcelain and imperial crafts

Peony pastry & peony tea

Luoyang san cai pottery

Longmen ink rubbings

Baima Temple sutras & beads

Getting There & Aroundhigh-speed rail hub of the Central Plains

Luoyang Longmen HSR station

Fly to Luoyang Beijiao Airport

Regional buses

Around town

To the grottoes

Central Plains roads

Day Trips From LuoyangShaolin, the Yellow River and the grottoes at night

Travel Tipsthings to remember

1 · Book Longmen for opening time

2 · April means crowds and flowers

3 · Try the soup streets early

4 · One ticket for the grottoes

5 · Metro beats taxis in traffic

Background & Historythirteen dynasties on one bend of the Luo

Geography & climate

A brief history

The peony connection

Plan Your Luoyang Tripattractions, hotels, flights and specialties — all in one place