Location: Datong
Top Things to do in Datong
Top Restaurants in Datong
- 1. DongFang XueMian (YingZe Jie)
- 2. Kai Ge Restaurant (CaoChang Cheng West Street)
- 3. KunLun Restaurant
- 4. Sun Ji BaoZiPu (CaoChang Cheng)
- 5. Kai Ge Hot Pot (YingBin East Road)
- 6. McDonald's (DaTong JiaoChang Jie)
- 7. McDonald's (DaTong WoErMa)
- 8. Fenglin Ge Restaurant
- 9. Tonghe Restaurant
- 10. Hi-Town Cafe
10 Things to Do in Datong That You Shouldn't Miss
Datong is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi Province in the People's Republic of China. It is located in a basin at an elevation of 1,040 metres (3,410 ft) and borders Inner Mongolia to the north and west and Hebei to the east. It had a population of 3,318,057 during the 2010 census, of whom 1,629,035 lived in the built-up area made of the three urban districts of Chengqu, Kuangqu and Nanjiao.
Restaurants in Datong
1. Yungang Grottoes
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 852 reviews
There are over 50 caves with over 50,000 well-preserved Buddhist statues from the 5th century.
Reviewed By G L - Malaysia
The monk that saw in the valley what looked like the valley in India to start this. That up to 5,000 monks worked and toiled to create this holy place. Craving thousands of Buddha sculptures into the walls of the Mountains. Tunneling into and creating a Buddha built into the mountain and removing the waste from the tunnel. A must see..
2. Hengshan Hanging Temple (Xuankong si)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 655 reviews
The monastery was built on the cliffs of Mt. Hengshan, one of the five most sacred Mountains in China. The caves and halls are connected by winding corridors and Bridges.
Reviewed By Geminican - San Jose
This is definitely an amazing architecture from ancient China. Because of its location, the best time to visit is first thing in the morning. Be there at the ticket office 10 minutes before the opening. Check the latest opening hours from its website.
Get the ticket, be first in line to go up because there is always a line and they impose a quota limit per day for tourists to protect the temple.
The sunlight shines directly to the temple around 8:30am-10am, which gives you good light for photo shooting. Other times, the temple will not be directly under the sunlight, and will be a dark.
Get it out of the way first so you can move onto your next activities at ease.
3. Huayan Temple of Datong
Overall Ratings
4 based on 122 reviews
Reviewed By Diane D - Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Compared to some of the other temples we visited in Xi'an and Beijing, this one is relatively quiet, but fairly large in scale. We enjoyed our visit. It is just a few steps away from Fenglin Ge Restaurant, so plan your visit accordingly, you will be just in time for the best meal of your life. Restaurant opens at 5pm.
4. Wuguantun Grotto
Overall Ratings
5 based on 43 reviews
Reviewed By Rowland45 - Iowa City, Iowa
Getting there is a big chore but fortunately it is rewarding. The beginning of the walk through the grottos is a tourist trap full of souvenir stands, but I guess that is to be expected. Once you get past that the site is rather inspirational. The stone carvings are just amazing. The labor and love that it took to make them warms the heart.
5. Ying Xian Wooden Pagoda
Overall Ratings
4 based on 156 reviews
Reviewed By Giacomo C - Verona, Italy
This place is not particularly extraordinary. It is interesting, however, to see the structure of these wooden pagoda and to understand how it was built. If you count I'll hold it isn't, it becomes quite unique.
6. Datong City Walls
Overall Ratings
4 based on 83 reviews
7. Shanhua Monastery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 29 reviews
Reviewed By Scentedlotus - Australia
Overlooked by the crumbling ruins of the Great Wall, the Shanhua temple has sat in its sublime state since the pre-Jin era.The massive wooden halls which wait to be discovered at the last courtyard of the temple complex, house exquisite paint flaked wooden Buddhas and deities, whose towering majesties will forever leave an indelible imprint on any pilgrim who ventures there. In Datong,this hidden treasure transported us back to a time when Buddhism graced this gateway to the Silk Road.... If you ever stop in this Chinese City be sure to visit the Shanhua Temple.
8. Nine Dragon Screen
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 206 reviews
Reviewed By AndrewYew - Singapore, Singapore
I am not sure how important this place would be on your itinerary. Basically the 13th son of the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (Zhu Yuanzhang) wanted to outdo his brother with a serious case of sibling rivalry. His brother already had one built. This is also part of his aspiration to be the emperor one day. so his wall is longer, thicker and higher than his bro's. In fact it is said this is the oldest, largest and most enchanting such wall in China, built in 1368. (45.4m long, 8 m high 22 inches thick) But since he is only a prince, his dragons can only have 4 talons and not five like the emperor's. The wall is very well constructed as the colours lasted all these years. It is basically a grand declaration of his imperial aspirations before facebook was available. Give it a "like" if you have the time.
9. Datong Drum
Overall Ratings
4 based on 51 reviews
Reviewed By Chris101111 - Auckland Central, New Zealand
In the centre of the wall part of Datong, the drum is large but not the main attraction. You can climb some VERY steep steps up to the top of the tower, you get a good four sided view of the town.
I would recommend you go to the top.
10. Heng Mountain Zhuangguan Monument
Overall Ratings
4 based on 33 reviews
Reviewed By Chris101111 - Auckland Central, New Zealand
If you are going to the Hanging Monastery you should also include a trip to this monument, it is a hike but you can also take a taxi ride to the top. I would recommend it just for the views.
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