What to see in Luoyang, things to do in Luoyang

 

Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang

Plan your Luoyang Tour? Served as the ancient capitals of nine dynasties, Luoyang is a famous tourist city in Henan province. Located in the west of Hennan province, Luoyang occupies an area of 15,492 square kilometers, with a total population of 6.16 million, 1.4 million urban. Luoyang’s importance in history means that it has significant influence in China’s cultural heritage and has many historical sites. Luoyang still retains many of its significant ancient landmarks which are the main tourist draw cards.

 
 
Longmen Grottoes
The Longmen Grottoes are located sixteen kilometers south of Luoyang, on the banks of the Yi River. They constitute a world-renowned artistic treasure, now protected as a National Key Cultural Relics Protected Unit and listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2000. Altogether there are more than 2,100 grottoes at Longmen, with more than 100,000 statues, some 3,600 inscriptions and stelaes, and forty Buddha’s stupas. Most of them are the works of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the flourishing age of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Lots of historical materials concerning art, music, religion, calligraphy, medicine, costume and architecture are kept in Longmen Grottoes.
Location: South Suburb, Luoyang city
Ticket Price: 120Yuan (Bai Garden and Xiangshan Temple are also included)
Opening Time:
07:00-19:50 (1st Mar.-31st Oct.)
07:30-18:50 (1st Nov.-28th Feb.)
How to get there:
Bus No. 81 at Luoyang Train Station; Bus No. 53 and No. 60 from the downtown area
 
Shaolin Temple
Located 80km southeast of Luoyang, Shaolin Temple is established among flourished forests in Mountain Song, so it attained the name “Shaolin”. The Shaolin Temple has many legends and mysteries surround it. The origin of martial arts and the origin of Kung Fu surround the vague mysteries of the Shaolin Temple and the Shaolin Monks. There are many noted relics at Shaolin. There are over 300 ancient stone inscriptions, some of them by famous calligraphers. The Shaolin martial arts are an important part of the relics.
Location: 12km west of Dengfeng City, Henan Province
Ticket Price: 110Yuan (including 10 for electric bus)
Opening Time: 08:10-17:30
 
White Horse Temple
Located about 12km away from Luoyang City, Baima Si (White Horse Temple) established by the Han Dynasty in 68 AD when Buddhism started to spread. Baima Si (White Horse Temple) was the first Buddhist temple in China, and the first translations of the Holy scripts from Sanskrit into Chinese were completed here. Although it is not the largest nor the most beautiful Buddhism monument in China, this temple with its large number of Buddhism items housed there, is well worth a trip. The temple boasts great antique architecture which has remained intact for over 1,900 years. The Hall of Heavenly Kings, Hall of the Great Buddha, Hall of Mahavira, Hall of Guidance and the Cool and Clear Terrace appear in proper order in the temple, as they were when it was first built.
Ticket Price: 80Yuan
Opening Time: 07:30-17:30
How to get there: Bus No.56 at Luoyang Train Station to the terminal; Bus No.58 at Guanlin Temple to terminal.
 
Guanlin Temple
8 kilometers south of Luoyang, the quiet and pretty temple, Guanlin Temple (General Guan’s Tomb) is dedicated to Guan Yu, a hero of the Three Kingdoms’ period and loyal general of Liu Bei, King of Shu. Besides, it is strikingly beautiful; the elegant Ming buildings are highly carved and richly decorated. Especially fine are the carved stone lionesses lining the path to the First Hall. At present, the Guanlin Temple is considered to be the museum of the ancient arts in the city of Luoyang. Inside the temple, the length of the covered corridor on both sides exceeds 90 meters.
Ticket Price: CNY 40
Opening Hours: 8:00-17:00
How to get there: Buses No. 15, 42, 55, 58, 69
 
The National Peony Garden
The city has long been famous for its beautiful peony flowers. Peony, has been called the King of Flowers for its gorgeous charm and unbelievably beauty. Luoyang National Peony Garden is the home to more than 1000 varieties of peony and main gene of peony in the world. It’s a major sightseeing zone during the peony festival in Luoyang.
Ticket Price: CNY 30
Opening Hours: 5:30-21:30
How to get there: Bus No.51 from the Train Station to the National Peony Garden
 
Luoyang Museum
Luoyang Museum is a comprehensive history museum combined with collection, preservation, scientific research and exhibition. Almost one thousand pieces of rare cultural relics exhibited fall into five categories, many of them are from over 500,000 years ago to the Sui and Tang period. The museum serves as a window for spread of the culture of the ancient capital city of Luoyang, as well as an ideal spot for patriotic education.
Ticket Price: free
Opening Hours: 09:00 – 17:00 (Closed on Monday)
How to get there: Bus No. 2 in the downtown area of Luoyang
 
Wangcheng Park
Wangcheng Park, located on the main road of Luoyang, is one of the best places to enjoy the peony flowers every April. The park’s name, Wangcheng, literally means ‘the city of the king’, as it was built in 1955 on the site of the capital city of the Zhou Dynasty (11BC – 22BC). Each April, during the Luoyang Peony Festival, hundreds of thousands of peonies bloom together in a majestic display of natural beauty. The prime time to enjoy the peony flowers is from April 5 to 20, according to Mrs. Wang, who’s in charge of the peony planting in the park.
Ticket Price: free (CNY 10 in chrysanthemum exhibition, CNY 50 in Luoyang Peony Festival)
Opening Hours: 05:00-20:30
How to get there: Buses No. 9, 11, 15, 40, 101, 102, etc
 

2 thoughts on “What to see in Luoyang, things to do in Luoyang

  1. If we go to Luoyang Wancheng Park or the National Peony Garden in October – November, is there any peony blooming?

  2. Hi Pomnawa,

    As you know, the best time to view Luoyang peonies is from late April to early May. In October and November you can see some of the blooming peonies growing in the green houses at constant temperature in National Peony Garden.

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