Archive for the ‘Datong Travel’ Category

« Older Entries

Where to stay in Datong

Thursday, June 7th, 2012

 

Plan your Datong Tour? If you are in the process of hotel booking on your short trip to Datong, a basic idea of Datong city layout is essential in finding a perfect place to stay in Datong. Of course, your final decision of for Datong hotel booking also depends on your budget and personal taste.
 
If you look at a map of Datong, the map will show you a clear outline of a city wall in the center of Datong City, which is the city’s old core. Much of the city wall and the old town were damaged or pulled down in the past hundred years. The city wall was built in 1372 in Ming Dynasty based on the earth city wall left by the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). The Datong City Wall was said to be 2 meters higher than those in Xian and 6.6 meters wide than those in Nanjing.
 
A great renovation program of its old town is underway with part of its eastern and sourthern walls restored. The drum tower is the center of the old town reaching out four major streets – north, south, east and west. Buildings are being built to restore the quaint yet old quarter.
 
The city of Datong isn’t big on attractions which are all located within the old town including Nine Dragon Screen, Upper Huayan Temple, Lower Huanyan Temple, Shanhua Temple and City Wall itself. The fact is that it makes no big difference as where to stay in Datong since Datong is a walkable city. The Hanging Temple is located 65km southeast of Datong city; Yingxian Wooden Pagoda 55km to the west of Hanging Temple and Yungang Caves 16km west of downtown Datong.
 
Basically you have five areas to choose for your Datong hotel booking – Datong Railway Station Area (north of Datong city core), inside the old town (within the city wall), east of the city wall, south of the city wall and west of the city wall
 
Hotels around Datong Railway Station (north of the city wall):
Tongtie Hotel （同铁宾馆）: 5 Zhanbei Jie, Datong Tel：0352-5559222
Feitian Hotel （飞天宾馆）: 1 Zhanqian Jie, datong
Hongqi Grand Hotel: No.11 Zhanqian Street, North of Train Station Square, Datong
88 Phoenix Court: No.88 Wuding North Road, datong
Jiahe International Inn: 1 Zhanqian Street, Datong
 
 
Hotels inside the city wall
Garden Hotel: No.59 Danan Street, Datong
Datong Yun Gang International Hotel: Address: No.38 Da Xi Street, Datong
Xinsanhuan Jiulong Hotel: No.1 Dadong Street, Downtown, Datong
Datong Youth Hostel: 2 Huanyan Jie, Downtown, Datong
 
Hotels east of the city wall
Howard Jonhson Jindi Plaza Datong: No.88 Pingcheng Street, Datong
Yanbei Hotel: No.1A Yuhe West Road, Datong
Guobin Hotel: No.898 Yuhe West Road, Datong
 
Hotels south of the city wall
Holiday Inn Datong City Center: No.37 Yingbin Street, Cheng District, Datong
Datong Hotel:
Yungang Jianguo Hotel: No.21 Yingbin East Road, Shi District, Datong
Jinjiang Inn (Datong Pingchengqiao): Building 1 Longyuan Community, Pingcheng Street, Datong
Home Inn (Datong Yingbin Road): No.51 Yingbin West Street, Xinrong District, Datong
Continental Hotel: No.88 Binxi Street, Yingbin West Road, Cheng District, Datong
Datong Hotel: No.37 Yingbin West Road, Datong
Chenguang International Hotel: Yingbin East Street 68, Datong
 
Hotels west of the city wall
Haohai International Hotel: No.46 Xinjian South Road, Datong
Datong Tiangui International Hotel: 133 Yunzhong Road, Datong
Great Palace Hotel: No.452 Weidu Avenue, Datong
Hotel Red Flag Square: Weidu Avenue, Datong
Huamei Hotel: Building #1,Fulinbaocheng,Yunboli, Weidu Avenue, datong
 
Any questions, just drop a line.

Tags: ,
Posted in Datong Travel | 2 Comments »

How to visit Datong in one Day？

Sunday, June 19th, 2011

 

Hanging Temple

Planning your Datong Tour? If you have only one full day in Datong and you would like to feel, touch and see the essential Datong, the one-day itinerary in Datong below is my suggested example to plan your own memorable Datong one-day Tour.  

Bus Tour : Mt. Hengshan, Hanging Temple, Yungang Grottoes
 
Mt. Hengshan
Get up early and have a fast breakfast, and board a local bus tour to Mr. Hengshan. Mt. Hengshan is located in Hunyuan County of Shanxi Province. You can get there around 8 am.
Mt. Hengshan is the Northern Mountain of the “Five Sacred Mountains”. Boasting 108 peaks and spanning 150 kilometers, it has an average elevation of 2,017 meters. Mt. Hengshan is famous for steepy ridges, splendid peaks, exotic-shaped temples, and gushing fountains, together with oddly-shaped stones and forests of ancient trees, which constitutes a beautiful landscape.
 
Hanging Monastery
Hanging Monastery stands at the foot of Mt. Hengshan. So when you arrive in Mt. Hengshan, you just arrive in Hanging Temple. According to the History of Hengshan Mountain, the Hanging Temple was first built at the end of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
The Hanging Temple was designed skillfully and constructed audaciously. The method is to chisel a horizontal hole in the cliff, and then put a beam through the hole out of the cliff, at last put board and pillars on the beam to build various beam frames and roofs.
There are all sorts of inscriptions, poems and another 78 statues of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism made of copper, iron, clay and stone, which are valuable cultural craftworks.
 
Datong Yungang Grottoes
Yungang Grottoes is the main reason that people make a trip to Datong. After lunch at noon, you should move on to Yungang Grottoes. Yungang Grottoes is located at the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain some 16 km west of Datong City.
Yungang Grottoes were built against the mountain and extend about 1 km from east to west. The construction of the caves was started under the auspices of the noted monk Tan Yao in 453 and took 50 years to complete. The Yungang Grottoes are divided into three zones: east, west and central and numbered from east to west.
 
If you are planning a one-day private tour to Datong, you can arrange your own time well and visit one more attraction – Yingxian Wooden Pagoda.
 
Yingxian Wooden Tower
The Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, also called Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple, is located in the Fogong Temple, Yingxian County, Shanxi Province. It is regarded as one of the “Three Pagodas in the World”.
Built in 1056, this wooden pagoda has a history of over 1000 years. It is built on a four-meter-high groundwork with a total height of 67.31 meters, and a diameter of 30.27 meters at its bottom. The tower adopts the structure of secluded chambers in design, presenting a distinctive national characteristic inherited from the Han and Tang Dynasties while leveraging the traditional architectural techniques to the fullest extent.
 
Enjoy your one-day Tour in Datong!
 
 
Datong tours starting from Beijing
Datong 3 Day Rail Tour from Beijing
Beijing Datong 2 Day Round Trip by private car or van
Beijing Datong 4 Day Round Trip by Daytime Train

Tags: , ,
Posted in Datong Travel | Comments Off

Datong Tourist Scams, Tourist Traps in Datong

Thursday, June 16th, 2011

 

The earliest caved carved, incarnation of both Buddha and the first emperor of Bei Wei Dynasty - also representative of Yungang Caves

Plan your Datong Tour? Known as the “City of the Coal”, Datong is one of the 24 famous historical and cultural cities in China due to its ever prosperous history. It is generally a very safe place for tourists. However, on your Datong Trip, there are several tourist scams that visitors should be aware of. Always be careful with what you do and with who you can trust.  

Super-cheap Tours Scam
In Datong, you may often encounter some cheap tours offerred to you when you arriving there. They will take you to shopping places and force you to buy a lot of things which you don’t want to buy, and you may spend more time at these places than at the places that you have intended to visit. What’s more, the services are not very good: dirty bus, bad lunch, for example. You should find a standard tour agency to start your tour in Datong.
 
“Black” Taxis
“Black” taxis can be found all over China, and Datong is not an exception. You may encounter them in sometimes when you need a taxi, including the train station, the city center, or around attractions. The drivers will approach you and asking “where are you going”. They will not only overcharge you but there have been reports of tourists taken out into the middle of nowhere where several of the black taxi driver’s friends showed up and took all of the tourists belongings. Don”t even talk to these people.
 
Attractions Shrinkage
Most of the visitors are the first time to many scenic spots in Datong, so they are not familiar with the traveling routes. The tour guide cuts off some content of the tours furtively to save money. They just introduce the attractions to visitors while the bus is driving. Visitors should write the travel plan and the visiting time in contrast in advance with the tour agent, so that they can safeguard the rights and interests of themselves.
 
Pickpockets
Pickpockets always can be found in the major tourist sites of China, Datong is also included. Always keep your eyes on your bags, and carry your wallets in a front pocket or a pocket inside your coat, especially in the late evening alone. This is one scam where a true tour guide is very helpful, as thieves will not target tourists with a tour guide that knows how to turn them in to the police.
 
Expensive Souvenirs
There are always many stalls which selling souvenirs in a ridiculous high price inside some scenic spots, Yanmenguan Pass, Yungang Grottoes, for example. These vendors always sell souvenirs to visitors, especially to foreign visitors who don’t speak Chinese. Just don’t buy them inside these scenic spots. If you want to buy some souvenirs of Datong, you can go to the markets there.
 
Child Beggars
Some children will beg for money, sometimes even grabbing onto your legs until you pay them some money in Datong. There are reports that these children may have been kidnapped from other places specifically to be used for begging purposes. If you give money to child beggars, you may have the risk of getting a swarm of them. Just avoid those child beggars.
 
Tourist Groups Becoming Together
For some tourist agents, sometimes they don’t have enough visitors and can’t make a group. So they transfer these visitors to other agents without telling the visitors. Visitors can’t enjoy comfortable service during their tour. The best way to avoid this kind of thing, visitors should make it clearly before setting off and take good care of their contrast

Posted in Datong Travel | Comments Off

« Older Entries