Luoyang Self-Driving Tour: Two-Day One-Night Travel Guide, Pure Practical Tips, Recommended to Save
Divine Capital: Luoyang, here I come! Fuyang → Luoyang Self-Driving Tour, Two Days One Night Travel Guide. Personally typed, pure practical tips.
Time: October 2–3, 2021. National Day holiday.
Number of people: 3.
Total cost: 1500 yuan (gas, food, accommodation, tickets).
Before going, I did a lot of homework. Studied many travel guides and summarized a route suitable for myself. Recorded below.
Note: Before traveling, besides planning the route and packing essentials, don't forget to check the weather at your destination!
Route overview: Guanlin → Luoyang Museum → Longmen Grottoes → Old Town Cross Street (end of Day 1) → Yingtianmen → Mingtang → Jiuzhou Pool → Luoyi Ancient City → White Horse Temple (end of Day 2)
----------------------------------------
October 2, 2021. Departed at 7:00 am, arrived at the first stop Guanlin at 11:40 am.
This is the place where Guan Yu's head is buried. The incense is very strong. The pavilions, stone railings, etc. in the temple are engraved with the names of donors. The main hall is densely packed with small Buddha statues, all sponsored by people.
[Knowledge Point] Guanlin is one of the three major Guan temples worldwide. Among thousands of Guan temples, it is uniquely called "Lin" (forest), making it the only ancient classic building in China that combines tomb, temple, and forest. It is now a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a National AAAA-level Tourist Attraction.
After Sun Quan killed Guan Yu, fearing Liu Bei's revenge, he sent Guan Yu's head to Cao Cao in Luoyang. But Cao Cao saw through the scheme. Admiring Guan Yu's character, Cao Cao played along, posthumously appointed Guan Yu as King of Jing, carved a body from agarwood, and buried him with the rites of a prince fifteen li south of Luoyang, also building a temple for worship. This has been over 1,790 years.
[Visit Duration] 1 hour
[Ticket] 25 yuan
[Parking Fee] 0 yuan (didn't enter the parking lot; found a small alley nearby to park)
Lunchtime came. Exiting Guanlin, there is Nanguan Small Bowl Beef Soup - Guanlin Branch. It is said this chain brand has been certified as an intangible cultural heritage. Beef soup is priced at 10, 15, or 20 yuan per bowl, and meatballs are 1 yuan per plate.
After lunch, went to Luoyang Museum.
The artifacts on the first floor vividly restore the history that took place on the land of Luoyang from the Xia Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty.
The second floor features cultural and creative exhibitions and treasure exhibitions.
[Knowledge Point] Luoyang Museum is one of the first batch of national first-class museums and a comprehensive historical museum at the local level in China. It is a comprehensive history museum in Luoyang. It houses over 400,000 artifacts, with more than 11,000 on display. Its collection volume ranks among the top museums nationwide.
[Visit Duration] 2 hours
[Ticket] 0 yuan
[Parking Fee] 3 yuan (Luoyang's parking fees are really cheap)
Next stop: Longmen Grottoes.
Longmen Grottoes look magnificent during the day, but at night, many lights shine on them, making them even more stunning.
Longmen Grottoes tickets come in two types: daytime ticket and nighttime ticket. The latest entry for daytime ticket is 5:30 pm. The latest entry for nighttime ticket is 9:00 pm.
If you want to see both day and night, it is recommended to enter around 5:00 pm. If there is a clearing of the site, you can explain to the staff, and generally they won't force you to leave; you can continue to watch the night show.
The Lushena Buddha is on the west bank, while the viewing platform to see the full view of the Buddha is on the east bank.
Note: The route in Longmen Grottoes is one-way. Either enter from the Northeast Gate and exit from the Northwest Gate, or enter from the Northwest Gate and exit from the Northeast Gate. No backtracking allowed.
If you enter from the Northwest Gate, you need to take a shuttle bus back to the Northwest Gate after viewing. 10 yuan per person. If you enter from the Northeast Gate, because there is a road from the Northeast Gate to the scenic area, you need to take the shuttle bus twice: first from the Northeast Gate to the scenic area, and then from the Northwest Gate back to the Northeast Gate. Also 10 yuan per person each time.
[Knowledge Point] Longmen Grottoes is the largest and most massive stone carving art treasure trove in the world, rated by UNESCO as "the highest peak of Chinese stone carving art." It ranks first among the major grottoes in China. It is now a World Cultural Heritage site, a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, and a National AAAAA-level Tourist Attraction.
Longmen was carved during the Great Yu's flood control efforts, and the legend of the carp leaping over the dragon gate also originated here. The grottoes were first carved during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, flourished in the Tang Dynasty, and ended in the late Qing Dynasty. They were built over more than 10 dynasties, spanning over 1,400 years, making them the longest-built grottoes in the world. Extensive polychrome painting was used during construction, most of which has faded today. The grottoes are densely distributed on the cliffs of the east and west banks of the Yi River, stretching one kilometer from north to south. There are currently 2,345 niches and more than 110,000 statues. Together with the Mogao Grottoes and the Yungang Grottoes, they are known as the Three Major Grottoes of China, later adding the Maijishan Grottoes to form the Four Major Grottoes.
[Visit Duration] 3.5 hours
[Ticket] 90 yuan
[Parking Fee] 3 yuan (Luoyang's parking fees are really cheap)
After 8:00 pm, it's time for the night market. Highly recommend Luoyang's most popular food street: Luoyang Cross Street.
Note: If it's a major holiday, never take Zhongzhou Road from the north; that road will be very congested, and you won't find parking anywhere. The correct approach: go from Jiudu East Road on the south side, where parking is easier.
(Photo: None)
End of Day 1.
-----------------------------------------Day 2 begins,
The gate of Ziwei Palace.
[Visit Duration] 0.5 hours
[Ticket] 0 yuan (asked the guard; can only go up to the central platform after entering, the side buildings cannot be climbed, so gave up buying tickets)
[Parking Fee] 3 yuan
The main hall where Wu Zetian conducted official business, rebuilt on the original site.
[Visit Duration] 2 hours
[Ticket] 105 yuan
[Parking Fee] 3 yuan
The imperial garden of Ziwei Palace, rebuilt on the original site.
[Visit Duration] 1 hour
[Ticket] 27 yuan
[Parking Fee] 3 yuan
An ancient city modeled after the Sui and Tang dynasties. There is a food street inside. Plan your time; you can have lunch here.
Also, there are many, many ladies in Hanfu costumes here.
[Visit Duration] 1.5 hours
[Ticket] 0 yuan (free)
[Parking Fee] 3 yuan
Another must-see attraction in Luoyang besides Longmen Grottoes. It includes: White Horse Temple, Qiyun Temple (only one incense stick allowed to light), Di Renjie's Tomb, Thai Temple (donated by the Thai government), Myanmar Temple (donated by the Myanmar government), and Indian Temple (donated by the Indian government).
[Visit Duration] 2 hours
[Ticket] 35 yuan
[Parking Fee] 0 yuan (parked on the roadside)
White Horse Temple parking instructions:
For self-driving tours, most come from the western urban area. When approaching White Horse Temple, there will be waves of people on the right side of the road (the south side) signaling you to pull over and park.
Note: These are illegal parking lots. Nearby villagers each (or each family) have fenced off a piece of land, charging 10 yuan per car for parking. They collect the money but offer no guarantee. If your car is stolen or scratched, contacting them will probably be useless.
The government parking lot is on the left side of the road (the north side). During the National Day holiday, it's probably hard to get in.
I drove further west, passed some Peony Garden ticket office, and parked on the roadside. No charge.
Trip ends. Five kilometers from there you can get on the expressway.
