Luoyang, one of China’s ancient capitals, is home to the magnificent Longmen Grottoes carved along the Yi River, the White Horse Temple, and — every April — a city-wide blaze of peonies.
Best time to visit
April for the Peony Festival is the signature month; September–October is cool and clear. Summers are hot and winters are cold, but weekday Longmen visits are calmer off-season.
How many days
- 2 days — Longmen Grottoes, White Horse Temple, old-town night.
- 3 days — add Dengfeng / Shaolin Temple or the Tang palaces.
Getting there & around
High-speed rail: Xi’an ~1.5h, Zhengzhou ~40min; Luoyang Beijiao and Longmen South stations plus the metro link the sights. Longmen is ~30 min from downtown by metro or taxi.
Top things to do
- Longmen Grottoes — tens of thousands of Buddhas carved into the cliffs, best late afternoon.
- White Horse Temple, the first Buddhist temple in China.
- Luoyang Museum for bronzes and Tang tomb figures.
- Lijingmen and the old town’s night market and food streets.
- Guanlin, the temple of the warrior Guan Yu.
- Tiantang Mingtang and the Yingtian Gate night light show.
- Peony gardens in April — Wangcheng Park and the Sui-Tang gardens.
A 2-day Luoyang itinerary
- Day 1 — Longmen Grottoes (half/full day) → old town + Lijingmen by night.
- Day 2 — White Horse Temple → Luoyang Museum → Guanlin and the night light show.
What to eat
The famed Luoyang Water Banquet (shuixi), beef-and-lamb soups, hot-dry noodles and old-town snack streets around Lijingmen.
FAQ
- How many days do you need in Luoyang? — Two days covers the Longmen Grottoes, White Horse Temple and the old-town night scene; add a third if you combine it with Dengfeng and the Shaolin Temple.
- When is the best time to visit Luoyang? — April, during the Peony Flower Festival, is the classic — the whole city blooms. September–October is cool and clear; summers are hot.
- What is Luoyang famous for? — The UNESCO Longmen Grottoes, the White Horse Temple (Buddhism’s first Chinese temple), its peonies, and being one of ancient China’s great capitals.
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