China Travel Kit

5 days / one flexible framework

Five days in Luoyang, with realistic travel

Imperial archaeology, Buddhist art and separate mountain excursions

Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang.
Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang.
Photo source & license27427-Luoyang (49067744628).jpg · Credit: xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0 · Photographed 2019Resized and converted to WebP; display framing may crop the photograph. The photograph and these versions retain the linked license.
Make this route your own

Use these days as a starting point and adjust the pace to suit you. Check the linked attraction guides for reservations and closures, and allow a full day for longer outings. Confirm weather and tickets before setting off.

Choose one route for each day with alternatives below. Only its listed stops are imported. Optional stops stay in the guide, and opening days still need checking for your dates.

Make room for a local experience ↓

Choose your pace

Make room for local life

Choose which visits to shorten or replace. Check the experience’s address and conditions, and arrange meals, shows or workshops separately. The booking planner saves the listed attraction visits.

DAY1

Luolong / Yi River

Longmen without a second main attraction

Planner route: Longmen without a second main attraction.

Planner stops: Longmen Grottoes.

Places mentioned in this day's guide:

Longmen Grottoes 龙门石窟景区
  1. Morning: Allow the main day for the open West Hill grotto route and selected major sculptural groups.
  2. Afternoon: Add the operating East Hill or other included component only if the actual product and your energy allow; leave the return unhurried.
  3. Evening: keep dinner and the return to your base flexible; do not add another distant ticketed visit.
If the plan changes

If conservation or weather closes a section, follow the official reduced route. Do not schedule Luoyang Museum, which is closed for renovation.

DAY2

Eastern Luoyang / old town

Temple and a measured old-town evening

These are alternatives. The planner adds only the stops in your chosen option.

Places mentioned in this day's guide:

White Horse Temple 河南省洛阳市白马寺Luoyi Ancient City 洛邑古城
  1. Morning: Give White Horse Temple a substantial visit with time for its main axis and selected international precincts.
  2. Afternoon: Return toward the city and use a short Luoyi Ancient City session if its current entry works; avoid booking an additional major performance.
  3. Evening: keep dinner and the return to your base flexible; do not add another distant ticketed visit.
If the plan changes

If the temple is unavailable, retain the old-center route and move the eastern trip; separate venues do not share reservations.

DAY3

Sui–Tang city area

One imperial-city precinct at a time

These are alternatives. The planner adds only the stops in your chosen option.

Places mentioned in this day's guide:

Sui–Tang Luoyang City National Heritage Park 隋唐洛阳城国家遗址公园Emperor's Six-Horse Chariot Museum 洛阳周王城天子驾六博物馆
  1. Morning: Choose one main Sui–Tang heritage precinct and read the archaeological interpretation.
  2. Afternoon: Visit the central Six-Horse Chariot Museum only if separately open, or keep a longer single-precinct visit.
  3. Evening: keep dinner and the return to your base flexible; do not add another distant ticketed visit.
If the plan changes

A sold-out night show does not establish daytime closure. Confirm each named precinct and session independently.

DAY4

Northern Luoyang

A museum alternative during Luoyang Museum's closure

Planner route: A museum alternative during Luoyang Museum's closure.

Planner stops: Luoyang Ancient Tomb Museum.

Places mentioned in this day's guide:

Luoyang Ancient Tomb Museum 洛阳古墓博物馆
  1. Morning: Use the independently managed Ancient Tomb Museum after confirming its own access and open tomb sections.
  2. Afternoon: Allow for low light, steps and the return transfer; use a short central public-space break afterwards.
  3. Evening: keep dinner and the return to your base flexible; do not add another distant ticketed visit.
If the plan changes

If unavailable, Erlitou can replace the whole day with its own reservation and eastward transport. Luoyang Museum's old booking page is not a fallback.

DAY5

Yanshi

Erlitou as a protected archaeological excursion

Planner route: Erlitou as a protected archaeological excursion.

Planner stops: Erlitou Site Museum of the Xia Capital.

Places mentioned in this day's guide:

Erlitou Site Museum of the Xia Capital 二里头夏都遗址博物馆
  1. Morning: Travel east and prioritize the Erlitou site museum's archaeological narrative.
  2. Afternoon: Add an open site-landscape section only when permitted and suitable; return without adding a distant mountain.
  3. Evening: keep dinner and the return to your base flexible; do not add another distant ticketed visit.
If the plan changes

Laojunshan, Longtan Canyon or Baiyun Mountain requires replacing an entire day or an overnight. Confirm foreign-passport eligibility for Laojunshan before any booking.

Prefer a different pace?

Find a day that suits you

Browse more Luoyang attractions for an alternative. Check its reservations, opening days and travel time before adding it to your plan.

Full guides for possible swaps

These are alternatives to consider, not extra stops to add to the same day. Check locations and transfer times before replacing an itinerary stop; a distant excursion may need a full day.