Top Pingyao Tours 2026 – China Pingyao Historical Tour Packages
Pingyao is a typical northern city in China with a history of over 2700 years, sharing the title “Four Best Preserved Ancient Chinese Cities” together with Langzhong in Sichuan Province, Lijiang in Yunnan City and Shexian of Anhui Province. Started to be built in Western Zhou Dynasty (827BC-782BC) and extended in 1370 AD, Ming Dynasty, the basic layout and architectural landscape featured in the Ming and Qing Dynasties are well preserved today and listed as World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1997.
Pingyao had ever governed China’s finance in Ming and Qing Dynasties with over 20 exchange shops (which functioned partly as a bank in ancient times) headquartered here, about half of the whole country, gaining the title of “Ancient Chinese Wall Street”. Today, with our Pingyao tours, you can still find the basic look of its ever prosperity from the relics of the Ancient City Wall, Ming-Qing Street Wang, Family Courtyard…
How Do I Plan My Pingyao Tour?
A Pingyao day tour to look around the ancient town with the City Wall is doable if you only have one day. Usually, most travelers tend to stay overnight here with accommodation in ancient-style hotels inside the town to discover fulfilling experiences about history here.
With high-speed trains of Pingyao opened in late 2019, Pingyao is well connected with other popular destinations like Beijing, Xian, Datong, and Taiyuan to enrich people’s China travel experience.
Classic Pingyao Tours
Whether you want to explore China’s first bank and Shanxi merchants culture in Pingyao Ancient City, the century-old castles and grand mansions of the Ming and Qing Dynasty nearby Pingyao, or an exhilarating blend of both, a private Pingyao tour package with our superb local guide leaves you with the memories of a lifetime. The high-speed train makes traveling to Pingyao from Beijing or Xian incredibly simple as well.
Take 2 Days Classic Pingyao Ancient City Tour to explore the highlight attractions: Jinci Memorial Temple, Qiao’s Family Compound, Pingyao Ancient City…
Travel with local guide in 3 days Pingyao tour. It is one of the only two ancient cities in China that has successfully declared its entire ancient city as a world cultural heritage.
This 2 days Pingyao tour departing from Beijing, and will take you to visit Pingyao Ancient Town, Wang Family Courtyard and Shuanglin Temple.
Travel to Pingyao from Xian with 3.5-hour high-speed train. The charming Pingyao Ancient City, the grand Wang Family Courtyard, and the amazing Shuanglin Temple will amaze you!
Datong Pingyao Tours
Shanxi is a trove of historical and traditional Chinese experiences and an ideal spot for those who delight in Buddhist culture and art- with many important temples or Buddhist grottoes. Book Shanxi tours to Pingyao and Datong, and immerse yourself in the unique local traditions and culture.
Visit Hanging Temple and Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Ancient City of Pingyao, and sacred Mount Wutai.
Explore Pingyao, Taiyuan, and Datong and discover the profound civilization of Northern China! Visit Qiao Family Courtyard, Pingyao Ancient Town…
The 4 days Datong and Pingyao tour covers all the highlights of the 2 cities to disclose the secret of Northern China’s history and culture.
This 2 days Datong Pingyao tour brings you a exciting culture exploration of Yungang Grottoes, Hanging Temple, and Pingyao Ancient Town.
Beijing Pingyao Tours
Beijing, located 4 hours by bullet train from Pingyao, has been the capital of China since the Ming Dynasty. Our Pingyao tours from Beijing take you to embrace the history and traditions. Immerse yourself in the ancient fortifications, city walls, temples, royal palaces, and explore the Pingyao old town brims with historic charm.
Explore Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Mutianyu Great Wall, Beijing Hutongs, Qiao Family Courtyard, Pingyao Ancient Town…
Designed for tourists who are looking for best Pingyao tour from Beijing but with limited budget, it includes visits to highlights of Pingyao.
The trip include professional local tour guides, experienced drivers, comfortable accommodation and round way high-speed train between Beijing and Pingyao.
Visit Yungang Grottoes, Hanging Temple, Jinci Temple, Pingyao Ancient Town, and Qiao Family Courtyard…
Xi'an Pingyao Tours
Both Xian and Pingyao provides rich experiences for exploring China’s historical and cultural heritages. Join our private Xian tours to Pingyao with three hours’ bullet train journey to experience the soul of theses two amazing travel destinations. With no fixed itinerary dates, all the itineraries can be customized to meet your schedules.
This 5-day Xi’an and Pingyao tour include Terracotta Warriors and Horses, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Pingyao Ancient City, and Qiao Family Courtyard.
This is one of the best choices for tourists who are looking for Xian side trips. Explore all highlights of Pingyao.
10 days Historic China tour departs from Xian, goes through Shanxi Province with Pingyao and Datong, end in Beijing.
FAQs on Pingyao Tours
Pingyao Ancient City is not very large in size, with major attractions quite close to each other. So it is perfect to wander around on foot while soaking up its ancient buildings and treasured historical sites.
You can also use the shared e-bikes (3 RMB for up to 15 minutes) or take the tourist cart (Tuk-Tuk) (10 RMB for each ride)to save energy and for a fast-paced exploration. Just note that some major attractions are located in the narrow alleys that the carts can reach directly. You still need to walk some steps to reach them.
The ancient city is still populated by local residents, so it is free to enter and walk around. To visit major attractions in the town, such as the City Wall, ancient Government Office, biaoju (ancient Escort), and original exchange shops, you’ll need to buy a combo ticket for CNY 125. The ticket is valid for 3 days, covering over 20 major attractions in the town.
Yes. Featuring well-preserved layout from the Ming and Qing dynasties and rich heritage, Pingyao Ancient Town is never lack of unique cultural experiences. Here, you can not only visit many world-class sites like exquisite sculptures of Shuanglin Temple, wooden architecture of Zhenguo Temple, and the first draft bank in China, bust also entertain your stomach with delicious local foods.
Impression Pingyao, a large-scale, walk-through immersive performance, allows you to deeply understand Pingyao’s spiritual culture.
To record your memorable moments in this ancient town, you can also rent a set of Ming or Qing-style Hanfu or merchant clothing, take great photos along the ancient streets, exchange shops and local-featured courtyards.
During your trip to Pingyao, don’t miss the following dishes:
- Pingyao beef: Features reddish color and tender teature, available at every corner of the ancient city.
- Wantuo: Made from steamed buckwheat dough, can be served cold or stir-fried.
- Youmian Kaolaolao: Made from oat flour, shaped like little buckets. It is chewy and usually served with with minced meat topping or tomato sauce.
- Paopao Yougao: A kind of fried sweet puffs with crispy golden shell and red bean or jujube paste fillings.
- Huangmi Lianggao: Also a kind of dessert, made from glutinous millet and rice, usually served cool with osmanthus syrup.
Just 10-20 minutes drive from Pingyao Ancient Town, Shuanglin Temple and Zhenguo Temple, two UNESCO-listed sites, impress worldwide visitors with over 2,000 exquisite painted sculptures and time-honored wooden structures.
If with enough time, many visitors choose to extend their Pingyao tour to the Wang Family or Qiao Family Compounds to marvel at the large scale and beautiful carvings in a Jin merchant courtyard.
Zhangbi Ancient Fort, about 1 hour’s drive from the ancient town, is also worth visit, offering a glimpse into ancient fortress that combines military, residential, productive, astronomical, and religious functions.
Though the ancient town is small and easy to walk around by yourself, it is still advised to join a guided tour to dive deep into local culture, history and life. As history and cultural experiences are highlights of the ancient town and its surrounding sites, following a local guide will offer you a large amount of professional information on Jin merchants’ origins and legendary stories, and vividly show you the glorious scenes of the ancient town in Ming and Qing dynasties.