2025 Summer Vacation Beijing Datong 6 Days 5 Nights Free Travel

Number of days：6 days
Time: July
Average cost: 4500 yuan
With whom: husband and wife
Tour kinds: Food, Photography, Humanities, Free Travel
Updated: 2025.07.21

This summer, I visited Beijing and Datong. Both cities offer a week's worth of fun, but since vacations are so precious for working professionals, I took five days off. I originally wanted to go to Datong, but since flights from Shanghai to Datong are rare, and my husband hasn't been to the capital, I decided to spend two days in Beijing before heading to Datong (the two cities are very close).

📅 Itinerary: Sunday Shanghai-Beijing (🚝 high-speed rail), Tuesday Beijing-Datong (🚝 high-speed rail), Friday Datong-Shanghai (flight).

We had limited time this time, so we explored both cities in six days. Here are some tips😊

We traveled in July, mostly on weekdays. There were a lot of people (especially kids), but it wasn't too crowded—not so crowded that we couldn't walk.

Beijing, the capital city, has so much to offer! We stayed for two days and explored quite a bit.

We arrived at the hotel after 4 PM on Sunday, so we didn't have time to visit the main attractions, but we did visit nearby parks.

😊You can book tickets for various Beijing parks, such as the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, and Beihai Park, on the "Enjoy Parks" official account. When booking, be sure to pay attention to the park's opening hours. Some parks have on-site attractions, which often close earlier than the main gates.

We chose Beihai Park and Jingshan Park (which overlooks the Forbidden City). These two parks are close together, open until late, and allow you to visit Shichahai Park along the way.

😊 Some museums, like the Forbidden City and the National Museum, are usually closed on Mondays. If you want to go, make sure to book an appointment in advance through their official WeChat account (the Forbidden City and the National Museum release tickets 7 days in advance). Holidays are incredibly crowded, so last-minute appointments are generally not possible. Tiananmen Square also requires advance reservations.

We simply didn't do our homework, so we didn't make it to either of these places and instead visited the Great Wall (which is busiest on Mondays). We planned our Great Wall trip two or three days in advance. Considering Badaling is the most famous and likely to attract the most tourists, we opted for Mutianyu. We searched DeepSeek for transportation and chose the "Mutianyu Bus" bus, with the earliest departing at 6:30 AM (from Dongzhimen Metro Station). It proved to be a wise choice. The drive from downtown to Mutianyu took just over an hour. The tour guide provided a detailed itinerary on the bus, and there was no need to pre-book tickets. After the guide explained the route, we chose our route on-site, paid on the bus, and entered the scenic area by simply swiping our ID cards. Mutianyu has two routes: the East and West. The West route offers better views, including the highest point, Haohan Slope. The East route offers a slide/skiing route, especially Zhengguantai, where many parents bring their children to try the slide. ❗Note: If you choose only one route, half a day is enough. If you want to visit both and expect crowds, it's best to reserve a full day. I don't recommend hiking the entire route; we're not here for training. Just take the cable car (ropeway) when you need one. You'll still have to walk once you get to the top, so don't overdo it.

We chose the west route and arrived early. There weren't many people at first, but it got thicker as we got closer to noon. After enjoying the scenery, we headed to the Mubus service center and enjoyed a hearty buffet (60 yuan for adults, 30 yuan for children). Afterward, we took the 2:00 PM bus back home. If you miss the 2:00 PM bus, you can always catch a later one.

We returned to the city around 3:00 PM and continued on to the Temple of Heaven. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and other attractions in the park are usually closed on Mondays, but they were open for the summer holiday, so we were able to see them. 😊 Follow the various official WeChat accounts for opening hours so you can plan your trip well. The high-speed rail journey from Beijing to Datong takes only two hours. Datong's main attractions include the Yungang Grottoes, the Hanging Temple, Mount Heng, the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, and the ancient city. Day 1: Arrived around 3:00 PM and stayed at a guesthouse in the ancient city. Coincidentally, there was a performance that day: actors in ancient costumes performed a 20-minute skit that covered local customs and local culture. It was quite interesting. Day 2: Yungang Grottoes and Datong Museum. The grottoes are not far from the city center and are accessible by public transportation. We took a taxi for about 50 yuan. A shuttle bus is available, and the entire walking tour takes about 3-4 hours. The terrain is mostly flat, so it's manageable for a reasonable amount of physical effort. Back in the city in the afternoon, we'll visit the museum, which will take about 1-2 hours. The Yungang Grottoes' statues and murals are incredibly exquisite and well worth a visit. If you just want to take photos and admire them yourself, that's fine. If you'd like to hear the stories, it's best to ask for a guide, or do your homework in advance! Day 3: Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, Hanging Temple, and Hengshan. If you want to visit all of these attractions in one day, it's best to drive or charter a car. Locals typically negotiate prices based on the number of attractions and distance. On Day 2, our taxi driver also chartered, and we negotiated a price of 320 yuan, which was similar to what we'd found online, so we settled on that. Based on our driver's experience, we recommend starting the morning by visiting the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda. The drive from the city takes over an hour, but the area isn't very large, so it should take about an hour. Just outside the east gate of the wooden pagoda is the Pure Land Temple, which is quite small and can be seen in a few minutes. Next, we'll visit the Hanging Temple, which is located at the foot of Hengshan Mountain and can be visited together. You can usually take a scenic bus from the Hengshan Visitor Center (20 yuan). We went to the Hanging Temple first. The entrance ticket and the climbing ticket for the Hanging Temple are purchased separately. We didn’t get the climbing ticket online, so the tour guide asked us to buy it on site at noon. Sure enough, there were some, but because of the limited space in the temple, the number of people needed to be controlled. The queue was very long during the peak season (it was estimated to be 2 hours on a Thursday afternoon in July). We also wanted to climb Hengshan Mountain, but gave up the climbing this time. The tour guide said that there were fewer people in the off-season and we could come at another time. Hengshan Mountain has a cable car for 70 yuan one-way. You can take a bus to Yuemenwan Station to catch the cable car. From there, you'll reach the highest peak, Tianfengling (2,016 meters above sea level), and then hike. This takes about half an hour without stopping, and about an hour with frequent stops. You can visit Taoist buildings along the way. If you don't take the cable car, you can take a bus to Hengzong Station, also located mid-mountain. The hike to the summit is a bit further than the cable car station, so expect to take 1-2 hours. Our route was: cable car up to Tianfengling, walk to Hengzong, and return to the visitor center by bus, a total of about 3 hours. Tickets for the Hanging Temple, Hengshan Mountain, and the scenic area bus can be booked on the "Hengshan Scenic Area" official account. The advantage of hiring a bus is that the driver is familiar with the attractions and can provide guidance and even take you to try local snacks.

Day4 Datong Ancient City is vast and could easily be explored in a day. Since we stayed there, we were able to explore every day. We recommend visiting the city walls. The city also boasts a bustling food court with a variety of local specialties, as well as historic temples like Huayan Temple, Shanhua Temple, and Fahua Temple. Similarly, if you'd like to hear the stories, a guided tour is recommended. This will give you a deeper understanding of the challenges of preserving these temples for nearly a thousand years, and allow you to appreciate the craftsmanship behind the historic architecture and exquisite murals. I didn't go into the Prince of Dai's Palace, as I heard it was newly built. However, the Nine Dragon Wall in front of the palace, a Ming Dynasty surviving piece, is the oldest and largest surviving glazed Nine Dragon Wall in China and is well worth a visit.