How to Get to & Get around Taiyuan

Taiyuan is the capital city of Shanxi Province, a national historical and cultural city with a history of more than 2500 years. Apart from boasting time-honored attractions such as Jinci Temple, Twin Pagoda Temple, Chongshan Temple, etc. Taiyuan is of great importance in connecting the northern part of China. Here we have provided you with more specific information about Taiyuan transportation including how to get to Taiyuan from other cities like Beijing, Xian, Datong, Pingyao, etc. and how to get around Taiyuan.

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Where is Taiyuan

Taiyuan is in central Shanxi Province in northern China with Beijing about 490 km in the northeast, Xian about 600 km in the southwest, Datong about 277 km in the north and Pingyao about 110 km in the south.

Taiyuan Map Taiyuan Location Map

Get to Taiyuan by Flight

Taiyuan Wusu International Airport (IATA: TYN)

Location: Taiyu Road, Xiaodian District, Taiyuan, Shanxi (山西省太原市小店区太榆路), about 16 km, 30 minutes’ drive to Taiyuan downtown (Yingze Park), 24 km, 30 minutes’ drive to Jinci Temple, and only 7 km, 15 minutes’ drive to Taiyuan South Railway Station.

Taiyuan Wusu International Airport (太原武宿国际机场) is built in 1939. It now operates over 130 airlines connecting with over 70 domestic and foreign cities such as Beijing (1.5h), Shanghai (2.5h), Chengdu (2h10min), Chongqing (2h), Wuhan (2h), Kunming (3h), Hangzhou (2.5h), Xiamen (3h) in China, Bangkok (5.5h) in Thailand, etc. Airport shuttle bus can take you to downtown/airport conveniently within an hour.

Taiyuan Transportation

Taiyuan Wusu International Airport

Get to Taiyuan by Train

There are 5 train stations in Taiyian, namely Taiyuan South Railway Station, Taiyuan Railway Station, Taiyuan North Railway Station, Taiyuan East Railway Station and Taiyuan West Railway Station, among which the former two are the main passenger railway stations.

Taiyuan South Railway Station (太原南站)

Location: Taiyu Road, Xiaodian District, Taiyuan, Shanxi (山西省太原市小店区太榆路), about 12 km, 25 minutes’ drive to the southeast of downtown area, 24 km, 35 minutes’ drive to Jinci Temple and 7 km, 15 minutes’ drive to Taiyuan Wusu International Airport.

Taiyuan South Railway Station, officially put into operation on July 25, 2019, mainly serves high-speed trains on Datong-Xian High-speed Railway, Taiyuan-Jiaozuo High-speed Railway, Taiyuan-Zhongwei(Yinchuan) Railway, Datong-Puzhou Railway, etc. It is of great significance for speeding up the construction of a developed Shanxi railway network and it greatly shortens the transfer time between Taiyuan and major cities in northern China such as Beijing and Xian. Read more about Taiyuan Railway Stations>>

Taiyuan Railway Station (太原站)

Location: No.2 Jianshe South Road, Yingze District, Taiyuan, Shanxi (山西省太原市迎泽区建设南路2号). It’s in downtown area, about 30 km, 45 minutes’ drive to Jinci Temple and 15 km, 30 minutes’ drive to Taiyuan Wusu International Airport.

Taiyuan Railway Station was firstly built in 1907. With a history of over 100 years, it is more than a station but a landmark in Taiyuan. It now mainly serves normal trains on Datong-Puzhou Railway, Taiyuan-Jiaozuo Railway, Datong-Xian High-speed Railway, Shijiangzhuang-Taiyuan High-speed Railway, etc.

Taiyuan Transportation

Taiyuan South Railway Station

Taiyuan Transportation

Taiyuan Railway Station

Get from Beijing to Taiyuan

Beijing is about 490 km (6h by car) to the northeast of Taiyuan. The most convenient and recommended transfer way is by high speed train (2.5-3.5h). There are about 30 trains a day, among which around 20 are high speed trains from Beijing West Railway Station to Taiyuan South Railway Station. Flights are also available. There are 3-5 direct flights (1.5h) a day from Beijing Capital International Airport to Taiyuan Wusu International Airport. But with the operation of high speed trains, fewer people now will choose to take a flight.

Useful Links: Beijing to Taiyuan Train Schedule | Taiyuan to Beijing Train Schedule

Recommended Tours: 8 Days Ancient Beijing & Shanxi Culture Tour

Get from Xian to Taiyuan

Xian is about 600 km (7h by car) to the southwest of Taiyuan. Xian North Railway Station operates frequent (about 30) high speed trains a day to Taiyuan South Railway Station, which shortens the transfer time from previous 10 hours (normal trains) to 3-4 hours. As of August, 2020, direct flights are not available and you need to take a transfer in cities such as Yinchuan, Hefei, Chengdu, etc. and the whole journey will need at least 5 hours, so it is not recommended.

Useful Links: Xian to Taiyuan Trains | Taiyuan to Xian Trains

Recommended Tour: 11 Days Golden Triangle Tour with Shanxi Highlights (Beijing / Datong / Taiyuan / Pingyao / Xian / Shanghai)

Get from Datong to Taiyuan

Datong, hometown of Yungang Grottoes and Hanging Temple, is located about 277 km to the north of Taiyuan. You can take a private car (3.5-4h) or high speed train (2-2.5h) to finish the transfer. There are about 20 trains a day and more than half are high speed trains. Normal trains will need 4-6 hours. Apart from that, direct flight is also available. It will take 60-80 minutes, but you need to set aside more time on getting to the airport and checking in, so taking a flight is not that recommended.

Useful Links: Travel from Datong to Taiyuan | Travel from Taiyuan to Datong

Recommended Tours: 6 Days Essence Tour to Datong Wutaishan Taiyuan & Pingyao

Get from Pingyao to Taiyuan

Pingyao is very close to Taiyuan with a distance of only 110 km. The most recommended transfer way is by taking a bullet train. From 8:00 in the morning to 22:00 at night, there are over 20 bullet trains running from Pingyao Gucheng Railway Station to Taiyuan South Railway Station and it only takes about 30 minutes. Normal trains are also available and it needs 1.5-2.5 hours. You can also take a bus or private car to Taiyuan which will take 1.5-2 hours.

Useful Links: Pingyao to Taiyuan Trains | Travel from Taiyuan to Pingyao

Recommended Tours: 3 Days Taiyuan Pingyao Brief Tour

Get Around Taiyuan

For independent travellers, the most common way to get around Taiyuan is by Taxi or bus. Subway in Taiyuan is under construction now.

By subway: Metro Line 2 that runs north-south through the central axis of Taiyuan is expected to be put into operation at the end of 2020. Metro Line 1 mainly connects Taiyuan downtown with major transportation hubs such as Taiyuan South Railway Station and the airport and it is planned to open in 2024.

By taxi: Taking a taxi to tour around Taiyuan city can save you much time. Generally speaking, the fare is CNY8 for the first 3 kilometers, then charging CNY1.6 for each additional kilometer. The taxi fare will be a little higher at night.

By bus: There are over 240 bus routes in Taiyuan covering not only downtown but also the suburb and subordinate counties. The buses usually charge CNY 1-2 and some longer lines will charge about CNY 5.

How to Get to Jinci Temple

Jinci Temple is located in Jingci Town, Jinyuan District, Taiyuan, Shanxi (山西省太原市晋源区晋祠镇), about 26 km (40 minutes’ drive) southwest of Taiyuan downtown (Yingze Park), 24 km (30 minutes’ drive) from Taiyuan Wusu International Airport. Unlike other attractions such as Twin Pagoda Temple, Chongshan Temple, Shanxi Museum that are near or in downtown, Jinci Temple is a little far from city center. Bus is available but it will need about 1.5 hours, so it is more recommended to take a taxi or charter a car to Jinci Temple.

Taiyuan Transportation

Bus in Taiyuan

How to Plan a Taiyuan Tour

Best time to visit Taiyuan: April ~ October when the weather is agreeable with comfortable temperature and not much rain.

Where to Stay in Taiyuan: It is most recommended to stay in Taiyuan downtown near Yingze Park for convenient transportation, better living condition and more accommodation choices.

It usually needs 1-2 days to cover the highlights of Taiyuan. Most attractions in Taiyuan are cultural and historical sites such as Jinci Temple - earliest royal ancestral temple garden building complex in China, Chongshan Temple - Buddhist temple with precious original sutras, Twin Pagoda Temple - symbol of Taiyuan, Shanxi Museum - rich collections telling the history and achievements of Shanxi in the past thousands of years, and The Coal Museum of China - the only national coal museum showing you the development of Chinese coal industry and culture. Apart from Jinci Temple which is about 26 km to downtown, the other attractions are in city center with convenient transportation.

☛ 2 Days Cultural Exploration in Taiyuan

As an important transfer hub in central Shanxi, Taiyuan is always travelled with other tourist destinations in Shanxi such as Datong (Yungang Grottoes, Hanging Temple), world heritage site Pingyao Ancient City, sacred Buddhist mountain Mount Wutai, and magnificent Hukou Waterfall.

☛ 3 Days Mount Wutai Buddhism Tour from Taiyuan
☛ 3 Days Taiyuan Pingyao Brief Tour
☛ 6 Day Datong Pingyao Tour Plus Wutaishan Visit

If you have more days and want to travel outside Shanxi, it is highly recommended to extend your tour to capital Beijing (Great Wall, Forbidden City), time-honored Xi’an (Terracotta Warriors), and modern metropolis Shanghai (the Bund).

☛ 8 Days Ancient Beijing & Shanxi Culture Tour
☛ 12 Days Historical China Tour with Train Experience

If you have more questions or ideas about a Taiyuan Tour, please feel free to contact us, we are specialized in tailor-made tours according to your interests, budget, itinerary, etc. Just tell us your needs and all your problems will be solved!

Taiyuan Attractions

Jinci Temple, Shanxi Museum, Twin Pagoda Temple and Taiyuan City Scenery

Travel Taiyuan with China Discovery

Want to travel in and around Taiyuan but don't know how to arrange your day by day itinerary? Travel Taiyuan with us, and all of your problems will be solved. In every city, our professional local guide and driver will escort you from your hotel, train station, airport to all attractions with comfortable private licensed car and let you catch the highlights of every site and city, so you can get really relaxed on the way and focus on what you are interested in. The tour can be tailor made according to your plan, time and interests and demands. If you are interested, please feel free to contact us and tell us your needs, and we will customize a memorable tour for you!

Datong Transportation

Private Transfer with China Discovery

Recommended Taiyuan Tours

Top 3 Taiyuan tours chosen by most customers to explore Taiyuan in the best way. Check the detailed itinerary, or tailor your own trip now with us.

Peaceful Scenery of Mount Wutai
6 Day Datong Pingyao Tour Plus Wutaishan Visit

Datong / Wutaishan / Taiyuan / Pingyao

Temple Garden
2 Days Cultural Exploration in Taiyuan

Taiyuan

Jinci Temple
3 Days Taiyuan Pingyao Brief Tour

Taiyuan / Pingyao

Start planning your tailor-made holiday to China by contacting one of our specialists. Once inquired, you’ll get a response within 0.5~23.5 hours.

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