Taiyuan travel guide

Taiyuan lies in central Shanxi Province on the Fen River. Transport is well developed, with convenient flights, trains and express coaches forming a three-dimensional transport network, though rail and road remain the main options.

Taiyuan Wusu Airport is located in Wusu, south of Taiyuan, about 18 km from the city centre. Taxis run between the airport and the city. The airport also has international routes to Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and other destinations.

Airport transport: Bus 201, fare ¥2.

Airport shuttle Line 1: Airport → May First Square (Train Station), 8:30 until the last flight of the day, departing every 30 minutes, fare ¥16.

Line 2: Airport → Xishan Building, 9:30–19:00, departing every 40 minutes, fare ¥16.

Line 3: Airport → Taiyuan South Station (express line), 7:40 until 2:00 the next morning, departing every 30 minutes, fare ¥10.

Line 4: Airport → East Passenger Station, 9:30–19:00, departs when full, fare ¥16.

Taiyuan is the terminus of the Jingyuan and Shitai railway lines and the starting point of the Taijiao Line. It connects Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Chengdu, Baotou and dozens of other major cities, so rail travel to Taiyuan is very convenient.

The high-speed rail has made travel from Taiyuan to Shijiazhuang and Beijing even faster. Taiyuan to Shijiazhuang Station takes just 1.5 hours, and Taiyuan to Beijing takes as little as 2.5 hours.

The modern Taijiu (Taiyuan–Jiuguan) Expressway cuts through the formidable Taihang Mountains, making the journey from Beijing to Taiyuan smooth. Expressways link Yuncheng in southern Shanxi through Taiyuan to Datong in the north. Long-distance buses run from Taiyuan to counties and cities across Shanxi, as well as to Shijiazhuang, Baoding and Zhangjiakou in Hebei and Hohhot in Inner Mongolia. Tourist charter buses also run directly to Mount Wutai, Hanging Temple and the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda.

Taiyuan currently has five long-distance bus stations: Taiyuan Bus Station, East Passenger Station, West Passenger Station, Jiannan Bus Station and Yingbin Bus Station.

Taiyuan has more than 200 bus routes and nearly 10,000 taxis, so getting around the city is convenient. Taiyuan's buses are basically all self-service (no conductor), with fares ranging from ¥1 to ¥3.

Taking a coach is a good way to tour Shanxi. It is flexible and convenient, but there are many uncertainties, so be sure to find out the details before boarding. It is best to board at a bus station, which is safer and more reliable.

Taiyuan is located in central Shanxi, and its road network is well developed. Coach services cover a wide area both inside and outside the province. Destinations outside the province include Beijing, Tianjin, Henan and Hebei. Within Shanxi, there are many departures north to Datong and south to Yuncheng, so travel is very convenient.

The Taiyuan–Jiuguan Expressway (Tai-Jiu Expressway) was the first expressway in Shanxi. It starts at Wusu in Taiyuan, passes through Yuci District, Shouyang County, Yangquan City and Pingding County, and runs all the way to Jiuguan, the border point between Shanxi and Hebei. After Jiuguan, it connects with the expressway from Shijiazhuang to Beijing.

Flag fall is ¥8 for the first 3 km, then ¥1.6 per km beyond 3 km. The night flag fall is

¥8.6 for the first 3 km, then ¥1.8 per km beyond 3 km. Night hours are 9 pm to 5 am. For trips over 10 km, the base fare is increased by 50% as a surcharge to compensate for the empty return journey.

Taiyuan Metro Line 2 was the first metro line to open in Taiyuan, starting operation on 26 December 2020.

Taiyuan is best known for its noodles, which come in many varieties, have long histories and are made in many different ways. Knife-shaved noodles, hand-pulled noodles, knife-flicked noodles, rolled noodles, tijian, maoerduo, helao and other noodles all have their own distinctive character.

Taiyuan has a number of snacks with strong local character, such as Mengfeng cakes, pea cakes, lamb offal soup, guanchang, shaomai, you gao, boyu, and dried tofu cubes. They are well worth a try.

The cave dwellings are built from stone with mortared joints. After thousands of years of wind and rain, they remain fully intact to this day.

Vinegar is an indispensable seasoning in Shanxi cuisine. Qingxu's aged vinegar is the most famous, and the vinegar brewed by the century-old Yiyuanqing factory is also very authentic and sold in supermarkets across the country. Visitors interested in the process can visit Donghu Vinegar Garden to see how aged vinegar is made.

The grapes of Qingxu County are famous, with varieties including Baipinger, Zilongyan and Heijixin. They have a long history of cultivation, with large berries, sweet flavour and plenty of juice.

Dough sculpture can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn period. Dough figures can serve as tokens for weddings or as gifts for birthdays and celebrations. Couples preparing to marry both make dough sculptures that convey good wishes for happiness: the 'double fish', symbolising harmony between husband and wife; the 'dragon and phoenix pairing', wishing the new couple mutual respect and love; and 'lotus bringing a noble son'. Birthday sculptures include 'tiger bringing a son', 'hoping your son becomes a dragon', and the twelve zodiac animals. These sculptures have an archaic, simple form and lively charm, expressing people's fond hopes and longings for the future.

Liuxiang Goods Street, Zhonggu Street and the Liunan Night Market Street are not only Taiyuan's newest shopping hotspots, but also new places to observe local folk customs and experience the city's character. However, on holidays these streets are often packed with people.

In Taiyuan you can buy a few handmade paper-cuts. The patterns are intricate and beautiful, and the prices are very low: a paper-cut one square metre in size costs only ¥15–20. Framed and hung on the wall, it is sure to stand out.

In this not-so-large city, most major buildings are concentrated in the zone radiating from Yingze Avenue. Yingze Avenue is a major east-west road; its eastern end is the railway station, and less than 400 metres west of the station is the long-distance bus station. Almost all of Taiyuan's star-rated hotels are located along this avenue.

At the railway station there is a hotel accommodation information desk. Nearby are many hotels, inns and guesthouses with local character. They are relatively inexpensive, offer reasonably attentive service, and make a good-value choice for visitors.

As the provincial capital, Taiyuan stocks local specialties from across Shanxi Province.

Shopping areas in the city are mainly concentrated along Yingze East Street, Wuyi Road, Jiefang Road, Jianshe South Road and Jiancaoping.

Among local specialties, Fenjiu and Zhuyeqing are the most famous. Other notable products include Wutai mountain mushrooms, Datong yellow flowers (daylilies), Hengshan astragalus, Jishan jujubes, Pinglu lilies, Puzhou green persimmons, Yuanqu kiwifruit, Qingxu grapes, Shangdang codonopsis, Jincheng red fruit, Hongdong soft-shell turtle, Yuncheng Yellow River carp, Wenshan Duanmu inkstone, Gaoping silk, Taiyuan glazed ware, Pingyang woodblock New Year prints, Datong art porcelain, bronzeware, Pingyao beef and Pingyao tuiguang lacquerware, all of which are counted among the region's famous products.

Taiyuan's night scene is not much different from that of other second-tier cities: rows of high-rises and neon lights. The most beautiful place to enjoy the night in Taiyuan is the Fen River, where the rippling water and the lights along both banks shine on each other, and people stroll along the banks enjoying the cool river breeze. The city has many entertainment venues. You might like to catch a performance of Jinju, Shanxi's representative opera, also known as Zhonglu Bangzi, in a local theatre or park. Its melodies are graceful, smooth and beautiful. There are also the varied styles of Nanlu Bangzi, Beilu Bangzi and Shangdang Bangzi, as well as Qitai Yangge, a lively folk style with a strong rustic flavour.