Tour Overview
| Duration | 4 Days / 3 Nights |
|---|---|
| Destination | Luoyang & Dengfeng — Peony Festival + Buddhist Heritage |
| Price From | $799 per person (twin share) |
| Tour Style | Cultural Deep-Dive |
| Best Season | April-May (Peony Festival) |
| Data Source | ChinaDiscovery.com 2026 |
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1: Arrive Luoyang
Arrive in Luoyang, capital of 13 dynasties. Walk the Old Town walls — the rebuilt Ming-era Luoyang Old Town is one of China’s most pleasant ancient districts, mixing traditional courtyard houses with modern artisan shops. Visit the Luoyang Museum, home to a stunning collection of Tang Dynasty tri-color glazed pottery (sancai), Tang silverware, and a 1340 AD iron-pillar Buddha. Afternoon: visit the Lijingmen Gate area, where the famous Water Banquet (Shui Xian) was born — imperial cuisine served to Tang emperors. Evening: explore Xigong District night markets. Overnight in Luoyang.
Day 2: Longmen Grottoes & Peony Garden
Morning at the Longmen Grottoes — UNESCO World Heritage featuring 100,000+ Buddhist statues. Begin at the Eastern Wei and Tang Dynasty caves. Visit the Three Bingshao Caves with the iconic Vairocana Buddha (17.14 meters tall, completed in 675 AD, commissioned by Empress Wu Zetian). Explore the Buddha Temple Cave, Medical Prescription Cave with 130+ drug formula inscriptions, and the rare Tang Dynasty scripture caves. Afternoon: visit the Luoyang National Peony Garden — the world’s largest peony (mudan) collection with 1,300+ varieties in 9 color groups. If visiting in April-May, you’ll be here for the International Peony Festival with thousands of trees in bloom. Overnight in Luoyang.
Day 3: Shaolin Kung Fu & Mount Song
Full day at Shaolin Temple Complex (UNESCO). Start at the original Temple’s Mahavira Hall (大殿), built in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) after a Ming-era fire destroyed the earlier temple. See the 500 arhat sculptures (each unique). Walk the Pagoda Forest (with 246 brick pagodas). Watch the Shaolin Kung Fu Performance. Afternoon hike on Mount Song, with stops at the Taishi Que stone gate (118 AD, ancient Han Dynasty), Zhongyue Temple (Taoist Temple of the Central Mountain), and Lu Jun’s writing of the “Yan Stone” — an original Tang-era calligraphic masterpiece carved in stone. Overnight in Dengfeng.
Day 4: White Horse Temple & Depart
Return to Luoyang. Visit White Horse Temple (68 AD), China’s first Buddhist temple, where the sutras were first translated from Sanskrit into Chinese. The temple grounds have international Buddhist art halls representing Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Burmese architectural styles. Visit the Guanlin Temple, the resting place of Guan Yu, deified as China’s patron of war and brotherhood. Afternoon transfer to airport.
Inclusions
- 3 nights (2 Luoyang + 1 Dengfeng) with breakfast
- Longmen Grottoes full day + Luoyang Museum
- Luoyang National Peony Garden entry
- Shaolin Temple + Pagoda Forest + Mount Song hike
- Shaolin Kung Fu Performance ticket
- White Horse Temple + Guanlin Temple
- Water Banquet farewell dinner
- Private vehicle + English guide
