Reportedly one of the best preserved walled cities in China, Pingyao is an ancient town deep in the heart of Shanxi province that’s a great place to visit if you’re historically or culturally inclined. Smog can be bad here, especially in the winter when coal is burnt to keep warm, but the town certainly makes up for this in tradition and charm. In fact, for the casual tourist there are many interesting hutongs (narrow alleys) to explore, a number of foreigner-friendly restaurants on offer, some good but small museums, and many of the accommodations are in fanciful traditional styles too. It must be said though that no single attraction here is too grand or impressive, but taken together Pingyao certainly makes for a worthwhile and interesting historical stopover.
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Top Tips
Pingyao is certainly much more popular with domestic tourists than international ones and the crowds can get quite bad here, especially during national holidays. If you’re here for the photography, try to get to sites before the tours roll in after 8am.
It’s possible to climb up onto the Pingyao City Wall and walk around the circumference of the town. This might be a good first activity to help you get your bearings.
There are some interesting sights that are worth visiting just outside of town, such as the Wang Family Courtyard.
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If you know how to get to Pingyao and would like to share that information with the community, contact [email protected] and we’ll post it right here in the directory.
The Directions
If you know how to get to Pingyao and would like to share that information with the community, contact [email protected] and we’ll post it right here in the directory.
The Directions
If you know how to get to Pingyao and would like to share that information with the community, contact [email protected] and we’ll post it right here in the directory.
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