Boating on the Imperial River, seeking a lingering dream of Bianjing

Henan · Luoyang + Kaifeng 3 Days 3 Nights Twin Cities Travel Guide—— ✅ Budget precisely controlled within 3000 RMB (per person) ✅ Travel through a millennium, witnessing the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties and the splendor of the Northern Song ✅ Classic attractions + authentic cuisine + hidden photo spots all included ✅ Suitable for students, culture enthusiasts, history lovers, and light travelers --- 🏯【Luoyang + Kaifeng 3 Days 3 Nights · Twin Cities Time Travel】 📍 Route: Luoyang (Longmen Grottoes → White Horse Temple → Luoyi Ancient City Night Tour) → Kaifeng (Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden → Daxiangguo Temple → Iron Pagoda → Drum Tower Night Market) 🗓️ Duration: 3 days 2 nights (Recommended: March-May / September-October: pleasant climate, peony bloom/autumn crispness) 💰 Total Budget: about 2800 RMB (per person, easily controlled within 3000 RMB) 🚄 Transportation: High-speed rail + subway + bus + tourist shuttle, efficient connections 📌 Style: Millennium imperial capital × Buddhist holy site × Song dynasty charm × Hanfu photo shoots × authentic snacks × cultural immersion --- 🌟【Trip Highlights】 - Visit Longmen Grottoes — a World Cultural Heritage site, marvel at millennia-old carving skills in the Ten Thousand Buddha Caves - Explore White Horse Temple — China’s first ancient temple, including the International Buddhist Hall area (Indian/Thai/Burmese styles) - Night tour of Luoyi Ancient City — wear Hanfu, carry lanterns, shoot Tang-style photos, fewer crowds and beautiful scenery - Stroll through Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden — immersive Song culture theme park, watch the live-action show "Yue Fei Challenges Xiao Liang Wang" - Climb Kaifeng Drum Tower Night Market — taste all Henan snacks: soup dumplings, stir-fried cold noodles, peanut cake, spicy soup - Visit Daxiangguo Temple — the original site of Lu Zhishen uprooting the willow, listen to morning bells and evening drums - Optional: Luoyang Peony Garden (April only) or Kaifeng Iron Pagoda Park (Northern Song relic) --- 🗓️ Detailed Itinerary --- Day 1: Gather from across the country → Luoyang + Longmen Grottoes + White Horse Temple - ✈️ Transportation: - Fly into Luoyang Beijiao Airport (few flights) or take high-speed rail to Luoyang Longmen Station (more recommended) - Major transport budget: 1600 RMB (round-trip second-class high-speed rail ticket/airfare) - 🚇 Subway: Luoyang Longmen Station → Longmen Grottoes Station** (Line 2, 10 minutes) - 🏡 Accommodation: Near Luoyi Ancient City “Huayang International Hotel” or “Zixia Hanfu Homestay” - Price: 380 RMB/night (walking distance to ancient city, convenient for Hanfu experience) - 🌞 Morning: Visit Longmen Grottoes (ticket 90 RMB, includes West Hill + East Hill + Xiangshan Temple) - Must-see: - Vairocana Buddha (funded by Empress Wu Zetian) - Ten Thousand Buddha Caves, Fengxian Temple, Xiangshan Temple, Bai Juyi’s former residence - Photo spots: panoramic shots from the opposite bank of Yi River, or looking up at the Buddha from the bridge - 🍱 Lunch: “Snack street outside Longmen Grottoes Scenic Area” (noodle soup + beef soup, about 40 RMB per person) - 🌞 Afternoon: Bus No. 53 → White Horse Temple (ticket 35 RMB) - Features: - China’s first official government-run temple - International Buddhist Hall area: Indian, Thai, Burmese style halls (free entry) - Photo spots: Ginkgo Avenue, Thai-style Golden Hall, Burmese White Pagoda - 🌃 Evening: Return to city, check into homestay - 🍽️ Dinner: “Zhen Butong Restaurant” (representative of Luoyang Water Banquet, recommended Peony Swallow Dish, fried meatballs, about 80 RMB per person) ✅ Day 1 total cost: about 2200 RMB (transport 1600 + accommodation 380 + tickets 125 + meals 120) --- Day 2: Hanfu experience in Luoyi Ancient City → High-speed rail to Kaifeng + Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden - 🌅 Morning: - Sleep in or get up early to stroll Luoyang Old City Cross Street (breakfast: potstickers + spicy soup, about 20 RMB per person) - Rent Hanfu (recommended “Luoshui Xian” or “Tang Palace Music”, including makeup about 80 RMB/set) - Walk around Luoyi Ancient City (free admission, recommended to visit both day and night) - Photo spots: Wenfeng Tower, Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, Tang-style corridor bridge, lantern corridor - 🚄 Noon: High-speed rail Luoyang Longmen Station → Kaifeng North Station (1.5h, second-class seat 99 RMB) - 🏡 Accommodation: Near Kaifeng Drum Tower “Home Inn Business · Drum Tower Square Branch” - Price: 360 RMB/night (5-minute walk to night market) - 🌞 Afternoon: Walk to Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden (ticket 120 RMB, recommend advance purchase) - National 5A-level scenic spot, 1:1 reconstruction of the Qingming Scroll painting - Must experience: - Watch live horse battle show "Yue Fei Challenges Xiao Liang Wang" (3:00 PM show) - Boat ride on Bian River, walk through Song dynasty market - Iron flower performance (8:00 PM, additional night show) - 🍽️ Dinner: “Song Street Snacks” inside the park or head straight to Drum Tower Night Market after exiting - Must-eats: - Soup dumplings (Huang Family Old Shop) - Stir-fried cold noodles - Peanut cake - Lamb sausage soup - About 60 RMB per person ✅ Day 2 total cost: about 500 RMB (transport 199 + accommodation 360 + tickets 120 + Hanfu 80 + meals 80) --- Day 3: Daxiangguo Temple → Iron Pagoda Park → Drum Tower Morning Market → Return - 🌅 Morning: - Walk to Daxiangguo Temple (ticket 45 RMB) - Northern Song royal temple, original site of Lu Zhishen uprooting the willow from "Water Margin" - Attend morning chanting (8:00-8:30 AM), feel the Zen atmosphere - Bus No. 10 → Iron Pagoda Park (ticket 40 RMB) - Northern Song relic, China’s oldest existing glazed pagoda - Photo spots: Iron Pagoda reflection pool, autumn ginkgo (stunning in October) - 🍱 Lunch: Drum Tower Morning Market (more local than night market) - Must-eats: spicy soup + fried dough sticks + tofu pudding (old Kaifeng breakfast, about 15 RMB per person) - 🌇 Afternoon: - Optional: visit bookstore street (Republic of China style old street) or buy souvenirs: - Luoyang: Peony pastry, Tang Sancai small ornaments - Kaifeng: Peanut cake, Bian embroidery handkerchief, Zhuxian Town New Year paintings - ✈️ Evening: Taxi to Kaifeng North Station or Zhengzhou East Station (high-speed rail return) ✅ Day 3 total cost: about 400 RMB (transport 50 + tickets 85 + meals 30 + shopping 200 + no accommodation) --- 💰 Total Budget Summary (per person) | Item | Cost | |------|------| | Round-trip major transport (high-speed rail/airfare) | 1600 RMB | | Local transport (subway + bus + high-speed rail) | 250 RMB | | Accommodation (2 nights) | 740 RMB (380 + 360) | | Tickets + Hanfu | 360 RMB (Longmen 90 + White Horse Temple 35 + Qingming Riverside 120 + Daxiangguo Temple 45 + Iron Pagoda 40 + Hanfu 80) | | Meals (3 days) | 300 RMB | | Others (souvenirs, snacks) | 200 RMB | | Total | About 2850 RMB | ✅ Perfectly controlled within 3000 RMB! Culture + food + Hanfu + sightseeing all fulfilled --- 📸 Travel Blogger’s Private Tips 1. Best Season Recommendations - April: Luoyang Peony Cultural Festival (Wangcheng Park, China National Flower Garden must-visit) - September-October: crisp autumn air, Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Exhibition (peak at Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden) - ❌ Avoid: July-August high heat, Spring Festival/National Day crowds 2. Hanfu Photography Suggestions - Luoyi Ancient City: 6:00-8:00 PM, lanterns lit, beautiful light and shadow - Recommend bringing your own fill light or renting professional photography service (about 200 RMB/hour) 3. Food Pitfalls to Avoid - Spicy soup: Fang Zhongshan is famous but long lines; locals prefer Ma Yuxing or old street shops - Soup dumplings: trust “First Building” or “Huang Family Old Shop” to avoid tourist fakes - Luoyang Water Banquet: Zhen Butong Restaurant is pricey, “Guanji Water Banquet” is more authentic and cheaper 4. Transportation Tips - Luoyang → Kaifeng high-speed rail has many daily trains, recommend departure between 9-10 AM - Kaifeng attractions are concentrated, walking + bus is enough, no need for taxis --- 🏛️ Conclusion Less than 3000 RMB for a 3-day time travel through the Central Plains twin cities. You gaze up at the smile of Vairocana Buddha in Longmen Grottoes, hear foreign Buddhist bells ringing in White Horse Temple, wear Hanfu walking along the Tang-style corridor in Luoyi Ancient City, watch boat shadows and bustling market scenes in Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden. Luoyang and Kaifeng, one is the grandeur of the flourishing Tang, the other the lively spirit of the Northern Song, they are not noisy but heavy with history, after you visit, you will say: “So this is how China has come all this way.”