This is my third trip to Shanxi, and I’ve finally checked off Taiyuan, the provincial capital, this time! I’ve rounded up 18 photography spots from my three-day visit for your reference—let’s unfold 2,400 years of Taiyuan’s layered history together ↓

📸 Photography Spots
P1: On the north gate wall of Taiyuan Ancient City
P2: Near the north gate of Taiyuan Ancient City
P3: Kuixing Tower, Taiyuan Ancient City
P4: On the Qinglong Gate wall of Taiyuan Ancient City
P5: Twin Pagodas of Yongzuo Temple
P6: Plant Science Museum, Taiyuan Botanical Garden
P7: Entrance to the Buddhist Legacy Exhibition Hall on the 3rd floor of Shanxi Museum
P8: Near the Zhou Cypress and Tang Pagoda Tree in Jinci Temple
P9: Northern Qi Mural Museum
P10: Near Wudaoye Temple, Taiyuan Ancient City
P11: Stele Corridor of Chunyang Palace
P12: Shanxi Merchant Museum
P13: Fish Pond Crossbeam Bridge, Jinci Temple
P14: Twin Pagodas of Yongzuo Temple
P15: Jin Gong Plate at Shanxi Bronze Museum
P16: Western Zhou Jade Facial Covering in the Jade of Huaxia Exhibition Hall on the 4th floor of Shanxi Museum
P17: Eastern Peak Grottoes, Tianlong Mountain
P18: Haowen Lake, Taiyuan Botanical Garden

🚶 3-Day Cultural Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Museum MarathonShanxi Bronze Museum (housed in Taiyuan Museum) → Shanxi Museum → Northern Qi Mural Museum → Yongzuo Temple (Twin Pagodas)

Day 2: Heritage Hunt in Downtown TaiyuanCatholic Church (under renovation) → Former Site of the Military Governor’s Mansion (Shanxi Merchant Museum) → Scripture-Chanting Tower → Shanxi Financial History Museum → Guan Yu Temple → Ancient Mosque (under renovation) → Wenying Park → Chunyang Palace (Shanxi Ancient Architecture Museum) → Shouyi Gate → Former Site of Shanxi University → Confucian Temple (Shanxi Archaeological Museum) → Chongshan Temple

Day 3: Exploring Jinyuan DistrictJinci Temple → Tianlong Mountain Grottoes → Taiyuan Ancient City → Taiyuan Botanical Garden

📒 Travel Tips

On the downtown heritage route, the Catholic Church and Ancient Mosque are currently under renovation—no need to plan a visit in July or August. The route is perfect for a cycling tour; the ride between each spot takes no more than 10 minutes, averaging around 5 minutes.

Sunset & Night View Guide: We watched the sunset from the wall of Taiyuan Ancient City, with the Qinglong Gate section being the best spot. For night views, Taiyuan Botanical Garden comes highly recommended—lights turn on around 8:00 PM in summer. Note that you can only choose one between sunset and night view in a single day, as the botanical garden closes admission at 7:00 PM. We learned this the hard way on our first visit when we were turned away.

Museum Reservations Are a Must, especially during summer vacation when crowds surge. A key tip: Shanxi Bronze Museum and Taiyuan Museum are located in the same building, so you can visit both in one go.

The Jinci Temple Scenic Area is sprawling. If you’re visiting for the first time, skip the front park area to save time—head straight for Jinci Museum. For the shortest route, navigate directly to Xiangxi Gate.

To get to Tianlong Mountain, take the sightseeing bus from Parking Lot 3 of Jinci Temple. It goes straight to Longmen at the mountain top, allowing you to explore downhill all the way.

I only have two and a half days (afternoon of the first day and morning of the second day) to go to the Provincial Museum and Jin Temple. On the first night, I went around. Where do I recommend staying?

Near Zhonglou Street, you can stroll around at night. It's close to the museum, but it's a bit off towards Jinci.

The ancient city of Taiyuan only has the value of photography left

The photo is really good. Taiyuan people thank you for sharing. This is much stronger than our Shanxi cultural and tourism photography

Where are the classic recommendations for a full day and a half day trip

佳伦美石 发表于 2025-12-10 22:32
Where are the classic recommendations for a full day and a half day trip

In my personal opinion, priority should be given to visiting Taiyuan Shanxi Museum (Bronze Museum), Jin Temple, Northern Qi Mural Museum, and Chunyang Temple for the first time.

Kiss me, on my first night at 6pm at the South Station, where would be a good place to stroll around in the evening? How's Liuxiang

Yongzuo Temple Twin Towers Twin Towers Temple: An iconic ancient building in Taiyuan, offering a panoramic view of the old city. The ticket is 30 yuan.