Datong Ancient City in the Off-season (Attractions, Routes, and Accommodation)

December is the start of the off-season for tourism. If you visit Datong at this time, you will find that there are few people at all the scenic spots, you don't have to wait in line to take photos, and tickets and hotels are at off-season prices. It's really comfortable. ❄️If you happen to catch the snow, you can stroll among the ancient buildings of the temples and feel the weight of history. Your heart will slowly become calm and full. ❇️Datong Ancient City One-day Citywalk Route: Huayan Temple ➡️ Bell Tower ➡️ Sipailou ➡️ Daiwang Mansion ➡️ Nine-Dragon Wall ➡️ Drum Tower ➡️ Chunyang Palace ➡️ Shanhua Temple ➡️ Fuwen Temple ➡️ Dijun Temple ➡️ Guandi Temple ➡️ Fahua Temple ➡️ Climb the city wall from Wuding Gate in the evening and take photos of the night view of Kuixing Tower 🅿️There are parking lots in front of many scenic spots (Fenglin Pavilion Underground Parking Lot at Huayan Temple, Shanhua Temple Ground Parking Lot, and roadside parking spaces at Wuding Gate). The first half hour is free, and then CNY 3 per hour. ⭕️Overview of Datong Ancient City Scenic Spots (Off-season): Huayan Temple: Liao and Jin Dynasty temple, 8:30–17:00, CNY 40; Daiwang Mansion: Ming Dynasty, 9:00–18:00, CNY 50; Chunyang Palace: 8:00–18:00, free; Bell Tower: Modern reconstruction, free; Drum Tower: Ming and Qing Dynasty pavilions, free; Shanhua Temple: Liao and Jin Dynasty temple, 8:00–18:00, free; Fuwen Temple: Ming and Qing Dynasty architecture, free; Dijun Temple: Ming Dynasty architecture, free; Guandi Temple: Yuan Dynasty architecture, free; Nine-Dragon Wall: Ming Dynasty, 8:30–17:30, free; Fahua Temple: Late Yuan and early Ming Dynasty, 8:30–17:30, free Datong Ancient City Wall: Heyang Gate and Yongtai Gate have lantern festivals (17:00–21:40), so you need to pay CNY 10 to climb the city wall from these two gates. Qingyuan Gate and Wuding Gate are free (7:00–21:40). The city wall lights up at around 18:00. 🏨Accommodation: Compared with the peak season, hotels in Datong are very cost-effective now. We stayed at the Lavande Hotel at Heyang Gate in Datong Ancient City. It opened in 2024, so the hardware facilities are great. The hotel offers free parking, a free gym, an executive lounge, and more. The breakfast is very rich, especially the lamb offal noodles, which are so delicious. 🍜Food: Datong's food is cheap and delicious. Lamb offal noodles, knife-cut noodles, cold noodles, dilu, Shanxi spicy mix, sea buckthorn ice bread, and old vinegar cola are all worth trying!