At a glance
- Best time
- Early to mid-April for the peony festival (all three museums single it out as a schedule-changing event — busiest, but the flowers are real); mid-October to mid-November is the calmer window, with the grottoes running shorter winter hours
- How long
- 2–3 days
- Getting there
- Luoyang Longmen high-speed rail station (12306 code LLF; the grottoes' own transport page: about 4 km from the site, 10 minutes by road). Luoyang Beijiao airport (same page: about 19 km, 30 minutes by road)
- Getting around
- Buses listed on the grottoes' own site: bus 71 from Luoyang Longmen station, about 42 minutes; from the airport, bus 1 then 81, about 1 h 45 min
What to see and do
Longmen Grottoes
One ticket covers four separate areas — West Hill caves, East Hill caves, Xiangshan Temple and Bai Garden. The site also states a hard daily capacity of 68,900 visitors, so peak dates really can sell out.
Tip The single-direction route needs four ticket checks, so give it a full day. The evening 'Lights on Longmen' ticket only opens West Hill and Xiangshan Temple.
Cost CNY 90 full (CNY 120 night tour)
White Horse Temple
China's first Buddhist temple, the first state-run monastery after Buddhism reached the country — a completely different thread of history from the imperial sculpture at the grottoes.
Tip It sits second on the city's cultural-heritage authority list of nationally protected sites.
Cost No published ticket price found — check the official channel
Luoyang Museum
Free, and the key to understanding the city: the permanent 'Heluo civilisation' gallery runs prehistoric, Xia–Shang–Zhou, Han–Wei, Sui–Tang and Five Dynasties–Northern Song — exactly the five peaks of Luoyang's history as a capital.
Tip Its booking notice states outright that a passport is accepted and checked in person at the gate — the easiest museum here for a foreign visitor.
Cost Free for the permanent gallery
Sui–Tang Luoyang City and the old-city gate
Yingtian Gate was the first palace gate excavated at Sui–Tang Luoyang City, where Wu Zetian held her enthronement in 690 — while today's Lijing Gate in the old town dates from the Jin dynasty. The two are routinely confused.
Tip The local saying is that a trip to Luoyang without Lijing Gate is wasted; the old town works well in the late afternoon.
Cost Ruins park is free
What to eat
- Luoyang water banquet (peony swallow dish as the starter) A 24-course running banquet whose first dish carves a peony out of radish — the signature of any local banquet
- Jiangmian noodles (fermented-milk-soup noodles) The everyday staple, built on a fermented dough soup base — the 'noodles' side of life, against the banquet's 'feast' side
- Bufantang (non-turning soup) Beef-bone broth with a pepper-flatbread on the side; a standard early-morning breakfast here, as common as the noodles
Booking & tickets
🛕 Longmen Grottoes
Real-name timed-entry tickets, entry verified against a valid ID. The ticketing section of the site also runs a separate 'Inbound tourists purchase tickets' channel marked for inbound visitors only — but the visiting notice only names ID cards, and **how a passport is checked is not stated**.
What you need to know
- Real-name booking with a chosen visiting slot; entry verified against a valid ID. All tickets must be real-name.
- Daily maximum capacity 68,900 visitors; instantaneous capacity 21,550.
- Full ticket CNY 90 (covers West Hill, East Hill caves, Xiangshan Temple and Bai Garden); half price CNY 45 (ages 13–17, full-time students, teachers). The 'Lights on Longmen' night tour is CNY 120 and needs a real-name booking.
- **Half-price tickets are for Chinese citizens only.** Of the free-entry categories, only children under 1.4 m apply regardless of nationality.
- Unused paid orders can be refunded within six months, processed in 3–5 working days. Once used, no refund.
- Travel-agency groups must book at least a day ahead; same-day group booking is not possible.
- Night tour (the site states from 30 March 2026): tickets 17:30–19:30, entry 18:00–20:00, clearing 21:00. West Hill caves and Xiangshan Temple only.
- No pets and no drones inside the scenic area.
How to book
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Official WeChat accounts 「龙门石窟」 or 「龙门石窟景区」
Passport accepted
Follow the account and book a slot; e-invoices are under '一站购票 → 电子发票' in the same account
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Site ticketing section: 'Inbound tourists purchase tickets'
Passport accepted
The site states this channel is for inbound visitors only; mainland residents book via the WeChat mini program
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On site: Northwest Service Area ticket centre (the only physical counter)
Passport accepted
Buy at the window; this is the fallback when online slots sell out on holidays
Sources
🏛️ Luoyang Museum
The permanent gallery is free but **advance real-name booking is mandatory**. Clause 3 of the booking notice spells out the passport route: if you book with a passport, Mainland Travel Permit, foreign permanent-residence ID or similar, staff check the original document at the gate on the day.
What you need to know
- Free Tuesday to Sunday; closed Mondays (except during the peony festival and public holidays).
- 09:00 opening / 18:30 last entry / 19:00 closing.
- Book in advance by real name through the official WeChat account, then enter within your slot. Unbooked visitors are refused entry.
- Two no-shows within 30 days put the account on a credit blacklist with no bookings for six months; two cancellations carry the same penalty.
- Each account may book up to 4 people per visit date, may hold 8 saved contacts, and those contacts cannot be changed for 60 days.
- Visitors over 60 and children aged 14 or under need no booking — just queue with their ID.
- Enquiries: 17503793368 on open days, 0379-69901002 on Mondays.
- Temporary and commercial exhibitions are not part of the free entry.
How to book
-
Luoyang Museum official WeChat account
Passport accepted
Real-name booking → arrive in your slot → present the booking document; passports and other foreign documents are checked manually at the gate
Sources
⚱️ Luoyang Ancient Tomb Museum
The permanent exhibition is free, booking is **required for everyone**, tickets drop in the early hours of each day and close at 16:30. The visiting notice states the passport route too: anyone booking with a document other than an ID card has it checked by staff on site, then scans the QR code in their order.
What you need to know
- Tickets are released in the early hours of each day; same-day booking closes at 16:30. The booking code is valid on that day only.
- If you booked with a passport or another non-ID document, staff verify the document on site and you scan the QR code in your booking.
- Children under 14 are free and need no separate ticket.
- No entry without a booking, on an unbooked date, without your own valid document, or if the document does not match the booking.
- If you cannot come, cancel before 20:00 on the day itself; after that it counts as one no-show. Three no-shows block bookings for 90 days.
- Closed all day Mondays, except public holidays.
- Seasonal hours: 1 May–31 Oct, 9:00 opening / 16:30 last entry / 17:00 closing; 1 Nov–30 Apr, 9:00 / 16:30 / 16:30.
- No pets. Large items can be stored free of charge after the security check.
How to book
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The museum's official booking channel on its own site, or its official WeChat account
Passport accepted
Real-name booking → present your document at the gate → staff check it and scan your QR code. For the audio guide, follow the official WeChat account and enter the number on the guide sign