2-Day Pingyao Ancient City Tour from Xi'an by Train

Summary

Day 1 Xi'an—Pingyao by Train: Qiao Family Courtyard, Ming-Qing Street, Ancient City Wall
Day 2 Pingyao: Rishengchang Exchange Shop, Armed Escort Company Museum, County Government Office

Day 1 Xi'an—Pingyao by Train

Meeting Your Guide in Pingyao

Take the morning train from Xi'an to Pingyao at your own pace. Your guide meets you at the station exit holding a 'Your Way Holiday' welcome sign, helps with your luggage, and drives you to your hotel so you can settle in before the day of sightseeing.

Qiao Family Courtyard

The Qiao Family Courtyard sits about 42 km from Pingyao Ancient City and is a classic northern Shanxi merchant residence. Seen from above, the layout forms the Chinese character for happiness. Note the wood, brick, and stone carvings, the painted murals under the eaves, and more than 140 chimneys, each built to a different design. The compound is also known as a filming location for the movie Raise the Red Lantern.

Ming-Qing Street

Ming-Qing Street runs about 750 meters and holds roughly 100 shops and old courtyard houses built in Ming and Qing style. It was once nicknamed China's Wall Street for its concentration of banks and money houses. Red lanterns hang along the frontages, and the street is a good place to sample plain local cooking between stops.

Ancient City Wall of Pingyao

The wall around Pingyao was first built some 2,700 years ago and rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty. It forms a square roughly 5.4 kilometers around and stands about 10 meters high. From the air its outline resembles a turtle, which gives the city its other name, Turtle City. It is one of the best-preserved ancient city walls in China.

At the End of the Day

After the wall, your driver takes you back to your hotel and your guide assists with check-in. The evening is free, and your guide can point you toward dinner or an evening walk inside the old town.

Day 2 Pingyao

Rishengchang Exchange Shop

After breakfast your guide takes you to the Rishengchang Exchange Shop, counted as the first draft bank, or piaohao, in China. It opened in 1823 in the Qing Dynasty and moved money between cities through paper drafts instead of silver carts. At its height the firm had branches in many of the country's main commercial towns. Today it is kept as a museum showing the banking halls, the vaults, and the coded handwriting staff used to guard against forgery.

Armed Escort Company Museum

Next is the Armed Escort Company Museum. When cash and goods moved along the trade routes between regions, merchants paid escort companies to guard their caravans. The museum shows the weapons, banners, and daily routine of these guards and explains how escort firms fitted into Pingyao's banking and trading life during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

County Government Office

Your final stop is the County Government Office, the old seat of local administration. Parts of the complex date to the 14th century, and it is one of the largest surviving examples of a traditional county yamen in China. The buildings split into front offices for administration and rear courtyards for living, divided between civil and military officials. Costumed re-enactments of a magistrate hearing cases are staged here during the day.

At the End of the Day

At the close of your sightseeing, your driver takes you back to your hotel or on to the Pingyao train station, depending on your onward plans. Your guide can handle last-minute details such as luggage or directions to your platform.

Questions Before You Book

How do we get from Xi'an to Pingyao?

By high-speed train, a ride of roughly 1.5 to 2 hours. We arrange the tickets, and your guide meets you when you reach the Pingyao side; a private car covers the transfers once you are there.

What is included in the 2 days?

Train arrangement between Xi'an and Pingyao, a private car and driver, your guide, entrance tickets to the sites listed in the itinerary, and one night of hotel in Pingyao.

Is there a lot of walking?

The old town is mostly flat and the sights sit close together, but you will walk on cobbled streets and can climb onto the city wall. Tell us about limited mobility in advance and your guide will set a slower pace.

Do we stay inside or outside the old city?

Usually inside the restored old town so you can walk the streets after dinner. If you would rather stay outside the wall, let us know and we can arrange it.

Can the order of the sights be changed?

Yes. The stops are a starting plan. Your guide can reorder them to fit opening hours, the weather, or what you want to see more of.

What should I bring or book ahead for?

Your passport is needed for train tickets and hotel check-in, and a photo copy helps. Pingyao is busiest on weekends and Chinese public holidays, so it is better to book several days in advance.

Price Per Person in US Dollars