Atlas of China
Taiyuan to Datong 太原 – 大同
Door to door, the high-speed train comes out ahead: about 1½ hours, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. A standard-class seat is ¥112. The stations are in or near the city centres, which is what tips it.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed trainTaiyuan 太原 → Datong South 大同南 | 1 h 23 minD5364, fastest | 1½ hours | ¥112standard class | 5406:38–21:59 |
| By road345 km, estimated | 6 h 30 min | 6½ hours |
By train
54 direct high-speed trains a day run from Taiyuan to Datong South, between 06:38 and 21:59. The fastest, D5364, takes 1 h 23 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥112. Coming back, 54 trains a day, the fastest 1 h 21 min (D2511, 06:20 to 21:35).
By air
No nonstop flights.
By road
Roughly 345 km by road and about 6½ hours of driving, estimated from the distance.
At the other end
Featured places around Datong.
-
Yungang Grottoes 云冈石窟
Giant Buddhas carved into a sandstone cliff some 1,500 years ago
-
Datong Ancient City 大同古城
Rebuilt Ming ramparts around genuine Liao–Jin temple halls and a glazed dragon screen
-
Yingxian Wooden Pagoda 应县木塔
A Liao-dynasty timber pagoda of 1056, five storeys outside and nine within
-
Hanging Temple 悬空寺
A wooden temple pinned to a sheer cliff, seemingly propped up on stilts
Around Taiyuan: Jinci Temple, Qiao Family Compound, Shanxi Museum.
On the map
Open either city on the illustrated map, or put both in a trip and let the planner lay out the days and the legs between them, with the same tables these numbers come from.
Book
About Taiyuan · About Datong · All routes
Trains are every direct train on 2026-10-28 or 2026-11-11 in the 12306 timetable, with standard-class fares; one weekday, so weekend and holiday services differ, and the fastest train may not run every day. Flights are the airlines' schedules for 2026-10-28, plus routes Wikipedia lists for small airports. Drives are routed on OpenStreetMap roads (extract of 2026-10-21) where the pair was routed, else estimated from the distance. Door-to-door times add about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time to a flight. How to book is in the guide to trains and 12306; the rail times are open data on the data page.