Atlas of China
Xi'an to Pingyao 西安 – 平遥
Door to door, the high-speed train comes out ahead: about 2½ hours, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. A standard-class seat is ¥159. The stations are in or near the city centres, which is what tips it.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed trainXi'an North 西安北 → Pingyao Gucheng 平遥古城 | 2 h 25 minG2456, fastest | 2½ hours | ¥159standard class | 1107:45–17:25 |
By train
11 direct high-speed trains a day run from Xi'an North to Pingyao Gucheng, between 07:45 and 17:25. The fastest, G2456, takes 2 h 25 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥159. Coming back, 12 trains a day, the fastest 2 h 27 min (D2799, 08:50 to 20:50).
Xi'an: Trains to Shiyan and on to Wuhan via the new line use Xi'an East, opened in June 2026. Pingyao: No airport: Taiyuan South is under an hour away by high-speed train.
By air
No nonstop flights.
Stops on the way
Cities between the two with direct trains from Xi'an and on to Pingyao, so the trip can be broken there.
- Linfen 临汾 300 km from Xi'an · 1 h 32 min there, 44 min on
At the other end
Featured places around Pingyao in Jinzhong.
-
Pingyao Ancient City 平遥古城
An intact Ming walled town of courtyard inns, where China's first draft banks were born
-
Qiao Family Compound 乔家大院
Walled courtyards of a Qing merchant-banking family, the set for Raise the Red Lantern
-
Mount Mian 绵山
Cliff temples, plank walkways and gorges on the mountain of the Cold Food legend
-
Wang Family Compound 王家大院
Fortified courtyard 'castles' of a Qing merchant and official clan on a loess hillside
Around Xi'an: Terracotta Army, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Huaqing Palace, Xi'an City Wall, Han Yangling Mausoleum.
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 Xi'an · Jinzhong, with Pingyao · Where Xi'an reaches in a day · 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.