Planning a Trip

Getting There

Most visitors arrive by bus from Taiyuan to the south or Datong to the north. Wutai Shan has no airport. The Wutai Shan railway station is in Shahe, 48km (30 miles) and an hour-plus drive from Taihuai. There are daily fast trains to and from Beijing and Taiyuan (4 hr.) on the Beijing-Taiyuan line (K702/701). Buses between Shahe Railway Station and Taihuai Zhongxin Tingche Station leave regularly throughout the day for ¥20 ($2.60/£1.30). A taxi between Shahe and Taihuai is around ¥150 ($20/£9.75). Allow 2 hours if you're catching a train in Shahe. There are daily buses connecting Taihuai with Taiyuan (4 hr.; ¥57/$7.40/£3.70), Datong (5 hr.; ¥60/$7.80/£3.90), and Beijing (6 hr.; ¥131/$17/£8.50). Buses drive into Taihuai and will drop you at your hotel if you know where you're staying. The bus station is in the south of town. The ticket office opens at 5:30am. Buses to Datong leave from various small hotels on the main street beginning around 6am. If you'd rather not have to wave one down, ask your hotel or a CITS branch to arrange hotel pickup (no service fee). In summer only, a direct bus to Hohhot leaves daily at 7am from Yingfang Street (8 hr.; ¥85/$11/£5.55).

Admission to the Wutai Shan area is ¥90 ($12/£5.85). All vehicles are stopped at the gate while an attendant collects money and passengers grumble about government corruption and the latest price hike.

Getting Around

The town of Taihuai runs along the valley nestled between the peaks of Wutai Shan and is small enough to cover on foot in under an hour. The main street (Taihuai Jie/Yingfang Jie) runs north-south along the Qingshui River. Minivans trawl the stretch from town to the area in the south where the best hotels are, picking up passengers for a few yuan. The mountains rise to the immediate east, while two small streets running west off the main street lead to Taihuai's temple area. Although the streets have names, nobody uses them; even maps dispense with them. Directions to anyplace begin with the name of the nearest temple, many of which can be reached on foot. East of the village a cable car goes up to Dailou Peak (¥35/$4.55/£2.30 one-way; ¥65/$8.45/£4.25 round-trip). Alternatively you can walk there in under an hour, or ride a horse for ¥30 ($3.90/£1.95); ¥55 ($7.15/£3.60) round-trip.

Tours

Tour buses and taxis go to the mountain temples from the Wutai Shan Tour Taxi Ticket Office (Wutai Shan Luyou Che Chuzu) on Yingfang Street (across from the White Pagoda and the parking lot/night market). Buses carry 15 passengers and don't set out until they're full. They charge ¥10 ($1.30/65p) per person per temple. Taxis can take up to four passengers and charge ¥200 ($26/£13) for a 6-hour tour visiting 10 temples. CITS has a number of generally unhelpful branch offices in Taihuai. The main office is at Ming Qing Jie 18 (tel. 0352/510-2265; open 7:30am-8pm). They don't have their own vehicles, but they will arrange a car, driver, and English-speaking guide for a full-day tour to the outlying temples for about ¥400 ($52/£26) for up to three people.

Fast Facts

Banks, Foreign Exchange and ATMs -- The Bank of China (open 8am-noon and 2:30-6:30pm; winter 8:30am-6pm), Yingfang Jie, only exchanges U.S. dollars; no traveler's checks. Restaurants will sometimes change foreign currency, but it's best to arrive with enough yuan for the duration of your stay.

Internet Access -- Feiyu Diannao (8am-midnight; ¥4/50¢/25p per hour) is on the main street as you head south, just before the turnoff to the Friendship Hotel. Look for the ENGLISH INTERNET sign. There are several other Internet cafes in the area around the main street.

Post Office -- The post office (8am-8pm; winter 8am-6pm) is on Yingfang Jie after it rounds the corner from the main street, half hidden by souvenir stalls. The entrance is up a staircase behind the stalls.