Super satisfied with the seven-day Shanxi travel guide

Last year, the game "Black Myth: Wukong" made Shanxi popular, and this year I finally came during the National Day holiday. There are no direct flights from Dalian to Datong, so my route was Linfen - Pingyao - Datong - Taiyuan.
📍Day 1 (6th)
Landed in Linfen the night before on the 5th, stayed near the Drum Tower.
The next day, I hired a car to visit Hukou Waterfall + Xiaoxitian + Guangsheng Temple. Highly recommend my driver, a powerful female driver from Linfen. It was Hao’s husband who took us there. The car was spacious and comfortable, no smoke smell, smooth driving, very thoughtful and attentive!
Took the high-speed train to Pingyao that evening.
📍Day 2 (7th)
Early morning took the high-speed train to Lingshi East, 16 minutes, then taxi to Wang Family Courtyard. Joined a live guided tour, just a quick look around, saw brick carvings, stone carvings, and wood carvings. Shared a ride back to Pingyao and headed straight to Shuanglin Temple and Zhenguo Temple. Be sure to get a guide for both temples: Shuanglin Temple for the polychrome sculptures, Zhenguo Temple for the architecture. Strolled around Pingyao Ancient City in the evening.
📍Day 3 (8th)
Took the high-speed train to Datong, stayed at the Orange Hotel outside the ancient city, highly recommended! Newly opened in 2024, rooms are super large! Clean and quiet! Arrived at noon, went to eat at Longjuxiang! In the afternoon visited Datong Museum (booked seven days in advance), and walked around Datong Ancient City at night. Xijin Dao is super delicious!
📍Day 4 (9th)
Hired a car to first visit Hanging Temple, smoothly got the climbing ticket seven days in advance, then went nearby to see Yong’an Zen Temple, after that headed straight to Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, and finally visited Jingtusi Temple. Had Shanxi copper hotpot at Yunjinhui in Datong Ancient City for dinner, so delicious! A full pot, very satisfying! Then went to stroll around Dongnanyi. Strongly recommend driver Mr. Niu! Enthusiastic and attentive, great driving skills, spacious and clean car! We took our time to explore at our own pace!
📍Day 5 (10th)
Morning at Yungang Grottoes, afternoon at Huayan Temple and Shanhua Temple. Also recommend guide Mr. Leng from Datong! We had a male guide, very knowledgeable, lively and interesting explanations, easy to understand! Had lunch at Liu Laolao Doumian, dinner at Zini 369!
I’m still savoring Datong’s food: crispy sweet and sour pork tenderloin coated in sweet and sour sauce, yellow millet cold cake, shaomai, and the flavorful knife-cut noodles from Xijin Dao.
Took the high-speed train to Taiyuan at night.
📍Day 6 (11th)
Visited the Northern Qi Murals Museum in the morning (walk-in booking), a museum built on an ancient tomb, with free guided tours once in the morning and once in the afternoon on non-holidays. Listened to the guide first, then explored on my own. In the afternoon, went to Shanxi Provincial Museum (booked three days in advance), official guide costs 38 RMB per person, the explanation was excellent! Had dinner at Xinghualang, delicious!
📍Day 7 (12th)
Early morning took a taxi to Jin Temple, be sure to hire a guide! Continuing to recommend guide Mr. Tian! Very knowledgeable, well-versed in history and culture! Jin Temple is beautiful, fun to explore, and great for photos! (Guides for Shuanglin Temple and Jin Temple are both selected by Xiaoyaoyou Wenbo)
In the afternoon, headed straight to the Botanical Garden, only had time to visit the indoor pavilion, the popular big elevator is super photogenic!
It’s just a 40-minute subway ride to Taiyuan Airport, trip ended!
Sorry Shanxi, I came late! Shanxi can’t be fully explored in one trip, I will definitely come back!