How to Get to Mount Wutai from Taiyuan

Where is Mount Wutai

Mount Wutai, also known as Wutai Mountain or Qingliang Shan, is located in Taihuai town, Wutai county,  Xinzhou city, in Shanxi province. Mount Wutai is in the northeast of Shanxi, the south of Datong, the north of Taiyuan. Datong and Dayuan are two biggest cities in Shanxi, with airports. The closest distance from Taiyuan to Mount Wutai is about 195 kilometers, and takes about 2.5 hours by driving. Mount Wutai is close to the border between Shanxi and Hebei province, about 190 kilometers away from Shijiazhuang in Hebei province, a 3.5 hours driving distance. It is a part of Taihang mountain system, and got its from its five peaks and shapes.

Mount Wutai is one of the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism, with 47 Buddhism temples , and one of its temples is often visited by Chinese Emperors. The other three are Mount Jiuhua in Anhui Province, Mount Emei in Sichuan Province and Mount Putuo in Zhejiang Province. Therefore, it is a popular pilgrimage destination for Buddhists, who regard it as the domain of the Bodhisattva Manjusri - an emanation of wisdom. For more information about Mount Wutai, please visit Mount Wutai.


 

How to Get to Mount Wutai from Taiyuan

Mount Wutai is in the northeast of Shanxi, the northeast of Taiyuan, about 195 kilometers away from Taiyuan, and it takes about 3 hours from Taiyuan to Mount Wutain by driving. Here are three options for you, and bus transportation is highly recommended to you.

Option 1: By Bus

Taiyuandong (Taiyuan east) Bus Station, about 3.5 hours, 82 yuan. Get to Taiyuandong Bus Station, buy a ticket and take a long distance bus from Taiyuan directly to Mount Wutai scenic spot. The bus starts at 06:40, then every 30 minutes or 60 minutes and ends 15:30.

From Taiyuan Railway Station to Taiyuandong Bus Station. First you could take a taxi, which travels in a distance of 3.3 kilometers and costs about 10 yuan. Second you may take a pubic bus. Public buses like No. 615, No. 9, No. 863, No. 814, No. 619 pubic bus are available, but I recommend you take No. 615 public bus which is the fastest and the most convenient.

No. 615 pubic bus, 7 stops and about 30minutes. Walk to railway station bus stop, take No. 615 public bus, get off at Dongkeyun bus stop(Taiyuandong Bus Station). No. 615 public bus travels from 06:00 to 21:00 in summer and from 06:00-20:30 in winter. The ticket fare is 1 yuan.

No. 9 pubic bus, 6 stops and 40 minutes. Walk about 400 meters to railway station bus stop, take No. 9 public bus and get off at Fudongjie Zizheng crossing bus stop, then walk about 800 meters to the bus station. No. 9 public bus travels from 06:00 to 20:30 The ticket fare is 1 yuan.

From Taiyuan Wusu International Airport  to Taiyuandong Bus Station. First,  in such a distance of about 15 kilometers,  you could take a taxi from the airport to the bus station, which takes about 30 minutes and costs about 40 yuan. Second, you may take the airport shuttle bus( Line 4) to the bus station, which takes about one hour and costs about 25 yuan. Third, public bus are available from the airport to the bus station. You could take No. 201 public bus, transfer to No. 619 public bus at Taiyulu Changfeng crossing bus stop, and get off at Dongkeyun bus stop. It takes about 1.5 hours and 3 yuan.


Option 2:  Train+ Bus

No trains from Taiyuan directly to Wutai Mountain Scenic Area are available. But visitors can take a train from Taiyuan Railway Station to Wutaishan Railway Station, then take a tourist bus at Wutaishan Railway Station to the scenic spot, which takes about 1 hour and costs about 25 yuan. Here are some information about trains from Taiyuan to Wutai county listed in the table.