Laiyuan County is a county in the Baoding prefecture of Hebei in China.

Understand

Laiyuan is a rural county that is a day trip away from Beijing. It offers exciting sights including the Wulonggou Great Wall and the Baishi Mountain, the most scenic mountain in north China.

Get in

The fastest way to get to Laiyuan is by bus.

By train

• 1 Laiyuan Railway Station (涞源站), Intersection of Chaoyang Road and Yingbin Street, Laiyuan Town (来源镇朝阳路与迎宾街交叉口) (bus nos. 661 and 961). Laiyuan Railway Station is a stop for slow service trains. Two K-trains arrive daily from Beijing West Railway Station. A daily K-train and a numbers only train (slowest service) from Beijing Railway Station stops in Laiyuan. The fastest train takes 3 hours, 47 minutes; the longest 5 hours, 37 minutes. (updated Jan 2022)

By bus

From Beijing, there are frequent departures throughout the day from Yongdingmen Bus Station to Laiyuan.

See

Laiyuan Town

• 1 Geyuan Temple (阁院寺), 1 Geyuan Road (阁院路1号) (about 3km southwest of the bus station; no buses serve the area, so it's best to walk or get a taxi). 08:00-18:00. A remarkably well-preserved ancient Buddhist temple. The main hall of the temple has been dated back to 966 AD, making it the oldest surviving structure from China's Liao Dynasty. (updated Jan 2022)
• 2 Taishan Temple (泰山宫, Taishan Palace), Shahe Street (沙河大街) (about 1km southeast of the Geyuan Temple and on the north side of the wetland park known as Juma River Source). A Taoist temple dedicated to Bixia Yuanjun, daughter or the consort of the Great Deity of Mount Tai. Like the Geyuan Temple, the Taishan Temple is also many centuries old. It was originally established during the Tang Dynasty, though some parts of the temple were later rebuilt. The oldest extant building at the temple is the Xingwen Pagoda, which was built in 774 AD. Free. (updated Jan 2022)

Rural areas

• 3 Baishi Mountain (白石山), Lianggou Village, Baishishan Town (白石山镇丰凉沟村) (about 15km south of the county seat; buses depart from the old Laiyuan Bus Station on Baiquan Road (百泉路); direct buses are also available from the main bus terminal in Baoding - these buses depart at 08:00 and return to Baoding at 16:00), ☏ +86 312 5366056, toll-free: +86 400 843 8433. 08:00-18:00. The most picturesque mountain scenery in north China. It takes about half a day to walk along the mountain path. There is also a short glass floor cliff walk. Foggy days that obscure the mountains are renowned but rarely occur. Standard entry fee is ¥135; the park bus charges ¥30 a ride; the cable cars charge between ¥45 and ¥70. (updated Jan 2022)
• 4 Wulonggou Great Wall (乌龙沟长城), Wulonggou Township (乌龙沟乡) (get a bus bound for Dazhuang (大庄) and ask the driver to drop you off at Wulonggou; there are four buses per day). Open all day. A well-preserved section of China's Great Wall. It was built during the Ming Dynasty to keep out Mongol invaders and is noteworthy for the high density of watchtowers. Due to the area's remote location, no restoration work has been carried out and there is relatively little in terms of tourist infrastructure. There are also no crowds or fees to contend with. Free. (updated Jan 2022) and
• 5 Xianren Valley (仙人峪, Valley of the Immortals), Jingzihui Village, Shuibao Town (水堡镇井子会村) (about 20km west of Laiyuan Town; best reached by car or taxi, as there are no direct buses, though you can try to get a bus to drop you off at Jingzihui Village, then walk the rest of the way), ☏ +86 312 4809690, xianrenyujingqu@163.com. 08:00-18:00, no entry after 17:30. A scenic valley with caves, waterfalls and interesting rock formations. Not many tourists come here, so the place is generally quieter than Baishi Mountain. ¥35. (updated Jan 2022)

Go next

• Baoding - Closest regional major city