Luoyang: the museum door just closed
The Luoyang Museum — the city's flagship, and the one sight that took passport reservations — closed on 19 October 2026 for about a year of renovation, two days after this page was researched. The rest of the city stands: the Longmen Grottoes, the White Horse Temple and the mountain at Laojun. What Luoyang teaches is the rest of China in miniature: every discount is written for Chinese nationals, and April's peony festival is the biggest crowd month of the year even though it sits inside the "long hours" season.
The Longmen Grottoes - UNESCO-listed caves with tens of thousands of Buddhist statues carved into the limestone cliffs along the Yi River - charge ¥90 full price (¥45 half-price). Hours: 08:00-18:00 from March 1 to October 31 (last ticket 17:30, last entry 18:00, cleared by 19:00) and 08:00-17:00 from November 1 to end-February (last ticket 16:30, last entry 17:00, cleared by 18:00). One ticket covers the West Hill caves, East Hill caves, Xiangshan Temple and Bai Garden on a one-way route with four ticket checks; in season the 'Night Longmen' tour opens West Hill and Xiangshan only, with later hours. Real-name, time-slot booking via the official '龙门石窟' WeChat account. Daily capacity 68,900 visitors. Foreign visitors: every half-price/free policy requires a Chinese-issued ID (over-60 free entry also covers PRC foreign permanent-residence ID holders) - foreign passport holders pay the standard ¥90.
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龙门石窟官网（龙门石窟研究院） ⚠️ Hours conflict: OTAs (Ctrip/Ly.com) list '08:00-21:00, last entry 20:00' - that is the night-tour season schedule; the official day schedule is 08:00-18:00 (Mar 1-Oct 31) / 08:00-17:00 (Nov 1-Feb 28), and night tours cover West Hill + Xiangshan Temple only. ⚠️ Crowd trap: April (Peony Cultural Festival, Apr 1-30) sits INSIDE the March-October long-hours schedule yet is the year's biggest crowd month - longer opening hours do NOT mean fewer people; National Day week is the other peak. ⚠️ Route trap: enter via the Northwest service area (~20-min walk to the caves; the East service area is ~25 min and adds backtracking); optional electric cart ¥10 one way. Keep the ticket and ID handy - four checks along the one-way route. Foreign visitors: OTA listings mark discounted tickets '限中国籍'; the official free-entry list (over-60, under-12 or under-1.4m, licensed tour guides, military, disabled with the PRC disability certificate, model workers, journalists) all require China-issued documents - over-60 free entry explicitly includes holders of the PRC foreign permanent-residence ID.Reviewer notes (conflicts, traps, old values)
White Horse Temple - China's first state Buddhist temple - charges ¥35 (half-price ¥17.50). Summer schedule April 1-October 7: opens 07:40, last entry 18:00, closes 18:40; winter schedule October 8-March 31: opens 08:00, last entry 17:00, closes 17:30. Buy real-name tickets on the official '洛阳白马寺' WeChat account and enter with your ID card or QR code - the temple states it has never authorized any third-party reseller. Crucial for foreign visitors: the temple's discount and free-entry policies are explicitly limited to Chinese nationals (Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents holding mainland travel permits are treated the same), so foreign passport holders always pay the full ¥35.
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洛阳市人民政府（瀍河区国家级旅游景区开放时间公示页）；洛阳本地宝引述寺院票务政策 ⚠️ Season boundary is unusual: the summer/winter switch here is April 1 / October 8 - not the common October 1. The 2024 city page listed different hours (summer 07:30-19:00, winter 08:00-17:00); the newer 2025 city page and 2026 local-guide updates agree on 07:40-18:00 (Apr 1-Oct 7) / 08:00-17:00 (Oct 8-Mar 31), which is what we publish. ⚠️ The complex also holds Thai, Myanmar and Indian-style Buddhist halls and the Jin-dynasty Qiyun Pagoda - allow 2.5-3.5 hours. ⚠️ Foreign-visitor rule is explicit and rare: half-price (students, teachers, teens) and free entry (over-60, under-12 or under-1.4m, guides, military, disabled, lay Buddhists with precepts, Luoyang annual-pass holders) are limited to Chinese nationals - passport holders pay ¥35. ⚠️ Crowds: tour groups arrive after 09:00 - go at opening. Hotline 0379-63789090.Reviewer notes (conflicts, traps, old values)
Laojun Mountain - the Taoist peak with the golden summit temple complex, in Luanchuan County about 2 hours from Luoyang - charges ¥100 for the gate ticket, which covers three areas (Laojun Mountain, Zhaigou and Zhumenggu valleys); the summit also needs the Level-1 cableway (¥130 round trip; ¥70 up / ¥65 down) and usually the Level-2 Fenglin cableway (¥80 round trip; ¥45 up / ¥40 down), so budget roughly ¥310 all-in. The site is open 24 hours, but the uphill cableway stops around 15:30. Real-name booking opens 7 days ahead on the official '老君山风景名胜区' WeChat account (a few returned tickets appear at 08:00 daily) and sells out on peak days - the scenic area has never authorized third-party sellers. Student/teacher half-price (¥50) and free entry for over-60s, under-1.4m children, military and disabled visitors require Chinese-issued ID; foreign passport holders pay full price.
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老君山风景名胜区官方网站（春节预约购票公告，2026-02-16）；同程/携程票务交叉核对 Included because it is well documented on the scenic area's own site (gate + both cableways' prices). It is far from the city (about 2-2.5 h; direct buses from Luoyang's Longmen bus terminal) - plan a full day or overnight, not a city stop. ⚠️ The ¥100 gate ticket is the 门市价; Ctrip guides report about ¥90 online - publish the official ¥100. A ¥20 round-trip shuttle from the visitor centre to the cableway base is widely reported at OTA level only (not on the official notice). ⚠️ Crowd reality: winter snow season and National Day are the peaks; the summit is far colder than the city - bring warm layers even in October. ⚠️ Foreign visitors: exemptions require Chinese-issued ID; passport holders pay ¥100 plus cableways. The official notice stresses 'no reservation, no travel' during peak periods - book 7 days out.Reviewer notes (conflicts, traps, old values)
Luoyang attraction tickets at a glance
Official published prices. Where a season boundary exists it is named in the catch column — boundaries differ from site to site across China, and an official "off-peak" window can still be a crowded one.
| Attraction | Ticket (official) | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Longmen Grottoes | ¥90 (¥45 half-price) | Night tour in season; time-slot booking |
| White Horse Temple | ¥35 full price | Discounts limited to Chinese nationals |
| Luoyang Museum | CLOSED from 2026-10-19 (~1 year) | Erlitou and Ancient Tombs museums are the substitutes |
| Laojun Mountain | ¥100 gate + ¥130 / ¥80 cableways | 2h from the city; book 7 days ahead |
| Peony Cultural Festival | Festival window April 1–30 | April = citywide peak season |
The Luoyang Museum closed on 19 October 2026 for roughly a year of renovation. The provincial tourism department's recommended substitutes are the Erlitou Site Museum, the Han-Wei Luoyang City Site Museum and the Ancient Tombs Museum — all free with advance reservations through official WeChat accounts.
Getting around
The Longmen Grottoes sit south of the city on the Yi River — bus 81 or a taxi, and enter from the northwest service area to save about twenty-five minutes of walking (¥10 electric cart optional). Consider a late-afternoon entry for softer light and the night views.
The White Horse Temple is east of the old town, a different half-day entirely. Laojun Mountain is two-plus hours away and needs both cableways (¥130 + ¥80) on top of the ¥100 gate — a full-day trip, not a quick stop, and the uphill cableway stops around 15:30.
Season boundaries differ per site: Longmen switches on March 1 and November 1, the White Horse Temple on April 1 and October 8 — not the common October 1. April sits inside Longmen's long-hours schedule yet is the year's biggest crowd month (the peony festival): longer hours do not mean fewer people. Discounts are for Chinese nationals — written into policy at the White Horse Temple ("仅限中国国籍"), and ID-keyed everywhere else — so foreign passport holders pay full price: ¥35 / ¥90 / ¥100.
A day count that works
- Day 1: Longmen Grottoes — enter from the northwest service area, late afternoon for the light and night views.
- Day 2: White Horse Temple in the morning; a museum substitute (Erlitou or Ancient Tombs) in the afternoon.
- Day 3: Laojun Mountain — full day, both cableways, warm layers at the summit.
Luoyang guides on this site
The first Luoyang guide is in production — the fact library for all 5 documented sites above is already verified.
The full attractions index shows which guides are live and which are in production.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Luoyang Museum open?
- No — it closed on 19 October 2026 for about a year of renovation. Visit the Erlitou Site Museum, the Han-Wei Luoyang City Site Museum or the Ancient Tombs Museum instead; all are free with advance reservations released through official WeChat accounts, and third-party "paid reservation" services are scams.
- Is April really the busiest month in Luoyang?
- Yes — the Peony Cultural Festival (April 1–30) makes April the city's biggest crowd month of the year, even though it sits inside Longmen's "long hours" schedule. Longer hours do not mean fewer people; if you want the grottoes calmer, aim for November through early March.
- Do foreign visitors get discounts at Luoyang sights?
- No. At the White Horse Temple the restriction is written into policy ("仅限中国国籍"), and at Longmen and Laojun every half-price or free category requires a China-issued ID. Foreign passport holders pay full price: ¥35 at the temple, ¥90 at Longmen, ¥100 plus cableways at Laojun.
Page last reviewed: 2026-10-17.