Beijing to Datong Train: 1h46-2h36, ¥148-170 (2026)

A day trip from Beijing to Datong works for one sight, the Yungang Grottoes, and it makes a long day. For Thursday 12 November 2026, 12306 lists 21 G and D trains from Beijing North to Datong South. An early G train, G2515, leaves at 07:09 and arrives at 09:11, at ¥151 in second class (about US$22.55, £17.05 or €20.15). A late train back to Beijing North, G2542, leaves Datong South at 20:59 and arrives at 23:04 for ¥148. Across 10 November, the 21 Beijing North departures took 1h46 to 2h36 and second class cost ¥148 to ¥170 (about US$22-25, £17-19 or €20-23).

That leaves roughly 11h45 between the two trains, which is our subtraction, not a timetable. The Hanging Temple, the other reason people come, sits in a different county and needs a night or a separate trip.

Start with North in the Beijing station name

Book from Beijing North, not just “Beijing”. It is the interchange for metro Lines 2, 4 and 13 (the city government’s page of 25 December 2024), so the Beijing metro guide covers the way in. Qinghe, in Haidian district on Line 13 and the Changping line, is a separate station, and a surprising share of the Datong services use it. On 12 November 12306 lists 24 services toward Datong South that call at Qinghe; 16 of them, mostly D trains, don’t call at Beijing North at all. G2515 shows both: 07:09 from North, 07:25 from Qinghe, 09:11 into Datong South either way. Read the origin on your booking, not the train number. The fares here are from Beijing North.

The morning example is an arrival plan

For 10 November 2026, 12306 schedules G2533 from Beijing North at 10:28 to Datong South at 12:32, a calculated 2h04. Its queried ordinary adult fare was ¥160 in second class, about US$23.90 / £18.05 / €21.35, or ¥258 in first, about US$38.55 / £29.10 / €34.40. These were checked on 7 November 2026 for that specific segment and date.

That train puts the station stage in the middle of the day. After it come the transfer, reaching the property and deciding what to do with the remaining afternoon. For a first Datong afternoon, keep it loose: get to the hotel, settle the next day’s arrangements and pick a walk that fits the light that’s left. If a paid visit matters that afternoon, check its last entry against your arrival first.

First class on the 12 November trains above cost ¥241 on G2515 and ¥237 on G2542, roughly 60% more than second class on the same trains. The seat doesn’t change the arrival time, so spend on it for the space, not the speed.

The evening example belongs to a different date

For 14 November 2026, G2537 is scheduled to leave Beijing North at 15:55 and reach Datong South at 18:10, a calculated 2h15. The adult fares checked on 7 November 2026 were ¥158 in second class, about US$23.60 / £17.85 / €21.05, or ¥255 in first, about US$38.10 / £28.75 / €34.

This is an illustration of a later arrival, not an alternative shown on the same day’s booking screen as G2533. Fares on this line move with the date as well as the train: G2537’s second-class seat cost ¥168 on 8 November 2026, ¥10 (about US$1.50) more than on 14 November 2026. Its schedule also shows Qinghe times, 16:08 in and 16:13 out; those belong to Qinghe, not to Beijing North.

An evening arrival can suit a stay planned around the following full day. Send the 18:10 scheduled arrival to whoever is meeting you, together with the full Datong South station name.

Datong South is the beginning of the local journey

Datong South and Datong railway station are separately named stations. The tickets described here use South. Keep that word in the pickup request instead of shortening the destination to Datong.

Ask the hotel how guests usually get from Datong South: a pickup (agree the meeting point, the price and how long they’ll wait if the train’s late) or public transport (the stop to board and the stop to get off). Save the pin and the written address in Chinese before you leave Beijing.

Use the 12306 and booking-agent comparison for the account and purchasing steps, and bring the passport you booked with.

What you’re going for, and whether one day is enough

The usual reasons to take this train are the Yungang Grottoes and the Hanging Temple, and neither is at the station. UNESCO describes Yungang as 252 caves with 51,000 statues, carved in the fifth and sixth centuries. The city of Datong’s English portal puts it 16 km west of the city, so it is a road journey from Datong South, not a walk. Since 1 January 2025 visits need an online real-name booking through the “Yungang Research Institute” mini-programme or Trip.com, and since 15 March 2025 you can’t book for the same day: tickets go on sale up to seven days ahead, so book by the evening before your train. Foreign visitors go in at entrance No 3 with the passport they booked with (the grottoes’ booking guide of 31 December 2024). We couldn’t read a 2026 price or opening hours on an official page. The ticket line is 0352-7992622, staffed 08:30-17:00.

The Hanging Temple is built into a cliff on Mount Hengshan in Hunyuan County, a different place from the city and from Yungang. The city portal describes more than 40 halls and over 80 sculptures, with origins about 1,400 years back. We haven’t timed the road from Datong South, so don’t fold it into a single-day plan.

The return leg deserves as much thought as the outward one. On 12 November 12306 lists 20 G and D trains from Datong South to Beijing North, leaving between 07:00 and 20:59. Two evening options are G2456 at 20:08 (arriving 22:00, ¥151 in second class) and G2542 at 20:59 (arriving 23:04, ¥148). Plan to be back at Datong South about half an hour before the earlier of the two, since the road in from Yungang and a meal are the parts of the day you control least.

So yes for Yungang alone: the 09:11 arrival and the 20:59 departure leave room for the grottoes, a meal and the transfers in both directions, and the evening departures give you slack if the visit overruns. Add the Hanging Temple and you want a night in Datong.

Close the rail plan at both ends

Overseas currency equivalents use ECB reference rates dated 15 October 2026, rounded. The train times and fares are 12306’s for 10, 12 and 14 November 2026, read on 7 and 8 November 2026; a fare on the timetable isn’t a seat, so search your own date before you plan around a train.

If you have to be back in Beijing by a fixed time, book the return before you plan anything in Datong. If you can stay, take the extra night: it turns a rushed arrival afternoon into a full day at the sights you came for.