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Voykit pocket guide · China
Kaifeng
开封
Make Kaifeng an overnight from Zhengzhou: one night and one full day covers the walled old city, and two nights only pays off if you add the Yellow River or the chrysanthemum festival. A same-day return is possible but tight.
Kaifeng was the Song-dynasty capital and probably the largest city in the world in the 11th century; its central axis has never moved and each city sits on the ruins of the last. Today it is a compact, low-rise old town inside a rebuilt wall, 30 minutes by high-speed rail from Zhengzhou. Come for one day of temples, pagodas and night-market food, not for a long stay.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 开封
- Best months
- Apr–May, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot, wet), late Jan–Feb (cold, Spring Festival crowds)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥150–300 excl. bed (2026 estimate, check) · Mid ¥300–600 excl. bed (2026 estimate, check) · High ¥600+ excl. bed (2026 estimate, check) (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Night-market snack plate (baozi, peanut cake, sesame cake) | ¥10–30 |
| Noodle or mutton soup bowl | ¥15–35 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a convenience store | ¥15–30 / ¥5–10 |
| 5 km (3.1 mi) taxi3.1 mi (5 km) taxi | ¥13–18 |
| City bus ride | ¥1 |
| Bengbeng rickshaw, short hop | ¥2–3 |
| Temple or pagoda entry | ¥15–120 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥50–100 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CGO · Zhengzhou Xinzheng International
- About 1 h by taxi (¥160, check) or the airport shuttle to Zhengzhou East then high-speed rail to Songcheng Lu, about 30 min; a shuttle to the Civil Aviation Hotel plus a local bus is the cheap route (check current service)
Typical fares
- Songcheng Lu → old city, taxi
- ¥20–25, 15–30 min
- Kaifeng → Zhengzhou East, high-speed rail
- about ¥30, 30 min
- Taxi start, first 2 km
- ¥8, then about ¥1.8 per km
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The old city is flat and walkable; most sights sit within 3 km (1.9 mi) of Gulou Square. City buses cost ¥1 and bus 20 links the main sights. Motorised rickshaws (bengbeng) run short hops for ¥2–3 and the length of the city for about ¥6. Taxis start at ¥8 for the first 2 km (1.2 mi), then about ¥1.8 per km. High-speed trains use Kaifeng North (long-distance) and Songcheng Lu (Zhengzhou shuttle), both well west of the wall.The old city is flat and walkable; most sights sit within 1.9 mi (3 km) of Gulou Square. City buses cost ¥1 and bus 20 links the main sights. Motorised rickshaws (bengbeng) run short hops for ¥2–3 and the length of the city for about ¥6. Taxis start at ¥8 for the first 1.2 mi (2 km), then about ¥1.8 per km. High-speed trains use Kaifeng North (long-distance) and Songcheng Lu (Zhengzhou shuttle), both well west of the wall.
See and do
Known for
- Song-dynasty capital and the Qingming scroll
- Iron Pagoda (1049)
- Daxiangguo Temple
- Gulou night market food
- Chrysanthemum festival
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Zhengzhou | High-speed rail from Kaifeng North or Songcheng Lu to Zhengzhou East, about 30 min (check) | About 1.5 h (check) |
| Yellow River bank | Taxi, or bus 6 from near the north entrance of Iron Pagoda park (check) | About 1 h (check) |
| Zhoukou | Long-distance bus or rail via Zhengzhou (check) | 3 h+ (check) |
| Shangqiu | High-speed rail east on the Xuzhou line (check) | About 1.5 h (check) |
Sleep
- Gulou Square and Shudian Jie
- Centre of the old city, walkable to the night market, Daxiangguo Temple and the Drum Tower; best for a one-night stop.
- Longting (Dragon Pavilion area)
- North of the centre, next to Dragon Pavilion and Qingming River Garden; quieter, 10–15 min by taxi from Gulou.
- Kaifeng Station area
- Cheapest beds and the main bus terminal; 15–20 min by bus or bengbeng into the old city, useful for early trains.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duō shao qián |
| This one, please | 要这个yào zhè ge |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kě yǐ shuā kǎ ma |
| Where is the toilet? | 洗手间在哪里？xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎ lǐ |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Two rail stations serve different lines: Kaifeng North for long-distance high-speed trains, Songcheng Lu for the Zhengzhou shuttle — check your ticket before you leave.
- Songcheng Lu is 15–30 min from the old city by bus or taxi (¥20–25); allow time on the return leg.
- Some sights are reconstructions built for coach groups; decide per site rather than buying every ticket.
- Summer is hot and humid with most of the year's rain in July–August; winter is cold and dry.
- Temple halls often post a no-photo rule that is loosely enforced; follow the posted sign.
Kaifeng sees little violent crime and the old town is busy in the evening, but take the usual precautions: watch your bag in markets, use licensed taxis or ride-hailing at night, and treat bengbeng and scooter traffic as the main everyday risk. Ask the total at night-market stalls before you order.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Kaifeng yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Song-dynasty capital and the Qingming scroll
- Iron Pagoda (1049)
- Daxiangguo Temple
- Gulou night market food
- Chrysanthemum festival
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Kaifeng, revision 5216364 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5216364
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Kaifeng开封
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Kaifeng; most countries keep embassies in Beijing and consulates-general in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. US citizens: American Citizen Services in Beijing.
Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to a foreign card covers almost everything; keep a few ¥10 and ¥20 notes for market stalls and bengbeng.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/kaifeng). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.