In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · China
Linfen
临汾
Give Linfen one full day for the Drum Tower, Yao Temple and Tiefo Temple, or two if Hukou Waterfall is the reason you came.
Linfen is an industrial city in the Fen River valley of southern Shanxi, with a small cluster of historic sites in the centre and the Yellow River's Hukou Waterfall about 150 km west. Most travellers pass through by high-speed rail between Taiyuan and Xi'an; the city earns a stop for its drum tower, Yao Temple and the glazed pagoda at Guangsheng Temple, not for its urban fabric.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 临汾
- Best months
- Apr–May, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat and rain), Jan–Feb (cold and dry)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
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 ¥200–350 excl. bed · Mid ¥350–650 excl. bed · High ¥650+ excl. bed (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 |
|---|---|
| Bowl of Shanxi noodles | ¥10–25 |
| Coffee | ¥15–30 |
| Beer: bottle in a restaurant / can at a convenience store | ¥8–15 / ¥4–8 |
| City bus ride | ¥1–3 |
| Taxi, 5 kmTaxi, 3.1 mi | ¥12–18 |
| Yao Temple entry | ¥40 |
| Qianfo Temple entry | ¥35 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LFQ · Linfen Yaodu Airport
- About 15 km from the centre in Qiaoli Town, Yaodu District; shuttle bus and taxi to town (check current routes).About 9.3 mi from the centre in Qiaoli Town, Yaodu District; shuttle bus and taxi to town (check current routes).
Typical fares
- Taxi, first 2 km
- ¥6 day / ¥7 night (22:00–05:00), then ¥1.3–1.6/km¥6 day / ¥7 night (10:00 PM–5:00 AM), then ¥1.3–1.6/km
- City bus
- ¥1–3 flat, WeChat Pay or Alipay QR accepted
- Linfen West → Taiyuan by high-speed rail
- about 1.5 h (check timetable and fare)
Get around
City buses run roughly 06:30–20:30 on a flat ¥1–3 fare and take UnionPay cards or WeChat Pay/Alipay QR codes; transfer discounts need a local bus card, which short-term visitors cannot get. Taxis start at ¥6 for the first 2 km by day and ¥7 at night (22:00–05:00), then ¥1.3/km day and ¥1.6/km night; Didi works. The double-decker sightseeing routes 601/602 pass the Drum Tower and the old-city park.City buses run roughly 6:30 AM–8:30 PM on a flat ¥1–3 fare and take UnionPay cards or WeChat Pay/Alipay QR codes; transfer discounts need a local bus card, which short-term visitors cannot get. Taxis start at ¥6 for the first 2 km by day and ¥7 at night (10:00 PM–5:00 AM), then ¥1.3/km day and ¥1.6/km night; Didi works. The double-decker sightseeing routes 601/602 pass the Drum Tower and the old-city park.City buses run roughly 06:30–20:30 on a flat ¥1–3 fare and take UnionPay cards or WeChat Pay/Alipay QR codes; transfer discounts need a local bus card, which short-term visitors cannot get. Taxis start at ¥6 for the first 1.2 mi by day and ¥7 at night (22:00–05:00), then ¥1.3/km day and ¥1.6/km night; Didi works. The double-decker sightseeing routes 601/602 pass the Drum Tower and the old-city park.City buses run roughly 6:30 AM–8:30 PM on a flat ¥1–3 fare and take UnionPay cards or WeChat Pay/Alipay QR codes; transfer discounts need a local bus card, which short-term visitors cannot get. Taxis start at ¥6 for the first 1.2 mi by day and ¥7 at night (10:00 PM–5:00 AM), then ¥1.3/km day and ¥1.6/km night; Didi works. The double-decker sightseeing routes 601/602 pass the Drum Tower and the old-city park.
See and do
Known for
- Linfen Drum Tower
- Yao Temple
- Tiefo Temple iron Buddha head
- Hukou Waterfall on the Yellow River
- Guangsheng Temple and Feihong Pagoda
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Hukou Waterfall | Car or tour van west via the G5 expressway and local roads to Hukou Town, Jixian County | 2–3 h each way |
| Guangsheng Temple and Feihong Pagoda | Bus or car to Hongdong, then local transport to the foot of Huoshan Mountain | About 1–1.5 h |
| Hongdong Great Pagoda Tree ancestor garden | Bus 301 toward Hongdong, then local taxi | About 1 h |
| Yunqiu Mountain | Car via the G5 and Dayun expressways to the Jishan exit, then S233 | 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- Gulou / city centre (Yaodu District)
- Walk to the Drum Tower, Tiefo Temple and the old-city park; most mid-range hotels sit here.
- Linfen West Railway Station area
- Convenient for an early high-speed departure; 10–20 min by taxi to the centre, few sights on foot.
- Yao Temple area
- Quieter, near the temple and evening food streets; buses 3, 11, 22, 30, 201, 239, 802 stop at Yao Temple Park.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xièxie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duōshao qián |
| I don't understand | 我不懂wǒ bù dǒng |
| Where is the toilet? | 洗手间在哪里？xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ |
| Please take me to this address | 请带我去这个地址qǐng dài wǒ qù zhège dìzhǐ |
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
- Air quality in the Fen valley can be poor on still winter days; check the daily index if you have breathing issues.
- Hukou Waterfall is 150 km west and takes 2–3 h each way by road: it is a full day, not a half-day add-on.
- Some temples close on non-holiday Mondays (Tiefo Temple) or have no posted hours: confirm before you travel out.
- Few staff speak English; have your hotel name and address written in Chinese for taxis.
Linfen is a normal Chinese industrial city and is safe for tourists by day and evening. The real issues are winter air quality, long unlit stretches on the Hukou road, and no English signage outside the centre.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Linfen yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Linfen Drum Tower
- Yao Temple
- Tiefo Temple iron Buddha head
- Hukou Waterfall on the Yellow River
- Guangsheng Temple and Feihong Pagoda
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: Linfen, revision 5263445 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5263445
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Linfen临汾
请带我去这个地址
Please take me to this address
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Linfen; most countries keep embassies in Beijing and consulates-general in Shanghai, Guangzhou or Chengdu. US citizens: American Citizen Services in Beijing (check).
Show the Chinese address to the driver; few taxi drivers read English.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/linfen). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.