Getting Around Luoyang 2026: Metro, Bus to Longmen, DiDi

This guide is written by an editorial team based in Chongqing — the editor has lived in mainland China since 2018 (8 years on the ground) but is not a Luoyang resident and has not been on the ground in Luoyang in 2026. Coverage draws on aggregated 2024-2026 r/travelchina and r/chinatravel threads, Trip.com operator listings, and distances and routing verified via Amap (高德地图) on 2026-05-23. This is Path-2 editorial-aggregated coverage — corrections from travellers with recent ground-level experience are welcomed (see about page).

Luoyang sits at a useful size for foreign visitors: big enough to have a functioning metro, small enough that you genuinely need only two lines to cover the city. The complication is that Luoyang's two biggest attractions — the Longmen Grottoes and the White Horse Temple — sit well outside the metro catchment, one to the south and one to the east. That gap is why the single most-asked Luoyang transport question is not "which metro line?" but "how do I get to the Grottoes?"

This guide answers that question first, then covers the metro network, the city buses, DiDi, taxis and bike share — with a practical transport table and fare benchmarks throughout. Every payment method in this guide is available via Alipay or WeChat QR; you do not need cash for any public transport in Luoyang.

Which transport mode for which journey?

Before going into each mode in detail, the headline decision tree:

• Arriving by HSR at Luoyang Longmen station → Longmen Grottoes: take a DiDi directly from the station. It is 15 minutes and ~¥25-35. This is by far the easiest combination on an HSR arrival day.
• City centre / Luoyang Station → Longmen Grottoes: Bus 71 or Bus 81, ~50-60 min, ¥1-2. The budget option; slow but direct and air-conditioned.
• Luoyang Station → White Horse Temple: Bus 56, ~45-60 min, ¥2. Or DiDi ~25-30 min if you prefer not to wait for the bus.
• Getting between Luoyang Longmen HSR and Luoyang Station (central): Metro Line 2, ~25-30 min, ¥2-4. No DiDi needed for this city-to-station transfer.
• Short hops in the old town, late-night runs, airport transfers: DiDi — the flexible catch-all.

Transport summary table

Distances and routing from Amap (高德地图), 2026-05-23. Costs are approximate 2025-2026 estimates; verify fares in the DiDi app before you book, and confirm bus fares locally — city bus pricing is set by the municipal government and can change.

Metro Line 1 — the east-west spine

Luoyang Metro Line 1 (洛阳地铁1号线) opened in March 2021 and runs approximately 25 km east-west across central Luoyang with around 20 stations. For foreign visitors, Line 1 is primarily a city spine — useful for moving between the old town, the main commercial districts, and the museum cluster without flagging down a taxi.

Key stops on Line 1 for foreign visitors

• 洛阳火车站 (Luoyang Station) — the old central railway station, where most conventional (non-HSR) trains arrive. Also the departure point for Bus 71, Bus 81 and Bus 56 to the major attractions. A major interchange and the northern terminus of Metro Line 2.
• 王城公园 (Wangcheng Park) — the central peony park and botanical garden, which becomes the city's focal point during the annual Luoyang Peony Cultural Festival (usually mid-April). Beside the Luoyang Central Hospital (洛阳市中心医院).
• 史家湾 (Shijiawan) — a central interchange stop, useful for the residential and commercial corridors west of the old town.
• 关林市场 / 关林 (Guanlin Market) — access point for Guanlin Temple (关林庙), the shrine and burial site of Guan Yu (关羽), one of the most important figures in Chinese popular religion.
• 洛阳博物馆 (Luoyang Museum) — the city's main museum, housing artefacts spanning 5,000 years of Luoyang's time as an imperial capital. One of the best collections of Tang-dynasty burial goods in China, including the famous Tang tri-colour (唐三彩) figurines.
• 杨湾 (Yangwan) — an eastern stop near the rail museum cluster and the transit hub for the eastern districts.

Fares and payment

Line 1 fares are ¥2-5 by distance. Tap in and tap out with an Alipay transit QR code or WeChat Pay at the turnstile. A foreign Visa or Mastercard linked to Alipay is the standard setup — see the Alipay setup guide for the linking process. Physical transit cards (洛阳通) are also available if you are staying several days, but Alipay QR is simpler for a short visit.

Stations are bilingual (Mandarin + Pinyin), announcements are in both languages, and the network map on the platform wall is easy to read against a map app. Signal inside the metro can be intermittent — open your navigation app before you descend to the platform.

Metro Line 2 — the HSR arrival line

Luoyang Metro Line 2 (洛阳地铁2号线) opened in December 2021 and is the more immediately useful line for most foreign visitors. It runs approximately 18 km north-south with around 17 stations, connecting two anchor points:

• 洛阳龙门站 (Luoyang Longmen, south terminus) — the high-speed-rail station on the Xuzhou-Lanzhou HSR and the Zhengzhou-Luoyang intercity line. Virtually every train from Xi'an, Zhengzhou and Beijing arrives here. The metro picks you up on the platform level and runs you north into the city.
• 洛阳火车站 (Luoyang Station, north terminus) — the older central station, with conventional rail services and the city bus hub for attractions. This is where most cross-city bus routes originate.

The journey end-to-end on Line 2 takes approximately 25-30 minutes and costs ¥2-4. If you arrive by HSR at Luoyang Longmen station and want to go straight to your hotel near the old town or near Luoyang Station, Line 2 is the direct connection — no need for DiDi. Conversely, if you are departing by HSR and have checked out of a central hotel, Line 2 takes you to the HSR station without a taxi queue.

Line 3 — under construction

A Line 3 is under construction in Luoyang as of 2026-05. It will expand the network into the northern districts and may eventually approach the Luoyang Old Town / Sui-Tang ruins corridor. Check the current network map on arrival — Luoyang's metro is in active expansion and new segments open with irregular notice.

Bus 71 and Bus 81 to the Longmen Grottoes

The Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟) are 13 km south of central Luoyang — outside the metro network, but well served by two overlapping city bus routes. This is the single most-asked transport question in every Luoyang travel thread, so here is the direct answer.

Bus 71

Bus 71 departs from Luoyang Station (洛阳火车站) and runs south through central Luoyang before terminating at the Longmen Grottoes scenic area. End-to-end is approximately 50-60 minutes; fare is ¥1-2, paid by Alipay or WeChat QR at the front-door reader when you board. The bus is air-conditioned and runs frequently during the day. For most visitors arriving at Luoyang Station on a conventional train, Bus 71 is the default connection.

Bus 81

Bus 81 runs a parallel route and is often cited by foreign visitors as preferable because it picks up passengers at more central stops (useful if your hotel is not directly at Luoyang Station). Journey time and fare are the same (~50-60 min, ¥1-2). Check which stop is closest to your accommodation in Amap before you head out.

The HSR shortcut — DiDi from Luoyang Longmen station

If you arrive by high-speed rail at Luoyang Longmen Station (洛阳龙门站), the Longmen Grottoes scenic area entrance is only about 3 km away — a 15-minute DiDi ride costing approximately ¥25-35. This is by far the most efficient sequence if you want to visit the Grottoes on arrival day: exit the HSR station, hail a DiDi, spend 2-3 hours at the Grottoes, then DiDi or bus into the city to check in. You avoid an extra city-to-Grottoes trip entirely.

Buying Longmen Grottoes tickets in advance via Alipay's mini-program or Trip.com avoids the gate queue. The full West Hill + East Hill circuit admission was approximately ¥90-100 as of 2026; verify before you travel.

Bus 56 to White Horse Temple

The White Horse Temple (白马寺) — China's oldest Buddhist temple, founded in 68 AD, sitting 13 km east of central Luoyang — is served by a direct city bus from Luoyang Station.

Bus 56 departs from Luoyang Station (洛阳火车站) and runs east to White Horse Temple. Journey time approximately 45-60 minutes; fare ¥2, paid by Alipay or WeChat QR. The bus runs regularly during daylight hours. Check the departure bay at the station bus stop cluster on the day — bay assignments change with seasonal timetable revisions.

DiDi alternative: from central Luoyang approximately 25-30 minutes and ~¥30-40; from Luoyang Longmen HSR station approximately 30-40 minutes and ~¥35-50. The DiDi option makes more sense if you are combining White Horse Temple with another eastern-district attraction in the same day, or if you are visiting in bad weather.

DiDi for foreigners in Luoyang

DiDi (滴滴) is China's dominant ride-hailing app and it operates fully in Luoyang. The app has an English-language interface; set up at home before your trip and link a foreign Visa or Mastercard through Alipay or WeChat Pay. Once set up, DiDi is faster and cheaper than flagging down a taxi for any run longer than a few kilometres.

When to use DiDi in Luoyang

• Arriving at Luoyang Longmen HSR → Longmen Grottoes: the 3 km shortcut (15 min, ~¥25-35) described above.
• Airport transfers: Luoyang Beijiao Airport (LYA) is approximately 30-40 minutes from the city centre; DiDi or taxi from the arrivals exit is the standard transfer (~¥40-60).
• Guanlin Temple and the Sui-Tang City ruins (隋唐洛阳城): both are south of the metro corridor and more convenient by DiDi than bus for a short visit.
• Late-night returns: the metro closes around 22:00-23:00; DiDi runs later and is the safe default after dark.
• Rainy days: when waiting at an uncovered bus stop or walking between stops is impractical, DiDi is the frictionless solution.

Typical DiDi fares in Luoyang (2026 estimates)

• City centre → Longmen Grottoes: ~¥40-55
• City centre → White Horse Temple: ~¥30-40
• Luoyang Longmen HSR → Longmen Grottoes: ~¥25-35
• Luoyang Longmen HSR → city centre hotel: ~¥30-45
• Luoyang Beijiao Airport (LYA) → city centre: ~¥40-60

All fares are upfront estimates shown in the DiDi app before you confirm — always verify in the app rather than relying on a printed figure.

DiDi via the Alipay mini-program

If you prefer not to install a separate DiDi app, the DiDi mini-program inside Alipay (search "滴滴出行" in the Alipay mini-program search bar) gives you the same service without a separate download or separate account. For most visitors who have already set up Alipay for transit and bus payments, this is the simplest approach.

Alipay and WeChat QR payment across the network

Every form of public transport in Luoyang — the metro, the city buses, and the taxi in-car reader — accepts Alipay (支付宝) or WeChat Pay (微信支付) QR codes. Cash is a backup, not a requirement.

Setting up Alipay before you fly

The Alipay setup guide at this site walks through every step of linking a foreign Visa or Mastercard. Do this at home — the real-name verification process takes up to 22-56 hours and you do not want to handle it on arrival day in China. Once linked, your foreign card is charged in your home currency at the current Visa/Mastercard exchange rate; the transaction on the Chinese side is settled in yuan.

WeChat Pay works identically for metro and bus QR scanning — link a foreign Visa or Mastercard and scan to pay. Either app works; there is no practical difference for transit. Most foreign visitors find Alipay marginally easier to set up from scratch, while those who are already active WeChat users prefer WeChat Pay.

How to scan on a Luoyang city bus

When you board, the QR scanner is beside the driver at the front door — the same position as in most Chinese cities. Open Alipay → tap the transit/乘车码 option → the QR code appears. Hold the phone screen up to the scanner (not the camera — you scan the code on screen, the reader scans it). A beep and green light confirms the payment. The whole process takes about two seconds once you have the screen open.

Taxis

Metered taxis are common in central Luoyang. Flag fall is approximately ¥6-8; the meter runs from there. Most taxis now accept Alipay or WeChat QR payment at the in-car reader beside the fare display. Taxi availability is good near Luoyang Station, the Old Town (丽景门), Wangcheng Park and near the main hotels during the day. Late-night availability drops after 23:00 — use DiDi after that point.

During the Luoyang Peony Festival (mid-April), taxi availability near Wangcheng Park and the old town drops sharply and fares on some routes are negotiated rather than metered. Pre-book DiDi on festival days or allow extra time for a cab.

Bike share — central Luoyang is flat

Central Luoyang is flat, and the old-town streets between Lijing Gate (丽景门) and Yingtian Gate (应天门) — approximately 1.5 km of pedestrian-friendly lanes — are pleasant to cycle. Hellobike (哈啰单车), Meituan bike share and DiDi Qingju share bikes are docked (or docklessly parked) across the central districts.

Unlock with an Alipay QR scan — most share-bike apps are integrated into Alipay's mini-program menu or accessible via Alipay QR. A foreign card linked to Alipay covers the deposit and the per-minute fare (typically ¥1.5-2.5 for 30 minutes). Helmet availability on share bikes varies; most short city hops do not provide one.

The Longmen Grottoes (13 km south) and White Horse Temple (13 km east) are too far for a casual share-bike ride, especially if the return is uphill against a headwind or after a hot afternoon at the Grottoes. Use the bus or DiDi for attraction transfers; bike share is for exploring the old town on foot-or-wheel speed.

Walking the old town

Luoyang's reconstructed Tang-dynasty old town is a walkable cluster. The two headline landmarks are:

• Lijing Gate (丽景门) — the western city-wall gate, rebuilt in the Tang style, with a covered market street running east from its base.
• Yingtian Gate (应天门) — the southern gate of the Sui and Tang dynasty palace complex, reconstructed on the original footprint; a significant piece of imperial heritage and the visual anchor of the Sui-Tang Luoyang City ruins (隋唐洛阳城) national heritage park.

The walk between Lijing Gate and Yingtian Gate through the old-town lanes is approximately 1.5 km on flat ground — roughly 20 minutes at a leisure pace, longer with stops. No transport needed for this stretch. The Luoyi Ancient City commercial area adjacent to Yingtian Gate is equally walkable and concentrated enough that you can spend half a day here entirely on foot.

Airport transfers — Luoyang Beijiao Airport (LYA)

Luoyang Beijiao Airport (LYA, 洛阳北郊机场) is located approximately 12-15 km north of the city centre. The airport has no direct metro connection as of 2026-05. Standard transfer options:

• DiDi or taxi: 30-40 minutes to the city centre, approximately ¥40-60. This is the most practical option for most arriving passengers.
• Airport shuttle bus: a shuttle bus service runs between the airport and the city (terminus near Luoyang Station). Check the current timetable at the arrivals hall — schedules vary by season and flight frequency.

Note that most foreign visitors traveling to Luoyang arrive by high-speed rail (from Xi'an ~1h25m, Zhengzhou ~30m, Beijing ~3h35m) rather than by air — see the Luoyang railway stations guide for the full HSR arrival breakdown.

Browse Luoyang tours and day trips on Trip.com →

Frequently asked questions

Related Luoyang guides

• Longmen Grottoes visitor guide — the UNESCO cliff sculptures, the West and East Hill circuit, buying tickets, and how to reach the site.
• White Horse Temple guide — China's oldest Buddhist temple, founded 68 AD; getting there by Bus 56 or DiDi.
• Luoyang railway stations guide — Luoyang Longmen HSR hub, Luoyang Station (central) and the Xi'an / Zhengzhou / Beijing HSR pairs.
• Alipay setup for foreigners — link a foreign Visa or Mastercard before you fly; essential for the metro, buses, DiDi and attraction tickets.
• WeChat Pay for foreigners — the alternative QR payment method; works identically to Alipay on the metro and buses.
• DiDi for foreigners in China — how to install, link a foreign card and hail a car anywhere in China, including Luoyang.

Sources: editorial team based in Chongqing (8-year mainland-China resident, NOT a Luoyang resident — Path-2 editorial-aggregated), editor's about page, Amap (高德地图) routing and distances queried 2026-05-23, and aggregated r/travelchina and r/chinatravel threads 2024-2026. Metro opening dates from official Luoyang Metro announcements; bus routes from the municipal transport authority timetables as reflected in Amap 2026-05. Bus numbers, schedules and fares are subject to change — verify at the stop or in Amap on the day.