Luoyang Railway Stations 2026: Longmen HSR, Central + From Xi'an
Luoyang has three railway stations — Longmen (HSR hub, closest to the Grottoes), the central Luoyang Station (conventional trains, Metro Line 1), and Luoyang East (freight). The 'which station' question determines your entire arrival plan.
By China for Travelers Editorial · Published · Updated
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. Station layouts, distances and transit routings draw on Amap (高德地图) routing data queried 2026-05-23, published HSR schedules on the 徐兰 (Xulan) line, Trip.com listings and aggregated 2024-2026 r/travelchina and r/chinatravel threads. This is Path-2 editorial-aggregated coverage — confirm platforms, fares and times on the 12306 app or Trip.com before you travel, and corrections from Luoyang residents are welcomed (see about page).
Which Luoyang station should you use?
Luoyang has three railway stations, and confusing them costs real time and money. The station name on your train ticket determines where you arrive — read it before you book, not after. Here is the one-line summary:
| Station | Type | Best for | Foreign-traveller use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luoyang Longmen (洛阳龙门站) | High-speed rail (HSR) | Most foreign HSR arrivals; closest to Longmen Grottoes | ✅ Default |
| Luoyang Station (洛阳站) | Conventional + intercity D-trains | Overnight sleepers; Metro Line 1 to old-town hotels | ⚠️ Older trains |
| Luoyang East (洛阳东站) | Freight + a few slow trains | Rare; check ticket name carefully | ❌ Avoid |
Station types and routing data based on Amap (高德地图) queried 2026-05-23 and published 12306/HSR schedules. Confirm real-time availability on the 12306 app or Trip.com before booking.
The practical rule: if you booked a G-class or D-class high-speed train, you will arrive at Luoyang Longmen. Overnight sleepers and a handful of slower conventional trains use Luoyang Station in the city centre. Luoyang East barely enters the picture for leisure visitors. When in doubt, look for the characters 龙门 (Longmen) on your ticket — that tells you which station you want.
Luoyang Longmen Station (洛阳龙门站) — the HSR hub
Luoyang Longmen Railway Station is the dedicated high-speed-rail hub for Luoyang, opened in 2010 as part of the 徐兰 (Xulan) HSR corridor linking Xi'an and Zhengzhou. It sits in the southern Luolong (洛龙) district, roughly 9–10 km south of Luoyang city centre, and is the station served by virtually all G-class intercity services. Most foreign travellers arriving from Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Beijing or Shanghai will step off their train here.
Distance to the Longmen Grottoes. The station's most distinctive practical feature: it is named after the grottoes and sits approximately 6 km from the Longmen Grottoes entrance — roughly 15 minutes by DiDi or taxi (Amap 2026-05-23), costing around ¥15–25. This is significantly closer than Luoyang Station (central), which is 12–14 km away. If the Longmen Grottoes are your first stop, arriving at Longmen Station and going directly is the most efficient sequence.
Metro Line 2 connection. Luoyang Longmen Station is served by Metro Line 2 of Luoyang's two-line metro system (opened 2021). The Line 2 ride north into the city centre takes roughly 20 minutes and costs ¥2–4 — useful if your hotel is in the central city or old-town area rather than south Luoyang. Metro signage is bilingual (Chinese and English), and payment is by QR code (Alipay or WeChat Pay) or a purchased transit card.
Station layout. Luoyang Longmen is a purpose-built HSR station with a modern concourse: ticketing windows (accept passport + RMB or bank card), automated ticket machines, self-service luggage lockers (Alipay or WeChat QR payment), a convenience store, and a small restaurant area. Real-name rules (实名制) apply — your passport is scanned at the automated gates as both your ticket and identity document. There is nothing to print. Use the same passport you booked with. If the automated gate cannot read your document, go to a staffed lane. Allow 30-40 minutes from arriving at the station to boarding: security screening, ID gate and finding the waiting area all take time.
Search trains to Luoyang Longmen on Trip.com →
Luoyang Station (洛阳站) — the central conventional station
Luoyang Station is the older city-centre railway station in Xigong district (西工区), in the north-central part of Luoyang. Its coordinates place it roughly 12–13 km north of Luoyang Longmen. While most international visitors will arrive at Longmen via HSR, Luoyang Station remains useful for three specific situations:
- Overnight sleeper trains — if you are travelling from a city not well served by the 徐兰 HSR corridor (for example, some routes from southern China or far western cities), the conventional overnight sleeper terminates here. Hard-sleeper and soft-sleeper berths on these routes are popular with budget-conscious travellers.
- Luoyang–Zhengzhou intercity D-trains — the shorter conventional intercity service between Zhengzhou and Luoyang (not the HSR G-trains that use Luoyang Longmen) also uses this station.
- Metro Line 1 access to old-town hotels — the station has its own stop, 洛阳火车站, on Metro Line 1, which runs east–west across the northern part of the city. If your hotel is in the old-town Laocheng (老城) district or near the Wangcheng Park area, this is the most convenient starting point.
From Luoyang Station, the Longmen Grottoes are roughly 12–14 km south — accessible by Bus 71 or Bus 81 (¥2 QR fare, ~50-60 minutes) or DiDi (~20-25 minutes). There is no single superior way; the bus is scenic and cheap, DiDi is faster. See the getting around Luoyang guide for full bus route details.
Luoyang East Station (洛阳东站) — for reference only
Luoyang East Station (洛阳东站) is a smaller secondary station in northeastern Luoyang, primarily serving freight and a handful of slow conventional passenger trains. Foreign travellers on a standard Luoyang itinerary will rarely if ever use this station. It is included here only to prevent the confusion that occurs when a traveller searches “洛阳东站” or “Luoyang East” on ticket platforms and is uncertain whether that is the same station as Luoyang Longmen or Luoyang Station.
It is not. If your ticket says 洛阳东 (Luoyang East), it is a different station from both 洛阳龙门 (Longmen) and 洛阳 (Luoyang central). In practice, this should not arise — the trains foreigners travel on virtually never use it — but check your ticket name if in any doubt.
From Xi'an to Luoyang by train
The Xi'an–Luoyang HSR route is the strongest cross-city pair in the Luoyang keyword set and the most natural extension of a Xi'an heritage itinerary. From Xi'an North Station (西安北站) to Luoyang Longmen Station, the journey takes approximately 1 hour 25 minutes on G-class trains. Multiple G-trains run throughout the day, with departures roughly every 30-60 minutes during peak hours. Second-class fares are typically around ¥175; first-class fares are higher.
The route runs on the 徐兰 (Xulan) HSR line — the same high-speed corridor that connects Xi'an eastward through Luoyang to Zhengzhou. It is one of the most foreigner-friendly HSR journeys in China: passport-gated boarding, frequent departures, and no special permits required.
Day trip or overnight? A day trip from Xi'an is possible with 1h25m each way. But one overnight in Luoyang is strongly recommended — the Longmen Grottoes alone deserve 2–3 hours, the Luoyang Museum another 1–2 hours, and the Yingtian Gate and the illuminated Luoyi Ancient City are best experienced after dark when the evening light show runs. A day trip forces hard choices; one night unlocks the full picture.
Book ahead during National Day (Oct 1–7), May Golden Week (May 1–5) and the Luoyang Peony Festival (mid-April to early May) — all three periods pack Xi'an–Luoyang trains and sell out popular departure slots days in advance.
Search Xi'an → Luoyang trains on Trip.com →
See also: Beijing to Xi'an by train — if you are building a capital-to-Xi'an-to-Luoyang corridor itinerary, that guide covers the Beijing West → Xi'an North HSR leg.
From Zhengzhou to Luoyang by train
From Zhengzhou East Station (郑州东站) — the massive Zhengzhou HSR hub — to Luoyang Longmen, the journey takes approximately 30 minutes by G-class HSR. This is one of the shortest and most frequent intercity HSR hops in central China. Multiple trains run every hour throughout the day; fares are very cheap at roughly ¥65–80 second class.
Why this matters for most itineraries. Zhengzhou is the major aviation hub for central Henan province — Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO) has far more domestic and international connections than Luoyang Beijiao Airport (LYA). The standard routing for visitors flying into the region is: fly to CGO, then HSR to Luoyang Longmen in 30 minutes. The airport itself has direct connections into Zhengzhou city for the onward train — see the Luoyang airport guide for a full comparison of LYA vs the CGO routing.
The Shaolin Temple pairing. The Shaolin Temple (少林寺) is located in Dengfeng, roughly 80 km southeast of Luoyang and about 70 km southwest of Zhengzhou — roughly equidistant. Travellers combining Luoyang and the Shaolin Temple typically route via Zhengzhou, since the CGO airport and the Zhengzhou–Luoyang train sit on the same transit spine. Shaolin itself is not reachable by HSR (there is a bus from Luoyang New South Bus Station) — plan for a half-day or full-day excursion from Luoyang if you want to combine both.
Search Zhengzhou → Luoyang trains on Trip.com →
From Beijing to Luoyang by train
From Beijing, the route to Luoyang depends on which Beijing station your train departs from:
- Beijing West Station (北京西站) — the primary gateway for Luoyang. Beijing West is the hub for the Beijing–Hong Kong high-speed corridor (京广高铁/京港高铁), which runs via Zhengzhou and Luoyang. Direct G-trains from Beijing West to Luoyang Longmen take approximately 3 hours 35 minutes. This is the most direct connection and the standard route.
- Beijing South Station (北京南站) — the hub for the Shanghai-direction corridor (京沪高铁). Trains from Beijing South do not serve Luoyang directly; you need to change at Zhengzhou East and take a connecting HSR to Luoyang Longmen (add roughly 30 minutes for the connection). Check the 12306 app for through-ticket options — it will route you correctly.
Fares from Beijing West to Luoyang Longmen in second class are typically around ¥275–350 depending on the specific train. The journey runs via Shijiazhuang and Zhengzhou on the Beijing–Guangzhou HSR spine — a comfortable, modern ride through Hebei and Henan province. Book ahead during Golden Week and summer peak.
Search Beijing → Luoyang trains on Trip.com →
Getting from Luoyang Longmen Station to the Longmen Grottoes
The Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟) are the primary reason most foreign travellers visit Luoyang — and the good news is that Luoyang Longmen Station is the closest railway station to them. At approximately 6 km / 15 minutes by DiDi or taxi (Amap 2026-05-23), you can be at the grottoes entrance roughly 20-30 minutes after stepping off the train once you factor in exiting the station and getting into a car.
DiDi or taxi. Hail a DiDi from outside the main exit or take one of the metered taxis. Fares to the Longmen Grottoes run roughly ¥15–25. Tell the driver: “龙门石窟” (Longmen Shiku). The entrance area is unmistakable — follow the large tourist signage from the road. Entry to the grottoes requires an advance real-name booking (passport number) through the official ticket system; walk-up capacity is limited, especially on weekends and holidays. See the Longmen Grottoes visitor guide for ticket booking, the best viewing sequence and how long to allocate.
From Luoyang Station (central). If you are arriving at the older central station, Bus 71 and Bus 81 run south to the Longmen Grottoes area for roughly ¥2 (pay by QR code at the validator on the bus) in approximately 50–60 minutes. DiDi from Luoyang Station is faster at around 20–25 minutes. The getting around Luoyang guide lists the full bus-route details.
Hotels near the stations
Where you stay in Luoyang matters more than in some cities because the main sights are spread out. The two major clusters for foreign travellers:
- Near Luoyang Longmen Station / south Luoyang — practical if the Grottoes are your primary target and you want to walk or cycle there in the morning before the tour groups arrive. Options are mostly mid-range business hotels and budget chains. Metro Line 2 connects south Luoyang to the city centre, so you are not stranded.
- City centre / old-town (Laocheng 老城) — closer to the Luoyi Ancient City (应天门 gate / Yingtian Gate), the evening Luoyang lantern streetscape, the White Horse Temple (best visited early morning), and the Luoyang Museum. Metro Line 1 from Luoyang Station connects this area easily. For most travellers on a 2-night stay who want the full Luoyang picture — grottoes, museum, and evening old town — the city centre is the better base, with a single DiDi or bus ride out to the grottoes.
See the where to stay in Luoyang guide for a full five-area comparison with specific hotel recommendations across budget levels.
Browse hotels near Luoyang Longmen Station on Trip.com →
Browse hotels near Luoyang central city on Trip.com →
Booking trains as a foreigner
Two reliable options for foreign passport holders. The official 12306 app and website supports foreign-passport registration and sells every train at face value — it is the authoritative source for schedules and real-time seat availability. Trip.com's English interface sells the same tickets with a small service fee, which many first-time visitors find easier to navigate than 12306's Chinese-heavy interface.
Either way, the ticket is tied to your passport number. There is nothing to print — boarding is done by scanning your passport at the automated gate. Use the same passport you booked with. If the gate cannot read your document (older passports with worn chips can fail), go to a staffed lane and present your passport.
Luoyang is a genuinely popular Chinese heritage destination. The Peony Festival (mid-April to early May), National Day Golden Week (Oct 1–7) and the May holiday (May 1–5) all put serious pressure on the Xi'an–Luoyang trains. Book 3-5 days ahead at minimum during these windows; earlier is safer. Outside peak periods, booking the day before is usually fine.
Book trains to Luoyang on Trip.com →
Frequently asked questions
Which Luoyang railway station should I use?
How do I get from the station to the Longmen Grottoes?
How long is Xi'an to Luoyang by train?
Is Luoyang doable as a day trip from Xi'an?
Can I buy train tickets at the station?
Are the Luoyang stations metro-connected?
Should I book a day-tour from Xi'an or go independently?
Where can I leave luggage at the stations?
Related Luoyang guides
- Longmen Grottoes visitor guide — the UNESCO Buddhist cliff carvings; advance ticket booking, best viewing sequence, how long to allow.
- White Horse Temple, Luoyang — China's oldest Buddhist temple, 13 km east of the city; best visited early morning before tour groups.
- Where to stay in Luoyang — five-area comparison: Longmen Grottoes area, old-town Laocheng, city centre, Luoyang Station district and the peony-garden zone.
- Luoyang Beijiao Airport guide (LYA) — small domestic airport vs the Zhengzhou CGO routing: which makes sense for your origin city.
- Getting around Luoyang — Metro Lines 1 + 2, Bus 71/81 to the Grottoes, Bus 56 to the White Horse Temple, DiDi and QR payment.
- Beijing to Xi'an by train — the western leg of the capital-to-heritage corridor; pairs with Xi'an → Luoyang for a three-city loop.
Sources: editorial team based in Chongqing (8-year mainland-China resident, NOT a Luoyang resident), editor's about page, Amap (高德地图) transit-routing data queried 2026-05-23, published HSR schedules on the 徐兰 (Xulan) Xi'an–Zhengzhou line, Trip.com listings and aggregated r/travelchina and r/chinatravel threads 2024-2026. Train times, fares and station layouts change — confirm on the 12306 app or Trip.com before you travel.