How many days in Kaifeng? Two is the honest answer
Two days is the right number for Kaifeng. One day gets you the headline sights at a jog; three days is what you want if you would rather eat your way through the old city than tick off buildings.
| Time | What fits | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | Qingming Riverside Garden from mid-afternoon into the evening, then Gulou night market | Anyone breaking the trip between Zhengzhou and Luoyang |
| 2 days | Adds Kaifeng Fu, Daxiangguo Temple and the Iron Pagoda, plus a second night at Xisi market | Most first visits |
| 3 days | Adds Kaifeng Museum and the city wall, and leaves room to go back to whatever you liked most | Food-led trips, families, summer visits |
Why one day is tight
Qingming Riverside Garden, the rebuilt Song-dynasty city based on the famous scroll, is a 5A site and costs 120 yuan for a day ticket. It opens at 8:30am and runs until 10pm, with the evening session starting at 17:30. That is most of an afternoon and evening on its own.
The rest of the city is spread out: Kaifeng Fu at 65 yuan, opening at 7:30am with an opening ceremony in the morning; Daxiangguo Temple at 40 yuan; the Iron Pagoda at 30 yuan, sitting in a park on the north side. All three plus the garden in a single day means a lot of taxi rides and no time to sit down.
The night markets are the second reason. Gulou, under the Drum Tower, is the famous one, at its busiest from about 6pm, and it is the most expensive and most crowded. Locals head for Xisi instead. Two evenings lets you do both and decide for yourself.
Getting there
Kaifeng has no airport. High-speed trains from Zhengzhou East take about 20 minutes, with second class around 22–26 yuan. There are also direct intercity trains from Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport to Kaifeng that take about an hour for 39 yuan, which saves a transfer with luggage.
Stay inside the wall
A hotel in the old city puts the Drum Tower, the temple and the food streets within walking distance, which matters when the night market ends late and taxis thin out. Book ahead for weekends and the chrysanthemum season in autumn.
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Last checked: 2026-10-27
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