开封
Kaifeng
Kaifeng was the largest city in the world a thousand years ago. Floods buried that city metres deep, but the town on top keeps a slow, provincial charm, a great night market, an eleventh-century pagoda, and an old street of bookshops.
At a glance
- Stay
- 1–2 days
- Best seasons
- Apr–May, Sep–Nov
- Airports
- Rail or road access
- Region
- Central China
China Unhurried editorial team · Owner-authored
Places to begin
Make the city tangible.
大相国寺
Daxiangguo Temple
The Song imperial temple, rebuilt in the Qing, with a thousand-armed Guanyin carved from a single tree.
鼓楼夜市
Gulou Night Market
Hundreds of carts around the Drum Tower from dusk. The reason to stay the night.
铁塔
Iron Pagoda
A thirteen-storey pagoda of iron-brown glazed brick from 1049, still standing after every flood.
龙亭公园
Longting Park and the lakes
A Qing pavilion on the mound of the Song palace, between two lakes. Chrysanthemums in October.
清明上河园
Millennium City Park
The Qingming Scroll built as a theme park, with costumed shows all day. Kitsch, and the town loves it.
书店街
Shudian Street
An old lane of bookshops, brush-makers and seal carvers, in business since the Song.
开封市博物馆
Kaifeng Museum
Kaifeng Museum is the best starting point for separating the city's many capital periods and understanding why Northern Song remains are often underground. Archaeological finds, models, urban maps and versions of the Qingming scroll reconstruct administration, commerce and daily life without pretending the modern street surface is unchanged. Later Jewish, guild, river and local-craft histories broaden the city beyond a single dynasty.
繁塔
Fan Pagoda
Fan Pagoda began in the tenth century and is among Kaifeng's earliest surviving buildings, though only the lower portion of its original tall form remains. Thousands of small glazed bricks bearing Buddha images cover the exterior, creating a dense devotional surface distinct from the later Iron Pagoda. Its altered silhouette makes loss and rebuilding visible rather than diminishing its value.
山陕甘会馆
Shanxi–Shaanxi–Gansu Guild Hall
Built by merchants from Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu, the Qing-period guild hall joined business networking, worship and mutual aid. Dense wood, brick and stone carving turns façades and screens into records of auspicious imagery, theatre and merchant identity. The complex shows that post-Song Kaifeng remained a commercial city connected to long-distance trade rather than becoming only a memorial to its former capital status.
开封城墙
Kaifeng City Wall
The visible wall is principally Ming–Qing in fabric and follows one layer within a city repeatedly buried and rebuilt after Yellow River floods. Gates, ramparts and archaeological evidence reveal how later defences sit above earlier capital levels. Walking one section helps explain the 'city upon city' phenomenon, but the wall should not be labelled the surviving perimeter of Northern Song Dongjing.
Local snacks
Taste the city, one dish at a time.
These cards describe dishes, not restaurants. Images are added only after their license and attribution are verified.
Juicy, savoury and gently aromatic
Kaifeng Soup-filled Steamed Buns
开封灌汤小笼包
Thin wheat wrappers hold minced meat and hot broth, pleated and steamed so the bun remains delicate while retaining liquid inside.
Bite a small opening and cool the broth before eating. Confirm the meat; buns contain gluten and very hot liquid.
Nutty, crumbly and very sweet
Kaifeng Peanut Cake
花生糕
Roasted peanuts and sugar are worked into a crumbly, layered sweet that dissolves quickly and is commonly sold as a boxed local gift.
Unsafe for peanut allergy and often high in sugar. Check production date and sealed packaging because the crumbly texture absorbs moisture.
Warm, creamy, nutty and sweet
Kaifeng Almond Tea
杏仁茶
A warm, thick sweet drink made from grain or starch base with almond flavour, topped with nuts, seeds, raisins and candied fruit.
Ask for the full topping list; nut, sesame and dairy allergens vary. Stir before drinking and allow the thick liquid to cool.
Salty, aromatic and firm
Kaifeng Spiced Chicken
桶子鸡
Whole chicken is salt-cured and simmered with spices until the skin turns golden and the meat is firm, aromatic and suited to cold slicing.
Check weight, price and storage before purchase. It contains bones and is high in sodium; refrigerated takeaway should stay cold.
City essentials
The practical details, when you need them.
Places and local food come first. Open these notes for context, arrival and neighbourhood advice.
Overview+
SHANXIJIANGSUANHUISHANDONGHUBEISHAANXIKaifeng
The Qingming Scroll, the famous painting of a Song city at festival time, shows Kaifeng in about 1100. The river that made it also destroyed it: six cities lie stacked under the present one, and the Yellow River now runs above the level of the streets, held back by dykes ten kilometres north.
What is left is low, flat and pleasant. The Iron Pagoda has stood since 1049 through every flood. Shudian Street is an old lane of bookshops and calligraphy suppliers. The night market around the Drum Tower is one of the best in the north, and the town's soup dumplings are its pride.
Kaifeng also had China's oldest Jewish community, whose descendants still live around Teaching Torah Lane. Come for a night from Zhengzhou or Luoyang; the town closes early and the morning is calm.
Getting there+
**Kaifeng North** on the high-speed line is 20 to 30 minutes from Zhengzhou East, two and a half hours from Xi'an. Intercity trains from Zhengzhou and its airport stop at **Songchenglu** , closer to the old town, in about 40 minutes. **Zhengzhou Xinzheng (CGO)** is the airport, an hour away by that train.
**Rail tip.** Your passport is your ticket. Book on 12306 or [Trip.com](/go/trip?to=trains&from=city-rail), then go straight to the gate. See [Getting around](/guides/getting-around). The Trip.com link earns us a small commission at no cost to you ([how that works](/about#affiliate)).
**Stay online.** Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked on Chinese networks; a travel eSIM that roams gets around it. Install one before you fly — [Saily](/go/saily?from=city-esim) takes US$5 off a first plan with the code **CHINA**. See [Staying online](/guides/staying-online). The code earns us the same amount in Saily credits, at no cost to you ([how that works](/about#affiliate)).
Where to stay+
Drum Tower and the old town
鼓楼·老城
The night market, Shudian Street and the Daxiangguo Temple within a walk.
Small hotels around the Drum Tower square and along Shudian Street. Everything in Kaifeng is close, and taxis are cheap for the rest.
first visitfoodwalking
Longting and the lakes
龙亭·包公湖
Parks and lakes on the site of the Song palace. Quieter.
Guesthouses near Longting Park and Bao Gong Lake, a fifteen-minute walk to the night market.
quietparks
**Booking.** Compare hotels in Kaifeng on [Trip.com](/go/trip?to=hotels&city=kaifeng&from=city-stay), filtered to its China travel essentials list: English-speaking staff, foreign cards, guest rating 8 or higher. See [Where to stay](/guides/where-to-stay). Booking through this link earns us a small commission at no cost to you ([how that works](/about#affiliate)).