14 Days in Weinan

Settle in along the Chouhe park banks and do a street-food loop - shichen baozi steamed buns and shuipen lamb are the local standards. Buy your Huashan tickets and check the cableway schedules tonight.

1. weinan chouhe park
2. weinan city markets

Honestly a full day - the mountain stands in Huayin, about 70 km east or 20 minutes by high-speed rail. The South Peak tops out at 2,154.9 m across five summits; walkers on the classic route start at the Yuquan Temple and climb the Thousand-Foot Precipice, while the West Peak cableway (opened 2013) takes the strain off.

1. weinan huashan
2. weinan yuquan temple

A second Huayin day at walking pace - the Xiyue temple compound, the state's altar to Huashan since Han times, holds its walled axis of courtyards, and the Yuquan Temple gardens below the mountain suit an unhurried afternoon.

1. weinan xiyue temple

Riverside loops and a long lunch - legs recover before the second mountain.

1. weinan chouhe park

The quieter granite neighbor in Huazhou district, under an hour east - forest trails along a river gorge, with plank paths for the steep bits.

1. weinan shaohua mountain

Northwest to Pucheng county, where five Tang imperial tombs line the hills; Qiaoling, the tomb of Emperor Ruizong (662-716), keeps the finest stone figure ranks of the set. Village lunches along the tombs road.

1. weinan qiaoling

Markets, a long lunch and a nap - the northern run starts tomorrow.

1. weinan city markets

About two hours northeast in Heyang county; seven artesian springs - the "fen" springs noted since old records - keep stretches ice-free in winter, and the Chunü spring pool is the swimmers' favorite. An overnight by the wetland splits the road north.

1. weinan qiachuan wetland

The shrine to Sima Qian (c. 145-86 BC) was first built in 310 AD; Dangjiacun, founded 1331, keeps some 120 Ming-Qing courtyards. Sleep in Hancheng's old city.

1. weinan simaqian temple
2. weinan dangjiacun

A morning in the old city's lanes and temple compounds, then 30 km north to Longmen, where the Yellow River narrows between cliff walls, and the ride back south to Weinan.

1. weinan hancheng old city

Teahouse and riverside day - the two neighbor-city days deserve fresh legs.

1. weinan chouhe park

An honestly labeled neighbor-capital day - the HSR from Weinan North runs about 20 minutes. Its own page carries the site list; pick one or two blocks and return before dark.

1. xian

Another flagged neighbor day, across the Yellow River into Shanxi - about an hour north by high-speed rail. Yuncheng's own page carries the Guandi temple and salt-lake lineup; the rail line home runs through Huashan North.

1. yuncheng

A last shichen baozi breakfast by the Chouhe, any luggage posted ahead, and out from Weinan North by rail.

1. weinan city markets