2 days · balanced pace
Longmen's cliff of 100,000 Buddhas plus a day at the Shaolin Temple on sacred Songshan.
Day 1
Buddhist carvings along the Yi River.
Morning: Longmen Grottoes — west bank first, then east bank. Lunch: Luoyang Water Banquet (洛阳水席) sampler. Afternoon: White Horse Temple (China's first Buddhist temple). Evening: Old town + Lijing Gate lights (peonies everywhere in April).
Day 2
Kung-fu temple on Songshan.
Morning: Drive to Shaolin Temple (~1.5 hr); Pagoda Forest + a live kung-fu demo. Afternoon: Sanhuangzhai cliff walkways (optional). Evening: Return to Luoyang / onward train to Xi'an.
