Things to do in Qufu
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Qufu
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring is one of the two best seasons, mild for courtyard and forest walking outside Labour Day week.
Summer is hot and humid, busy with study tours, and best done at opening with evenings at Nishan or on the lit wall.
Autumn is the best season and the busiest, with the late September festival and Golden Week crowds to plan around.
Winter is cold, quiet and cheap with shorter site hours, outside the Spring Festival transport peak.
What's on
- Memorial Ceremony for Confucius 28 September
The grand state ceremony at the Temple of Confucius for Confucius's birthday, with ritual music and dance and peak crowds.
- China International Confucius Cultural Festival late September to early October
The festival built around the 28 September ceremony, with temple fairs, study programmes and the Nishan Forum alongside.
- National Day Golden Week 1 to 7 October
Avoid for the Three Sites. Book everything, start at opening and expect queues if you must be in Qufu.
- Labour Day Golden Week 1 to 5 May
Avoid the temple at midday. The museum and cemetery early in the day are merely busy.
Best things to do in Qufu
Temple of Confucius
A palace scale temple of courtyards, steles and dragon columns, best at the 8:00 opening before the groups arrive.
Kong Family Mansion
The office and home of Confucius's descendants for centuries, where family rooms make a 77 generation story concrete.
Cemetery of Confucius
A 200 hectare forest of descendant tombs under ancient cypresses, with Confucius's own plain mound at its heart.
Confucius Museum
A free, modern museum of Kong family treasures that explains Confucius clearly, but it is closed on Mondays.
Temple of Yan Hui
A quiet temple to Confucius's favourite disciple, with steles, old trees and often almost no other visitors.
Wanren Palace Wall
The temple screen wall and Ming wall walk that make a Qufu evening, free, lit and best after day groups leave.
Zhougong Temple
A small, free and uncrowded temple to the Duke of Zhou, a good filler for a second night in the old city.
Where to stay in Qufu
Old City and Three Sites area
first trip, one night stays and walking to the sites
Inside or just outside the Ming wall, walking distance to the temple, mansion, wall walk and old city eating.
South of Old City
resort stays, families and museum first mornings
Newer and quieter on Chunqiu Road and Confucius Avenue, closer to the Confucius Museum and the Qufu East road.
Think twice about
- Qufu East station perimeter
A transport zone about 13 km from the old city with no evening or food scene and a half hour transfer for every sight. Pass through, do not base there.
- Nishan as a sole base
The Nishan resort is about 25 km from the Three Sites. Stay there only for a Nishan night, not as a base for a San Kong first trip.
Best restaurants in Qufu
Shang Palace
The formal Kong family splurge in Shangri-La, with named soups and jar meat in a grand classical dining room.
Zou Yuan
The JW Marriott formal Chinese restaurant by the old city, a splurge group dinner without the drive south.
Queli Hotel Restaurant
The mid range way to eat the Confucius Home Banquet, a set of Kong family dishes a short walk from the temple.
Jiuroumen Kongfu Cuisine
Kong dishes at street prices by the visitor centre, with scallion pancakes and smoked Kongmen tofu to test first.
Gulou Street
Old city stalls for skewers, buns, congee and pancakes from early morning, a full local breakfast for CNY 20 to 40.
Outdoor things to do in Qufu
Nishan Sacred Land
A modern sacred resort with a 72 m Confucius statue, a vast hall and staged shows, 25 km from the old city.
Mount Tai
China's most revered sacred mountain, 20 minutes by fast train plus a transfer, climbed by bus and cableway in a day.
Temple of Mencius
The second sage's temple and mansion in Zoucheng, 20 km south, smaller and far less crowded than Qufu.
Luyuan Town
A purpose built village at Nishan for hanfu, crafts and evening light shows, best paired with a Nishan night session.
Best hotels in Qufu
JW Marriott Hotel Qufu
The newest luxury hotel, about 700 m from the temple, with a pool, gardens and the best position of the top tier.
Shangri-La Qufu
The established luxury hotel south of the wall, with gardens, a pool and strong family programming and dining.
Queli Hotel
A traditional courtyard hotel from 1986, a short walk from the temple and known for its Confucius Home Banquet.
Ming Zuo Xing Tan Hotel
A classical styled mid range hotel south of the temple, a proper full service stay at half the luxury price.
Atour Hotel (Kong Family Mansion)
A reliable modern Atour by the mansion sights, clean and predictable and popular with families at a fair price.
Qufu International Youth Hostel
The budget base near the temple, with dorms and basic privates for walk in at opening and spend on a guide.
Is Qufu expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CN¥250 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CN¥550 a person |
| Splurge | CN¥1,300 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Temple of Confucius: a few days ahead
- Kong Family Mansion: a few days ahead
- Cemetery of Confucius: a few days ahead
- Confucius Museum: a few days ahead
- Nishan Sacred Land: a few days ahead
- Mount Tai: a few days ahead
- JW Marriott Hotel Qufu: weeks ahead
- Shangri-La Qufu: weeks ahead
- Book the Three Sites combined ticket days ahead in season, and as soon as dates are fixed for any public holiday.
- Reserve the free Confucius Museum ahead through its official channel with ID, and never plan it for a Monday, when it is closed.
- Book the JW Marriott, Shangri-La and Queli weeks ahead for late September festival and Golden Week dates.
Is Qufu safe?
- Mainland China carries a risk of arbitrary enforcement of local laws, including exit bans, and detention and surveillance risks. Carry your passport.
- In summer, carry water and sun protection for the temple courtyards and insect repellent for the cemetery forest.
Qufu travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- National Day and Labour Day Golden Weeks fill the Three Sites to their caps. Move any dates that touch them.
- Nishan is a modern development, not a fourth ancient site. Go for spectacle or skip it.
- Agree any Kong family banquet set, dish count and total price in writing before the first dish arrives.
Getting around Qufu: public transport and more
- Qufu East station is about 13 km and 30 minutes by taxi from the old city, or about 35 minutes by the K01 bus.
- Walk the old city. Temple to mansion is minutes, mansion to cemetery is about 1.5 km, and Nishan is a 25 km car or bus trip.
- Google Maps is unreliable in mainland China. Carry sight and hotel names in Chinese characters and set up phone payment before arrival.
Who Qufu suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Qufu your trip
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