Iron Pagoda: tickets, hours and how to visit
A 55-metre glazed-brick pagoda from 1049, still standing after floods and wars. Climb it for the view.
Iron Pagoda at a glance
A 55-metre glazed-brick pagoda from 1049, still standing after floods and wars. Climb it for the view. Plan on 1.5 hours including the climb. here, plus half an hour either side for entry, security and parking.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tickets | CNY 40 for the park; climbing the pagoda included. |
| Opening hours | 08:00–18:00 (summer), 08:00–17:30 (winter). |
| Time needed | 1.5 hours including the climb. |
| City | Kaifeng, China |
What to see
Three things carry this sight. If you are short on time, do them in this order.
- The pagoda itself55 m, 13 storeys, glazed brick in 28 colour patterns
- The interior staircasenarrow, dark, 168 steps, no lift
- The park around itquiet, and almost empty compared with Qingming park
Tickets and booking
How the ticket works, and what foreigners usually get wrong.
Before you buy
- Price. CNY 40 for the park; climbing the pagoda included.
- Booking. The name misleads everyone — it is glazed brick, not iron, and the colour is brown because of the glaze, not rust. It is also one of the few things in Kaifeng that is genuinely from the Song dynasty rather than rebuilt in the 1990s.
- Payment. Most Chinese sights take WeChat Pay or Alipay only. Cash works at staffed windows but not at self-service machines; a licensed guide can pay on your behalf and settle with you at the end of the day.
Getting there and when to go
Inside the old city wall, 20 minutes walk from the Drum Tower. Cars can reach the east gate car park; the pagoda is 5 minutes inside.
08:00–18:00 (summer), 08:00–17:30 (winter).. The first hour after opening is the quietest — tour groups arrive around 09:30. Late afternoon gives better light but the main viewpoints start clearing people out, so shoot early if that is your priority.
Public transport reaches Iron Pagoda, but connections and waiting times add up. With luggage, older travellers, or two sights in one day, a car and driver removes the guesswork.
The one thing that goes wrong
Kaifeng local note
- The name misleads everyone — it is glazed brick, not iron, and the colour is brown because of the glaze, not rust. It is also one of the few things in Kaifeng that is genuinely from the Song dynasty rather than rebuilt in the 1990s.
Pairing Iron Pagoda with
These are usually on the same day or the same trip.
Iron Pagoda: questions travellers ask
Is it worth climbing?
How does it compare with Qingming park?
How booking works — three steps, itinerary before price
No deposit to get a plan, and nothing is locked in before you agree.
Send the brief
Dates, party size, how you arrive and what you want to see around Iron Pagoda.
Get a route and a price
We order the stops by location and traffic, then quote per car per day with fuel, tolls and the driver included.
Confirm and travel
Only after you accept the route and the price do we assign the car and guide.
