China
15 Best Religious Sites in China
The temples, churches and sacred sites travelers rate highest across China, with what makes each worth the trip.
Order reflects review volume from real travelers in China. Refreshed monthly.
Yonghe Temple
Religious site · BeijingYonghe Temple, also known as the Lama Temple, is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery and temple in Beijing's Dongcheng District.
Read our full guide →Temple of Heaven
Religious site · BeijingThe Temple of Heaven is a masterpiece of Chinese architecture and landscape design, where emperors once prayed for bountiful harvests.
Read our full guide →Jade Buddha Temple
Religious site · ShanghaiThe Jade Buddha Temple is a Buddhist temple in Shanghai, founded in 1882. It is known for two jade Buddha statues imported from Myanmar: a 1.95-meter, 3-ton sitting Buddha and a smaller reclining Buddha.
Read our full guide →Great Mosque of Xi'an
Religious site · Xi'anThe Great Mosque of Xi'an is one of China's oldest and largest mosques, dating back to the Tang dynasty.
Read our full guide →Qinglong Temple (Xi'an)
Religious site · Xi'anFree entryQinglong Temple, also known as the Green Dragon Temple, is a Buddhist temple in Xi'an that was a key center for Vajrayana Buddhism during the Tang dynasty.
Read our full guide →Xi'an Mosque
Religious site · Xi'anThe Great Mosque of Xi'an is one of the oldest and most remarkable mosques in China, and utterly unlike a mosque anywhere else, because it's built almost entirely in the style of a traditional…
Read our full guide →Lingyin Temple
Religious site · HangzhouLingyin Temple ('Temple of the Soul's Retreat') is one of the largest, wealthiest, and most important Buddhist temples in China, a serene, forested complex nestled in the wooded hills just west of…
Read our full guide →Jing'an Temple
Religious site · ShanghaiJing'an Temple is a Tangmi Buddhist temple on West Nanjing Road in Shanghai. Its original name was Bubbling Well Temple.
Read our full guide →Wenshu Temple (Chengdu)
Religious site · ChengduWenshu Temple is a tranquil oasis in the heart of Chengdu, featuring beautifully maintained halls, courtyards, and gardens.
Read our full guide →Wenshu Yuan Monastery
Religious site · ChengduFree entryWenshu Yuan Monastery, also known as Wenshu Temple, is one of the best-preserved Buddhist monasteries in Chengdu.
Read our full guide →Church Of Our Lady Of The Immaculate Conception
Religious site · PanjimFree entryThe Church Of Our Lady Of The Immaculate Conception is one of the most iconic landmarks in Panjim, Goa, located atop a hill in the Church Square.
Read our full guide →St. Joseph Cathedral (Tianjin)
Religious site · TianjinSt. Joseph Cathedral, also known as Xikai Church, is a Roman Catholic church in the central commercial district of Tianjin, at the southern end of Binjiang Dao in Heping District.
Read our full guide →Saint Sophia Cathedral, Harbin
Religious site · HarbinSaint Sophia Cathedral, a former Russian Orthodox church in Harbin's Daoli district, now serves as the Harbin Architecture Art Museum.
Read our full guide →Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou)
Religious site · GuangzhouSacred Heart Cathedral, also known as the Stone Church, is a magnificent neo-Gothic structure in central Guangzhou.
Read our full guide →Sacred Heart Cathedral
Religious site · GuangzhouFree entrySacred Heart Cathedral, also called the Stone Church, is a magnificent Gothic Revival structure located on Yide Road in the heart of Guangzhou.
Read our full guide →
Good to know
What is the best-known of the temples, churches and sacred sites in China?
Yonghe Temple in Beijing is the most reviewed, with 12,311 traveler reviews and a 4.5 rating. That makes it the safe choice if you are only fitting in one.
Which of China's temples, churches and sacred sites is worth going out of your way for?
Temple of Heaven in Beijing rates highest at 4.5 out of 5 across 12,311 reviews. Smaller crowds than the headline entry usually explain the gap.
Which city in China has the most temples, churches and sacred sites?
Xi'an, with 3 on this list, ahead of Beijing on 2. The list spans 9 cities in total, capped at three per city so one big city cannot crowd out the rest of the country.
Are any of these temples, churches and sacred sites free to visit?
Yes, 4: Qinglong Temple (Xi'an), Wenshu Yuan Monastery, Church Of Our Lady Of The Immaculate Conception and others. That is based on each place's own visiting information, not an assumption about the category.
How is this list of temples, churches and sacred sites ranked?
By how many travelers reviewed each place, filtered to those rated well enough to be worth your time, drawn from 1,396 tracked places in China. No one pays to appear on it, and the order is refreshed monthly as new reviews land.
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