One of the major cities of China, Guangzhou offers its visitors a variety historic and cultural sites, museums, lovely parks and scenic mountains, as well as a myriad of restaurants with the famous Cantonese cuisine and great opportunities for inexpensive shopping. High-rise skyscrapers exist here next to old neighborhoods with traditional buildings. Guangzhou is pleasant to visit during the spring and autumn months.
Large port city located in the subtropical Southern China close to Hong Kong and Macau, Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong province. It is the biggest city in Southern China, and the third largest in the country, if Hong Kong is not included. Located on the mouth of the Pearl River along the coast of South China Sea, the historic trade city was also known by the name Canton. The well-known Cantonese food and language are both distinct from the other areas in China. Today, Guangzhou is a rapidly developing financial center with large trade fairs and festivals, but also its fair share of touristic sights.
Historic & cultural attractions. The impressive old Buddhist temples of Liurong and Guangxiao are some of the most popular tourism attractions in Guangzhou. There are also many other temples, as well as mosques and churches, and the numerous museums and art galleries, including Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou City Art museum, the historical Guangzhou Uprising Museum and the archaeological Nanyue Royal Tomb Museum.
Entertainment & recreation. Numerous market streets and modern shopping malls make shopping in Guangzhou excellent, and you can find pretty much anything on sale there. The two mountains in Guangzhou, Baiyun Shan and Lianhua Shan offer great views over the city, as well as other attractions. Guangzhou also has lovely urban parks with lush green settings in the midst of the big city bustle. Some of the popular parks in Guangzhou include Yuexiu Park and Yuntai Garden, and there is also a wild animal safari park and a scenic theme park in Guangzhou. Nightlife in Guangzhou is lively, and there are many possibilities for entertainment, including deluxe dinner cruises along the Pearl River. There are also many tennis courts and golf courses in Guangzhou.
Large port city located in the subtropical Southern China close to Hong Kong and Macau, Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong province. It is the biggest city in Southern China, and the third largest in the country, if Hong Kong is not included. Located on the mouth of the Pearl River along the coast of South China Sea, the historic trade city was also known by the name Canton. The well-known Cantonese food and language are both distinct from the other areas in China. Today, Guangzhou is a rapidly developing financial center with large trade fairs and festivals, but also its fair share of touristic sights.
Sights & activities in Guangzhou: historical attractions, temples, shopping & cuisine
Guangzhou is one of the richest and most cosmopolitan cities in China. The main tourism infrastructure and attractions in Guangzhou are located in the northern part of the city. You can find a myriad of sights in Guangzhou, from old temples and museums to colonial buildings, parks and art galleries. Shamian Island is a former British and French concession in the middle of Guangzhou, filled with beautifully renovated colonial buildings. The founder of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-Sen has a memorial hall and a museum in Guangzhou, as he was from there.Historic & cultural attractions. The impressive old Buddhist temples of Liurong and Guangxiao are some of the most popular tourism attractions in Guangzhou. There are also many other temples, as well as mosques and churches, and the numerous museums and art galleries, including Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou City Art museum, the historical Guangzhou Uprising Museum and the archaeological Nanyue Royal Tomb Museum.
Entertainment & recreation. Numerous market streets and modern shopping malls make shopping in Guangzhou excellent, and you can find pretty much anything on sale there. The two mountains in Guangzhou, Baiyun Shan and Lianhua Shan offer great views over the city, as well as other attractions. Guangzhou also has lovely urban parks with lush green settings in the midst of the big city bustle. Some of the popular parks in Guangzhou include Yuexiu Park and Yuntai Garden, and there is also a wild animal safari park and a scenic theme park in Guangzhou. Nightlife in Guangzhou is lively, and there are many possibilities for entertainment, including deluxe dinner cruises along the Pearl River. There are also many tennis courts and golf courses in Guangzhou.
Guangzhou travel tips and practical information
Guangzhou has a humid subtropical monsoon climate with hot and wet summers and mild and dry winters.
Photo: Photocapy, used under Creative Commons License (By SA 2.0)
The best times to visit Guangzhou are Autumn from October to November and Spring from March to May. The humidity levels are very high in the summer, and there is also a typhoon season from June to September, making it not a good time to visit Guangzhou.
Traveling to Guangzhou is easy by air, road, rail and by sea. There is a new international airport with flights to Guangzhou from all over Asia and beyond. There are trains and buses to Guangzhou from all main cities in China, and Guangzhou is also connected to the neighboring Hong Kong and Macau by train, bus and ferry services, making the city very simple to travel to. Once in Guangzhou, public transportation is offered by an efficient system of subways and buses. Taxis are also widely available and inexpensive. Car rental in Guangzhou is now also available, making car travel an option to visit nearby areas. Motorcycles are banned in the central urban areas in Guangzhou as an effort to reduce traffic accidents.
Visitor services. There is a good number of hotels in Guangzhou, ranging from small guesthouses to large international business hotels. There is also a great number of restaurants in Guangzhou, offering the famous Cantonese cuisine, as well as other Chinese cuisines and some international choices. English is not commonly spoken in Guangzhou, but the situation there is still better than in many other Chinese cities.
Safety. Guangzhou is a relatively safe place to visit. However, crime is not uncommon, as the city receives a lot of poor migrants from the rural areas of Southern China. Pickpocketing and robberies occur mainly in the area surrounding the main train station, and it is wise not to show any valuables in public nor walk around alone at night. The chaotic traffic in Guangzhou is another big cause of concern, and Western visitors will also need to get used to being stared at a lot.
hint See also these nearby destinations: Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macau
