A warm, green river city that is home to Cantonese cooking, with old concession streets and a fast train to Hong Kong.
A warm, green river city that is home to Cantonese cooking, with old concession streets and a fast train to Hong Kong.
A late-Qing clan hall of courtyards and halls covered in carving, with colorful ceramic figures along the roof ridges. Adult tickets cost ¥10; Chen Clan Academy station is on Lines 1 and 8.
A former British and French concession on the river, with more than 40 European-style buildings along quiet, tree-lined streets. Take Line 1 or 6 to Huangsha and walk across the bridge.
The 600 m TV tower south of the river, open 9:30–22:30 with last entry at 22:00. Decks and rides are sold as separate timed tickets; a late-afternoon slot gives you daylight, dusk and night.
Boats leave Tianzi Wharf, near Haizhu Square station, and Xidi Wharf between about 18:00 and 23:00 for a cruise under the lit river bridges, past Shamian Island and the city skyline.
A large, free hillside park in the center, open 6:00–22:00, with the Five Rams statue and the five-story Zhenhai Tower, built in 1380. Take Line 2 to Yuexiu Park station.
Sweet fresh shrimp in a thin, translucent wrapper.
Soft steamed buns filled with sweet barbecued pork.
Silky steamed rice-noodle rolls, a dim sum standard.
Crisp-skinned goose, the prize of the city's roast-meat shops.
Rice cooked in a clay pot with toppings, prized for its crisp golden crust.
Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, is where Cantonese cooking comes from, and most of the reasons to visit are at the table: morning dim sum, roast goose and claypot rice. Between meals there are the old concession streets of Shamian Island, a richly carved clan hall, and the Canton Tower above the Pearl River.
It suits food-minded travelers and anyone going on to Hong Kong, under an hour away by fast train. From Shanghai it is a short flight or about six hours by high-speed train, so it works well at the end of a trip that starts in Beijing and Shanghai.
Begin with dim sum, then visit the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall. Take the metro to Huangsha for Shamian Island and the old Xiguan streets nearby, where snack and roast-meat shops line the arcades. In the late afternoon, ride Line 3 to Canton Tower for the view from daylight into dusk, then take a night cruise from Tianzi Wharf.
Day two can be slower: Yuexiu Park in the morning, then another long meal. Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you arrive, or use a contactless foreign card on the metro (paying in China). If you are flying on to a third country, check whether 240-hour visa-free transit covers you (visa-free entry).
Checked on 29 October 2026. Opening times and ticket rules change; confirm on the official site before you go.
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