Guangzhou Travelers Recommend

Three days in Guangzhou gives you enough time to explore the city’s highlights—both old and new—experience the culture, sample local cuisine, and take a day trip out of town. Here are some ideas on how to spend 72 hours in Guangzhou.

Day 1: City Sightseeing

Spend the day seeing the top attractions in Guangzhou. Join a guided tour to maximize your time, or opt for a private tour to fully customize your itinerary. Must-see city highlights include the Chen Clan Academy, Zhenhai Tower in Yuexiu Park, the Nanyue King Mausoleum, and Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Memorial Hall. If you have an interest in religion, don't miss the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees, Bright Filial Piety Temple (Guangxiao Si), and the Temple of the Five Immortals (Wuxian Guan). Shamian Island or Lychee Creek are pleasant for strolling around and taking in the historic structures. Contrast those sights with the modern skyscrapers of Guangzhou, such as Guangzhou Opera House, Guangzhou Library, and Canton Tower, which also offers panoramic city views. End the night by sampling the city’s vibrant nightlife. Head to Binjiang Lu, Huanshi Road, or Bai-e-Tan, all hot spots for drinking, dancing, and partying the night away.

Day 2: Food, Fun, and Museums

Spend your morning sampling local dishes, such as dim sum and dumplings. Opt for a guided food tour to find hidden gems. Or try a cooking class to learn how to make dishes such as Cantonese noodles. Families with children may want to head to a theme park, safari, or aquarium, such as Chimelong Paradise, Chimelong Safari Park, or Chimelong Ocean Kingdom.

Spend the afternoon exploring one of the many museums in town. History fans will want to explore Guangzhou Museum and Guangdong Museum, while art fans should check out Guangzhou Museum of Art or Guangdong Museum of Art. Architecture fans have plenty to explore, particularly in the modern skyscrapers in the Zhujiang New Town area of Guangzhou. Spend the rest of your time shopping and dining at Beijing Pedestrian Street or Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, before ending the night with a river cruise along the Pearl River.

Day 3: Get Out of Town

Guangzhou is well situated for day trips. The most popular day trip is to Hong Kong, a quick high-speed train ride away. Upon arrival in Kowloon, stroll along the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and the Avenue of Stars, or hit some of the street markets in Mong Kok, such as the Ladies Market or Fa Yuen Street Market. Take the Star Ferry across to Hong Kong Island, and then take the Peak Tram to the top of Victoria Peak for the views. Spend the rest of your time in trendy Soho or Sheung Wan, shopping in Causeway Bay, or enjoying the beaches on the south side of the island.

Alternatively, spend the day gambling and exploring the Portuguese heritage of Macau, visiting the watchtowers of Kaiping (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), or learning about ceramics in Bruce Lee’s hometown of Foshan.

Guangzhou, the third-largest city in China and a modern metropolis, has a history nearly as long and storied as China itself. One of the best ways for visitors to gain an understanding of modern Guangzhou is through the lens of its history, which lives on through these must-see historic attractions.

Museum and Mausoleum of the Nanyue King Start at the beginning with a visit to the Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King. Within its walls, visitors can see evidence of Guangzhou’s ancient past through relics discovered in the tomb of Nanyue ruler Zhao Mo, uncovered in 1983. The artifacts displayed here, including Zhao Mo’s jade burial garment, date back more than 2,000 years.

Temple of the Six Banyan Trees The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees, one of Guangzhou’s oldest surviving sites, was originally built in AD 537 as a place to house Buddhist relics brought into China from India. The complex remains an active Zen temple and one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.

Shamian Island While the first Europeans—the Portuguese—arrived in Guangzhou in the early 16th century, it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that Guangzhou opened up as a treaty port and established foreign concessions, on Shamian Island. Today, visitors to the island can stroll the quiet streets and take in the British and French colonial architecture of this popular expatriate enclave.

Chen Clan Academy This complex of 19 traditional structures, built near the end of the 19th century, is to Guangzhou what the Forbidden City is to Beijing. Today it houses the Guangzhou Museum of Folk Art, which not only is an excellent place to learn about Cantonese life in the late 1800s, but offers a glimpse into the region’s art history as well.

With two days in Guangzhou, there’s enough time to explore the main highlights in the city, from historic attractions to modern landmarks, and to enjoy the city’s food, museums, and culture. Here are some ideas on how to spend 48 hours in Guangzhou, China.

Day 1: History and Culture

**Morning:**Spend your day seeing the highlights. Start off at Yuexiu Park, the largest in the city. It’s home to the Five Ram Statue and the Guangzhou Museum, located inside the historic Zhenhai Tower. Nearby is the Nanyue King Mausoleum, which dates back more than 2,000 years. End the morning at Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Memorial Hall.

**Afternoon:**Head to the Chen Clan Academy to admire its traditional South China architecture and the Guangdong Folk Art Museum. Afterward, stop at one of the most important temples in Guangzhou, the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees and its Flower Pagoda. Wrap up the afternoon at Shamian Island to stroll the streets lined with European-style architecture.

**Night:**Head to Canton Tower’s observation deck to enjoy the sunset. Then, hop on a nighttime dinner and sightseeing cruise along the Pearl River to see the illuminated city and landmarks such as Xinghai Concert Hall and the Leide and Haiyin bridges.

Day 2: A Modern Taste

**Morning:**Spend your morning on a guided walking tour to try dishes you might not otherwise encounter, such as osmanthus cake and bamboo noodles, and to find hidden gems among the city’s restaurants and food stalls. A cooking class can teach you how to make your favorite dishes.

**Afternoon:**Spend the afternoon at a museum. History buffs may want to visit the Guangdong Museum, which contains nearly 200,000 items, including artifacts related to the region’s history and culture. Art fans will enjoy the Guangdong Museum of Art and the Guangzhou Museum of Art. There is even a museum devoted to beer, the Zhujiang-InBev International Beer Museum.

**Night:**Grab dinner on Beijing Pedestrian Street or Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, then enjoy a classical Cantonese Opera performance, or a performance at the Chimelong International Circus. Wrap up the day with a nightcap at Huanshi Road or Binjiang Lu Bar Street.

Guangzhou is a city with a long, rich history and modern outlook. With one day in Guangzhou, there is enough time to experience several of the top attractions in the city. From temples and museums to skyscrapers and parks, here's how to make the most of 24 hours in Guangzhou.

Morning: History and Culture

Make the most of your limited time in Guangzhou by taking a half-day or full-day guided sightseeing tour. Travel by bus, car, bike, on foot, or by public transit and visit top historical and cultural highlights, such as the Chen Clan Academy, the Nanyue King Mausoleum, Yuexiu Park, and Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Memorial Hall.

Those with an interest in China’s religious traditions may want to spend more time at some of the main temples, such as the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees, the Bright Filial Piety Temple (Guangxiao Si), and the Temple of the Five Immortals (Wuxian Guan).

Afternoon: Foreign and Modern Influences

Spend the afternoon experiencing a more modern side of the city. Start with Shamian Island, and stroll along the streets of European-style architecture, remnants of the foreign concessions made after the First Opium War. Afterward, head to the Zhujiang New Town area and Flower City Square, home to the 1,908-foot (600-meter) tall Canton Tower. Be sure to take in panoramic views from its observation deck. Then, spend the rest of the afternoon exploring other modern landmarks, such as the Guangzhou Opera House, the Guangdong Museum, Guangzhou Library, or the Haixinsha Asian Games Park.

Night: Local Flavors and Views

Get a different perspective on Guangzhou and enjoy illuminated skyline views on a nighttime sightseeing cruise along the Pearl River. If you opt for a cruise that does not include dinner, head to Beijing Pedestrian Street, a popular shopping and dining destination, for food and souvenir shopping. For a more authentic eating experience, sample local favorites, such as dim sum and roast duck, on a walking food tour. Then, get a taste of Guangzhou’s nightlife at Binjiang Lu or Bai-e-Tan bar streets. Alternatively, spend the evening watching a dazzling performance at Chimelong International Circus, one of the largest permanent circuses in the world.