广州
Guangzhou
Guangzhou is Canton: the old trading port at the head of the Pearl River delta, with a food culture that starts at dawn. Skip the skyline, stay in the old west of the city, and eat.
At a glance
- Stay
- 2–3 days
- Best seasons
- Oct–Dec, Mar–Apr
- Airports
- Rail or road access
- Region
- South China
China Unhurried editorial team · Owner-authored
Places to begin
Make the city tangible.
北京路
Beijing Road and the old centre
The pedestrian street, with a thousand years of road surface under glass.
广州塔
Canton Tower
The twisted tower across the river. Better looked at from Haixinsha than gone up.
开平碉楼
Kaiping diaolou
Fortified towers built by returned emigrants among the rice fields, two hours west.
永庆坊·恩宁路
Yongqing Fang and Enning Road
Restored shophouse lanes with the Cantonese Opera Art Museum at one end.
陈家祠
Chen Clan Ancestral Hall
Nineteen halls of carved brick, wood and ceramic ridge figures. The best building in the city.
南越王博物院王墓展区
Nanyue King Museum
The museum is built around the excavated second-century BCE tomb of a Nanyue king. Jade burial objects, seals, bronze vessels and imported materials reveal a southern kingdom connected to both the Han world and maritime exchange. Descending to the protected tomb chambers gives archaeological context that a conventional display case alone cannot provide.
沙面
Shamian Island
A sandbank of colonial villas and banyan trees. Quiet, shaded, and a good first walk.
白云山
Baiyun Mountain
Baiyun Mountain is Guangzhou's major urban hill system, rising north of the dense centre and linking forest paths, reservoirs, gardens, temples and viewpoints. Its highest ridges are modest by mountain standards, but tropical heat, humidity and the large scenic-area footprint make route choice important. Local exercise culture is as much part of the visit as the skyline views.
广东省博物馆
Guangdong Museum
Guangdong Museum surveys the province through archaeology, ceramics, painting, natural history and the changing Pearl River Delta. Large thematic galleries place Guangzhou within a wider region stretching from inland mountains to the South China Sea. The contemporary building in Zhujiang New Town also offers a useful contrast with the historic sites of Liwan and Yuexiu.
Local snacks
Taste the city, one dish at a time.
These cards describe dishes, not restaurants. Images are added only after their license and attribution are verified.
Varied: delicate, savoury, sweet and crisp
Cantonese Dim Sum
广式点心
Small steamed, baked and fried dishes accompany tea in the Cantonese yum cha tradition. Shrimp dumplings, siu mai, rice rolls and buns are only a starting point; ordering slowly and sharing several rounds is part of the meal.
Order a few baskets at a time, confirm pork and shellfish fillings, and expect a tea charge in many restaurants.
Silky, savoury and gently sweet
Cantonese Steamed Rice Rolls
布拉肠粉
A thin rice batter is steamed over cloth, wrapped around egg, beef, pork or shrimp and finished with a light soy dressing. The best texture is soft and slippery with just enough resilience.
Eat immediately and choose the filling explicitly; plain rolls are available but sauce ingredients still need checking for strict diets.
Clean, savoury, briny and springy
Shrimp Wonton Noodles
鲜虾云吞面
Fine egg noodles and shrimp-forward wontons sit in a clear, aromatic broth. Traditional bowls are compact so the noodles remain springy, with dried seafood often contributing depth to the stock.
Confirm shrimp, pork and egg allergens; eat promptly before the thin noodles soften.
Milky, silky and moderately sweet
Double-skin Milk Pudding
双皮奶
Sweetened milk and egg white are gently steamed to form a smooth custard with a delicate surface skin. The Pearl River Delta dessert may be served warm or chilled and is richer than its simple appearance suggests.
Choose warm or chilled and tell staff about dairy or egg allergies; sweetness can vary by shop.
City essentials
The practical details, when you need them.
Places and local food come first. Open these notes for context, arrival and neighbourhood advice.
Overview+
FUJIANGUANGXIHAINANGuangzhou
Guangzhou has been trading with the outside world for two thousand years and it shows: in the arcaded shophouses of Xiguan, the European villas on Shamian Island, the ancestral halls paid for by emigrants who did well abroad. It is a big city that does not feel like one once you are inside the old districts.
The day starts early here. Morning tea, which means dim sum and a pot of something, runs from seven until early afternoon and is the city's social institution. Do it once in a grand old teahouse and once in a neighbourhood place where the trolleys come to the table.
The climate is the thing to plan around. Summers are hot, wet and long, with typhoons from July to September. October to December is dry and mild and the best time to walk.
Getting there+
**Baiyun (CAN)** is 30 kilometres north; metro line 3 reaches the centre in about 45 minutes. **Guangzhou South** is the high-speed hub, far to the south on metro lines 2 and 7: Hong Kong West Kowloon is under an hour, Guilin about two and a half, Changsha two and a half, Shanghai seven and a half. The old **Guangzhou** station in the centre is for slower trains.
**Rail tip.** Your passport is your ticket. Book on 12306 or [Trip.com](/go/trip?to=trains&from=city-rail), then go straight to the gate. See [Getting around](/guides/getting-around). The Trip.com link earns us a small commission at no cost to you ([how that works](/about#affiliate)).
**Stay online.** Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked on Chinese networks; a travel eSIM that roams gets around it. Install one before you fly — [Saily](/go/saily?from=city-esim) takes US$5 off a first plan with the code **CHINA**. See [Staying online](/guides/staying-online). The code earns us the same amount in Saily credits, at no cost to you ([how that works](/about#affiliate)).
Where to stay+
Liwan and Xiguan
荔湾·西关
Arcaded streets, old teahouses, and the city's best walking. Stay here.
The old merchant quarter west of the centre: Enning Road, Yongqing Fang, Shamian Island and the streets around them. Guesthouses in restored shophouses, morning tea on every corner, and metro lines 1 and 6.
first visitfoodwalking
Yuexiu
越秀
The historic centre. Parks, museums and Beijing Road, well connected.
Around Yuexiu Park and the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. Mid-range hotels, older streets, and most of the city's museums within a short walk.
conveniencesights
Tianhe and Zhujiang New Town
天河·珠江新城
Towers, malls and the opera house. Easy, and not very Cantonese.
The central business district. International hotels and the Canton Tower across the river. Fine if you need it; a metro ride from everything old.
businessskyline
**Booking.** Compare hotels in Guangzhou on [Trip.com](/go/trip?to=hotels&city=guangzhou&from=city-stay), filtered to its China travel essentials list: English-speaking staff, foreign cards, guest rating 8 or higher. See [Where to stay](/guides/where-to-stay). Booking through this link earns us a small commission at no cost to you ([how that works](/about#affiliate)).