City guide · Hainan

Haikou travel guide: the Qilou old town, Wugong Temple, the volcanic park and how to eat like a local

Hainan's capital is the island's living city — 600-year-old arcade streets, a volcanic village, and a morning-tea-to-midnight food culture.

  • Known forQilou old town, food, island life
  • Typical spend¥1,500–2,500 / person
  • Ideal length2–3 days
  • PaceSlow — mornings and night markets
Plan this trip Haikou tours

Reviewed by our Beijing team Updated 2026-10-10

The short version

Haikou is the capital of Hainan and the island's most liveable city, and 3 days is the right length: one for the Qilou old town, Wugong Temple and the museums, one for the volcanic geopark and Holiday Beach, and one for the mangroves, Hai Rui's tomb and a proper go at the morning-tea and night-market routine. It is 1h 30m from Sanya by high-speed rail, so it pairs naturally with a beach holiday in the south.

  • Three days covers the sights and the food without rushing.
  • The Qilou old street is a working neighbourhood — go early, eat at Shuixiangkou.
  • Morning tea runs until nearly 11am and the night markets run past midnight; both are cheap.
  • Haikou East to Sanya is about 1h 30m by high-speed rail — no need to fly.
  • November to April is the dry window; May to October is rainy and typhoon-prone.

City guide

First impressions

Photographs from the coast, and what other travellers wrote afterwards.

The Qilou arcade streets
The Qilou arcade streets
Haikou Clock Tower by the waterfront
Haikou Clock Tower by the waterfront
Black basalt lava at the volcanic geopark
Black basalt lava at the volcanic geopark
Evening on Holiday Beach
Evening on Holiday Beach

I turned a corner and there it was — the old arcade street, a century old, built in a European style and barely restored. Weathered, heavy, full of character, and still doing business.

A traveller's note, 'By the Sea, With Slippers'

No crowd, no noise, nothing but the sound of the sea breeze. Every breath here feels like the soul being rinsed clean.

A traveller's note, on the Haikou seafront

Sanya gets the postcards; Haikou gets the life. Hainan's capital sits on the north coast, looking across the Qiongzhou Strait toward the mainland, and it is where the island's history, food and daily rhythm are most visible. If you want to understand Hainan rather than simply lie on it, this is the city that shows you how.

The heart of it is the Qilou district — a grid of streets lined with early-20th-century arcade buildings, where the colonnaded ground floors shelter shoppers from sun and rain and the upper floors carry the curves and plasterwork of returned overseas Chinese. The lanes around Zhongshan Road, Deshengsha and Bo'ai Road are still a working old town, and the food stalls at Shuixiangkou are the best reason to walk them slowly.

Beyond the old town, Haikou mixes temples and volcanoes: Wugong Temple, the 'first building of Hainan', the provincial museum, the tomb of the Ming official Hai Rui, and the remarkable Leiqiong volcanic geopark just 15 km out, whose villages are built from black basalt. And everywhere, the food culture of a subtropical island — chicken rice, Hainanese noodles, goat, and a morning-tea habit that runs until nearly 11am.

It is also the sanest base on the island in winter. When Sanya's hotels are full and charging peak rates, Haikou still has rooms, and the high-speed rail makes it an easy pairing with the south.

Haikou

Don't leave without

Seven things that are worth rearranging a day for.

  1. Walk the Qilou arcade streets at sunrise, before the shops open
  2. Order a cup of tea and spend a morning in a laoba cha teahouse
  3. See the national treasures inside Wugong Temple's ¥20 ticket
  4. Walk the rim of a 10,000-year-old crater at the volcanic geopark
  5. Eat your way down the Zhongshan Road night market
  6. Take a boat through the Dongzhaigang mangrove forest

Highlights

What not to miss

The Qilou old street

Hainan's best-preserved arcade quarter, built around 1920, with colonnaded walkways, baroque facades and courtyards behind. Still a working old town, and the food on Shuixiangkou is the reason to linger.

Wugong Temple

The 'first building of Hainan', built in memory of five exiled officials. Its modest ¥20 ticket hides three national treasures, including the Fusu Spring linked to Su Dongpo.

Leiqiong Volcanic Geopark

A dormant volcanic field 15 km from the city, with 10,000-year-old craters, lava tunnels and a village built entirely from black basalt blocks. One of the island's most unusual half-days.

Morning tea and the night markets

Laoba cha teahouses fill from dawn until nearly 11am; the night markets run past midnight. Noodles, roast oysters, qingbuliang and grilled skewers — the cheapest and most sociable way to eat.

Holiday Beach

The city's long western beach, with the giant 'Impression Hainan' outdoor theatre at its east end. Best at dusk, when the coast turns out to walk and the seafood barbecue yards fire up.

Dongzhaigang mangroves

China's largest mangrove reserve, an hour out of town, where you take a boat through the forest and past a village that sank beneath the sea in an earthquake.

Suggested routes

Two ways to spend your days

The three-day classic

3 days days

Old town, volcanoes and mangroves, with the evenings left for food.

  1. Day 1

    Old town, temple and museum

    Start at Wugong Temple and the Hainan Provincial Museum, then walk 20 minutes to the Qilou old street for a Hainanese lunch and a slow wander. Stay for the night market and a laoba cha teahouse.

    Stops: Wugong TempleProvincial MuseumQilou old street

  2. Day 2

    Volcanoes and the beach

    Morning at the Leiqiong volcanic geopark, with the crater rim and the basalt village and a lunch of local Shishan mutton. Late afternoon on Holiday Beach for the sunset and the seafood barbecue yards.

    Stops: Volcanic geoparkHoliday Beach

  3. Day 3

    Mangroves and the west coast

    Out to the Dongzhaigang mangrove reserve for a boat through the forest and the sunken village, then back via Xixiu Beach and the tomb of Hai Rui.

    Stops: DongzhaigangXixiu BeachHai Rui Tomb

The one-day sampler

1 day days

For a long layover or a first afternoon — the essentials, close together.

  1. Day 1

    Old town and the waterfront

    Morning at Wugong Temple, then the Qilou streets and a Hainanese lunch. Afternoon at the Clock Tower and the waterfront, finishing with a night market dinner.

    Stops: Wugong TempleQilou old streetClock Tower

Sights

Where the time actually goes

Historic quarter

The Qilou old street

Hainan's most characteristic streetscape: Zhuhai Road and Zhongshan Road, plus Deshengsha, Xinhua Nan and Bo'ai Road, lined with early-20th-century arcade buildings. The oldest structure, the Four-Arch Tower, goes back to the Southern Song; the rest is mostly 1920s overseas-Chinese work.

Where
Deshengsha to Changdi Roads, the old town grid
Best time
Early morning, before the shops open
Don't miss
Shuixiangkou food lane off Bo'ai Road

Tip Skip the busy Zhongshan Road frontage and dive into the side lanes — the tailors, the workshops and the resident life are all in there.

Temple & garden

Wugong Temple

Built to honour five officials exiled to Hainan in the Tang and Song dynasties, and known as the 'first building of Hainan'. The complex holds the Fusu Spring, a Song imperial edict and a bronze Song Buddha among its treasures.

Ticket
¥20
Getting there
Buses 1 and 11
Best for
Half a morning of history and gardens

Tip The three national treasures are easy to miss — ask at the gate which halls hold them, or you will walk straight past them.

Geology

Leiqiong Volcanic Geopark

A dormant volcanic field 15 km south-west of the city, one of China's few Holocene volcanic clusters, with craters, lava tunnels and villages built out of black basalt. A genuinely odd and memorable half-day.

Ticket
¥60
Getting there
Bus to Shishan, or taxi about ¥30; chartered car ¥70–80
Local dish
Shishan mutton is the speciality to eat here

Tip Wear shoes with grip — the lava rock is rough, and the paths are uneven in places.

Museum

Hainan Provincial Museum

The island's story under one roof, from prehistoric Hainan to the present, with four permanent halls covering history, artefacts, ethnic minorities and intangible heritage. Free and air-conditioned; the best orientation you can get on a first morning.

Ticket
Free
Closed
Mondays
Highlights
Bronze, ceramics and the minority-culture hall

Tip Go here before the old town — the minority and history halls make everything you see afterwards make sense.

Nature

Dongzhaigang Mangrove Reserve

China's largest mangrove reserve, 30 km out of town, where the coast is a maze of channels through mangrove forest. Take a boat through it, and pass the 'undersea village' sunk by an earthquake — a genuine local legend made real.

Ticket
About ¥25
Getting there
Bus from Wugong Temple toward Yanfeng, then a trishaw
Best for
Birds, boats and a half-day out of the city

Tip The light and the birds are best in the early morning; the middle of the day is hot and the boats run less often.

Beach

Holiday Beach and the west coast

Haikou's main beach, stretching 6.2 km along the city's west side, with the huge 'Impression Hainan' outdoor theatre at its eastern end. Evenings bring the whole coast out to walk, and the open-air seafood barbecue yards light up.

Ticket
Free
Getting there
Bus 39 or the tourist lines
Best time
Late afternoon to dusk

Tip Time it for the sunset, then stay for the seafood barbecue — this is the most sociable evening in the city.

Food

What to eat

Hainan noodles

The island's signature breakfast — rice noodles dressed with a dozen condiments, eaten all day and best at a street stall.

Hainanese chicken rice

Poached chicken with rice cooked in the broth, plus a ginger dip — the dish that defines Hainanese cooking.

Pork-trotter rice

Slow-braised trotter over rice, meltingly soft and rich — a classic Haikou breakfast or lunch.

Dongshan goat

Goat from the Dongshan area, stewed or hotpotted, tender and not gamey; the Shishan version is the local speciality.

Pigeon and crab congee

Haikou's most famous congee, made only with live seafood and almost no seasoning, so the sweetness comes through.

Qingbuliang

A cold coconut-milk dessert of beans, taro, jelly and fruit — the island's answer to a hot afternoon.

Where to eat

From street stalls to proper Hainan cooking

Old-town street food

Shuixiangkou food lane

Off Bo'ai Road in the Qilou district, the historic centre of Haikou's local eating — noodles, beef brisket rice, pork-trotter rice, chicken rice, fried zongzi and more, all cheap and busy.

Where
Shuixiangkou, off Bo'ai Road
Average spend
¥15–30 / person
Best for
Breakfast and a local lunch in the old town

Food hall

Qilou snack street

A multi-floor food hall of Hainan specialities with a card-based payment system — you top up a card, buy what you want, and get the balance refunded on the way out. Clean, air-conditioned and easy for a quick taste of everything.

Where
Datong Road, near the old town
Average spend
¥30 / person
Best for
Sampling many island snacks in one go

Hainanese chicken

Fule chicken restaurant

A local favourite for Wenchang chicken — tender meat, a good sauce, and service that treats you like a friend rather than a customer.

Where
Guomao Avenue, Longhua district
Average spend
About ¥48 / person
Best for
The definitive Hainanese chicken rice

Hainan cuisine

Qiongcai Wang food village

A big, popular restaurant serving the full range of island dishes, including the 'four famous Hainan dishes', fresh seafood, durian pastry and coconut rice, with the island's vegetables as sides.

Where
Jinken Road, Longhua district
Average spend
About ¥85 / person
Best for
A single meal covering the island's classics

Regional speciality

Shishan lamb specialist

A restaurant devoted to the volcanic-region lamb that Haikou is proud of — five-spice braised lamb, lamb skewers and coconut rice, in the style of the Shishan area.

Where
Nanhai Avenue, Longhua district
Average spend
About ¥64 / person
Best for
The dish that belongs to the volcanic countryside

Where to stay

Bases for the city

Business hotel

Wenhua Hotel Haikou

A comfortable, well-located hotel near Wanlü Park, the Xiuying forts and the convention centre, close to the coastal boulevard — a sound mid-range choice with restaurants and a bar.

Where
18 Wenhua Road, Longhua district
Price
From about ¥559 / night
Best for
Central access and a quiet night

Hostel

Banana International Youth Hostel

A long-running international hostel on Haidian Island, popular with travellers, with a bar, a courtyard and a relaxed, social atmosphere.

Where
21 Renmin Avenue, Haidian Island
Price
From about ¥50 / night
Best for
Backpackers and solo travellers

Hostel / cycling base

Redbud Villa International Youth Hostel

A converted garden villa in the Guomao area, and a gathering point for island cyclists and backpackers, with easy coastal-boulevard access to the west-coast sights.

Where
Jinmao West Road, Longhua district
Price
From about ¥110 / night
Best for
Cyclists and longer island stays

Hot-spring hotel

Wuzhishan International Hotel

A hotel whose rooms draw on deep underground hot spring water, with a focus on comfort and quiet — a pleasant way to end a day of walking the old town.

Where
8 Wuzhishan Road, Meilan district
Price
From about ¥328 / night
Best for
A step up from mid-range, with hot-spring water

Getting around

How to move in and around Haikou

By air

Haikou Meilan International (HAK) is 25 km from the centre, with dense domestic service plus routes to Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia.

Airport
Haikou Meilan International (HAK)
To the centre
Bus 21 or 41 (¥6), shuttle to the civil-aviation hotel (¥15), taxi about ¥60
Airport rail
Meilan has its own high-speed station on the island ring line

By rail

The island ring high-speed line makes Haikou the northern hub, linking to Sanya and both coasts.

To Sanya
About 1h 30m; first class ¥100, second class ¥84
Stations
Haikou East is the main high-speed station
To the mainland
Trains run to Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing via the rail ferry

By bus

Cheap and comprehensive, with short distances between stops. The 'Xinmeilan' tourist bus links the main in-city sights.

Fare
¥1–2 for most city routes
Tourist bus
Xinmeilan lines A and B, ¥5, to six key sights
Best for
Getting between the old town and the coast

By taxi

Meters start at ¥10 for the first 3 km, then ¥2 per km, with a night surcharge and tolls on top.

City rides
Usually ¥10–15
To the airport
About ¥60, 25 km
To the railway station
Roughly ¥50–65 depending on the district

By ferry

Two ports, Xinhai and Xiuying, handle the crossings to the mainland and to other ports; the ferry is the older way onto the island.

To Haian
Every 30–60 minutes in the day, about ¥38–43
To Beihai
One sailing a day, about 12 hours
To Zhanjiang
Two sailings a day

On foot and by bike

The old town and the waterfront are genuinely walkable, and the coastal boulevard is a fine cycle. Many travellers use Haikou as a base for island cycling.

Best walk
The Qilou streets and the waterfront promenade
Bike routes
The coastal boulevard west to Holiday Beach
Best time
Early morning or after 5pm, when it cools

Shopping

What to take home

Dongmen market

The city's dried-seafood centre — a lane of stalls selling dried fish, sausage, prawns and abalone, usually a few yuan a jin cheaper than the supermarkets.

Haixiu Avenue

Haikou's main shopping street, heavy on souvenirs and jewellery — marine pearls, crystal and hawksbill goods, where you should bargain hard.

Shangbang Baihuicheng

A large modern mall in the CBD, good for clothing, cosmetics and a break from the sun.

Hainan specialities

Xinglong coffee, white and black pepper, coconut candy, the fiery yellow-lantern chilli sauce, and coconut-shell handicrafts at a few yuan each.

Practical

The things that trip people up

Haikou is a straightforward, easy-going city. The only real friction is the weather in typhoon season, and the occasional tout near tourist spots — nothing that a moment's care will not fix.

VisaHaikou is covered by Hainan's visa-free entry scheme for eligible countries, usually short stays
Best monthsNovember–April is dry and mild; May–October is rainy, with typhoons most likely August–October
TyphoonsIn typhoon season flights and ferries can be cancelled; check the weather before island or mainland crossings
PaymentsMobile payment is universal; carry cash for markets and street stalls
LanguageStandard Mandarin works everywhere — Haikou is a migrant city, so you do not need Hainanese
OverchargingBe wary of touts selling tours or tickets; buy through legitimate channels. Tourist complaint line 0898-66797846
Sun and rainUV is strong and rain can arrive suddenly — carry sunscreen and an umbrella year-round

Tips

Small things that make a big difference

Do the old town early

The Qilou streets are at their best in the cool of the morning, before the shops open and the heat sets in.

Eat breakfast twice

Once at a laoba cha teahouse and once at a noodle stall. It sounds excessive; it is the single best way to meet Haikou.

Go to the museum first

The provincial museum is free, air-conditioned and the best orientation you will get on a first morning.

Time the beach for sunset

Holiday Beach is ordinary at midday and excellent at dusk, when the whole coast turns out to walk.

Respect the crater

At the volcanic park the lava rock is rough and the paths are uneven — grip matters, and a wet day makes it slippery.

Keep the ferry in mind

If you plan to cross to the mainland or another island, build in a spare day for weather in typhoon season.

Background

Why Haikou is the way it is

A northern capital facing the strait

Haikou sits on Hainan's north coast, on the Qiongzhou Strait, just 18 nautical miles across from the mainland's Haian town in Guangdong. The city covers about 2,300 km², low and flat, and its name — 'sea mouth' — comes from its position at the mouth of the Nandu River where it meets the sea.

That northward, mainland-facing position is why Haikou has always been Hainan's administrative and commercial centre while Sanya became its resort. It is the island's front door, the place where government, universities, ports and the old trading streets all sit.

Tropical, with typhoons in the mix

Haikou has a tropical marine monsoon climate: long sunny days, an average of about 24°C, a mild winter averaging 18°C in January and a hot, wet summer. The rainy season runs from May to October, and the island's east coast is known as a 'typhoon corridor', so late summer and autumn can bring cancellations and disruption.

The climate shapes the local calendar too. The Hainan International Coconut Festival fills the city in late March or early April, the Junpo Festival honours the Lady Xian in the second lunar month, and the Lantern Festival 'flower exchange' in Qiongshan goes back more than a thousand years.

Travel with them

Haikou in print and on the waterfront

Book

Haikou Diary (海口日记)

Pan Jun

A novel set among the city's drifters and loners, written as a diary — one writer's attempt to catch the mood of the southern seaside city where he landed in the 1990s.

Show

Impression Hainan

Outdoor theatre at Holiday Beach

A large-scale evening performance staged on the west coast, with fireworks and water effects over the beach — the flashiest thing to do in Haikou after dark.

Music

Hainan folk song and dance

Island tradition

The Li and Miao song-and-dance traditions that surface during the Coconut Festival and the March Third holiday — the sound of the island beneath the resort facade.

The questions visitors ask us most about Haikou, answered plainly.

Frequently asked questions

Prices and practical details are reviewed every month by our Beijing team and updated the day a rule changes.

Is Haikou worth visiting, or should I just go to Sanya?

Go to both, because they are different holidays. Sanya is the beach resort; Haikou is the island's real city, and the only place where Hainan's history and food culture are on full display. Two or three days here, reached by a 1h 30m high-speed train from Sanya, is what makes a Hainan trip feel whole.

What is the best time to visit Haikou?

November to April is dry and comfortable, averaging a mild 18–22°C — the same window that makes all of Hainan pleasant. May to October is the rainy season, with typhoons most likely from August to October, when ferries and flights can be disrupted. Winter is the safe choice.

What should I eat in Haikou?

Start with Hainanese chicken rice and a bowl of Hainan noodles, then try the island's other signatures — Dongshan goat, Hele crab, coconut rice and the cold dessert qingbuliang. Ease into a laoba cha teahouse in the morning and a night market after dark; those two habits are the real Haikou.

How do I get from Haikou to Sanya?

High-speed rail, which takes about 1h 30m between Haikou East and Sanya and runs all day. First class is around ¥100 and second class about ¥84. There is no need to fly the route; the train is faster door-to-door and drops you in the middle of Sanya.

Is the Qilou old street touristy?

Less than you would expect. It is a genuine working neighbourhood with shops, tailors and residents, not a rebuilt attraction — which is exactly what makes it interesting. Go in the morning, eat at the Shuixiangkou food lane, and favour the side streets over the main Zhongshan Road.

Is Haikou good as a winter base in Hainan?

Yes. When Sanya is full and expensive in the winter peak, Haikou still has rooms at sensible prices, and the high-speed rail makes day trips south easy. Winter is dry and mild here, so it is a comfortable base both for the city itself and for exploring the island's north.

Plan this trip

Prefer it arranged for you?

The same places, with a driver, an English-speaking guide and the tickets already bought.

Haikou Haikou Hainan · 0 tours Haikou is Hainan's capital and its living city, on the north coast facing the mainland — the place to understand how the island actually works. Its 60
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Wutai Mountain Wutai Mountain City guide · 12 tours China's foremost Buddhist mountain — fifty-plus temples in one valley, crowned by five flat-topped peaks up to 3,058 m. Hulunbuir Hulunbuir City guide · 12 tours China's finest grassland — a 263,000 km² sweep of steppe, birch forest and border river, best driven with the windows down. The Forbidden City The Forbidden City City guide · 12 tours Beijing's 600-year imperial palace — 8,700 rooms behind a 72-hectare wall, and the largest surviving wooden palace complex on earth. Sanya Sanya City guide · 12 tours China's only true winter-sun coast — four very different bays, a coral island and a 108 m sea Buddha, all at 18° north. Beihai Beihai City guide · 12 tours 24 km of fine white sand on one side, a volcanic island of coral and lava on the other — plus a 19th-century arcade old street in between. Nanning Nanning City guide · 12 tours Guangxi's green capital is a gateway to Detian Falls, Beihai and Vietnam — and a genuinely excellent food city if you let it slow you down. Guangxi Guangxi City guide · 12 tours One autonomous region, a dozen landscapes — limestone peaks and rice terraces in the north, a Vietnam border and a warm gulf coast in the south. Huizhou Huizhou City guide · 12 tours A free West Lake, a Taoist mountain and 200 km of white-sand coast — the Pearl River Delta's most underrated weekend. Beidaihe Beidaihe City guide · 12 tours Northern China's classic beach escape — one sunrise headland, 10 km of calm swimming water, and a bird flyway overhead twice a year. Shanhaiguan Shanhaiguan City guide · 12 tours The town where the Great Wall stops being a rumour of mountains and walks into the Bohai Sea. Baiyangdian Baiyangdian City guide · 12 tours The biggest freshwater lake on the North China Plain — and almost none of it can be reached except by boat. Qinhuangdao Qinhuangdao City guide · 12 tours 126 km of Bohai coast in one municipality — a working port, two famous resorts, and the only desert dunes that meet this sea. Yesanpo Yesanpo City guide · 12 tours Gorge country where the Taihang and Yan ranges collide — 52.5 km of canyon walls, a cave that spits fish, and a river to fall off. Zhuhai Zhuhai City guide · 12 tours The delta's slow city: a 28 km promenade, 146 islands, oysters fattened where the river meets the sea. Wuyi Mountain Wuyi Mountain City guide · 12 tours Nine bends of clear water, red sandstone cliffs, and the tea that made a mountain's name. Jiuzhaigou Jiuzhaigou City guide · 12 tours 108 mineral-blue lakes in one 55 km valley — the place that ruins water everywhere else for you. Mount Siguniang Mount Siguniang City guide · 12 tours Four snow peaks, three valleys, and the friendliest 5,000 m mountain in China to stand on top of. Hailuogou Hailuogou City guide · 12 tours A glacier that comes down to 2,850 m, hot springs in the forest, and Gongga Shan filling the sky above both. Daocheng Yading Daocheng Yading City guide · 12 tours Three 6,000 m sacred peaks, glacial lakes at 4,600 m and twenty hours of road — the hardest, highest payoff in Sichuan. Shunan Bamboo Sea Shunan Bamboo Sea City guide · 12 tours Seventy thousand mu of bamboo over twenty-eight hills, a red sandstone corridor under a closed green roof, and a banquet made entirely of bamboo. Dujiangyan Dujiangyan City guide · 12 tours Not a monument but a machine: three pieces of engineering with no dam, still doing their job after 2,270 years. Qingcheng Mountain Qingcheng Mountain City guide · 12 tours The mountain where Daoism was organised, and the one Chengdu escapes to when the basin turns into an oven. Qingdao Qingdao City guide · 12 tours Red-tiled roofs, cold beer and a granite mountain that walks straight into the sea — the easiest good time on the Yellow Sea. Mount Tai Mount Tai City guide · 12 tours 1,545 metres, 6,290 stone steps and three thousand years of emperors — the one mountain in China that is also a document. Jinan Jinan City guide · 12 tours A provincial capital with 700 springs under the pavement — people still queue at the spouts to fill their kettles. Weihai Weihai City guide · 12 tours 1,000 km of clean coast, a free bathing beach, the island where the Beiyang Fleet died — and thousands of wild swans every winter. Qufu Qufu City guide · 12 tours One family, two thousand years of steles, and a ¥150 pass that covers the lot — the easiest serious day trip in Shandong. Penglai Penglai City guide · 12 tours China's immortals' coast — a Song-dynasty naval harbour you can walk for free, a mythology nobody ever found, and the ferry to 32 islands. Changdao Changdao City guide · 12 tours 32 islands, one causeway, a ¥150 land pass, tens of thousands of gulls and nowhere you can drive — the place where everything happens by boat. Nanjing Nanjing City guide · 12 tours Capital of six dynasties, capital of the Republic, and the city that eats more duck than anywhere else on earth. Suzhou Suzhou City guide · 12 tours Two thousand five hundred years of canals, sixty surviving gardens, and a city that shuts its gates at half past five. Zhouzhuang Zhouzhuang City guide · 12 tours Nine hundred years, fourteen bridges, one ticket — and a town that only makes sense before eight in the morning. Tongli Tongli City guide · 12 tours Fifteen canals, seven islets, forty-nine bridges — and a town that still gets up at dawn because it lives here. Wuxi Wuxi City guide · 12 tours Taihu on one side, a Grand Buddha on the next hill, and ribs sweet enough to argue about — the most underrated city on the Yangtze delta. Yangzhou Yangzhou City guide · 12 tours A city built by salt merchants who had more money than restraint — gardens, a narrow lake, and the best breakfast in China. Zhenjiang Zhenjiang City guide · 12 tours Three hills, one ferry landing, and an unreasonable share of Chinese literature — the Yangtze city people drive past. Changzhou Changzhou City guide · 12 tours A 2,500-year-old canal city that built a dinosaur park and refuses to apologise for it. Wuzhen Wuzhen City guide · 12 tours A town that is two towns: the older, quieter East Zone and the lit-up West Zone you sleep inside. Xitang Xitang City guide · 12 tours Nine canals, 122 lanes, one long roofed corridor — and a town that still works for a living. Hangzhou Hangzhou City guide · 12 tours A lake in the middle of a city, a tea village in the hills, and two thousand years of getting the mood right. Xixi Wetland Xixi Wetland City guide · 12 tours Ten square kilometres of marsh inside Hangzhou, and the only way into half of it is a boat. Ningbo Ningbo City guide · 12 tours A 7,000-year-old port with Asia's oldest private library, a free waterfront 20 years older than Shanghai's, and the best seafood before the islands. Mount Putuo Mount Putuo City guide · 12 tours A Buddhist island with no cars, three great temples and a ¥10 lunch that is the point of the place. Qiandao Lake Qiandao Lake City guide · 12 tours A thousand islands that did not exist sixty years ago, and the cleanest big-lake water in China. Shaoxing Shaoxing City guide · 12 tours Two and a half thousand years of water-town China, and Lu Xun's house is free. Zhoushan Zhoushan City guide · 12 tours 1,390 islands, one road bridge in, and a harbour that lands more fish than almost anywhere on earth. Hengdian Hengdian City guide · 12 tours A backlot the size of a town, where the palaces are copies and the film crews are real. Yandang Mountain Yandang Mountain City guide · 12 tours A volcano that weathering turned into scenery — 500-odd sights of peak, cave and waterfall across eight scenic areas. Zhejiang Zhejiang City guide · 12 tours One small, mountainous, absurdly rich province that holds a lake, two canal towns, a Buddhist island and a dead volcano. Hong Kong Outlying Islands Hong Kong Outlying Islands City guide · 12 tours Two hundred-odd islands, half an hour of ferry from the financial district, and not a car on three of them. Hong Kong Shopping Hong Kong Shopping City guide · 12 tours A duty-free port where the tag starts lower, two citywide sale seasons knock a third off, and every mall sits on an MTR exit. Macao Macao City guide · 12 tours Four hundred years of Portuguese streets, a fake Venice under a painted sky, and the best egg tart in Asia. Urumqi Urumqi City guide · 12 tours The city furthest from the sea, with a snow range on its doorstep and dinner starting at nine. Hong Kong SAR, China Hong Kong SAR, China City guide · 11 tours A harbour skyline you already know by heart, dim sum trolleys at dawn, and 260 islands an hour from the neon. Taiwan, China Taiwan, China City guide · 11 tours Night-market alleys, high-mountain railways, and a coastline that changes character every hundred kilometres. Qinghai Lake Qinghai Lake City guide · 12 tours A 4,400 sq km inland sea at 3,200 m, ringed by rapeseed gold, prayer flags and the best cycling road in China. Mount Emei Mount Emei City guide · 11 tours A 3,099-metre Buddhist summit you can reach by cable car before lunch — and a mountain full of monkeys that will absolutely rob you. Beijing Beijing City guide · 11 tours Six centuries of imperial red walls, a Great Wall you can climb before lunch, and the best roast duck on earth. Taipei Taipei City guide · 11 tours A 24-hour bookstore, a night market that never stops sizzling, and a city that apologises when you bump into it. North Xinjiang North Xinjiang City guide · 11 tours Alpine lakes the colour of poured enamel, a village of log cabins under birch trees, and the last tear the Atlantic ever sheds. Lanzhou Lanzhou City guide · 11 tours A city split in half by the Yellow River, where beef noodles are a breakfast ritual and the Silk Road still runs through the streets. Mount Hua Mount Hua City guide · 11 tours Five granite peaks, one plank road bolted to a cliff face, and a sunrise that justifies the 2am start. Dunhuang Dunhuang City guide · 11 tours A desert oasis where Buddhist cave art survived a thousand years and a crescent lake refused to dry up. Gannan Gannan City guide · 11 tours 433 kilometres of the Yellow River's first bend, a 3.5 km prayer-wheel circuit, and Tibetan grasslands almost nobody has commercialised yet. Sichuan–Tibet Highway Sichuan–Tibet Highway City guide · 11 tours 2,142 kilometres of cliff-edge switchbacks, four of China's most beautiful mountains, and a road the Tibetans walk on their knees. Kangding Kangding City guide · 11 tours The town that gave Asia its most famous love song, a 7,556m sacred peak on its doorstep, and the last real Tibetan town before the road climbs to Lhasa. Lhasa Lhasa City guide · 12 tours A city of prayer wheels and butter lamps at 3,700 metres, where the sun shines 3,000 hours a year and the world's highest palace watches over it all. Nyingchi Nyingchi City guide · 11 tours Tibet's greenest corner — peach blossom valleys, a 7,782 m peak that hides from almost everyone, and the world's deepest canyon. Namtso Namtso City guide · 11 tours A 1,920-square-kilometre sheet of impossible blue at 4,718 metres, ringed by snow peaks and prayer flags. Chongqing Chongqing City guide · 12 tours A vertical city of fog, cable cars and cliff-side stilt houses, where the火锅 never stops boiling and the night skyline outshines Hong Kong. Qiandongnan Qiandongnan City guide · 11 tours A thousand Miao households stacked up a mountainside, drum towers and wind-rain bridges in Dong villages, and a 600-year-old Ming garrison town on the road to Guiyang. Libo Libo City guide · 11 tours Emerald rivers threading through karst peaks, a 600-metre forest growing out of a riverbed, and China's largest wild plum grove. Guiyang Guiyang City guide · 11 tours China's summer capital at 1,100 metres, where the nights run on sour fish soup, street-side barbecue and mahjong that never quite stops. Zhenyuan Zhenyuan City guide · 11 tours A 2,000-year-old river town where the Wuyang River carves an S through the mountains and every lane hides a story. Huangguoshu Huangguoshu City guide · 11 tours Asia's biggest waterfall, and the only one on earth you can walk behind, above and around — plus 600-year-old Ming dynasty villages a short drive away. Harbin Harbin City guide · 11 tours Minus 30 degrees, a frozen river you can walk across, and a cathedral built by Russians who never went home. Yunnan Yunnan City guide · 11 tours Snow mountains, tropical rainforest, twenty-five minorities and a plate of rice noodles — all in one province. Shanghai Shanghai City guide · 11 tours A 1920s waterfront of colonial banks facing a science-fiction skyline, soup dumplings you eat with a straw, and 20 million people moving like clockwork. Zhangjiajie Zhangjiajie City guide · 11 tours Three thousand sandstone pillars straight out of Avatar, a glass skywalk bolted to a cliff, and a cable car that leaves from downtown. Guangzhou Guangzhou City guide · 11 tours A 2,200-year-old trading port where dim sum is a religion, colonial islands sit beside 600-metre towers, and the food never stops. Guilin Guilin City guide · 11 tours Karst peaks rising straight out of a green river, rice terraces carved into mountainsides, and the best bowl of noodles you'll eat in China. Shenzhen Shenzhen City guide · 11 tours A fishing village that became a megacity in forty years — and it still has 500-year-old banyans, empty beaches and dim sum worth the border crossing. Chengdu Chengdu City guide · 11 tours A 3,000-year-old city where the schedule is tea, mahjong and hotpot — and the pandas are just the opening act. Xinjiang Xinjiang City guide · 11 tours Snow peaks, grassland, desert and oasis — one-sixth of China, and the longest road you will ever ride. Xi'an Xi'an City guide · 14 tours Thirteen dynasties of emperors, a terracotta army buried for 2,200 years, and a walled city you can cycle in 100 minutes. Qinghai Qinghai City guide · 11 tours China's high-altitude blue heart: a salt lake you can walk on, a 3,200-metre sea, and yak butter tea at the roof of the world. Tibet Tibet City guide · 11 tours A plateau the size of Western Europe where the sky starts at your feet, prayer flags carry the wind, and the roads run past 8,000-metre peaks.

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  • Three days covers the sights and the food without rushing.
  • The Qilou old street is a working neighbourhood — go early, eat at Shuixiangkou.
  • Morning tea runs until nearly 11am and the night markets run past midnight; both are cheap.

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