Guangzhou

Today it is a city of nearly 19 million people at the heart of the Greater Bay Area, and visitors come for its food above all: this is the home of Cantonese cooking and of dim sum. Add Qing-era ancestral halls and temples, the colonial lanes of Shamian Island, a riverfront lit up at night below the Canton Tower, and twice-yearly trade fairs that bring buyers from around the world. Modern apartments in Tianhe, flats in the older districts and larger homes in the southern suburbs suit business travellers, food lovers and families.

Where to stay in Guangzhou

Tianhe is the modern centre. Zhujiang New Town, its business district, rises around Huacheng Square, with the Guangdong Museum and the opera house nearby, and the area has many apartment towers, shopping streets and good metro links, including Guangzhou East railway station. It suits business travellers and first-time visitors who want comfort and transport.

Yuexiu is the historic core, with Beijing Road, Yuexiu Park, the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and older residential streets, practical and central. Liwan, the old Xiguan quarter to the west, holds Shangxiajiu pedestrian street, the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall and Shamian Island, and is the place for heritage and food. Haizhu, across the river to the south, has the Canton Tower and the Pazhou exhibition centre used by the Canton Fair, so it fills up during fair weeks. Panyu, farther south near Guangzhou South station, offers larger homes for families.

All foreign guests must be registered with the police; see the rules below.

Old Canton: temples, halls and Shamian

The Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, built in 1894 by the Chen families of Guangdong to house students preparing for the imperial examinations, is a showpiece of southern Chinese wood, stone and ceramic carving and now houses the Guangdong Folk Art Museum. Nearby, the Xiguan area keeps arcaded shophouses along Shangxiajiu.

Shamian, a sandbank island on the Pearl River, was divided between British and French concessions from 1859 to 1943; its tree-lined pedestrian avenues and colonial buildings make a peaceful walk. The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees, first built in AD 537, and Yuexiu Park, on the hill that once marked the north edge of the walled city, are both in Yuexiu. The Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King displays the tomb of a ruler of the kingdom that had its capital here in the second century BC. At night, the riverfront and the 600-metre Canton Tower, opened in 2010, are lit up.

History and Cantonese culture

The city was founded as Panyu on the Pearl River in 214 BC and soon became the capital of the kingdom of Nanyue. For centuries it traded across Asia and beyond, and under the Canton System of 1757 to 1842 the Thirteen Factories, the waterfront warehouses on the edge of Xiguan, were the only legal place for Westerners to trade with China. That monopoly ended with the First Opium War.

Guangzhou was also a cradle of revolution: uprisings in 1895 and 1911 led up to the revolution that ended the Qing dynasty, and the 72 martyrs of 1911 are remembered at Huanghuagang Park. The Canton Fair, China's long-running import and export fair, has been held since 1957, now in spring and autumn. Cantonese, not Mandarin, is the everyday language of many residents, and Cantonese opera, lion dances and the flower markets of the Lunar New Year are part of local life.

Food and dim sum

Guangzhou is the home of Cantonese cuisine, known for fresh ingredients and light seasoning. The local ritual is yum cha, "drinking tea": families gather in teahouses from the morning onwards for dim sum such as har gow shrimp dumplings, siu mai, char siu buns and rice-noodle rolls, served with pots of tea.

Roast meats such as char siu pork and goose, wonton noodles, congee and claypot rice are everyday favourites, and the old Xiguan quarter is known for its snacks and sweet soups. Wet markets sell live seafood and seasonal vegetables, and many apartments have kitchens if you want to cook. In Guangzhou, eating out is the main social activity, so book a teahouse table for weekend mornings or arrive early, and order a range of small dishes to share.

Day trips: Foshan, Kaiping and Hong Kong

Foshan, next door and linked by metro, is known for its Ancestral Temple, a Daoist temple complex with richly decorated halls, and for its traditions of Cantonese opera and martial arts. Baiyun Mountain, 427 metres high on the northern edge of the city, has trails, viewpoints and a cable car, and makes an easy half-day.

Farther south-west, the Kaiping Diaolou and Villages, fortified multi-storey watchtowers built by families with money sent home by emigrants, were listed by UNESCO in 2007; they make a long day trip or an overnight stay. High-speed trains from Guangzhou South station reach Shenzhen and cross to Hong Kong West Kowloon, and intercity trains run to Zhuhai, near the border with Macau. Remember that Hong Kong and Macau have their own border controls, so you will need a valid Chinese visa or visa-free status to return to the mainland.

Getting there and around

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN), about 28 kilometres north of downtown, has flights across China and to many international destinations and is linked to the city by metro, airport buses and taxis. Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) is an alternative for some long-haul routes, reached by ferry or coach.

Guangzhou is a major rail hub. Guangzhou South station, around 17 kilometres south of the centre, handles most high-speed trains, including those to Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Zhuhai, Wuhan and Beijing, while Guangzhou East serves Tianhe. Within the city the metro has more than 700 kilometres of lines, backed up by buses, a bus rapid transit corridor, river ferries and plentiful taxis and ride-hailing cars. A car is not needed, and traffic can be heavy; visitors need a Chinese licence to drive.

Weather, festivals and visitor rules

Lying just south of the Tropic of Cancer, Guangzhou has a humid subtropical monsoon climate. October to December is usually the most comfortable time to visit, cooler, drier and often sunny. The wet season runs from about April to September, with heat, high humidity, heavy downpours and the occasional typhoon. Winters are mild, and spring is damp and often overcast. Canton Fair weeks in April and October are the busiest periods for accommodation.

Under Article 39 of China's Exit and Entry Administration Law, hotels register their foreign guests, while those staying in private homes or apartments must be registered with the local police, by the guest or the host, within 24 hours of arrival, at a police station or online, an option available nationwide since September 2026. Some nationalities can enter visa-free for short stays and the 240-hour visa-free transit policy covers eligible travellers heading on to a third country, but both change, so check the current rules with the National Immigration Administration first.