Introduction to Guangzhou and Mainland China

One of the fastest and easiest ways to get from Hong Kong to mainland China is to take the train right across the border to Guangzhou. From there you have all kinds of opportunities throughout China. Let’s start with an introduction to Guangzhou.

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Table of Contents

Hong Kong to Guangzhou by Train

In order to get my Chinese visa in Tokyo, I had to pre-book all of my trains in China. This meant all I had to do was arrive at the Hong Kong train station early to pick up my ticket. Fortunately the train ride from Hong Kong to Guangzhou is only three hours long.

Arriving in Guangzhou, China

Upon arriving in Guangzhou, you’ll need to seek out an ATM that will work with a foreign ATM card to buy a metro card. Unfortunately, none of the ATMs in the train station would take mine, but maybe you’ll have more luck. If not, just a short ways from the station there is a Bank of China that takes foreign cards.

Taking the Metro into the City

Money in hand, take the metro to get into town. If like me, the ATM has provided too large of bills to use he metro machine, you can break your bills by buying something at a convenience store in the train station. I recommend a drink or snack to receive change.

The metro machines are very easy to use. Just select your end destination, it tells you the price, and then spits out a token for your journey. On your way into the platforms you will scan the token and on the way out of the metro you deposit it in a slot to exit, so keep it handy!

The metro in Guangzhou is surprisingly modern and clean with sliding glass doors dividing the platform and train tracks. The announcements were even made in English and Mandarin making it almost fool proof!

Learn everything you need to know about Long Distance Train Travel in China.

Exploring Guangzhou in Two Days

The tourist sites in Guangzhou are fairly compact, so if you have a day or two, you can certainly take in all of the highlights. If you have more time, you can get to know the city at a bit of a deeper level.

Day One Itinerary in Guangzhou

The first day, I recommend covering some of the main sights around the city. Depending where you are staying, you may be able to walk to the start, otherwise, take the metro and make your way to stop number one: Huaisheng Mosque.

Stop 1: Huaisheng Mosque or the Lighthouse Mosque

Walk about 13 minutes, or 0.6 miles, to your next stop: Guangxiao Temple.

Stop 2: Guangxiao Temple

Guangxiao Temple is the oldest and largest Buddhist temple in the Lingnan Area. Then it is just an 11 minute walk, or 0.4 miles, to the next stop: Temple of Six Banyan Trees.

Stop 3: Temple of the Six Banyan Trees

From the Temple of Six Banyan Trees, it’s just a 17 minute walk, or 0.7 mile, to the next stop, Nanyue King Wen’s Mausoleum.

Stop 4: Nanyue King Wen’s Mausoleum

From here, walk 6 minutes, or 0.3 miles, to the next stop: the Five Ram Statue.

Stop 5: The Five-Ram Statue

Walk 6 minutes, or 0.3 miles, to stop number 6: Zhenhai Tower.

The Five Ram Statue in Guangzhou, China — The Five Ram Statue

Stop 6: Zhenhai Tower

Walk 5 minutes, or 0.2 miles, to the center of YueXiu Park.

Stop 7: YueXiu Park

The largest park in the city, YueXiu Park is an oasis in the city center.

Walk 11 minutes, or 0.4 miles, to stop 8: Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.

Stop 8: Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

Walk 25 minutes, or 1.2 miles, to the next stop: People’s Park.

Stop 9: People’s Park

Walk 11 minutes, or 0.5 miles, to the Beijing Road Pedestrian Street.

Stop 10: Beijing Road Pedestrian Street

Beijing Pedestrian Street: One of the top places to take in the everyday city life. — Beijing Pedestrian Street

Day Two Itinerary in Guangzhou

On day two, you will want to continue exploring Guangzhou. Here are some additional sights and markets around the city to take in before you head onward, further into China.

Stop 1: Haizhu Square

Walk 22 minutes, or 1.0 miles, to the next stop: Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral.

Stop 2: Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral

From the Cathedral, walk 31 minutes, or 1.5 miles, to Shamian Island.

Stop 3: Shamian Island

Walk 15 minutes, or 0.7 miles, to the QingPing Market.

Stop 4: QingPing Market

Just a 10 minute walk, or 0.4 miles, from QingPing Market, you will come to stop 5: Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street.

Stop 5: Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street

Walk 13 minutes, or 0.6 miles, to Hualin Temple.

There's no place to get a better introduction to Guangzhou than on the pedestrian streets; Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street — Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street

Stop 6: Hualin Temple

From Hualin Temple, walk 5 minutes, or 0.2 miles, to your last stop of the day, the Jade Market.

Stop 7: Jade Market or Hualin Jadeware Street

My Favorite Parts of Guangzhou

To me, the most impressive parts of Guangzhou were Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Shamian Island, as it is an oasis in the giant city, the Hualin Temple, and just walking along the pedestrian streets and Jade Market. Additionally, the average roads taking in what daily life meant to those who live here is fascinating. The city is really alive.

Overall Guangzhou seemed to be full of small industrial shops making pieces and parts for manufacturing. The pedestrian roads were crowded with clothing stores and shoppers and dozens of touts trying to sell foreigners watches and handbags. Admittedly, the touts trying to sell you things all the time gets old really fast.

Where to Stay in Guangzhou

To get the best introduction to Guangzhou, where you stay matters. I highly recommend staying as central as possible. This means you can easily walk around. However, if you need to take the metro, it really is easy to get around as it is well labeled.

Here are some recommended accommodations in Guangzhou.

Budget Shared Room Accommodation: YoYo Youth Apartment | Lan House Youth Apartment
Budget Private Room Accommodation: Guangzhou Baiming Fangyuan ApartHotel | T.G Studio Jiangnanxi Branch
Mid-range Accommodation: Fraser Suites Guangzhou | Hilton Guangzhou Baiyun
Luxury Accommodation: The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou | W Guangzhou

10 Things to Expect When Arriving in Guangzhou and Mainland China

My introduction to Guangzhou was also my first time in mainland China, I learned a lot really quickly. Here are some of the key things that helped me as I set off deeper into China, and I’m sure they’ll help you too.

There is relatively no English anywhere but on transportation.
Public transit is pretty well labeled in both English and Mandarin.
There are no such things as queues, everyone just pushes to where they want to be. Hold your own or you will never get where you are going. Also, watch out for your feet as they are sure to get stepped on.
Food is also not labeled in English usually – good luck!
People will blatantly stare and take pictures if you do not look Chinese.
Sign language/pointing can get you almost anywhere. If not, I recommend leveraging emojis on your phone.
People will want to use their English even if it’s just a few words that don’t really go together. Hello! Good? Ok?
The air quality is low as you can see the haze hanging over the city.
Western accommodations and tourist attractions frequently have Western toilets. Other places feature Chinese squat toilets.
Babies/small children have slits in the back of their pants for bathroom convenience.

Plan Your Trip to China

Are you planning a trip to mainland China? Whether you’re coming from Hong Kong or Macau or flying directly in, there are lots of great travel opportunities in China!

Now that you have an overview and introduction to Guangzhou here are some of the other great destinations to add to your itinerary:

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Introduction to Guangzhou and Mainland China