Guangzhou
Dim sum, colonial Shamian Island and the Pearl River
Guangzhou is where Cantonese food comes from, and food is the reason to come. Dim sum in a morning teahouse, roast goose in a shop that has been doing it for a century, and seafood chosen from a tank and cooked to order. Between meals there is Shamian Island, a former colonial concession of arcaded streets under banyan trees; the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall; and the Canton Tower, 600 meters of twisted steel above the Pearl River.
It is also a convenient arrival point in China for travelers coming from Southeast Asia and Australia, and the natural first or last stop on a southern itinerary.
We build in the eating properly — a market walk, a dim sum morning with a local guide, and dinner somewhere you would not have found alone.
Places to see in Guangzhou
The highlights we build into almost every Guangzhou itinerary. Your own list can be longer, shorter, or somewhere else entirely.
Morning dim sum
The real thing, in a teahouse full of families and trolleys.
Shamian Island
A former colonial concession of arcaded streets and banyan trees on the river.
Canton Tower
Six hundred meters of twisted steel, with an open-air deck at 488 meters.
Chen Clan Ancestral Hall
The finest surviving Lingnan architecture, in carved stone, brick and wood.
Pearl River night cruise
The riverfront skyline lit up, an hour from White Swan to Canton Tower.
Kaiping Diaolou
Fortified 1920s village towers, two hours west, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Yuexiu Park
The city's central hill, with the Five Rams statue and the old city wall.
Beijing Road
A pedestrian mall over a glassed-in Song-dynasty street.
Tomb of the Nanyue King
A 2,000-year tomb with jade and a silk-painted coffin.
More places in China
Tell us what you want to see in Guangzhou
We do not publish fixed packages or prices, because almost nothing about a good trip to China is fixed. Send us your dates and interests and a specialist will design an itinerary around them — with a clear, itemized quotation.
- Your own English-speaking guide and private vehicle
- Hotels chosen for location, not for commission
- Tickets and permits booked on your behalf, including timed entries
- Free revisions until the trip is right
We reply to every inquiry within one business day.