Top Reasons to Visit Guangzhou
Guangzhou is one of the biggest cities in China, famous to the world for its economy. I guess most of you have heard of Guangzhou before you actually visit Guangzhou. Then Why should you visit Guangzhou?
Guangzhou is worthy of your travel, for its historical sites, natural sites and cultural sites. Here, Top China Travel, introduces Guangzhou in detail to you, and tells top reasons to visit China.
Top reasons to visit Guangzhou is an useful guide for planning a trip to Guangzhou, telling you convenient flights to Guangzhou, things to do in Guangzhou, best places to visit in Guangzhou, night things to do in Guangzhou, Guangzhou family trip with kids, recommending Guangzhou famous food and shopping street to you too.
Top Reason to Visit Guangzhou
Guangzhou is a big economy city, and a big port in China, and it has opened to the world for thousands of years. Guangzhou has trade with the world since a long time ago.
Canton Fair is the most attractive thing to some of you. Canton Fair is one of the biggest fair in the world, and it is held twice a year for 2 months, in April and October. Canton Fair gives a great opportunity to companies and businessmen to attend the world-level fair.
Guangzhou is crowded with companies, factories, and wholesale markets. Some of you would like to have a business trip to Guangzhou: visit companies and factories, see your clients and supplies, and buy wholesale goods. Guangzhou wholesale markets have tremendous goods which are exported to the world.
Why Visit Guangzhou-Convenient Flight to Guangzhou
Guangzhou is one of the major entry cities in China, and it has direct flights or connecting flights of most cities in the world.
Flight to Guangzhou from : Vancouver( 13 h 10min), Toronto( 15 h 30 min), New York (15 h 45 min), Los Angeles ( 14 h 50 min), Sydney( 9 h 45 min), Melbourne( 9 h 30 min), Auckland( 12 h), Manila( 2 h 30 min), Jakarta( 5 h 15 min), Bangkok( 2 h 50 min), Singapore( 4h 10min), Delhi( 5 h 15 min), London( 11 h 45 min), Paris( 11 h 35 min), Dubai( 7 h 15 min)
Guangzhou is close to Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai. Tourists and visitors could also go to Hong Kong first, and then take HIGH SPEED TRAIN from Hong Kong West Kowloon to Guangzhou.
As a huge port, Guangzhou could be visited by cruise. If you are a big liker of cruise, and you could take advantage of cruises.
Things to Do in Guangzhou-Baiyun Mountian and Canton Tower
Baiyun Mountain, or White Cloud Mountain, is the highest mountain in Guangzhou, and consists of 30 peaks. Baiyun Mountain is the best place in Guangzhou for hiking, and see spring sceneries. On the top of Baiyun Mountain, you could see the whole Guangzhou city. Tourists could take ropeway ride, take electromoble or walk to the mountain top.
Canton Tower is the best place to see Guangzhou night view from high place, and it is also the perfect place to have a thrilling experience and feel about your crazy heartbeat.
Canton Tower location: No.222, Yuejiang west road, Haizhu district, Guangzhou.
Canton Tower structure & entertainment: Canton Tower is 600 meters high and its main body is 454 meters high. From 168 meters to 334 meters, there is 1000-meter long Spider Walk. In the place of 422 meter high, a revolving restaurant is available for dining. In the top of tower body, 450-454 meters, the highest sky wheel is for having fun. In the 455-485 meters, Drop Tower Ride is the highest in the world, and it would definitely give you the craziest thrilling down ride. In the 488 meters, Rooftop observatory is the world’s highest observation deck for you to watch Guangzhou city.
Best Places to Visit in Guangzhou
(Above picture, Shamian Island)
Shamian Island, a historical site in Guangzhou, has many buildings of foreign styles. Its has quiet environment, and is a good place to take a stroll and relax your yourself.
Chen Family, also a museum, has collected lots of folk arts and architectural arts of Guangdong, such as stone carvings, wood carvings, paintings, and it is a place to see Guangzhou art culture.
Yuexiu Park is another land mark of Guangzhou, where you could see the Five Rams Sculpture(wonder why Guangzhou is called Goat city), see historical sites, like Guangzhou old city wall and visit Guangzhou Museum.
Night Thing to Do in Guangzhou- Pearl River Cruise
Pearl River is the mother river of Guangzhou, and Pearl River Cruise is one of the best ways to see Guangzhou night, shining under lights. It has two routes, the east route, and the west route. The east route is the most popular one, and the most beautiful section of this route is to see Canton Tower and Ersha Island.
Pearl River Cruise: it usually takes about 1 hour, and touriests could CHARMING GUANGZHOU IN NIGHT.
Pearl River Cruise Wharf: tourists could take cruise at several docks, like Dashatou Wharf, Tianzi Wharf and Canton Tower Wharf. Dashatou Wharf is the most picked one.
Famous Food in Guangzhou & Famous Shopping Streets
(Above picture/ Clay Pot Rice)
Famous food in Guangzhou are Steamed Vermicelli Roll( Cheung Fun), Wonton Noodles, Canton Morning Tea(Shao mai, Cha siu baau, crystal shrimp dumpling, Canton Dessert, Clay Pot Rice(Bao Zai Fan), Sampan Congee( Ting Zai Zhou)
Famous food streets: Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, Beijing Road Pedestrian Street, Baohua Street, Wenming Street.
Famous shopping streets: Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, Beijing Road Pedestrian Street
Guangzhou Family Trip, Things to Do for Kids in Guangzhou
Chimelong Tourist Resort is the best place for family trip in Guangzhou. Chimelong has Chimelong Water Park, Chimelong Paradise, Chimelong International Circus, Chimelong Safari Park and Guangzhou Crocodile Park.
Chimelong International Circus is highly recommended to you, where you could see wonderful professional performances, including magic, acrobatics, and circus. Chimelong Paradise has over 70 recreation facilities, and various thrilling programs for you to experience, like dive coaster.
Chimelong Safari Park is to see various animals from all over the world, and Chimelong Water Park is for having fun on water.
Chimelong has restaurants and hotels for you too. In Chimelong, you could enjoy yourself as long as you want.
Visit Guangzhou Right Now
Gorgeous Guangzhou. Credit: iStock-bingfengwu
One of China’s most ancient cities, Guangzhou has long been connected to the West — first as a thriving trade port and, more recently, as a manufacturing and garment hub. But the country’s third-largest metropolis is quickly shedding its skin and evolving into a fashionable getaway thanks to an influx of new restaurants, hotels and cultural experiences.
On the west side of the city, get lost in what feels like a time capsule of old Canton, with two-story Chinese shophouses and enormous public parks. On the east side, navigate through ultra-modern skyscrapers, museums and restaurants in Zhujiang New Town, the Central Business District of Tianhe. And in the middle? Leafy streets and residential pockets are quickly turning into hotbeds of trendy restaurants and wine bars.
Whether you have a 24-hour layover or a week to spare, Guangzhou is well worth a visit. Here’s five reasons you’ll want to explore the capital of Guangdong right now.
Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou. Credit: Ken Seet
Luxe Hotels
The city’s reputation as an important international travel destination was solidified when Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou opened its doors in 2008. But it wasn’t until Five-Star Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou debuted in 2012 that the city’s modern landscape began to emerge. The ambitious property set a new tone, crowning the International Finance Centre with panoramic views, an impressive atrium and contemporary rooms.
Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou came onto the scene in 2013 to complete the Five-Star trifecta with the city’s largest standard rooms, an enticing Five-Star spa and Four-Star Ebony grill, which holds China’s first gin bar.
Since then, a slew of high-end hotels have followed suit, including Conrad Guangzhou, which just opened in 2017. Located in the middle of the CBD (Central Business District), the Conrad is a haven for design lovers, featuring a specially commissioned Czech crystal light installation in the lobby, traditional Chinese architectural references and a collection of restaurants designed by Hong Kong-based creative Andre Fu.
Coming up next: Rosewood Guangzhou is slated to join the club later this year.
Lai Heen. Credit: The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou
Amazing Cantonese Cuisine…
This is the birthplace of Cantonese cooking, and there’s no shortage of fantastic dim sum spots, high-end venues and casual snack stalls around town to satiate your craving. For an ultra-luxurious experience, we’d suggest booking a table at Lai Heen, the signature fine-dining restaurant of The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou. It’s a sanctuary of calm, serving exquisite dishes such as poached sunflower chicken, braised shrimp and delicate crab — complete with wine pairings from the sommelier.
Looking for something a little more low-key? Wait in line for famous black char siu (barbecued pork) and silky tofu braised in spring water at Bingsheng. Conveniently enough, there’s a location in Zhujiang New Town, across the street from the beautiful Five-Star Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou.
…And Other Trendy Restaurants
Cantonese cuisine aside, Guangzhou has welcomed a stream of new eateries with influences from all over the globe. Atlas Kitchen prepares fresh salads and Sichuan-inspired sandwiches in a rustic-chic co-working space in the Tianhe District.
Meanwhile, Cocina promises Spanish flavors from a lofty, stylish perch on the trendy Zhujiang Party Pier — a collection of restaurants, bars and event venues along the Pearl River.
But Social & Co. is the place to go for excellent wining and dining. Here, you’ll find a friendly atmosphere, antipodean wines, homestyle New Zealand cuisine and pared-back interiors along a leafy residential street in the aforementioned Tianhe District.
Guangzhou Library. Credit: iStock-efired
Heritage Buildings
As one of China’s oldest cities, Guangzhou offers a diverse architectural landscape. One of the best places to experience it is on Shamian Island, formerly a French and British concession in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Resembling a tiny European town, the pedestrian-only island was an important trade port along the Pearl River. Today, it’s still peppered with grand mansions, churches, government buildings and banyan trees. Among the roughly 150 buildings, the architecture varies from Gothic to Neoclassical to Baroque, and each has a plaque to explain its original purpose.
Modern Architecture
The heritage architecture provides a peek into Guangzhou’s past, while modern construction establishes the city as the powerhouse it is today. A walk along the Tianhe promenade — a pedestrian area just north of the Pearl River in the Central Business District — connects you with many of the city’s contemporary architectural highlights.
Head to Huacheng Square to take in the Zaha Hadid Architects-designed Guangzhou Library, the funky Guangdong Museum, the towering International Finance Centre and, across the river, the twisting Canton Tower — home to the world’s third-highest observation center and tallest Ferris wheel. It’s a little bit touristy, but the transparent cabins tracing the roof’s periphery provide soaring views over the city.
Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street. Credit: iStock-Sean Pavone Photo
Buzzing Markets
You can’t go to Guangzhou without checking out the thriving shopping scene. From dried foods (used in traditional Chinese medicine) in the Qingping Medicine Market to fashionable finds at Liuhua wholesale market, Guangzhou is a shopper’s paradise.
To get a taste of the local style, explore a main retail district like Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street or Beijing Road Pedestrian Street in the evening, where you’ll encounter street food hawkers, fast fashion and outposts from big-name international brands like Nike.
The Huangsha seafood market is also worth a visit — either to ogle the exotic abalone, geoduck, horn snails, cockles, cuttlefish and jumbo prawns, or sit down for a no-frills meal. There are several restaurants here where you can choose your dinner, then watch it cooked up fresh. Just be sure to come prepared with a few key Mandarin phrases, if you don’t speak the language.