3 Days Guangzhou Short Stay with All Highlights
Comprehensive Exploration in Classic Way
Comprehensive Exploration in Classic Way
Guangzhou, nestled on the hub of the Pearl River Delta, is the third-largest city in China as well as one of the most prosperous cities in China. Someone says there is no exciting sites to explore in this commercial city and transportation hub, BUT, I should put a new answer here "once you slow down your steps in Guangzhou, you will meet a charming Guangzhou beyond your imagination".
Guangzhou is a compatible city holding over 2200 years’ history, acting as the frontier of Chinese Reform and Opening, well-blended with Chinese and Western culture, as well as combining inland and marine culture...No matter which site you visit and what you feel should be "innovation", "practicability", "openness", and "pioneering spirit"! This tour is best designed for travelers who have 3 days to get a comprehensive exploration about every aspect of Guangzhou - from history to culture, from Cantonese food to daily life, from traditional architecture art to the modern side of Guangzhou! You are here more than for sightseeing, but for seeking for roots and eating! Why not go with China Discovery in the most classic way to "taste" Guangzhou?
Day 1 Guangzhou Arrival
Flight / Train to Guangzhou
Ni Hao! Welcome to Guangzhou, the third largest city in China. Upon arrival, you will be met by your local guide at the arrival hall of the airport or train station. Then, be escorted to check in your hotel in downtown by a private comfortable car. The rest of today is on your own to explore this modern metropolis. If you want to explore nearby, feel free to get some practical suggestions from your tour guide.
Arrival Ideas: Guangzhou is a large international city with great transportation connections including many international and domestic flights to and from. Furthermore, high speed trains are quite convenient from most domestic cities including Hong Kong (about 1 hour), Shenzhen (0.5-1.5 hours), Guilin (2.5-3.5 hours), Guiyang (4-6.5 hours), Beijing (8-10 hours), Shanghai (7-8.5 hours), Chengdu (9-10 hours), Xian (8-9 hours), Hangzhou (6-7.5 hours), and so on.
Day 2 Guangzhou (B, L)
Chen Clan Ancestral Hall - Temple of the Six Banyan Trees - Yuexiu Park - Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall - Beijing Road
After breakfast, your local guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. First, visit the must-see Chen Clan Ancestral Hall which is regarded as the largest, most beautifully decorated and best preserved traditional ancestral temple in Guangdong Province. Roam among the tranquil houses and courtyards built during 1888-1894 to discover its architectural origin and find out whether it was an ancestral hall or an academy for the Chen Family in Guangdong initially. Since it is famous as the “Pearl of Lingnan Architectural Art”, you will taste the super exquisite colorful decorations of vivid patterns of various flora and fauna, figures and immortals to feel the highly skillful construction and decoration of Lingnan people and know their typical folk culture and best wishes of harvest and prosperity in ancient China.
Later, pay a short visit to the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees. With a history about 1500 years, this temple is one of the birthplace of Chinese Zen Buddhism where you can have a simple understanding about Chinese Buddhism. Walk leisurely and admire the 57.6-meter octangular brick-wood Flower Pagoda and see some exquisite Buddha statues.
Afterwards, be transferred to Yuexiu Park - the largest city park in Guangzhou. Stroll leisurely in the verdant park to see the Five Rams Statue from which you will savor the interesting legendary story of the five rams and know why Guangzhou is called the “City of Rams”. Then, continue to appreciate a five-storey ancient structure in red - Zhenhai Tower which was changed as Guangzhou Museum. Have a brief learning about Guangzhou’s over 2000 years’ history and if you like, climb up the tower to get a bird’s-eye view of Guangzhou city. Then, move your steps to the nearby Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall which was built in memory of the great revolutionist Sun Yat-sen. Enjoy the Chinese and Western combining styled octagon-shaped main building in bright red and blue from outside. Enter the hall to know Dr. Sun deeper with excellent exhibitions of his biography and contribution to the country and people, and get a simple learning about the contemporary history of China in the 18th - 19th centuries. Before leaving, admire the 5.5-meter tall bronze statue of Dr. Sun outside in the yard and show your respect to this world famous great Father of the Nation in China.
The last stop is taking a simple walk along Beijing Road with hundreds of years’ history. This bustling commercial street is packed with shops, malls and restaurants and you can feel the prosperity of old Guangzhou by visiting some ancient sites and if you like, try some local snacks here.
Evening Optional Experience: Enjoy the 70-minute fascinating Pearl River night cruise and soak in the wonderful sightseeing of lights and neon of historical architectures and new modern towering buildings to feel the pulse of this developed city. You won’t miss the Canton Tower during the cruise.
Yuexiu Park Five Rams Statue
Day 3 Guangzhou & Guangzhou Departure (B, L)
Canton Tower - Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King - Shamian Island - Guangzhou Departure
After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. Firstly, you will be transferred to the landmark of Guangzhou - Canton Tower, the third tallest TV tower in the world with a height of 600 meters. Have an observation of the “Slim Waist” in close distance and get atop for a panoramic view of the whole city if weather permits.
Your next stop is Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King which was built at the real tomb site of Zhao Mo, the second King of Western Han Dynasty 2000 years ago. The tomb is the largest and the best preserved color-painted stone chamber found to date in the Lingnan region in South China. Discover the burial chamber and appreciate the precious historical relics found there in the exhibition halls to learn the culture, history, economy, etc. of Lingnan area. Among all the 1,000 pieces of cultural artifacts, you won’t miss the spotlight “Jade Burial Garment” which is made up of 2291 pieces of jade, and also a collection of over 400 delicate ceramic pillows.
After that, have a break and enjoy the specially arranged Cantonese lunch and dim sum in one of the best reputed local restaurants along Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street area to know why Cantonese food is so famous and popular around the world. (Note of Today’s Lunch: Cantonese food is arranged as lunch of Day 3, and it can be adjusted on Day 2 of this tour according your needs. If you are interested in other kinds of food, please tell your needs to your guide directly.)
Later, be transferred to see the quite different Shamian Island where over 150 European styled old buildings from the colonial period from 19th century are well preserved for a nice savory. Take a relaxing walk in the strongly exotic street block in emerald and imagine the past life and changes of Guangzhou told by those historical remains.
After the tour, your guide and driver will escort you to the airport / train station to catch the flight / train to your next destination or home. Service ends!
1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel
and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your
traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of
currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2026.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 7.00. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change
according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.
Hi Rita,
My husband and I were on a tour to South-West China Oct 08-24, 2024
Overall, we had a wonderful time on our trip.
Organisation
Everything you organised went very smoothly, just like clockwork.
Guides
In each city, on our arrival we were met by our guide.
Our guides were:
Chengdu - Ellen
Jiuzhaoigou - Mary
Chonqing - Shemy
Yichang - Nancy
Generally the guides were knowledgeable about their city. They were also very friendly, and flexible in accommodating our requests and also showed their professionalism by always being on time in the morning and during our time with them.
3 of our guides (Ellen in Chengdu, Mary in Jiuzhaigou and Nancy in Yichang) were very good. It was obvious that they took great pride in their work.
Ellen, Our guide in Chengdu, was excellent. She knew the city, its culture and history well. She was an obvious' foodie' who took us to some of the most interesting places to eat. She introduced us to the cuisine of Chengdu and the dished she chose were excellent. One of the restaurants we went to was out in the countryside and the ambience was amazing.
We were very impressed that she went out of the way to help us find a cobbler to mend my husband's shoes which gave way late on the last day of our Chengdu trip with Ellen. It would have been hard to find a replacement because of his shoe size. She managed to find and to persuade (after much hard and LOUD negotiation) a cobbler to repair the shoes even though it was late and he was about to close his shop for the day. She even managed to get him to send the repaired shoes to our hotel for a small charge. The cobbler did an amazing job. The shoes are still fine even after our trip to Jiuzhaigou and Chongqing and they still look as good as new even now. The cobbler in his small little shop did really quality work. If you need any shoes to be repaired, ask Ellen.
Shemy our guide in Chongqing was very enthusiastic and friendly but she needs to improve her English. Aside from basic instructions, we had a difficult time trying to understand her and we think she also had a hard time understanding us and our questions. We could also have done with more help regarding dishes we had for one of our meals.
We were told by Shemy that the Yichang guide would meet us at the Century Oasis when it docked in Yichang. However, we were informed by the ship's personnel that when the boat docked, we had to transfer our luggage to the Yichang Tourist Centre where our guide would meet us to take us to the railway station for our trip back to Chongqing. We were in a quandry and a bit stressed because of the conflicting instructions. The ship's personnel, kindly agreed to contact our Yichang guide to confirm that the guide, Nancy, would be meeting us and our bags, not at the dock, but at the Tourist Centre.
Mary, our guide in Jiuzhaigou, was proficient in English and was very helpful. Owing to a traffic jam because of a vehicular accident along the way, we lost some time and so had to modify our programme. Mary knew the area well and guided us in choosing the best sites to visit in the time we had. She was very patient and caring and was always checking to see how we were managing with the climb and generally guided us along areas where the crowds were not so overwhelming. We visited some spectacular sites. We also had a chance to try Tibetan tea of barley and yak milk and Tibetan barley bread. All in all, a unique experience for us.
Nancy was our guide in Yichang. Although we spent only a brief time with her, we were very impressed with her. Nancy was very fluent in English. She was both the driver and our guide. Her instructions were precise and clear. When she took us to the train station for our trip back to Chongqing, she took us to a cafe in the station where we could have our lunch and helped us to order our food. The she cleared our tickets so that we did not have to queue to get onto the train platform. All her actions demonstrated a high level of service. Although she lives in Yichang we think she would be an excellent guide in any of the bigger cities once she got to know the place and its surrounds well.
Transportation
The cars we travelled in were all very very nice, clean and comfortable. We were highly impressed with all the drivers. They were very friendly. Besides being very helpful, especially with loading and unloading our luggage, they were also very patient and skilful drivers who conveyed us safely through, often, very heavy traffic and on long journeys.
The high speed trains were clean and comfortable.
Hotels
The beds on all the hotels were very clean and comfortable. The hotels in Chengdu and Chongqing were excellent - clean comfortable with all the amenities we needed. In fact the hotel in Chongqing were way above our expectations as we literally got an apartment with a great river view, not just a room. The breakfasts provided by these 2 hotels were also excellent.
The hotel in Jiuzhaigou was a bit of a disappointment. Although the bed was clean and very comfortable, the room was small and rather run-down. The bathroom had a nice big shower stall but there was mold on the wall and in various areas in the bathroom. We tried the breakfast but did not find it appetising so we skipped it.
Sights
We think China is a very beautiful country with so much history, culture and nature to enjoy. Being on a guided tour, we had less contact with the ordinary people than we would normally have when we do a free-and-easy trip. But, all in all, we had a great trip and we would like to visit China again.
For your information
Thank you for your gifts of the pandas and the fans which Ellen handed to us with your compliments.
I recommended China Discovery to my friends and family. Consequently, my brother and his family have booked, with China Discovery, a trip at the end of this year. I do not know who in your company is organising his trip.
Thank you.
Wishing you
A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!
Bibiana
Hi Tracy, evaluation form as follows
1. Tracy is ever patient in clarifying our queries. Even when on vacation herself, she answered our email. When we made several adjustments to our itinerary, Tracy dutifully made changes and updated us. As my elderly mother is only able to read in Chinese, I requested for a Chinese itinerary. Although it was not available, Tracy typed out the summarised daily itinerary just for us. We really appreciate Tracy's dedication in providing excellent service to us.
2. The local guides at all the districts are professional, knowledgeable and very friendly. All of them took extra care of my elderly mother who is 75 years old. On my birthday, Xiao Rong (Eileen) of Kunming even prepared a bouquet of flowers and a gift for me. Her recommendations for eating out were all very good. We enjoyed the Guo Qiao Mi Xian at Yun Xian Lou and the lunch we had before visiting the Stone Forest was fantastic! When we left for Dali, she prepared fruits for us. She is very generous and thoughtful indeed. Amy Du of Lijiang was very apologetic about us missing out on Mu Mansion tour, even though it was because we moved from point to point at a pace too leisurely in Dali. We eventually arrived late in Lijiang and could not enter Mu Mansion before its closing time at 5pm. She was especially considerate to us trying to acclimatise to high altitude and observed us carefully and gave us tips to avoid altitude sickness.
Travelling from point to point throughout the whole itinerary was at a leisurely and comfortable pace. Our main transport were minivans. The drivers drove in a safe manner that puts us at ease. From Dali to Shangrila, the minivan was new and very comfortable. The service staff at ArroKhampa in Shangrila were especially affable and friendly. It was very interesting to chat with them during our cosy breakfasts.
3. Yes, I'm willing to recommend your service to people who also have an interest in visiting China. In fact, we have already done so.
4. We are impressed with the service provided by your company and the tour guides. We greatly appreciate your seamless service and never felt lost throughout the trip. It was truly an enjoyable experience.
5. It will be helpful if the presence of your company is publicised in Singapore and the region.
Chua
Hi Wonder, here are feedbacks.
1. My travel consultant always answers all my queries patiently and promptly and provides advice when appropriate.
2. We are happy with the tour arrangement. We wanted a more relaxing tour and we are happy that the tour was well arranged. It was not rushed but we were able to visit all the places we wanted without feeling tired. We were happy with the tour guide and driver. The guide was very friendly and helpful and made us feel like her friends. The driver was a careful driver and was helpful.
3. I am happy to recommend your company.
Hoon
Dear Reya and Judy,
Sorry for the delay in replying. After our return, we had a lot of accumulated work and we also struggled a bit with the time difference....
We hereby thank you for the beautiful and unforgettable experiences. Your city is beautiful, modern and clean. Ancient monuments breathtaking. Judy did a great job. She was kind and patient with our poor knowledge of English, she actually spent the whole Sunday with us and was very helpful in everything. We really have a lot to remember.
Thank you very much.
Best regards
Jana with family and friends.
Thanks, Jack.
Happy New Year.
It was a great two days comprehensive tour of Putuoshan organised by you. The timing, transportation and meal breaks and selection of restaurants, hotels are great. You have been very helpful and with your good connections at Putuoshan, the trip was very enjoyable. Your good knowledge of the temples we visited was a great help. I will not hesitate to recommend you anytime.
Regards,
Choon
excellent assistance, helpfulness and courtesy. My contact 'was Shirley, prepared friendly and punctual. Highly recommended...
"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.
Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.
Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!
After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.
Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.
We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.
Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.
Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.
Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!
Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!
Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.
Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!
In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!
The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.
If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.
Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.
We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.
The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.
There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.
All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!
Yuexiu Park Five Rams Statue
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Guangzhou
Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family
Temple of the Six Banyan Trees
View Canton Tower in Daytime
Jade Burial Garment at Museum of the Mausoleum of Nanyue King
European Styled Historical Architecture at Shamian Island
Various Kinds of Cantonese Dim Sum
Guangzhou City and the whole Guangdong Province has implemented the 144 hour visa free transit policy, which enables visitors from the specific 53 countries with valid travel document & connecting (flight, ship, trains) tickets to a third country/region to enter and via Guangdong Province no more than 6 days without applying for Chinese Visa. The 32 valid ports include 5 airports (Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport…), 4 railway stations (Guangzhou East Railway Station…), 8 highway / road ports (Luohu Port in Shenzhen…) and 15 harbor / sea ports (Guangzhou Port, Nansha Port, LianHuaShan Port…). And the countries include 25 European Schengen Visa Agreement countries (Austria, Germany, Italy…), 14 Other European countries (Russia, United Kingdom, Ireland…), 6 America countries (United States, Canada, Brazil…), 2 Oceania countries (Australia and New Zealand) and 6 Asian countries (South Korea, Japan, Singapore…)
As one of the busiest transportation hub cities in China, Guangzhou is connected with the world with many international flights to and from countries including America, Australia, Canada, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, India, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, etc. Besides, high speed bullet trains are well served to and from most domestic cities like Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Shenzhen, Guilin, Guiyang, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xiamen, Wuhan, Changsha, etc.
Guangzhou situated in southern China is suitable to visit all around the year. The best time for tourists is from March to early May and from September to December when sunny days appear most and comfortable temperature around 24℃ can be easily enjoyed. Also, lots of flowers are blooming to beautify this city for a better traveling mood. However, It changes some cold with humid during January and February. And high temperature and reason period occur more during June and August. Umbrella and sunblock are advised anytime to Guangzhou.
Since Guangzhou is a super modern and prosperous city, countless hotels, hostels and homestays from extremely luxury, like Sheraton, Shanri-La, Crown Plaza, Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, etc. to real budget can be easily found. Top international brands gather most in Tianhe District where you can also savor the very modern cityscape of Guangzhou. Yuexiu District and Liwan District have most tourist attractions, and various kinds of accommodations are offered with relatively better prices. If you visit Guangzhou for Canton Fair, Pazhou and Haizhu District is a wise choice with a lot of high standard 4-5 star hotels and comfort ones. Besides, a series of good and cozy hotels are arranged around Baiyun International Airport in Huadu District for your convenient early flight catching.
Eating in Guangzhou! There are quite diverse kinds of food, such as traditional Cantonese cuisines, morning tea with delicate dim sum, Cantonese old fire soups, sea food, snacks along the streets… All the meals of this tour can be arranged flexibly according to your likes and needs. Besides, if you want to enjoy other kinds of food like American food, French food, Italian food, Japanese Sushi, Southeast Asian food, Sichuan food, etc. Just tell your guide directly!
The itinerary of your Guangzhou trip can be tailor-made according to what you like and how much budget you are planning. For most visitors, Chen Clan Ancestral Hall is the top one to admire excellent architectural arts and culture of Guangzhou and whole Lingnan area, Yuexiu Park tells you how Guangzhou changes to a city and about her nickname, Shamian Island keeps the look of Guangzhou during the period of war, and Huacheng Square as well as Canton Tower show the nowadays brand-new prosperity of this trading city. If you like, you can choose to ascend Canton Tower to have a bird’s eye view of Guangzhou. No matter you are businesspersons, family with kids, culture lovers, foodies, you can be fully satisfied in Guangzhou.
Guangzhou is served the first gateway city in Guangdong Province that most travelers would arrive in Guangzhou first and then make a trip to its surrounding destinations. To extend you tour longer to explore stunning cultural highlights, it is a good idea to spend 1 day in Foshan (the center of Lingnan Culture, Lion Dancing, Kung Fu Martial Arts), 1 day in Shunde (the origin of Cantonese Cuisine), 1 day in Jiangmen (Kaiping Diaolous & Villages), or 1 day in Shenzhen (fast development with incredible Shenzhen speed), etc. Tell us which destinations you like and we can arrange the trip for you.
Canton Fair, also known as China Import and Export Fair, is world famous trade fair held in the spring and autumn seasons every year. During the opening period, the fair will be open from 9:30 to 18:00 and will go on the weekends.
| / | Spring Session | Autumn Session |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | April 15th - 19th | October 15th - 19th |
| Phase 2 | April 23rd - 27th | October 23rd - 27th |
| Phase 3 | May 1st - 5th | October 31st - November 4th |
If you wan to some help or want to enjoy day break to see some highlights of Guangzhou during the Canton Fair, just feel free to tell us your ideas.
As there are quite a lot of popular tourist destinations in China and Guangzhou has really convenient transportation by air, railway and road with them, you can totally consider traveling beyond Guangzhou to catch more beauty, culture, history and other highlights of this vast country, such as the imperial constructions and great wall in Beijing, amazing and remote Terracotta Warriors in Xian, subtle Karst landform view in Guilin, world-class fascinating skyline and shopping paradise in Hong Kong, to name but a few. Please feel free to tell us any idea you are thinking about, and our professional travel expert from China Discovery will help you plan your Guangzhou China trip with sincerity and rich experience and knowledge!
Guangzhou / Foshan
Guangzhou / Kaiping
“Very good experience”
“WONDERFUL 25 DAYS IN CHINA - PRIVATE TOUR”
“Awesome China tour from northeast to southwest”
2,090+ Reviews
