GUANGZHOU · DAY TRIPS
Day trips from Guangzhou
Guangzhou is the principal hub of the Pearl River Delta and sits less than an hour from Shenzhen, Foshan, and Zhongshan by high-speed rail. It also has ferry connections to Hong Kong and a range of natural and cultural sites within a two-hour radius.
Destinations within reach
Foshan
佛山
- How to get there
- Metro Line 7 or Guangfo express metro; effectively a connected city
- What to see
- Ancestors Temple (Zumiao) — 600-year-old Daoist complex; Dragon Boat Museum; ceramics and silk craft streets.
- Why go
- The birthplace of Bruce Lee's Wing Chun style; the temple complex is genuinely impressive and undervisited by tourists.
Zhongshan
中山
- How to get there
- High-speed train from Guangzhou South; new Shenzhen–Zhongshan Bridge further improves connections from 2024
- What to see
- Sun Yat-sen's birthplace and memorial; Cuiheng Village historic district; Zhuhai coastline nearby.
- Why go
- A quieter counterpart to Guangzhou; good for understanding Sun Yat-sen's role in modern Chinese history.
Zhuhai
珠海
- How to get there
- Train from Guangzhou South to Zhuhai station; ferry from Guangzhou Nansha port
- What to see
- Lover's Road coastal path; Zhuhai Fisher Girl statue; Hengqin Island Chimelong resort if travelling with children.
- Why go
- A clean, walkable coastal city with Macao accessible via a short border crossing.
Kaiping Diaolou
开平碉楼
- How to get there
- Coach from Guangzhou Fangcun bus station; or chartered car
- What to see
- UNESCO-listed multi-storey watchtower villages — a blend of Western and traditional Chinese architecture built by returning overseas Chinese.
- Why go
- A genuinely unusual UNESCO landscape; the Li Garden and Zili Village are the most accessible clusters.
Conghua Hot Springs
从化温泉
- How to get there
- Coach from Guangzhou bus stations; car hire
- What to see
- Natural hot spring resort in forested mountain setting; Liuxi River scenic area.
- Why go
- A popular weekend retreat from Guangzhou's humidity; better in cooler months (November–March).
Nanling National Forest Park
南岭国家森林公园
- How to get there
- Chartered car or organised tour from Guangzhou
- What to see
- Dense subtropical mountain forest; waterfalls and hiking trails; cooler temperatures than the delta.
- Why go
- Good option from June to September when Guangzhou is at its hottest and most humid.
Xiqiao Mountain
西樵山
- How to get there
- Coach from Guangzhou West bus station to Nanhai; local bus to Xiqiao
- What to see
- Rocky forested hill with Buddhist temples; Nanhai Guanyin statue (reportedly one of the tallest in Asia).
- Why go
- An accessible half-day natural escape with cultural interest; combine with nearby Nanhai silk town.
Verified May 2026