Guangzhou is the capital city of the Chinese Province of Guangdong, an incredibly busy and fast moving city. In fact, this city alone houses more people than the entire island of Ireland plus Wales and the Isle of Man – it’s estimated that almost 13 million people are crammed into its madness!! On a backpacking trip round the city I picked out my top 5 of what to do in Guangzhou.
China rarely stands still and travel wise it has you gasping for breath, admiring in awe and wondering to yourself, if you could ever possibly see the whole country. So for this lifetime, I settled for a day in Guangzhou. Sight seeing, relaxing and eating was the plan. Though travelling rarely has a complete hat trick, and it really is hard to relax in this city.
1. View of the city’s skyline
From the riverside you get a decent view of Guangzhou, it’s a free activity as well which is always a bonus. There are a few places to get a decent view, one is near the Haizhu Bridge but the most popular place is in the New Town. You can get a decent view of Guangzhou’s ever changing skyline and marvel at the epic 600 metre high Canton Tower (once the highest tower in the world!).
2. Shamian Island
I honestly thought this was a wind up as Guangzhou is so far inland, I thought seeing an island was out of the question. Even more remarkable is that Shamian Island is actually bang in the city centre of Guangzhou rather than the hovering suburbs. And it’s worth a visit!
What you are greeted with are cobbled streets with European colonial style buildings. I found that remarkably odd that they are here – bang in the middle of a busy industrial Chinese city! It’s free to walk around and good for relaxing away from the madness of Guangzhou.
3. Mausoleum and Museum of the Nanyue King
This museum is good if you’re into ancient Chinese History. I merely went there as it was handy to get to (get out of the metro at Yuexiu Park and you’re there!). The cost of entry is 12 RMB and to be honest, that’s not a lot, so worth paying to go inside and take an hour or so to check the museum out.
The highlight is the hidden mausoleum which was discovered in June 1983 under the ground. There is also randomly a ceramic pillow section of the museum and a children’s play area. Some decent off the beaten track Chinese information and discoveries can be found here.
The museum is open all year round except February 28th and August 31st. Opening hours are 9 am to 5.30 pm (no entry after 4.45 pm)
How to get there? – Get off the metro at Yuexiu Park station – I think it was exit C.
4. Food Street
No visit to this sprawling metropolis would be complete without sampling some food, and the place to do it is “Food Street” (OK, so that’s not the real name for it, but that’s what I’m calling it). This can prove difficult to find, as obviously it’s all written in Chinese and it’s not obvious. A pedestrian street full of international restaurants. We went for Vietnamese for dinner and Chinese for pudding.
How to get there – we walked our way round the city most of the time. Food Street is near Haizhu Square metro station, and close to the Water Gate. The exact street name is Huifu Donghu (I believe) and if you get to the Huifu Food Market (2 pictures above), you’re on the right street – just keep walking.
5. Yue Xiu Park
Yue Xiu Park is a massive park in Guangzhou. Guangzhou actually has lots of parks, but this one contains a Memorial Hall to Sun Yat Sen, so again history wise it’s worth checking out.
There is also a five rams statue there, being an Aries (star sign) this was another photo opportunity. Entrance of course is free and it’s a decent place to relax.
Guangzhou has a lot to offer and I’ve only given you a top 5 of what to do in Guangzhou, I also visited a street called Xia Jiulu which is a very busy and packed shopping street with pretty buildings.
There is also a Sacred Heart Cathedral, an Art Gallery and a Martyrs Memorial. I found solace in the excellent Paddy Field Irish Pub – this place was the first time I ever visited an Irish Pub in China (I don’t count Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan) and I was served a pint of the black stuff.
Jonny Blair is a self confessed traveling nomad who founded and blogs at Don’t Stop Living. He sees every day as an adventure. Since leaving behind his home town of Bangor in Northern Ireland ten years ago he has traveled to all seven continents, working his way through various jobs and funding it all with hard work and an appetite for travel. Don’t Stop Living, a lifestyle of travel’ contains over 1,000 stories and tips from his journeys round the globe. He wants to show others how easy it is to travel the world, give them some ideas and encourage them to do the same but most of all he aims to constantly live a lifestyle of travel. He is currently based in Hong Kong and on Twitter @jonnyblair.
