The Ultimate Xiamen Travel Guide for a Perfect Trip
Known as "Egret Island", the habitat of egrets, Xiamen is a famous port scenic tourist city on the southeast coast of China. This "garden on the sea" where "the city is on the sea, the sea is in the city" is not only like spring in all seasons, but also islands, reefs, rocks, temples, flowers, and trees set against each other, making it like the fairy island of Penglai embedded in the secular world. With clean streets, fresh air, delicious seafood, flavorful local snacks, comfortable slow-paced life as well as beautiful seaside scenery, it has become a mecca for petty bourgeoisie travel and one of the best cities to tour China. Here, you can feel the so-called ease, diversity, and simplicity, but also vividness, culture, and modernity. Follow the below ultimate travel guide to plan a perfect Xiamen trip!
Best time to visit Xiamen and Xiamen climate
Xiamen is most suitable for travel in spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November), at these periods, the weather is refreshing and the temperature is pleasant, and many varieties of flowers in Xiamen are mainly blooming in these two seasons. Winter is another good time to travel there because of the warmer weather and fewer tourists. It has plenty of sunshine and flourishing flowers and trees throughout the year. The overall temperature in Xiamen is relatively mild, with an annual average temperature of 20.9°C and a minimum of 4°C. The summer here is relatively hot, with temperatures above 30°C from July to August.
Xiamen has a subtropical climate, mild and rainy, with an average annual temperature of about 21°C. There is no severe heat in summer and severe cold in winter. The average annual rainfall is about 1200 mm, with the most rainfall from May to August each year. The wind is generally level 3 to 4, and the prevailing wind is northeast. Due to the temperature difference in the Pacific Ocean, it is affected by 4 to 5 typhoons each year, and most of them are concentrated in July and August.
Xiamen brief Information
Chinese Name: 厦门
English Name: Xiamen, Amoy, or Hsiamen
Geographical Location: Southeast Coast of Fujian Province, West Coast of Taiwan Strait
Area: 1700.61 km²
Population: 4.29 million (2019)
Climate: South subtropical maritime monsoon climate
Airport: Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, Xiamen Xiang'an International Airport
Railway Station: Xiamen Station, Xiamen North Station
Integrating with the hometown of overseas Chinese, unique folk customs of Fujian and Taiwan, tasteful seaside food, and exotic architecture, even the former US President Nixon once praised Xiamen as the "Oriental Hawaii". Set foot on this fascinating land, soaking up in the bright sunshine and the gentle sea breeze, tossing in the literary and artistic shops, nostalgic in the beautiful Xiamen University, wandering in the secluded temples, taking pictures of the beautiful seaside scenery, encountering a cat or dog, such a slow life is the best travel experience this "Egret Island" can give tourists.
Top things to do in Xiamen
1. Gulangyu Island: Every street is beautiful
Gulangyu is considered to be the most anticipated destination in Xiamen. The architecture of all nations on the island has a history of more than 100 years, and you can feel the joy of appreciation when traveling through these exquisitely designed buildings and gardens.
Sunlight Rock is still the most popular attraction on Gulangyu Island for more than ten years, where you can take a perfect photo of the red roofs of the island and the coastal scenery of Xiamen. Some of the gardens, buildings, and museums on the island have their own merits and unique characteristics. You can visit them one by one on this small island on foot.
The delicacy, unique shops, and homestays have also attracted many tourists to Gulangyu Island. The food street on Longtou Road has been popular for a long time. Several shops have been popular for many years, and they are still crowded today. The newly opened stores are also not weak, from the taste of the food, the characteristics of the products to the decoration of the store, guests can experience the vitality of this island.
Photographers and photo enthusiasts can play their talents on any street in Gulangyu Island. The architecture and streetscape here are extremely photogenic. Perhaps the biggest problem is how to avoid the crowds.
2. Huandao Road: Xiamen experience by the Seaside
Rather than saying that Huandao Road is a scenic spot in Xiamen, it is better to say that this is a way to experience Xiamen. This coastal island city has a long coastline. From ancient times to the present, the lives of locals have always been closely related to the sea. To Xiamen, the seafront is not so much a landscape, it is more like a lifestyle that is infinitely close to Xiamen.
The Huandao Road is 31 kilometers long, you can walk one section or rent a bicycle for cycling. The elite section of Huandao Road includes the coast from Xiamen University to the Convention and Exhibition Center, which is called the "golden coastline" because of its beautiful scenery. If you think the roundabout road is too long, you can just punch in this part.
Along the way, you will pass some scenic spots and sculptures on the seafront. If you want to relax or step on the sea, you can rest for a while on the pebbled beach, but you must pay attention to safety near the sea.
3. Zhongshan Road: Experience the prosperity of Xiamen
If only choosing a well-known commercial street in a city, in Xiamen, Zhongshan Road should be the best option in your must-do list. This old arcade street with a sense of time is not only the old predecessors of the commercial street that can be compared with Wangfujing and Nanjing Road but also a witness to the development of Xiamen. Nowadays, with the presence of more trendy and fashionable shops, this place has developed into a unique business card of Xiamen's prosperity.
Zhongshan Road is an ideal place in Xiamen to stroll around, eat, and go shopping. In terms of delicacy, there are quite a lot of time-honored gourmet restaurants here, gathered in the "food circle" between the three parallel streets of Shengping Road, Datong Road, and Zhongshan Road. Visitors can use this as a route to taste the good local flavors. In addition, it is also the “best shopping” commercial center in Xiamen with large commercial centers and various trendy fashion brands, as well as souvenirs and gift shops that are worth buying. Many of the long-established "net celebrity shops" in Xiamen have branches on Zhongshan Road, so you can visit them all at once.
4. Minnan Old Streets: Recalling the Past of Xiamen
The southern Fujian culture is long and profound, with ancient buildings and characteristic arcade streets as the representative of it. These vicissitudes of old buildings have been perfectly preserved, showing the past of Xiamen.
With Zhongshan Road as the core, the well-preserved modern arcade is a symbol of the "old city's historical district". The mottled walls, messy window edges, and various neon signs shorten the distance between tourists and the old Xiamen and also give tourists a unique experience of breaking into the old days.
The old streets in this area are distributed in "four verticals and one horizontal", including Zhongshan Road and West Xiahe, Datong Road, Siming West Road, Siming South Road, and Siming North Road.
5. Xiamen University: a refreshing student era
Known as one of the "most beautiful university campuses in China", although it is a university, Xiamen University is a must-see for travelers to Xiamen. Xiamen University has a history of more than a hundred years, and there are still many historical buildings. The vitality of the students on the campus is intertwined with the deep heritage here so that visitors will not miss their student days and have a beautiful illusion of returning to the campus and waiting for class.
Top attractions to visit in Xiamen
1. Gulangyu Island
Located in the southwest corner of Xiamen Island and declared as the “World Cultural Heritage” in 2017. The exquisite bungalows on the island, the age-like architecture, and nature are just right, and you can feel a pleasant old time while walking around. With Longtou Road as the core is the commercial center of Gulangyu Island, countless specialty gift shops, coffee shops, and various snack bars make this the noisiest area. Buying a "Chapter Book" and stamping it in each shop is also an essential experience in Gulangyu. In addition, there is a collection of popular attractions such as Shuzhuang Garden, Sunlight Rock, Haoyue Garden, Piano Museum, etc.
2. South Putuo Temple
A famous temple in southern Fujian offers excellent scenery with beautiful peaks on its back and facing a dark blue seaport. Located in front of Wulao Peak, one of the eight scenic spots in Xiamen, from here, you may have a 30-50 minutes’ wonderful short hike to the top of Wulao Peak along the trail behind the temple to have a panoramic view of Xiamen University, the twin towers of Xiamen and the vast sea. The most famous in South Putuo Temple is the vegetarian dishes on the 2nd floor of its vegetarian restaurant and the temple’s vegetarian biscuits. With two flavors, sweet and salty, the vegetarian biscuits are a good souvenir.
3. Nanjing Tulou
About 98Km away from Xiamen, it is known as the national 5A scenic spot, built before the 11th century with a history of more than 1,000 years. Here you can enjoy a large collection of featured Tulou (Earth building) including the tallest, largest, smallest, most peculiar, and most well-protected ones.
4. Yongding Tulou
Declared a world cultural heritage, the age-old Yongding Tulou has various types of earth buildings such as round buildings, square buildings, etc. among them, the mountain dwellings are the most outstanding and unique, highlighting the ancient tradition of Hakka people living together. There are more than 4,000 surviving Tulou, hence, reputed as ‘a Chinese Hakka Tulou Museum without a gate’.
5. Zengcuo'an
Zengcuo'an was once a dilapidated small fishing village, nowadays, it has become a gathering place for gourmets, coffee shops, and various literary and artistic souvenir shops, which attracts a large number of tourists. In the daytime, you may stroll around to taste the roadside specialties, visit the souvenir shops, and take some literary and artistic photos. After nightfall, it is a great choice to find a petty-bourgeois café to take a break or go to a bar to spend a summer night.
6. Jimeixue Village
Funded and established by Mr. Tan Kah Kee, Jimeixue Village includes Kah Kee Architecture, Dragon Boat Pond, Kah Kee's Former Residence, Tan Kah Kee's Life Deeds Exhibition Hall, Kah Kee Park, Ao Garden, and other attractions. The pavilions, terraces, corridors, and buildings in the village are small and elegant, decorated with glazed roofs, dragon ridges and phoenix eaves, carved beams, and painted buildings. The overall architectural style is a combination of Chinese and Western styles, as well as the typical style of the hometown of overseas Chinese in southern Fujian. Among them, Jimei Middle School and Aoyuan are the most beautiful places in the village.
How to get to Xiamen and travel around
As a famous tourist city, Xiamen has a very convenient transportation. Travelers can easily get to Xiamen by flight, train, long-distance bus, and ship. The most convenient way would be flight and train as very few travelers would choose bus or ship.
Flight to Xiamen
There are 2 airports in Xiamen, one is Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport and the other is Xiamen Xiang'An International Airport which is scheduled to put into use by 2023. As of September 2017, Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport has 109 navigable cities(83 domestic cities, 20 international cities, and 6 regions), 182 domestic and foreign routes (145 domestic routes and 37 international and regional routes), and 40 airlines in operation (25 domestic airlines and 15 overseas airlines).
Train to Xiamen
There are two main railway stations in Xiamen, Xiamen Station and Xiamen North Station (High-speed train station). Every day, there are various regular trains and high-speed trains departing from Xiamen, passing through or ending in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Nanchang, Xi'an, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, and other places. No matter from Shanghai, or Hangzhou, or Guangzhou, or Hong Kong to Xiamen, it only takes 4 to 5 hours by high-speed train.
Bus or Ship to Xiamen
Xiamen’s highway transportation extends in all directions. Long-distance passenger transportation by bus can not only reach all parts of the province, but also reach Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Zhejiang in the north, and Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, and Shantou in Guangdong and Hongkong in the south. The three long-distance bus stations of Xiamen Songbai, Hubin, and Jimei all have direct passenger buses to Shanghai, Nanjing, Hefei, Nanchang, Yingtan, Fuzhou, and other places.
With deep water and low waves, Xiamen Port is a natural harbor in southern China, which is open to navigation 24 hours a day. In addition to the coastal routes within the province, also there are routes to southern China like Shantou, Guangzhou, Hainan Island, and northern China like Dalian, Tianjin, Qingdao, Yantai, Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Shanghai. Besides, there are passenger ships from Xiamen to Hong Kong every Wednesday at 5 pm, and from Hong Kong to Xiamen every Tuesday at 2 pm.
Travel Within Xiamen
With convenient public transportation, tourists can easily travel within Xiamen in the usage of public buses, BRT rapid buses, taxis, bicycles, as well as ferries and metro. Cycling is the best way to visit Huandao Road. The ferry is the main means of transportation for tourists to travel across the Lu River to Gulangyu Island. Ferry tickets are sold round-trip (CN¥ 35 per person) and the ride takes about 30 minutes for one-way. In addition, travelers can also take a ferry for the round Gulangyu route and the Jinxia sea area tour route, which offer the opportunity for you to enjoy Xiamen from another angle on the tour boat.
Recommended itineraries and tours in Xiamen
Usually, it is recommended to spend 2 days in Xiamen to explore its highlights, such as South Putuo Temple, Zhongshan Road, Zengcuo'an, Hulishan Cannon Fort, etc., and taste some local delicacies. Then have a half-day to a full-day excursion to Gulangyu Island to appreciate the beautiful coastal scenery.
Xiamen is also a popular gateway to Fujian Tulou Clusters, a kind of unique dwelling of the Hakka built with wood and fortified with mud walls which were listed in the World Cultural Heritage Site in 2008. Check out this 5 days Xiamen and Tulou Hakka tour for more details.
In addition to Fujian Tulou Clusters, Xiamen is also a popular gateway to Wuyi Mountain with only about 3-4 hours’ high-speed train. Wuyi Mountain, once named one of the "Top Ten Happiest Places in the World" by the "Lonely Planet", is a dual heritage of world cultural and natural heritage sites with profound history and culture of Taoism, tea culture, and hanging coffin culture and breathtaking natural scenery of clear waters and rainbow mountains. And it is definitely worthy of adding an additional 2 days’ tour to Mount Wuyi to discover its beauty and rich culture.
Xiapu is an ancient and beautiful wonderland with picturesque scenery such as a blue sea overflowing with color, tidal mudflats paved with gold, green ridges and flowing fields, dreamlike homes on the sea, etc., like a bright pearl inlaid on the coast of East China Sea, making it a paradise for photographers to leave for all year round. If you are a photography enthusiast, Xiapu is the perfect place that you shouldn’t miss. With only about 2-3 hours’ high-speed train from Xiamen, if you are sufficient in time, we would highly recommend you to add an additional 2-day tour there.
Apart from the travel destinations above, benefiting from the convenient transportation of high-speed trains and flights, it is supremely easy to extend your Xiamen tour to the other travel destinations of China, such as Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Guilin, Hangzhou, Huangshan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Beijing, Xi’an, etc. to discover more beautiful nature and profound culture of China. To explore the wonders of any travel destinations above, you may prepare at least 2-3 days more for each.
If you have any further plans, please feel free to contact us directly, it’s our pleasure to assist you to make your China tour happen!
Where to stay in Xiamen
As a popular tourist city with developed tourism and mature accommodation, as well as concentrated scenic spots, there is a wide range of accommodation options for tourists to choose from. Generally speaking, we would highly recommend that guests choose to stay at the hotels located near Zhongshan Road, Zengcuo'an, or Yundang Lake.
There are many hotels near Zhongshan Road, from budget hotels to star-rated hotels, to meet all the budget requirements. One of the advantages of staying overnight near Zhongshan Road is that you can go out to stroll around at night to appreciate its beautiful night views, which is really pleasant. Besides, Gulangyu is just across from Zhongshan Road, and the traffic is very convenient.
Near Zeng Cuo An, there are many ingenious homestays both warm and petty, which are preferred by many young people and with reasonable and suitable prices. You can choose the hotel to stay in according to your favorite style.
In addition, Yundang Lake is another great option with accommodation at different prices. Here you can find budget hotels as well as star-rated hotels such as Marco Polo and Westin. One of the benefits of living in Yundang Lake is that the scenery here is excellent, which is close to many scenic spots, such as Gulf Park, Bailuzhou Park, and Coffee Street. The Westin Xiamen is close to the Cultural and Art Center, which is only a few minutes' walking from Xiamen Science and Technology Museum or Xiamen Museum.
What to eat in Xiamen
The flavors in the memories of Xiamen people are treasured in these snack bars on the streets. Among them, there are many time-honored restaurants that have been in business for decades, and there are also popular gourmet shops in recent years. These restaurants generally cost less than CN¥ 100 per person, allowing you to eat Xiamen’s classic delicacies at a cost-effective price.
Shacha Noodles of Wutang and Yuehua, Lianhuan Fried Sea Oyster, Tianhe Ximen sipunculid worm jelly each store represents the best selection of Xiamen cuisine. If you want to enjoy more snacks at one stop, the time-honored Huang Ze and Peanut Soup Shop can provide you with multiple choices.
As a city surrounded by the sea, Xiamen is rich in seafood. Abundant seafood ingredients have created a variety of seafood restaurants. You can either have a seafood barbecue at the roadside stalls of Taiwan Food Street or feast on the seafood stalls in the summer night. If you want to taste more refined seafood dishes, Xiamen’s seafood restaurants at all price points will definitely make you memorable.
In the hot summer in Xiamen, it couldn't be better to eat a big bowl of mein mein ice. All kinds of dessert ice shops are full of streets and alleys. Xiamen, which is rich in fruits, is most suitable for combining all kinds of fruits with ice. You can often eat ice cream filled with large pieces of fresh fruit and sweet cheese; or iced juice made from pure fresh fruit. All kinds of ice shops provide you with a refreshing tongue in the hot summer.
Comments
We arrived on 21 Feb and depart on 24 Feb from Sanya.
4 pax. 3 people above 70 years old.
Want to visit Xiamen, Tulou, and gulangyu island.
Don’t wish to visit Temple or mountain
In reply to We arrived on 21 Feb and… by Edalene lee (not verified)
Hello Edalene,
Thank you for providing your travel details. I have crafted an initial itinerary that aligns with your preferences and sent the details via emal. If there are any specific interests or requirements you'd like to highlight, please feel free to let me know.
Looking forward to assisting you in planning a wonderful journey.
Best regards,
Yuki
Do you have tour around fujian?
In reply to Do you have tour around… by Yenny (not verified)
Hi Yenny,
Thanks for contacting us! Yes, we do arrange tours in Fujian. Most travelers spend about a week in Fujian, covering top destinations like Xiamen, the nearby Hakka Tulou Clusters, and Wuyishan Mountain. I sent additional information via email earlier today, please go through the details and feel free to share your comments and thoughts.
Look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best regards,
Yuki