Guangzhou - Post Report Question and Answers
What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?
The trains are great and inexpensive. People like going to Guilin and Yangshuo as well as day trips to Shenzhen, Dameisha, Zhuhai. In pre-covid times Macao and Hong Kong are only an hour away. Supposedly Guangzhou is a jumping off point to Vietnam, Thailand, and all sorts of places in SE Asia, but unfortunately none of those are options right now. - Aug 2021
Local markets are varied and fascinating. Ride a bus or take the metro to a station and just explore. - May 2019
The hidden gems really aren't in China. Go to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Borneo. Check all those out and when you're done, then go see some interior China stuff like Guilin. - Nov 2015
Markets are always good, and Guilin was one of the highlights of my time there. Get out and see China- it's a huge country that's changing so rapidly, the places you want to visit may be paved over and replaced with a shopping mall tomorrow. A group of us went to the Harbin Ice Festival one year, and while it was a pricey trip, it was probably my favorite trip that I took within China during my time there. I can't recommend it highly enough. Also get out and see Southeast Asia- Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia are all close by and well worth visiting. Even Australia is only a nine-hour flight, which isn't bad compared to the time it would usually take you to get there from the States. - Aug 2014
Lots! Going to other countries, checking out museums, cultural sites, bars, live music... lots. - May 2013
By far the most fun thing around Guangzhou is this water park about an hour north of town. I cannot remember the name, but they have basically funneled a river through a maze of huge concrete gutters to create the greatest water park that could never in a million years be legal in America. You and another brave soul travel together through this maze in a whitewater raft-type inflatable boat whilst wearing a plastic military helmet. The more I explain it the weirder it sounds, but trust me, during the summer get a big group together and go! Chimelong water park is also a fun time---it's very popular, so go on an American weekday holiday (e.g. Labor Day); it's super crowded on the weekends. - Apr 2013
The most popular things to do are: to go out to dinner, clubs/bars, or to take the train to Hong Kong. - Jan 2013
Go to Hong Kong - Oct 2011
Go to Hong Kong. Lots of shopping in Guangzhou (in markets and in malls), but if you aren't much of a shopper you'll get tired of it after a few weeks. - May 2011
Guangzhou doesn't offer much as a city. You can eat well, get massages, and shop at the large, wholesale markets. That's it. Movie theaters play censored movies, there are very few bookstores, and the city is industrial, big, and grimy. There are a few museums and temples, but after a week-end, you've seen it all. To have fun, people go to Hong Kong, which is less than two hours away by train. - Jul 2009
There's a lot to do here, but it can be tough to find and a pain to get to. Guangzhou has most everything you could want, but you really have to search for it. The best thing about Guangzhou though, are the restaurants. The food here is really great and inexpensive. Most types of cuisine are represented. - Jan 2009
