Weekend Trips From Guangzhou

Located in southern China, Guangzhou itself is a typical mega-city, but it is close enough to a few exotic locations/cultural sites that are worth visiting. We haven’t included any day trips, just places for an entire weekend stay.

 For western expats, a weekend getaway is doubly appealing, since a weekend trip is almost a guarantee that you will be going somewhere fairly close, rather than back home (and dealing with all the jet-lag that goes with it) for a few weeks. You also get to check out some local culture, see some of the sights You never got around to visiting, snap a few cool photos, or just spend some time with friends or family and relax in a chilled out atmosphere.

The only hinge point is that to have a really relaxing time, you can't spend the whole weekend getting there and back, so we have put a travel time limit of about three hours each way from the city center. To maximize your investment in travel time and transport costs, make any of these trips into a three day trip if you prefer.

Located in southern China, Guangzhou itself is a typical mega-city, but it is close enough to a few exotic locations/cultural sites that are worth visiting. We haven’t included any day trips, just places for an entire weekend stay.

Read through our suggestions for a few trip possibilities, or throw a few clothes in a bag and head to the train station and buy a ticket to the next small city nearby and create your own weekend adventure. Point is, just go see some of what is around you.

Jiangmen and Surrounding Areas

Sitting on the banks of the West River (Xi He), there are plenty of low key sights to take in in Jiangmen and particularly its nearby natural areas. Plus, at just 100km away, it is an easy trek.

For the paltry sum of 15RMB you gain entry into the 5,500 hectare Mt. Guifeng National Forest Park and can spend a day seeing all the greenery you have been missing in the city. You can hike the 437m tall mountain for scenic view, which are particularly remarkable in autumn when the leaves are changing colors, a rarity this far south. Then have a peek at the Yutai Temple, with portions that date back almost 2,000 years and walk through the Palm Art Garden to get your fill of local ethnic handicrafts and a piece of history unique to Xinhui. If it is warm out, and you don't mind the crowds, you can visit Jade Lake and even take a dip, but it does tend to get crowded in summer months.

For a hot soak, natural springs await you at Gudoushan Hot Spring Resort, which is open to the public for an entrance fee. If you are a bird lover, be sure to include a trip to Bird Paradise to see some of the wildlife that is indigenous to the area in a protected environment.

Nearby, beaches are also available on the Chuanshan Islands are quiet and relaxing, you can still usually find a quiet stretch of sand to call your own on its long beaches. As it requires a quick ferry ride to get there, the crowds are usually much less chaotic than beaches on the mainland.

Hong Kong and Macau

It would be a big mistake to overlook the most popular weekend trip for many in Guangzhou who have a bit more money to spend, local and expat alike. Hong Kong is famous for hundreds of reasons, and it would be an absolute tragedy to miss this unique location in Asia. Food, sights, events, nature, theme parks, and of course shopping are all here and connected by easy public transit. Plus, if you have an extra day, it is an easy fast-ferry trip to neighboring Macau for your fill of Portugese-Cantonese fusion with some of the oldest western structures to see or tour in all of Asia. Plus, Macau is the gambling capital of the world.

A weekend certainly isn't enough to do it all in either of these locations, but it will definitely make you feel as if you escaped Guangzhou after two or three days. Besides, you can always go back later and check out what you missed next time.

Dongyuan, Heyuan County

Dongyuan may be a bit of a hike depending on when you leave, since it is about 200km from downtown and about three hours by train. If you are wanting to get out of town and see a location that is off the beaten path, then this is a great option, especially if you are an outdoorsy type who wants a bit of space and few crowds.

Hotels are cheap and relatively comfortable in Heyuan town and serve as a great base camp for spending a day around the nearby Xinfengjiang Reservoir. If you go when it hasn't rained for a while, you will be amazed at the milky blue water of this huge man-made lake, and as a primary drinking source it is well protected from pollution. Hiking is also an option around the small Yewang Mt. on the Heyuan Yewang Shan Trail.

Sanya, Hainan Island

Feel like skipping the train or bus ride and catching a 40 minute flight instead? Because it is a domestic flight, you can get to and from Guangzhou and Sanya quickly, easily, and cheaply on a few different Chinese airlines. Hainan is truly a tropical island, it's warm all year (super hot is more accurate in summer) and has some nice beaches.

The trick is to find a hotel in your budget, but then be sure to spend at least one day on Yalong Bay where the trendy hotels and well manicured beaches are located, and where most of the crowds aren't. Sanya Town and Dadong Hai Beach are enjoyable but host bigger crowds and a more local feel to the area.

Just be sure to avoid the entire island during Chinese New Year, since it is the hottest vacation destination in the country during the two week festival in mid-winter, when everyone wants to get away and prices are outrageous and crowds unbearable.

There are probably hundreds of other great weekend trips to take from Guangzhou, but space doesn't permit including them. Besides, if everyone knew about a secret getaway spot it wouldn't be much of a secret.