Guangdong Coast to HainanRelaxed

Trip Summary

The warm south from delta to tropics, unhurried: Guangzhou's towers, ancestral halls and dim sum, Shamian's island arcs, a Shenzhen day of art villages and theme parks, then the flight to Sanya for four days of Yalong sand, Wuzhizhou reefs and the Nanshan sea Guanyin.

Trip Highlights

• The Canton Tower's night rainbow over the Pearl river
• Shamian's plane-tree arcades and river pace
• Chen Clan hall's carved eaves and roof theatre
• Yalong Bay's crescent — four barefoot days
• Nanshan's 108-m Guanyin standing in the sea

Day by Day

Day 1 — Arrive Guangzhou

Fly into Baiyun (CAN). Evening river cruise past the Canton Tower's lights.

Canton Tower

Flight in · Guangzhouinternational flights, destination pre-filledBook →

Stay · Shamian Islandarcade-island baseBook →

Car rental · Guangzhoupick up at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on arrivalBook →

Tickets · Canton Towerskip-the-line entryBook →

Day 2 — Old Canton

Chen Clan Ancestral Hall's carvings, Yuexiu's Five Rams and the Beijing Road arcade streets.

Chen Clan Ancestral Hall Yuexiu Park Beijing Road (Guangzhou)

Stay · Shamian Islandsecond dim-sum nightBook →

Tickets · Chen Clan Ancestral Hallskip-the-line entryBook →

Day 3 — Shamian & sacred hearts

Shamian island's slow morning, the Sacred Heart cathedral's spires, afternoon tea-house dim sum marathon.

Shamian Island Sacred Heart Cathedral

Stay · Shamian Islandthird tower nightBook →

Day 4 — Chimelong day

The safari-and-thrill complex at Chimelong, or Baiyun mountain's cable greenery.

Guangzhou Chimelong Tourist Resort Baiyun Mountain (Guangzhou)

Stay · Shamian Islandfourth old-Canton nightBook →

Tickets · Guangzhou Chimelong Tourist Resortskip-the-line entryBook →

Day 5 — HSR to Shenzhen

Half an hour east; OCT's art-and-park quarter and Window of the World's miniatures.

Shenzhen OCT Tourist Resort Window of the World

Guangzhou → Shenzhen trainHSR ~30 minBook →

Stay · Dameisha Beachcity-beach stayBook →

Car rental · Shenzhenpick up at Shenzhen North Railway Station on arrivalBook →

Day 6 — Shenzhen edge

Dafen's painting village and Dameisha's city beach before the evening flight to Sanya.

Dafen Oil Painting Village Dameisha Beach

Shenzhen → Sanya flightevening hop ~1.5 hBook →

Stay · Yalong Baycrescent-sand resortBook →

Car rental · Sanyapick up at Sanya Phoenix International Airport on arrivalBook →

Day 7 — Yalong arrival

Shuttle to the bay; swim test, seafood dinner on the sand, early night.

Yalong Bay

Stay · Yalong Baysecond barefoot dayBook →

Day 8 — Yalong slow day

Nothing planned: sunrise swim, loungers, long lunch, plaza fireworks.

Yalong Bay

Stay · Yalong Baythird beach nightBook →

Day 9 — Wuzhizhou or Nanshan

Reef day on Wuzhizhou island, or the Nanshan Guanyin with a temple vegetarian lunch.

Wuzhizhou Island

Stay · Yalong Bayfourth swim nightBook →

Tickets · Wuzhizhou Islandskip-the-line entryBook →

Day 10 — Out

Coconut corridor drive and Tianya photo stop en route to SYX.

Coconut Dream Corridor Tianya Haijiao Scenic Area