Guangzhou in 3 Days: An Ordinary Mortal's Itinerary
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Alright, no problem! Here is a travel note for our foreign friends to explore Guangzhou in an easy and interesting manner:
We spent three days exploring Guangzhou with my family members, including my parents and child, and this article is a sharing of our experiences:
Firstly, I have to give a big praise to the Guangzhou Hotel! Its location is perfect, making it extremely convenient to get everywhere.
If you are visiting Guangzhou for the first time, staying at this hotel will be a great choice!
Let's start my travel account:
Day 1 - First Impressions, Surprisingly Different!
We arrived at the Guangzhou Station on time by high-speed train at 4:30 pm.
Attention: The design of the station (not South Station or East Station) really caught us off guard!
Usually, when we arrive at other high-speed stations, there will be stairs or escalators leading down to the station exits.However, there was no escalator here! We had to struggle with our luggage up long flights of stairs. Others were also complaining, which made my first impression about Guangzhou suffer greatly.
Furthermore, the metro entrance and the railway check-in counters overlapped. It was a chaotic scene. Friends with children or elders, or those with heavy luggage, must prepare yourself mentally or consider alternative transportation methods!
After battling through the crowd, we finally managed to board the subway and headed straight for Guangzhou Hotel. Just a short 600 meters walk from the hotel was Beijing Road, a bustling commercial street, similar to Nanjing Road in Shanghai or Wangfujing Street in Beijing, with plenty of shops and places to eat.
There were all sorts of delicious street foods, along with trendy "internet-famous" restaurants in long lines. We ended up visiting a place called "Xiao Bingsheng" right next to Beijing Road, which served Cantonese cuisine. Not bad at all.
Day 2 - Animal World and River Walk
We visited Changlong Wildlife World (previously mentioned in another article).The next evening we casually chose a restaurant called "Yinding Restaurant" and their "Dim Sum Breakfast" (a breakfast tradition in Canton where different kinds of small pastries such as shrimp dumplings, stuffed baked buns, rice noodle rolls, etc., are eaten) really hit the spot for us.
We later figured out it was well-reputed, an accidental yet pleasant surprise.
After a hearty meal, we took a leisurely walk by the Pearl River and headed back to the hotel, enjoying the view along the riverbanks.
Day 3 - Cultural Sites and Delighted Food Encounters
At 9:30 am, we headed over to "Xiao Bingsheng" again for breakfast Dim Sum, and it tasted quite good.We then walked to St. Joseph's Cathedral within ten minutes, an impressive Gothic stone church with magnificent architecture, worthy of a few snaps and a tour within ten minutes.
We then hailed a taxi to Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, where advanced reservation through 'Wechat' - the most popular app in China and an all-in-one platform for purchasing tickets and restaurant reservations, was required before visiting.
The heritage hall features unique Lingnan architectural style and has many exquisite wood carvings, stone carvings and brick carvings. We completed the circuit within twenty minutes while photo taking.
Next, it was another ten-minute drive towards the Nanyue King Museum (Royal Burial Grounds) which displays relics of ancient Nanyue Kingdom kings, including some strange old artifacts, and took us about one hour of exploring.
As lunch approached, we found a small restaurant "Li Yinyin Sausage Rice Roll" next to the museum offering delicious rice roll (made of steamed rice noodle wrappers with various fillings like meat or shrimp)!
It turned out the restaurant was highly recommended online too.
Afternoon at 6 minutes, we took a taxi back the hotel for a nap, then went to Sand Island by Metro Line 6.
I wasn't overly impressed with its buildings nor did I find the shops particularly interesting; just like any ordinary park with a walk around for forty minutes.
Then at five-thirty, we decided spontaneously to check out the iconic Guangzhou Tower ('Little Waistline' as locals call).
At Dad's request, we headed to Riverside New Town, the Central Business District (CBD) in Guangzhou with skyscrapers and a very modern vibe. We went to a place called "Changlai Street Bazaar", a kind of casual yet homely restaurant.
Although they served good food, do not order their "Avoid Stormy Weather Tofu!" It was surprisingly awful!
Walking leisurely to the Guangzhou Tower while taking photos, this view of it is indeed quite beautiful.
Coincidentally we caught the APM Line, a driverless metro line, a curious new experience for the kid.
During this trip, we didn't bother following guidebooks or pre-planned guides but enjoyed a carefree exploration, and were fortunate enough to stumble upon pleasant surprises, sometimes unanticipated delights are more unforgettable!
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Both Guangzhou Railway Station and Guangzhou East Railway Station are quite old, and the lack of elevators is a common complaint. There's talk of renovations, but I haven't seen any work start yet. If you have the choice, Guangzhou South Station would be a better pick.
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Actually, I arrived at Guangzhou South Station...
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There are so many typos, it's really confusing. Why is everything written as 'Zhuhai'? Zhuhai is hundreds of kilometers away from Guangzhou!
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I think 'Zhuhai' was mistakenly used in two places. For instance, 'Haizhu New Town' was written as 'Zhuhai New Town.' Please forgive me, as an outsider, I'm not familiar with the local place names. It's all corrected now.
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Excuse me, any advice on what to wear in Guangdong these next few days? Would a short-sleeved shirt and a jacket be okay?
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I'm not sure about the weather these past few days as I've already returned home, sorry. About ten days ago, we were wearing a base layer shirt and a light down jacket. Hope that helps as a reference.
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I really love this kind of simple itinerary! Hey sis, can we skip the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall-Museum? Is it worth visiting, especially since we'll have seniors and kids with us?
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Kids probably won't be interested in a place like the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall. If the seniors in your group enjoy photography, they might want to stay a bit longer. Otherwise, most people just take a quick look and move on.
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Not bad, your three-to-four-day itinerary looks pretty good.
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Hello, excuse me, are there many exhibits related to the Marquis of Haihun in the Nanyue King Museum? Thanks.
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There's an entire floor dedicated to the exhibition. Personally, I found it quite extensive.
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Did you stay at the Guangzhou Hotel for all three days?
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Yes, I did.
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Where was the third picture taken?
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Inside the Sacred Heart Cathedral.
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How do you ride the APM line?
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The APM line starts right at the Canton Tower. Just transfer to the Canton Tower metro station, and you'll find it.
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The Guangzhou Hotel is super expensive, isn't it? Not really a place for us regular folks.
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I don't think so. When I booked, it was 500+ RMB a night, and the Atour Hotel nearby was 700+.