Xiamen, or many tourists may call it Amoy, is located on the southeast coast of China, under the jurisdiction of China’s Fujian Province. The city shares the characteristics of a metropolis as well as the quietness and ease of a romantic town. Such a unique contrast plus the year-around pleasant weather and climate make Xiamen a perfect place for holiday. In Xiamen, there are countless amazing tourist islands and beaches waiting for your steps, including the world-renowned Gulangyu Island - the sacred UNESCO World Heritage Site and "Garden on the Sea". The fresh and floral air energizes you. The warm and tranquil waters refresh you. The breathtaking natural costal beauty renews you. Every moment in Xiamen is just like a dream! So it comes no surprise there are so many tourists from all over the world gather in Xiamen every year.
In addition to being a hot tourist city itself, Xiamen is also a hot starting city for those visitors planning an in-depth Fujian tour. Many visitors extend their Xiamen tours to its nearby Fujian Tulou clusters, Xiapu Mudflat, Wuyi Mountain, etc.
Visitors usually spend 2 days around in Xiamen. During their 2-day stay, they will visit Xiamen highlights in its city, like South Putuo Temple, Hulishan Fortress, Zhongshan Road, etc. Besides, they will take half day or so to explore beautiful Gulangyu Island.
In addition to the attractions in the City, Xiamen is also famous for its nearby Fujian Tulou clusters, the sacred earthen buildings which have been added into World Cultural Heritage Sites since 2008. About 1~2 days more are needed for a Tulou tour.
Wuyi Mountain, a World Cultural & Natural Heritage Site with profound Chinese culture and breathtaking natural beauty, is only about 3~4 hours away from Xiamen by high speed train. If you like, you can spend 2~3 days more to extend your tour to visit it.
For photography lovers, you are highly suggested to add a 2-day Xiapu Mudflat tour into your tour. Xiapu Mudflats are amazing masterpieces of both the nature and human beings. The ever-changing scenery and the traditional life style create a wonderland to create photos.
If you want to discover more culture and nature highlights to Fuzhou, Quanzhou, etc., plan 1-2 more days for each destination. Besides, beyond Fujian, China boasts a lot of wonderful nature, culture, history and city charm to discover, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Guilin, Chengdu, Huangshan, Hangzhou, Yunnan, etc. You can contact us and extend your Fujian trip to more popular destinations to enrich your exploration of China in one go!
Xiamen, this garden city offers many wonderful attractions, which will leave you a great memory, like romantic Gulangyu Island, unworldly South Putuo Temple, one of the most beautiful universities in China - Xiamen University, etc. For more information, please see Xiamen Attractions>>
Gulangyu Island (鼓浪屿) is a lovely island that within just a short ferry ride for about 7~20 minutes from the ports in Xiamen downtown. It is also a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site that is mainly famous for its coastal beauty, colonial style architectures and a myriad of interesting museums, like piano museum, organ museum, etc. Bright sunlight, pleasant beaches, interesting buildings and museums and exquisite gardens, Gulangyu Island can fulfill all your dreams for a vacation!
South Putuo Temple (南普陀寺), or called Nanputuo Temple, is adjacent to Xiamen University. It is located south of Mount Putuo in Zhejiang Province, hence the name. This temple is a sacred pilgrimage site for Fujian people and also dedicated Buddhist followers from Southeast Asia. It also has an amazing vegetarian restaurant, which allows you dinning with the monks. At the back of the temple lies Wulao Peak (Five-old Peak), where you can take a hike and have a broad panorama view of Xiamen.
Xiamen Botanical Garden (厦门园林植物园), also known as Wanshi Botanical Garden, is a big and beautiful garden that shares the border with Xiamen University. It is even the first Botanical Garden in the whole Fujian Province. At Xiamen Botanical Garden, you will find thousands kinds of lovely flowers, cactus and other plants, grotesque rocks, and also groups of locals coming for relax and picnic. It is a good place for leisure walking, especially for the visitors travelling with children.
Xiamen Huandao Road (环岛路) refers to the road sections that set along the coastal of Xiamen. This road measures about 43 kilometers in total, and its most popular part starts from Xiamen University to the Old Convention and Exhibition Center, which is called the "Golden Coastline". Huandao Road is the best place for cycling in Xiamen, and it shows the best sea view and some of the best beaches to the visitors. Hulishan Fortress, a historical landmark, is also there.
Fujian Tulou clusters are actually located in Zhangzhou City of Fujian Province instead of Xiamen. However, most of its tourists prefer to get there from Xiamen. Fujian has three main Tulou sites, while the hottest one is Nanjing Tulou (南靖土楼), which has the densest and the most unique Tulou buildings, including famous "Four Dishes and One Soup" (magical four circle-like Tulou surrounded a square Tulou), the "Tilting Tulou" with its wooden columns tilting in breathtaking degrees...
Yongding Tulou clusters (永定土楼) are only about 20 km and 40 minutes from Nanjing Tulou and 163km and 2.5~3 hours from Xiamen by car. Compared with Nanjing Tulou, the sightseeing areas of Yongding Tulou are more distributed. The most popular Tulou clusters there include its main tourist area with famous Zhencheng Building (the King of Fujian Tulou), Gaobei Tulou with Chengqi Building (another famous Tulou that once printed on stamps in China), Nanxi Tulou, Chuxi Tulou, etc.
Foodies and shopping lovers must like Xiamen Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street (中山路步行街) very much. This lively street offers almost everything you want, including a wide array of local snacks, souvenirs, clothes, jewels, etc. Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street is suitable to be visited during both day and night. Most of its shops won’t be closed until 10:00 pm. There are also shops and restaurants that offer service until 3:00am and even 4:00am.
Xiamen Riyuegu Hot Spring Resort (厦门日月谷温泉度假村) is 1 hour or so from Xiamen downtown by car. This resort is a sanctuary with luxury hotels, hot springs, swimming pools, restaurants, etc. It offers about 40 kinds of hot springs for its visitors to relax themselves, including the ones flavored with herbs, fruits, flowers, etc. It is said the water of its hot springs is rich in a large number of microelements beneficial to blood circulation, disease prevention, tiredness killing...
Catching a ferry to Gulangyu Island for a leisure tour is somewhat the must-do in Xiamen. In addition to Gulangyu Island visiting, there are still a lot of interesting activities you can experience in Xiamen, including hitting the temples, universities and gardens, cycling along Huandao Road, savoring delicious seafood, playing golf with friends, etc. Learn more about Top 8 Xiamen Activities >>
A Xiamen tour without the visit to Gulangyu Island is far from enough. Only half day or so is enough to explore this small island. During the half day tour, you will not only be rewarded with somewhat the best coastal scenery in China and also get a glimpse of Chinese history over the past 100 years. Highlights of Gulangyu Island include Sunlight Rock, Shuzhuang Garden, Piano Museum, Organ Museum, Haoyue Garden, etc.
Bright sunlight and fascinating beach are the musts for a holiday to a tourist destination rich in islands. And in Xiamen, you will never miss these wonders. There are many beaches for you to choose, including Baicheng Beach, Huangcuo Beach, Huizhan Beach, etc. on the coastal of Xiamen Island, and Meihua Beach and Junru Beach, etc. on Gulangyu Island. All of them will meet your needs and dreams for a beach tour!
Imagine cycling and laughing with your friends along the beautiful sea, with gentle breeze and warm sunshine kissing your face, isn’t it just a holiday should be? Xiamen Huandao Road, especially the southeastern part, is a wonderful place for such a happy cycling tour! Besides the great cycling experience, this road also gathers some historic relics in Xiamen, which will introduce you more history of this city!
In such a coastal city like Xiamen, it is really much easier to get fresh sea products, like oyster, fish, shrimp and so on. Plus the superb cooking skill of the locals, visitors can have a taste of somewhat the most delicious snacks and dishes of seafood in Xiamen, including Oyster Omelette, Fish Ball Soup, Shrimp Noodles, Oyster Porridge… If you like, you can also follow the locals to visit The Eighth Seafood Market to know more secretes of Xiamen food.
Xiamen is also a good place to have a golf holiday. This popular tourist city enjoys a pleasant weather all year around, which creates great weather conditions for golf games. Besides that, the contrast of beautiful natural costal beauty and modern city view of Xiamen also make it a unique experience to play golf there. Golf courses in Xiamen are a lot, and the most popular ones are Xiamen Orient Golf Country Club, KaiKou Golf Club, etc.
Tulou clusters, also known as Hakka Houses and Earthen Buildings, are the homes of the local Hakka people. These buildings feature unique round and square shape and huge size. They are the world's unique mythical mountain village residential architectures that everyone there should pay a close visit to. Most of the tourists prefer to visit Fujian Tulou from Xiamen, which only takes for about 2.5~3.5 hours from Xiamen by driving.
Xiapu Mudflat ranks in the top 10 scenic spots for nature photography in China. Instead of always-the-same beauty, the scenery in Xiapu Mudflat is ever-changing with sun, tidal and also human activities. Tiger-striped beaches, rows of bamboo structures and poles, colorful water with lingering light of the setting sun… Everything is worthy to be kept by your camera! From Xiamen, you can get to Xiapu Mudflat in only 3 hours by bullet train.
Wuyi Mountain is a sacred World Cultural and Natural Heritage that mainly famous for its beautiful Danxai Landform, precious cultural relics of over 2,000 years and black tea culture. In Wuyi Mountain, you can enjoy bamboo rafting, hiking, tea tasting, etc. Also, there is a large-scale live performance with the real Wuyishan scenery as backdrop. From Xiamen, you can get to this sacred site in about 4~4.5 hours by bullet train.
Xiamen has a subtropical monsoon climate, mild temperature with lots of rain. Annual average temperature is around 21℃, no chilly winter nor hot summer. Annual average rainfall is around 1200mm, and May to August is the rainy season. Xiamen will be hit by typhoons 4 ~ 5 times a year, and most of the typhoons hit between July and September. With a lot of sunshine and mild temperature all year round, Xiamen has green trees and colorful flowers in the four seasons. Most flowers blossom in spring and autumn; summer is suitable to play on the beach, winter is quiet with rather warm temperature. However, it will be hit by typhoons around August, and the flight may be canceled and some attractions will be closed during the typhoon weather. So make sure you check the weather forecast before the trip.
Xiamen is a pleasant holiday destination that suitable to be visited all year around. And if you are looking for the best time to visit it, spring, autumn and winter, especially March, April, May, September and October, may be right for you.
>> Learn more about Xiamen Weather.
Xiamen has a very convenient transportation, and usually tourists can get there by flight and train. There are also coaches/long-distance buses to Xiamen. However, since the flight and train systems are already convenient enough, seldom tourist choose to go by bus.
Xiamen now has one airport in operation, which is named Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport. Travelers can find flights to/from the airport from more than 45 international cities and regions, like Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and more than 90 domestic cities , like Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Kunming, Lijiang, etc.
There is also another airport in Xiamen under construction, and it is said the new airport will be opened in 2023.
Xiamen is also connected with the rest of China by train. The city now has two main train stations, including Xiamen Railway Station and Xiamen North Railway Station. These two train stations both have high speed trains. You can catch high speed trains to/from Xiamen from Beijing (about 11~17.5 hrs), Shanghai (about 5.5~8.5 hrs), Xian (12 hrs), Chongqing (12.5~15 hrs), Fuzhou (1.5~4.5 hrs), Guangzhou (about 4.5~5 hrs), Huangshan (about 4.5~5 hrs), Hangzhou (5 hrs), etc.
>> Check more about Xiamen High Speed Train.
In Xiamen, visitors can travel around the city with the help of taxi, metro, BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) and public bus lines. And for the visitors heading to explore its islands like the famous Gulangyu Island, you are required to catch a ferry from the land area in Xiamen. There are many ferry lines for you to choose. And both day ferry and night ferry are available! By taking a ferry, you can travel from Xiamen to Gulangyu in about 7~20 minutes.
>> For more information, please see How to Get to Xiamen Gulangyu Island丨Xiamen Transportation.
Being a popular tourist destination, Xiamen never let its visitors down on accommodation. From luxurious hotels, economic hotels to youth hostels and home inns, there are a lot of options for visitors to select. All of them are comfortable and will guarantee you a good night. If you are budget travelers, you can focus your eyes on those unique family inns, while hotels of 4-star or 5-star are more recommended for you if you prefer more luxury experiences.
Normally, Siming District of Xiamen, the area with most of Xiamen’s attractions like Gulangyu Island, Nanputuo Temple and Xiamen University is the best place to stay. However, it is still a large area and there are a large group of hotels there. You are suggested to make your decision according to your trip plan. If you are looking for a hotel close to the port to catch ferry to Gulangyu, you are suggested to stay near Xiamen Lundu Port. And for those visitors prefer a close distance to the attractions, you can find a hotel near Xiamen University. The hotels near Zengcuoan and Huangdao Road are also good option.
>> For more information, please see Xiamen Hotels | Where to Stay in Xiamen.
To help you to know more about Xiamen attractions, we have selected some useful Xiamen maps for you. Please feel free to use them.
>> For more maps of Xiamen, please see 2024 Xiamen Maps | Xiamen Gulangyu Island Maps | Xiamen Metro Map.
Xiamen Fujian Map
Xiamen Attraction Map
Xiamen City Map
Near Xiamen, there are many wonderful destinations which travelers can add into the Xiamen tour itinerary, like fascinating Fujian Tulou, scenic Guilin, international Hong Kong and stunning Huangshan.
China is such a diverse country with countless of wonders to explore! Xiamen and its nearby region only will show you the beauty of the south of this country. However, in its north, there are still a lot to visit, including the world-famous Great Wall in Beijing, Terra-Cotta Warriors in Xian, pandas in Chengdu, and so on! Why not add more surprises into your China tour? Check all destinations in China.
All itineraries and side trips can be customized privately, so please feel free to contact with our travel consultants if you have this kind of need.
The most popular Fujian trip to discover all best sightseeing, culture and history of Fujian Province with great fun, including classic visit to Xiamen with Gulangyu, Fujian Tulou in Nanjing and Yongding and Wuyi Mountain with Jiuqu Stream rafting!
Spend three leisure days and marvel at the essence of Xiamen, the Garden City on the Sea. You will not only visit the famous Gulangyu Island, but will also view the earth buildings in Nangjing County.
This 5-day trip takes to enjoy all best highlights in Xiamen with refreshing coastal landscape wihout missing Gulangyu and most popular and authentic UNESCO Heritage earthen buildings in Nanjing Tulou and Yongding Tulou in one go!
2 days trip to discover Xiamen - Garden City on the Sea with architectural and cultural savory of UNESCO WOrld Heritage at Gulangyu and Fujian Tulou in Nanjing County in real leisure pace!
Enjoyable Xiamen City refreshing vacation with memorable Huandao Road cycling experience and classic Nanjing Tulou admiration in 3 days!
The amusing holiday to catch top UNESCO World Natural & Cultural Heritages in east China in one go, including wondrous Yellow Mountain, fantastic peaceful Fujian Tulou clusters and pleasant sunny Xiamen with Gulangyu architecture!
This tour is specially designed for golf lovers. You'll play golf in the finest golf courses - Oriental Golf and Kaikou Golf. Also never miss the highlights of Xiamen City, like Gulangyu Island, Hulishan Fortress etc.
This 4 Days Classic Xiamen & Nanjing Tulou Tour with Fuzhou Highlights will take you to visit the ideal island vacation destination - Xiamen, the hottest tourist region of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Fujian Tulou - Nanjing and the bustling capital - Fuzhou in one Go!
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