15-Day Self-Drive Travel Guide Starting from Guangzhou

Sharing a route I just completed. The article is long, but if you're interested, feel free to refer to it. It can help you avoid some pitfalls.

Departed on May 25th, returned on June 6th. It took 13 days, 3368.4 kilometers, covering Guangzhou - Xiamen - Fuzhou - Lishui - Songyang - Wuzhen - Huangshan - Jingdezhen - Changsha - Guangzhou.

The originally planned route was: Guangzhou - Xiamen - Fuzhou - Lishui - Hangzhou - Wuzhen - Shanghai - Huangshan - Jingdezhen - Nanchang - Changsha - Chenzhou - Guangzhou. However, due to the pandemic, some cities required nucleic acid tests for entry, so the itinerary was changed. If you have enough time, you might consider following this route for a better experience. Let's get straight to the point.

Day 01: Guangzhou - Xiamen

Accommodation: We set off at 11:00 AM, and it was over 600 km to Xiamen, a 7-hour drive. We arrived in Xiamen at 6:00 PM. We stayed inside Zengcuoan. To be honest, parking was very inconvenient and required extra payment, so I don't recommend staying inside Zengcuoan.

Sightseeing: Since we arrived late, we just took a brief walk around Zengcuoan. Later, we went to the seaside opposite Zengcuoan (not recommended – too many people and the beach was dirty).

Food: For dinner, we had Wulan Shacha Noodles, which tasted good.

I don't recommend the snacks inside Zengcuoan. We bought a coconut milk jelly, but it was sour... felt like it had gone bad, so we didn't buy any other snacks.

Day 02: Guangzhou - Xiamen

Sightseeing: The next day, we set off early in the morning to Gulangyu (tickets must be booked one day in advance). I won't go into detail about the attractions – just some pictures. The scenery was indeed beautiful, but it was extremely sunny, so we left after three hours. I suggest you definitely bring an umbrella; it's really scorching! After returning from Gulangyu in the afternoon, we went directly to Nanputuo Temple. It also requires advance booking, but since there weren't many people, we could register on-site and enter.

Food: At noon, we ate at a local resident's place on Gulangyu. The clam omelet was good, but the fried noodles weren't as tasty as in Guangzhou, haha.

In the evening, we went to Zhongshan Road for various snacks. Using Gaode Maps, we found recommended dishes.

What we ate: ① Danxiang Bakery, ② Bashi A-Jie Five-Spice, ③ Chenjia Desserts, ④ Aya Four-Fruit Soup, ⑤ Haoxiang Tenderloin.

Day 03: Xiamen - Fuzhou

Accommodation: We were quite tired from yesterday, so we slept in and set off around noon. The drive from Xiamen to Fuzhou took about 4 hours. We arrived in Fuzhou around 4:00 PM and stayed near the Min River. Avoid the hotel we stayed at (Fuzhou Weisini Hotel) – it was a bad choice. The carpet in the hotel had a strong odor. Also, it was raining heavily when we arrived, so our experience was poor.

Sightseeing: Because of the rain, we only visited Three Lanes and Seven Alleys. Luckily, there weren't many pedestrians due to the rain, and we just took a simple stroll, mainly for food, haha.

Food: ① Yigu Jasmine, ② Houjie Luohua, ③ Dingbianhu, ④ Baibingyuan (souvenirs), ⑤ Meiyabo Peanut Soup.

Day 04: Fuzhou - Lishui (Guya Painting Village)

Accommodation: Our experience in Fuzhou was not good, so we left early the next morning for Lishui. The drive took about five and a half hours. We stayed directly at a guesthouse outside Guya Painting Village. The experience was quite good, and the price was reasonable.

Sightseeing: We arrived at Guya Painting Village around 4:30 PM. Since we were staying nearby, we walked to the scenic area (the guesthouse owner told us entry is free after 4:30 PM), so we went straight in.

Food: We didn't find good food in Guya Painting Village because many shops seemed to be closed. You might try eating inside the scenic area. The local specialties are stream fish and bamboo shoots. The picture below shows the breakfast prepared for us by the guesthouse owner.

Day 05: Lishui (Guya Painting Village) - Lishui (Songyang) - Wuzhen

Accommodation: Originally we wanted to stay one night in Songyang, but my girlfriend didn't like it, so we changed plans last minute and drove to Wuzhen that night. We stayed outside Xizha.

Sightseeing: Set off in the morning.

First stop: Songyang Old Street.

Second stop: Yangjiatang Village.

Third stop: Huang's Grand Courtyard.

Food: In Songyang, we only ate at this trendy spot, Baixian Noodle House.

Day 06: Wuzhen

Accommodation: As mentioned earlier, we stayed right next to Xizha. No further details; there are many guesthouses and hotels to choose from.

Sightseeing: We spent the entire day in Xizha, from morning until evening. If you want to take a boat, I recommend doing it at night because the lights make it much more beautiful than during the day. Also, it's best to board from the innermost part and ride outward. For sightseeing, just follow the path all the way through. Why didn't we go to Dongzha? Because we had already been to Guya Painting Village and Xizha; actually, the scenery in these places is quite similar.

Food: There are many local snacks in Xizha. The fish we saw in the scenic area, white water fish, had soft flesh but many bones. If you don't like fish with lots of bones, skip it. You can try others. The picture below shows radish silk cake.

In the evening, we had barbecue at a late-night stall next to the guesthouse. The beer was good and aromatic.

Day 07: Wuzhen - Huangshan

Accommodation: We set off at noon, the drive took four and a half hours. We stayed at the foot of Huangshan, in Tangkou Town. This trip was during the off-season, so there weren't many people anywhere, including Huangshan.

Sightseeing: We didn't go anywhere today; just strolled around near the hotel. The area mainly had supermarkets, hotels, and restaurants, nothing else. The focus was on resting well for tomorrow's mountain climb, since we needed to get up at around 6:00 AM.

Food: We ate at the hotel we were staying at. We ordered stinky mandarin fish and a local wild vegetable (forgot its name). To be honest, they didn't suit our Guangdong taste. No photos were taken.

Day 08: Huangshan

Accommodation: Today we went up and down the mountain without staying overnight, so we stayed at the same hotel.

Sightseeing: We set off around 7:00 AM (if we left later, we worried we couldn't finish the climb in one day; if taking cable cars both ways, we could leave two hours later). Three things required payment: 1. Shuttle bus to the mountain, 2. Cable car (separate fees for up and down), 3. Entrance ticket.

What to bring for the climb:

- Hiking stick (hotels usually provide free ones)

- Two bottles of water (there are places with warm water on the mountain; don't bring too much, two bottles are enough)

- Food (suggest not to bring too much; just enough to eat. Actually, you won't be very hungry while climbing. If possible, bringing two self-heating hotpots is enough)

Let me specifically describe the one-day climbing route. This is key.

Take cable car from Yungu Temple - Shixin Peak - Beihai Hotel - Monkey Gazing at the Sea - Beihai Hotel - Xihai Hotel - Feilaishi - Bright Summit - Baiyun Ice Coffin - Aoyu Peak - Hundred-Step Ladder - Lotus Peak (highest peak) - Greeting Pine - Walk down / Cable car down.

Special suggestion: Take the cable car down!!! Especially for those with bad knees. Walking down takes about three hours. I walked down, and it took me three to four days to recover.

Food: We got back to the foot of the mountain after 5:00 PM, barely able to walk. Back at the hotel, we drove to a nearby place for hotpot. I felt a bit cold, so I didn't have much appetite. I can't tell if it was good, so I won't recommend it.

Day 09: Huangshan - Jingdezhen

Accommodation: Yesterday was really tiring; we slept until checkout time. Since we were heading to Jingdezhen, we stayed at a hidden gem guesthouse in Jingdezhen. I won't advertise; if interested, message me privately and I'll send you the info. It's a guesthouse that will surprise you. I forgot to mention travel time: Huangshan to Jingdezhen only takes three hours, so it wasn't too tiring.

Sightseeing: As usual, we arrived in Jingdezhen around 4:00 PM and went directly to Taoxichuan Square. Our legs were too sore, so we took a quick look and went back (I heard it's beautiful at night).

Food: We never expected the best food to be in Jingdezhen. I highly recommend a restaurant called "Go Home for Dinner" (回家吃饭). It has many branches. We had dinner there for both of our two days in Jingdezhen. Almost all dishes are worth ordering; everything was delicious.

Day 10: Jingdezhen

Accommodation: Same as before, still the same guesthouse. It was really comfortable and quiet at night. The only downside was low water pressure.

Sightseeing: We set off around 11:00 AM. After eating, we went to "Jingdezhen China Ceramics Museum" and "Jingdezhen Folk Kiln Museum". The latter was too small, not recommended. It seems we went to the wrong place; we should have gone to "Jingdezhen Ancient Kiln Folk Custom Museum". In the evening, we didn't sightsee; we went to eat.

Food: We had a combined breakfast and lunch at a roadside hole-in-the-wall place – mixed noodles with very thick noodles.

In the evening, we ate at "Go Home for Dinner" again.

Day 11: Jingdezhen - Changsha

Accommodation: As usual, we set off around 10:00 or 11:00 AM. Changsha has many accommodation options. I recommend staying near Wuyi Square for convenience, as we didn't drive around; we parked the car at the hotel for two days. The drive from Jingdezhen to Changsha takes about six and a half to seven hours, a long trip. Originally we planned to stop in Nanchang before heading to Changsha.

Sightseeing: We arrived in the evening and didn't go anywhere; just had dinner at Wuyi Square. After dinner it was after 9:00 PM.

Food: When in Changsha, you can't miss the food: crayfish, Sexy Tea, stinky tofu (forgot to take photos).

Day 12: Changsha

Accommodation: Same as the day before; we booked two nights directly.

Sightseeing: We only visited one attraction: Orange Isle. Then we went to Taiping Old Street.

Food: We came to Changsha for the food, haha. All kinds of snacks. If you like eating, go near Changjun Middle School – it's full of food. So many delicious things; see pictures directly.

Day 13: Changsha - Chenzhou - Guangzhou

Originally we planned to go to Chenzhou today, but unfortunately, when we were about an hour away from Chenzhou, we tried to book a hotel and were told that travelers passing through Guangzhou needed a nucleic acid test report. Since we had left early, we didn't have one. We had thought about going rafting in Qingyuan, but that also required a test report. So we made a last-minute decision to change the itinerary and return directly to Guangzhou.

Overall, I suggest keeping each city's driving time within 4 hours, and it's best to have two drivers. This way, you won't waste the day and can still explore after arrival.

You might be curious about the total cost of this trip. I can tell you: including all expenses – fuel, tolls, accommodation, tickets, food, souvenirs, etc. – it came to just under 10,000 yuan, totaling 9900+.

If you're interested in this self-driving article, feel free to use it for reference! Thank you!