Family of Three Road Trip Through Fujian and Guangdong: 13 Days, 9 Cities (Spring Festival Edition)

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2) If traveling in winter, with rain or cloudy weather, the scenery is relatively average. If you're not that obsessed with Spring Festival activities, you can choose early summer (or early autumn), because coastal cities under clear skies—blue sky and white clouds—make the Minnan architecture or island scenery particularly photogenic.

En route to Xiapu, we passed a section of highway in Qingtian, next to the Ou River. Driving along the river, the scenery was beautiful!

Mountain Breeze Moon Homestay in Xiapu: The window of the homestay overlooks the entire Xiapu bay, and you can watch the sunset over the sea from the room (the view is absolutely top-notch).

Zhao Ma's Private Kitchen: Specialty dishes—pickled radish with squid, dry-fried horsehead fish, Minnan paste. Ordered the set meal from Dianping, delicious and no disappointments! The landlady told us to eat the radish together with the squid, and to dip the horsehead fish in her homemade vinegar for more flavor!

To save time for the rest of the trip, we stayed directly in Dongbi Village. If you have more time, you can stay in Xiapu county town. On the day you arrive, go to Dongbi Village for sunset and seafood, then the next day set out for Dajing Beach, Xiawei Island, etc., and return to the county town for lodging, which is more convenient.

On the first day, after checking into the hotel, we had a nice meal and then felt the Fujian New Year atmosphere in the square of Dongbi Village (stalls everywhere selling fireworks and firecrackers).

Fuzhou, the City of Blessings, also known as "Banyan City." As soon as I entered the city from the highway, I fell in love. Both sides of the road are lined with banyan trees with interwoven roots, old leaves sprouting tender green new leaves. Even though it was winter, it felt full of life yet gave a lazy, comfortable feeling.

Fuzhou Dongbai Fangxiang Hotel: This trip was tight on time and tiring, so we didn't want to be too hard on ourselves, so the hotels we stayed at were decent. This hotel is in the most bustling center, its biggest advantage being the location—right next to the famous Three Lanes and Seven Alleys. I specifically booked a room with a distant view of the lanes; from the floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see the love tree. Shopping and eating were all nearby, saving us a lot of time.

Grandpa Toothless Peanut Soup: After exiting the highway, we headed straight to this snack shop to fill our stomachs. Ordered peanut soup, lotus root cake, and taro paste. Different tastes for different people; I found it just average, okay for a try.

Back Street Luohua (lunch): After checking in, we went to this popular online restaurant. It's on Three Lanes and Seven Alleys. The smell at the entrance wasn't great, but the taste was decent. Luohua = rice noodles, and you can add a lot of ingredients. The broth was very fresh, worth a visit!

Fuzhou cuisine (dinner): Found a Fuzhou restaurant on Dianping. It was in a shopping mall and the taste was average, so I won't recommend it. You can try Buddha Jumps Over the Wall on the main street of Three Lanes and Seven Alleys.

Other recommendations: Gancao (liquorice) guava, Tangmo milk tea with osmanthus wine. They are all worth a try.

Three Lanes and Seven Alleys: After lunch, we strolled through Three Lanes and Seven Alleys. It's the old town of Fuzhou, with ancient architecture from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The main street is similar to Hefang Street, but the old residences in each alley are where you should take your time to wander; most have exhibition halls with information. On the main street is the famous love tree. There's a shop with amazing Shoushan stone carvings; the second floor has a full Manchu-Han imperial feast made entirely of stone.

Yantai Mountain: It preserves century-old mountain streets and Western-style buildings, earning the title "Museum of International Architecture." We came here for a stroll after dinner. Now it feels like a trendy creative district for young people, very nice to wander around. The night lights are also very photogenic.

Day's itinerary: Highway exit → Grandpa Toothless's Peanut Soup → Check into hotel → Back Street Luohua → Three Lanes and Seven Alleys → Fuzhou cuisine → Yantai Mountain

As soon as we entered Quanzhou, we immediately felt it wasn't as lush with green trees. But! It's no exaggeration—there's a temple every few steps. Next to a high-end residential complex is a "magnificent" temple. Later at Kaiyuan Temple, the guide explained that Quanzhou has about 6,000 temples. I have to say, Quanzhou really lives by the saying "Half city of fireworks, half city of immortals"!

Transportation: Quanzhou's traffic is terrible; electric bikes roam the main roads recklessly. I recommend taking taxis for everything during these two days.

Quanzhou Taihe InterContinental Hotel: We specially arranged two days in Quanzhou. The hotel is, I think, in the new district with a large Ferris wheel nearby, very photogenic. Our kid loved the hotel, and we could take her swimming in the evening. The breakfast was very rich, with many local snacks—thumbs up!

Cai Wenwen Steak House (lunch): It was almost 1 PM when we arrived at the hotel, so we ate nearby. The food was cheap and tasty; the beef was very tender and well-braised.

Plum Super Crazy Milk Tea Shop: I had seen this milk tea shop famous in Quanzhou. There was one next to the hotel, so we quickly checked in. The tea was very authentic and delicious!

Li. Jinji Sand Tea Noodles (dinner): Many people queuing; ordering was a bit confusing. The satay noodles can have many add-ons. The seafood in the shop was very fresh, with mantis shrimp as thick as an arm. Because the prices were cheap, the freshness of the seafood was average; those with weak stomachs should be cautious. Recommended for a try!

Wudian Market Traditional Block: This attraction is in Jinjiang District, a relatively mature commercial area. During Spring Festival, there were special lion dance performances by middle school students, probably on holiday break. This place is good for picking a tea room and sitting in the square, basking in the sun, drinking tea, and daydreaming. It's suitable for visiting ancestral halls, for floral headdress photo shoots, but definitely not for a bratty kid constantly saying, "Mom, when are we going back to the hotel to swim?"

Quanzhou Puppet Show: Unfortunately, they had just stopped performing before Spring Festival when I went. You can arrange to see one in the evening; it's very worthwhile. Book tickets a week in advance via the "Quanzhou Puppet Troupe" WeChat public account.

Day's itinerary: Highway exit → Check into hotel → Cai Wenwen Steak House → Wudian Market Traditional Block → Li. Jinji Sand Tea Noodles → Hotel swimming (Quanzhou Puppet Show)

This whole day should be devoted to the temples in the old city of Quanzhou; they are worth a full day of exploration.

I suggest getting up early and arriving at Kaiyuan Temple by 8 AM. There are guides at the entrance; be sure to hire one. After finishing with the guide, you can slowly explore the temple on your own.

Leaving Kaiyuan Temple, you'll be on West Street (a food street). All the popular internet-famous shops have queues. Personally, I think you can try whatever looks appealing; you don't have to waste time at those trendy spots. At the end of West Street is the Bell Tower.

Tips: Within the ancient city, there are small white minibuses that stop when you hail. They cost 2 RMB per person. Just tell the driver your destination, and they'll take you directly.

Recommended temple visit route:

Start with Kaiyuan Temple (the largest Buddhist monastery in Fujian Province. With a guide, it's absolutely worth visiting. Must be the first stop)

→ Chengtian Temple (the least crowded, most peaceful; good for quiet worship and photos. Has inscriptions by Master Hong Yi)

→ Xuanmiao Ancient Temple (across from Chengtian Temple; a Taoist temple. Look closely at the architecture; it has strong Minnan characteristics)

→ Guanyue Temple (the temple with the strongest incense in Quanzhou. Here, you use moon blocks for wishes. Volunteers say the steps for worship cannot be skipped)

→ Mosque (right next to Guanyue Temple; the only temple requiring an entrance fee. I didn't go in.)

Sidan Ginger Duck: When you reach Guanyue Temple and the Mosque, it's about lunchtime. Next to the Mosque is a famous ginger duck restaurant with long queues. We chose the ginger duck shop across the street, which was also good.

→ Tianhou Temple (the largest Mazu temple in Quanzhou. Inside, there's an electronic fortune stick that was fun, but when I visited, the queue was long, and then I found the machine was broken)

Bingzheng Tang (next to Tianhou Temple): A famous four-fruit soup shop. To be honest, the taste was average; just went for the atmosphere. You can order delivery to the hotel—it's just as good. Four-fruit soup is similar to Xian Caoxian (a Taiwanese dessert).

Quanzhou is near the sea; for dinner, it's worth looking up a seafood stall on Dianping.

Tips: You can purchase "Lai Quan Quanzhou" on Xiaoyuzhou app for 25 RMB; download the Quanzhou PDF itinerary and follow along while listening. You can even follow "Quanzhou Old Li (Lai Quan Zhou)" on Xiaohongshu and visit his tea room for a chat.

Day's itinerary: Kaiyuan Temple → West Street (eating & wandering) → Chengtian Temple → Xuanmiao Ancient Temple → Ginger Duck → Guanyue Temple → Tianhou Temple → Bingzheng Tang → Seafood stall → Hotel swimming

From the land of Mazu worship to the land of local deity worship, the accent also changed from "hwee lai hwee khee" to "lei hou." This day was mainly a transit day with snacks; not many attractions recommended. The snacks seem to be all rice noodles or vermicelli—in Fuzhou they call it luohua, in Quanzhou miansian hu, in Chaozhou guotiao. Truly, China is vast and abundant; abroad, it's called "hamburger" in the west and still "hamburger" in the east.

Chaozhou Tengrui Crowne Plaza Hotel: There are room types facing Guangji Bridge, where you can watch the bridge being dismantled and assembled from the room. We stayed on the other side, the river view was still very open. On clear days, you should be able to see sunrise and sunset. The hotel location is also close to the ancient city. Basically, eating, drinking, and fun are all in the ancient city. One or two days is completely fine. On a clear day, find a tea room in the ancient city and you can soak up the whole day!

Chaozhou has so many snacks! There are plenty of internet-famous shops and Douyin shares. But Dianping is still relatively reliable. Combined with the shops especially recommended on Douyin, all the good eats are covered!

Zhenqian Fermented Tofu Chicken Wings (delicious)

Beef balls from any random shop (also delicious)

Xianshui guo (personal taste; rice cake topped with pickled radish. The rice cake isn't chewy, and the radish is a bit salty)

Sesame tea (I like it), almond tea (not my favorite; always has a cough syrup taste)

Dinner was the highest-rated raw fish from Dianping (felt like I was eating sauce all the time, but worth a try)

Also had seafood congee, stir-fried ice, ordered takeout of goose liver and goose wings (delicious)!

Guangji Bridge: The origin of "dismantle the bridge to let boats pass." There's a light show at night. The bridge starts dismantling at 17:30 daily. You can go early to watch. Need a ticket to go onto the bridge. I didn't go up; I wasn't that interested.

Day's itinerary: Chaozhou Ancient City → Non-stop eating → Stroll to Guangji Bridge, take a look → Dinner at the raw fish restaurant

Chaozhou is very close to Shantou. Our first meal of the morning started with stir-fried ice from Chaozhou. Mango stir-fried ice and sweet quail eggs—a bizarre combination but surprisingly tasty!

Bining Erju Loft Sea View Apartment (Shantou High-Speed Rail Station Longguang Century Business Center): We didn't plan to eat at a restaurant on New Year's Eve, so we brought a steamer. We planned to go to the Shantou market early in the morning to experience local life and buy seafood!

So for these three days in Shantou, I specifically looked for an apartment with a kitchen. This apartment has a window facing the sea; below is a port with many colorful containers—quite interesting. The naughty kid was also very excited when we arrived. The landlady was especially nice; she sent a bunch of notes about food and activities.

Shantou has too much delicious food. If you only have a short trip, I suggest skipping Chaozhou and just visiting Shantou and Shanwei. More interesting. Snack street: Longyan South Road. All delicious foods on one street. Buy a little to try.

Beef ball soup, beef guotiao, licorice fruit, Xiaowu rice rolls, fanka (sand) salted egg yolk, Wuli sweet soup—all delicious! When you come to Shantou, you need multiple stomachs!

After snacking, we visited Shantou Small Park. It's another place for eating and walking, suitable for photo ops. But making a special trip for this attraction feels not so meaningful.

Xinghua Wu Ji Beef Hotpot (dinner): Diaolong (tenderloin) and xuehua (snowflake) were very tender. Shantou beef hotpot tastes good everywhere because the beef is freshly cut and cooked. But this hotpot restaurant I think is also interesting to visit for the experience! My husband and I discussed along the way—the boss really knows how to do business.

We drove to the restaurant. I got off with the kid at the door. My husband was worried about parking, but immediately a staff member directed him to a parking lot farther away. There were staff in red vests guiding all the way, even blowing whistles to signal. Amazing! At the parking lot, a van took customers directly back to the restaurant door. The same process when leaving: go to A1 queue, get a ride to pick up the car, then drive back to pick us up. It rained that day, and two guys at the door held umbrellas to see customers to their cars, constantly managing the traffic. Cars came and went without stopping, but the road was smooth. Clearly, the boss has standardized the entire process very well!

Upon entering, knowing we were two adults and one child, they gave me a small flag for Zone F. It was the first time eating with a small flag. Upstairs, a waiter saw the flag in my hand and guided us to the corresponding section, then gave me a number to order. By the time they called us to the table, the hotpot base was already set! Curious, I later asked: about 200 staff, and next door is the retail shop with many people cutting beef!

If I had to give one reason to come to Xinghua Wu Ji, it's for the experience—it's really fresh.

Tips: You can queue online via Dianping at this restaurant. Before we left the Small Park, I queued on Dianping, then went to a strawberry smoothie shop to buy drinks, and by the time we wandered over, the timing was perfect! I thought we'd have to wait an hour, but we got seated quickly. Perfect! So remember to take a number on Dianping in advance!

Day's itinerary: Longyan South Road Snack Street → Shantou Small Park → Xinghua Wu Ji Beef Hotpot

Finally, the steamer we carried all the way came in handy. We figured many restaurants close on New Year's Eve, and the tradition is to have a family dinner while watching the Spring Festival Gala.

Early morning, my husband and I went to Shantou Longbei Market. The market is small, but the seafood is abundant and huge: mantis shrimp as long as an arm, conch as big as a palm, and many seafood varieties we don't see in Hangzhou.

In the afternoon, we leisurely went to Lianhua Mountain Scenic Area. If I gave my daughter a whole day, she could play in the sand for a week.

Day's itinerary: Longbei Market → Lianhua Mountain Scenic Area

Nan'ao Island bridge crossing only takes half an hour. Accommodation on the island during Spring Festival is very expensive, so we didn't switch hotels. On the first day of the lunar new year, I had read that traffic gets congested on the island. If traffic is heavy, traffic control starts at 8:30. To avoid wasting time in traffic, this day became the most "military-style" day of the trip: exploring Nan'ao Island in one day. If I have a chance in summer, I'd love to spend 3–4 days just on Nan'ao Island. It's very engaging; strongly recommend visiting Nan'ao when in Shantou.

Woke up at 6:30 AM. After breakfast, we reached the Nan'ao Bridge in 30 minutes. The weather was great; the morning sun through the clouds was beautiful.

The route around Nan'ao Island is simple: just drive along from Changshanwei Lighthouse. The scenery along the way is superb.

The happiest thing on the first day of the lunar new year was the Nan'ao Island Fishing Lantern Parade. Each village had a team, about 30 teams. We saw the flag-carrying, and most importantly, the Yingge dance—it was super cool!

In the afternoon, I booked a sea fishing trip, two hours out at sea. Great experience. My daughter was extremely lucky and caught five fish; my husband got none! I could just sit on the boat and daydream (remember to wear sunscreen; sun plus sea breeze is very damaging).

Seafood stalls near Qianjiangwan Beach. The specialty is seaweed fried rice. You can also navigate to Qiyun Seafood Restaurant to eat seafood while watching the sunset—the view is unbeatable!

Day's itinerary: Changshanwei Lighthouse → Qian'ao Bay Lighthouse → Nan'ao Island Fishing Lantern Parade (first day of lunar new year) → Sea fishing (2 hours) → Qianjiangwan Beach dinner/beach sunset → Tidal flat fishing (average, not specially recommended) → Exit the island along the route

Originally wanted to cancel the hotel and head straight to Yongding, but I didn't read the terms and couldn't cancel. So we went anyway, and unexpectedly it was a big surprise.

Meizhou, the Land of Longevity and World Hakka Capital. Although only a stopover on the return trip, if I were to choose a niche travel destination, I'd recommend Meizhou. There are some great places for nature or cultural experiences.

Meizhou Yingbin Hotel: Average. The lobby is very grand, and the bedding is comfortable. Two 1.8m double beds, good value.

Thousand Buddha Pagoda Temple: Felt comfortable as soon as we arrived, because there were few people. Compared to the bustling temples in Quanzhou, this temple truly gives a sense of peace. The family slowly climbed up. The temple's large square had many pigeons; they flew to the eaves, making great photos. The kid had a lot of fun. In the quiet temple, you can read the introductions on the walls—very inspiring. Climbing step by step, I turned around and saw the beautiful sunset—absolutely amazing!

The family quietly waited for the sun to set. In just a few seconds, the whole sky changed color. We bought blessing red ribbons in the pagoda. Simply wandered for 1–2 hours, and our mood became very peaceful. Must share a few photos here, strongly recommended!

Dinner was another surprise: We went to Weilong Wu Xingyuan Restaurant (Chengde Lou, a typical Hakka residence). The waiting area at the entrance was nothing special, but when we went down a flight of stairs, we couldn't help but exclaim: what a wealthy family! So many rooms, they couldn't possibly live in all of them! Eating Hakka cuisine in this museum-like place, looking at the menu was confusing; many dish names were unclear, haha.

But ordering by Dianping won't go wrong: salt-baked chicken, stir-fried fragrant snails, Hakka tofu—all delicious, completely different from the food in the first half of the trip. Very tasty.

Day's itinerary: Thousand Buddha Pagoda Temple → Weilong Wu Xingyuan Restaurant

On the way back, we passed Yongding and had to check out the tulou (earth buildings)! I heard "Four Dishes and One Soup" is very crowded, so we specially chose Chuxi Tulou. After exiting the highway, we saw a sign: "No cow can leave Yongding." Not sure if the cow can't leave Shantou or Yongding, but the beef is delicious!

Followed Dianping to a beef stall called "Laoshui Da Pai Dang." The menu listed different parts of the cow (including things you wouldn't think of: cow placenta, cow tail). Before we could figure it out, the waiter quickly ordered: "One dish, one soup is enough." The beef was really fresh!

Chuxi Tulou indeed has fewer people and is less commercialized. Many locals still live in the tulou. The small village is quickly explored even at a leisurely pace. If interested, you can eat at Yulouli Restaurant; the vegetables and chicken, even if farm-raised, are wild enough! Jiqinglou allows you to go upstairs to take photos—just like in "Big Fish & Begonia."

Longyan Tianzi Hot Spring Tourism Resort (Bopowan Hotel): The hotel is in the resort. There were many Spring Festival activities; we saw the "burning pagoda" event, said to be a Mid-Autumn tradition in Guangdong and Fujian! The biggest feature of this hotel is the hot springs. Recommended.

Day's itinerary: Laoshui Da Pai Dang → Chuxi Tulou → Hotel hot springs

Today we reached the base camp of Shaxian snacks. As soon as we got off the highway, we saw an ad: "Shaxian Snack Training Headquarters." We woke up naturally and went out. At a new city, you can visit the sunset point.

Seven Peaks Overlapping Green Scenic Area: Follow the bridge all the way to the glass walkway at the top. The whole scenic area is huge; you can walk slowly and find many viewpoints. Here we watched a beautiful sunset, and at night there was a lovely light show.

Shaxian Wyndham Hotel: I have to say, the entrance is as grand as a palace. They upgraded us to a garden suite for free. The 110 sqm living room and bedroom were quite good. There was even a tea tray in the living room, perfect for brewing the small green tangerine tea we bought in Shantou.

A 10-minute walk from the hotel brought us to Shaxian Food Street. The whole Shaxian is actually very small. Several internet-famous snack shops had long queues. Actually, find shops with not too fancy signs that have been around for over a decade; they'll be good. Incomplete list of Shaxian snacks: Peanut butter noodles, wonton (bianrou), taro, shaomai, duck head, gold-silver buns, grass jelly cooked over firewood, rice wine, green onion meat pie... they're cheap, so try them all!

On the second day of the return trip, we also went to a dendrobium milk tea shop (Xian Xiaoxian) and bought pressed duck. Felt we tried all the must-have snacks, incredibly satisfied!

Day's itinerary: Seven Peaks Overlapping Green Scenic Area → Check into hotel → Shaxian snacks

Jingning as a stopover; see the She ethnic culture and eat Lishui cuisine.

Interesting attractions are about an hour from the county town. Since we're already in Zhejiang, it's worth a separate trip.

On the sixth day of the lunar new year, heading back to Hangzhou, we experienced traffic jams for the first time on this trip. It took a full 7 hours to get home. If you do a Spring Festival itinerary, either return after the holiday or cut 1–2 places and return on the fifth day.

Travel Notes Index:

1. Personal travel suggestions

2. Day 1: Hangzhou - Xiapu (5-6 hours drive)

3. Day 2: Xiapu - Fuzhou (2.5 hours drive)

4. Day 3: Fuzhou - Quanzhou (2 hours drive)

5. Day 4: Quanzhou

6. Day 5: Quanzhou - Chaozhou (3.5 hours drive)

7. Day 6: Chaozhou - Shantou (1 hour drive)

8. Day 7: Shantou

9. Day 8: Shantou - Nan'ao Island (50 minutes drive)

10. Day 9: Shantou - Meizhou (2 hours drive)

11. Day 10: Meizhou - Longyan Yongding (1.5 hours drive)