Guangzhou Travel Route Recommendations: Experience the Beauty of the City of Rams

📍 Guangzhou · 👁 1 reads · ❤️ 71 likes

If you're traveling to Guangzhou, I think you need at least a week to truly do it justice. Each district is wonderfully unique and worth exploring in full. Panyu District, for instance, is great for family fun, with Chimelong Safari Park and Baomo Garden around. Yuexiu and Liwan districts are the heart of Guangzhou's food scene, where street after street offers delicious, affordable snacks. Tianhe District boasts many of the city's iconic landmarks—Canton Tower, Guangzhou Opera House, Guangdong Museum, and more—well worth setting aside time for if your schedule allows.

All in all, this trip felt wonderfully relaxed, perfect for a leisurely stroll. So, I'd like to share three routes that I found most worthwhile (typically areas where free sights and food streets are clustered close together), hoping to offer some inspiration for future Guangzhou travelers.

**Huaxuanli Hotel, Guangzhou Zhujiang New Town**

This hotel is located in Tianhe's Zhujiang New Town, with Metro Lines 3 and 5 plus the APM line nearby, making it easy to reach any part of the city. And right now, they have very attractive long-stay deals.

The hotel is decorated in a neo-Chinese style; everywhere, you'll find meticulously painted flower-and-bird traditional Chinese artworks and walnut-toned Chinese-style furniture, steeped in Oriental elegance.

The lobby is on the 17th floor—a sort of 'ascend to see far' concept. Both the lobby and restaurant feature huge floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a panoramic view of the cityscape. Near the lobby is a restaurant and drinks bar serving buffets, coffee, fruit teas, desserts, and more. The buffet spread looked rich, but with our packed schedule, we didn't get to try it—do give it a go if you're keen. The hotel also has a gym; it's not huge, but the equipment is quite comprehensive.

My friend and I had a room on the 16th floor. The bathroom had a wet-and-dry separation—which I found very thoughtful for two people sharing. The air in the room felt fresh; apparently, they've installed air purifiers.

**Wenming Road – Beijing Road – Yide Road**

Tour type: Old-town culture and eats

Sights: Sun Yat-sen Library, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Guangzhou Zoo

Time: Afternoon + evening

Photo-op score: ★★★★★

This was the first route we actually explored in Guangzhou, and it was a total whim—we just followed our gut to pick snack shops (since we hadn't had time to research). But the results proved our intuition was spot-on, because this is one of those must-stroll Guangzhou snack routes. It wasn't until our third evening, when we followed a guide to queue for milk tea on the famous Beijing Road, that we realized: Hey, isn't this the same snack street where we had Yinji rice noodle rolls on day one? So, you see, you don't need a minute-by-minute plan—just trust your instincts (kidding).

We first walked along Wenming Road to Sun Yat-sen Library. Right next to it is the Lu Xun Memorial Hall, free with an ID card. Inside, you'll find bits of Lu Xun's life when he taught in Guangzhou, his love story with Xu Guangping, and works by young Guangzhou artists he inspired.

We spent about two hours there. The building's color scheme is eye-catching—mustard-yellow outer walls and the lush green banyan trees outside, especially gorgeous in the sunshine, making it a perfect photo backdrop.

Heading right from the memorial hall or crossing the street, you can just sense it—these are time-honored Guangzhou eateries. Across the road, there's Old Xiguan Rice Noodles (the noodles were just okay, but the congee base was fragrant), Rose Dessert Shop, Baihua Dessert Shop (the sheer variety will give decision fatigue), Da Yang Stewed Dishes' coconut chicken (herbal, coconut juice, and silkie chicken), and more. These snacks come in small portions, ideal for curious girls with not-so-large appetites.

Keep walking straight, and you'll arrive at the famous Beijing Road Pedestrian Street. It's packed with snacks, but my suggestion is to head to Yide Road first to visit the Sacred Heart Cathedral, then come back to Beijing Road for dinner.

A short walk south from Yide Road takes you to the Pearl River. The riverside stretch here is also beautiful before sunset.

Overall, Yuexiu District is Guangzhou's smallest yet most densely populated central area. Walking these old streets, you can't help but wonder if every household in Guangdong runs a business—often the same kind of shops clustered in one street. Near our B&B was a seafood market street, both sides lined with dried fish and shrimp, full of local life. Although the old district's narrow streets are a common headache, I loved watching people busy at their work.

**Guangdong Museum of Art – Sun Yat-sen University South Campus – Canton Tower**

Tour type: City sights

Time: Afternoon + evening

Photo-op score: ★★★

Guangdong Museum of Art and Sun Yat-sen University's South Campus were on our planned list. The two spots are separated by the Pearl River. After the museum, we rented two shared bikes and cycled over a bridge to the university campus. The museum showcases works by Guangdong artists—free and worth a look.

The Binjiang Road we cycled along is wide and perfect for jogging, with plenty of dog-walkers, families with kids, and exercisers. With no traffic to distract, it's a wonderfully pedestrian-friendly route. We didn't explore the university in depth because we wanted to reach Canton Tower by 6 p.m.

Canton Tower has four types of observation deck tickets. It's one of those attractions where 'you'll regret going, and you'll regret not going.' To avoid regret, we bought just the cheapest indoor observation ticket, at 150 yuan per person.

For dinner, we chose a Singaporean restaurant in Tianhe's Gaode Zhiye East Plaza. The area is surrounded by shopping, great for dining and a stroll. A friend who lives in Guangzhou told me that the Opera House near Canton Tower is fantastic for photos—I often see it on certain social media—but we were short on time. Definitely go if you're interested.

**Duobao Road – Baohua Road – Shangxiajiu – Shamian**

Tour type: Culture and eats

Sights: Bruce Lee's Former Residence, Yongqing Fang, Cantonese Opera Art Museum, Shamian

Time: Morning + afternoon

Photo-op score: ★★★★★

For the snack hunt this day, we followed personal recommendations from a friend—places locals love. And we realized that Cantonese palates lean towards the mild side.

Our first stop was Xinlian Rice Noodle Roll Shop, opposite the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University on Duobao Road. This place is only open in the morning. The shop's decor and retro number tags tell you it's an old favorite. We ordered two large portions of rice noodle rolls (big mistake—small would have been plenty). I also ordered the priciest pork offal congee (I forget the exact name).

When they asked if we wanted it spicy, we said yes—but their 'spicy' turned out to be sweet bean paste. Honestly, the rolls would have been better without it.

Next was Yongqing Fang, a renovated old Xiguan pedestrian street—a successful historic district makeover. It houses Bruce Lee's former residence, the Cantonese Opera Art Museum, and more.

We'd planned to eat our way from Duobao Road to Baohua Road, but after that first meal miscalculation left us too full, we headed straight to my most anticipated, supposedly the most artsy spot in Guangzhou—Shamian.

Shamian was once Guangzhou's important commercial port, hosting consulates of various nations. It was pretty crowded that day. Although it also sits along the Pearl River, I found the riverside scenery less appealing than the Binjiang Road stretch near Sun Yat-sen University's South Campus.

After Shamian, we doubled back to Baohua Road to try Jianji Noodle Shop on Changshou East Road, as recommended. We had beef brisket yi mian and pig trotter yi mian. Very affordable, under 20 yuan a bowl.

What lingers is the noodles' texture—somewhere between noodles and tofu skin, not chewy like hand-pulled northern noodles but wrinkly like tofu skin, which soaked up the brisket sauce beautifully. I thought it was great, though my friend found it average—maybe she was too hungry to taste it properly (just whisper).

Then we went looking for Shunji Ice Room on Baohua Road, tucked away in a deep alley. Along the way, we passed one old-school snack shop after another and saw a long queue at Yixin Chicken. Shunji has a big space and doesn't just sell sweet soups; they serve main dishes too. We ordered their signature mango and durian ice cream—not cheap, two small scoops for 25 yuan—and honestly, I thought the flavor couldn't match the Modern ice cream I had in Harbin.

**Dongshankou**

Dongshankou is said to be one of Guangzhou's three truly artsy neighborhoods, along with Shamian and Sun Yat-sen University South Campus. At first glance, it looks like any ordinary district, but as you wander, you can't miss the artistic undercurrent. It's a magnet for young designers, creative trendsetters, and artsy souls, with pop-up fashion shows, photo exhibitions, art shows, and more.

On Yandun Road, behind a crumbling plaster wall, hides an often overlooked retro paradise—Qingyuan. This villa, over 80 years old, has been brought quietly elegant life by a vintage shop. The retro clothes, accessories, antique floor tiles, and vivid jewelry inside are like a time machine, taking you back to a slower age.

23ART is one of the few small art spaces in Guangzhou that genuinely surprised me. It stands serenely among the colonial houses, with no hint of restlessness. The three-story building hosts different exhibitions on different floors, and the shows change periodically—check ahead if you're interested. There's also a large terrace on the third floor, and indoors, sofas for rest; the whole place feels calm and hushed.

On each floor, the stairwell corridors bear words about art—white walls, black letters, simple and strong, understated yet expressive, as if reflecting the art attitude they embrace. Exhibitions here are frequent and uncrowded, highly recommended.

The neighborhood brims with everyday life. In the late afternoon, when schools let out, Dongshankou comes alive: sweet soup shops fill up, the evening market buzzes with hawkers' calls, hymns drift from the church, and people play chess in the park...

**Travel Journal Contents**

1. Accommodation

2. Yuexiu District

3. Tianhe District

4. Liwan District

5. Dongshankou

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