Xiamen

gulangyu xiamen island

Xiamen

Xiamen is a city on the southeastern coast of China. It consists of Xiamen Island, Gulangyu Island and a region on the mainland. The city has a major seaport and is nearby Taiwan. It is considered as one of the most clean cities within China.

Gulangyu Island

Gulangyu is the top attraction in Xiamen. It’s a beautiful island of 2 km2 with secluded valleys, rocks, sheer cliffs, reefs and sandy beaches. Gulangyu has about 20.000 residents and is on China’s list of National Scenic Spots. The island is a pedestrian zone and has a paved 4 kilometer ring road.A ferry takes visitors from Xiamen Island to Gulangyu Island in just 5 minutes. The Sunlight Rock is the highest point on Gulangyu Island (93 meter). Admission to the island is 90 Yuan including fees of roundtrip boat, Sunlight Rock and Shuzhuang Park.

Hotels on Gulangyu Island
– Gulang Villa Hotel
– Xiamen Wujiayuan Boutique Guest House
– Marine Garden Hotel

Luxury hotels in Xiamen
– Sofitel Plaza Xiamen: in the financial district
– Sheraton Hotel: located in Jiangtou District
– Seaview Resort Xiamen: with huge botanical garden
– Crowne Plaza Paragon: in the the centre of Xiamen
– Wynaham Xiamen: close the ferry dock facing Gulangyu Island

Airport

Xiamen International Airport is located on the North-East of Xiamen island 14 km from the city center. It’s one of the largest airports in China with flights to Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, America, Europe and 58 cities on mainland China. Shuttle buses are just outside the airport. Fare of this bus to the railway station in the city center is 6 Yuan. The public bus cost only 1 Yuan. Bus number 27 connects Xiamen airport with the railway station and ferry terminal. A taxi to the city center is about 30 Yuan. Official website of the airport is www.xiagc.com.cn (in English)

Train

– Xiamen – Ningbo: journey takes 5 hours and 20 minutes
– Xiamen – Guangzhou: 15 hours (880km)
– Xiamen – Hefei: 24 hours (1300km)
– Xiamen – Nanchang: 15-18 hours (838km)
– Xiamen – Nanjing: 29 hours (1396km)
– Xiamen – Shanghai Hongqiao: 9 hours
Official website of Xiamen Railway Station is www.xmhcz.com (in Chinese)

Cruise & ferry terminals

– Heping Terminal: ferry to Jinmen Island (Taiwan route)
– International Tourist Ferry Terminal: cruise ships
– Wutong Sea and Air Transport Dock

Attractions

– Shuzhuang Garden: Chinese traditional gardens
– Nanputuo Temple: Buddhist temple
– Huli Hill Fort

wyndham hotel xiamen
Wyndham Hotel facing Gulangyu Island

Bus
The Tourism Distribution Center is inside the long distance bus station at South Hubin Road. From this bus station there are buses running to four scenic places outside Xiamen City: Wild Valley Forest Park, Sanping, Qinglong Village and Changtai Drift.

Port

Xiamen is an important port city in China.
The port consist of several areas:
– Dongdu Port: is leading port, containers and general cargo
– Liuwudian Port: containers, heavy industry, port logistics
– Haicang Port: containers, bulk cargo, transit, warehousing
– Songyu Port: containers
– Zhaoyin Port: containers, dry bulk cargo, roll-on roll-off
– Houshi Port: bulk cargo for heavy chemical industry
– Shima Port: will be developed into a medium-sized port