Xiamen in 3 days

Seafront China with colonial Gulangyu, tea houses and the best air in the country. Best time to visit: October-December, March-May. Average daily budget: $45 to $130 USD.

Day 1, Get oriented

Base: Gulangyu Island, Car-free UNESCO island of colonial villas, gardens and piano museums.

Morning: Gulangyu island. Take the ferry over and wander the colonial villa lanes before the day crowd lands.

Afternoon: Explore Gulangyu Island, Car-free UNESCO island of colonial villas, gardens and piano museums.

Evening: Huandao coastal road. Cycle or walk the seafront ring road at golden hour.

Eat: Shacha noodles, the peanut-and-seafood sauce that defines Xiamen

Day 2, Go deeper

Base: Siming and Zhongshan Road, Old downtown, arcaded shopping street and the ferry terminals.

Morning: Nanputuo Temple. Visit the hillside temple and eat in its well-known vegetarian restaurant.

Afternoon: Explore Siming and Zhongshan Road, Old downtown, arcaded shopping street and the ferry terminals.

Evening: Shapowei and Zengcuoan. Browse the old fishing harbour's cafes and the seaside art village.

Eat: Oyster omelette and fried oyster rolls from Zengcuoan stalls

Day 3, Hidden side

Base: Zengcuoan, Former fishing village turned guesthouse and street-food warren by the sea.

Morning: Shuzhuang Garden's rock pathways on Gulangyu's quiet southern shore. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Afternoon: Explore Zengcuoan, Former fishing village turned guesthouse and street-food warren by the sea.

Evening: Bailuzhou park at night for the skyline reflected in the lake. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Eat: Peanut soup with youtiao, sweet and traditional at Huangzehe

Hidden gems

Shuzhuang Garden's rock pathways on Gulangyu's quiet southern shore
Bailuzhou park at night for the skyline reflected in the lake
The Shapowei fishing harbour cafes in old boatyard buildings
Tianzhushan forest park for a green half-day away from the coast

Getting around

The metro covers the main corridors and the BRT is fast and cheap, both payable by Alipay QR. Taxis and Didi are inexpensive. Gulangyu is reached only by ferry from Dongdu terminal for tourists, around 35 yuan return, and must be booked in advance online. The island itself is walk-only.

Safety

Xiamen is very safe with low crime and heavy CCTV coverage. Practical issues matter more: you need Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to a foreign card for almost everything, a VPN set up before arrival for Western apps, and awareness that typhoons hit between July and September, occasionally shutting ferries and flights.

Xiamen in 5 days | Xiamen in 7 days | Full Xiamen guide