Guangzhou is the sprawling capital of Guangdong Province and the historic heart of Cantonese culture, sitting on the Pearl River in southern China. For more than 2,000 years it has been one of China's great trading ports — the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road and, in later centuries, the only Chinese port legally open to Western trade. Today it is a hypermodern megacity of glass towers along the Pearl River, wrapped around an old town of Lingnan-style ancestral halls, colonial-era Shamian Island, and some of the best Cantonese food anywhere on earth, from dim sum teahouses to street stalls serving wonton noodles and roast goose.
Guangzhou's metro is the backbone of getting around for visitors, connecting Baiyun Airport, both major rail stations, and nearly all major sightseeing districts, so most travelers can avoid taxis except late at night or with heavy luggage. Didi and mobile payment apps are close to essential, since English-speaking drivers and cash-only vendors are both increasingly rare.
Transport tips
Travel smarter, not harder.
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