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Voykit pocket guide · China
Chaozhou
潮州
Give Chaozhou 2 nights: one full day for the old town on foot, one for Guangji Bridge and Kaiyuan Temple. Skip it if you only want beaches.
Chaozhou is the cultural core of the Chaoshan region in eastern Guangdong, on the Han River. The walled old town is compact and walkable, and the food — Teochew beef hotpot, braised goose, oyster omelette — is the main reason to come. Two nights covers it; three lets you add Fenghuang Mountain or a Shantou day trip.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 潮州
- Best months
- Oct–Dec, Mar–Apr
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (heavy rain and typhoon season), Lunar New Year crowds
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥200–350 excl. bed · Mid ¥350–650 excl. bed · High ¥650+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | ¥15–35 |
| Noodle soup or rice porridge | ¥10–25 |
| Teochew beef hotpot, per person | ¥60–120 |
| Braised goose plate | ¥30–60 |
| Beer: draught / can at a convenience store | ¥15–30 / ¥5–10 |
| 5 km taxi ride3.1 mi taxi ride | ¥20–30 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥50–150 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SWA · Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport
- About 40–60 min by road to Chaozhou old town; no airport of its own.
Typical fares
- Chaoshan station → Chaozhou city centre, city bus
- about ¥5, 45 min (check)
- Shantou → Chaozhou, bus
- about ¥18–19
- Guangji Bridge crossing
- about ¥20, free for visitors over 60 (check)
Get around
Walk the old town — it is compact and the lanes are the point. Taxis for longer hops run about ¥20–30. City buses exist but are slow and signed in Chinese; use a ride-hailing app instead.
See and do
Known for
- Guangji Bridge
- Kaiyuan Temple
- Chaozhou old city wall
- Teochew cuisine and kung fu tea
- Ceramics
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Shantou | Bus from the China Travel Services station, or taxi from Chaoshan Road | About 1 h |
| Jieyang | High-speed rail to Chaoshan station, then local transport | About 1 h |
| Xiamen | High-speed train from Chaoshan station | About 2.5 h |
| Guangzhou | High-speed train from Chaoshan station | About 4 h |
Sleep
- Old town (Xiangqiao district)
- Walk to Guangji Bridge, Kaiyuan Temple and the food streets; book ahead on holidays.
- Near Chaozhou Avenue / People's Square
- Modern hotels, cheaper rooms, 10–15 min by taxi to the old town.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duō shao qián |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kě yǐ shuā kǎ ma |
| Where is the toilet? | 洗手间在哪里？xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎ lǐ |
| Not spicy, please | 不要辣bú yào là |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Chaozhou Railway Station in the centre no longer handles passenger trains — arrive at Chaoshan station instead.
- Guangji Bridge charges about ¥20 to cross and is free for visitors over 60 (one way).
- The Lighthouse of Buddha was closed for renovation as of July 2026: check before walking up.
- Summer brings heavy rain and typhoons; check the forecast before booking June–August.
Chaozhou is a low-crime city and the old town is fine on foot at night. The real risks are summer heat and rain, scooters in the lanes, and unlicensed taxis at the station: use a metered cab or a ride-hailing app.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Chaozhou yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Guangji Bridge
- Kaiyuan Temple
- Chaozhou old city wall
- Teochew cuisine and kung fu tea
- Ceramics
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Chaozhou, revision 5309735 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5309735
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/chaozhou). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.