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Voykit pocket guide · China
Guiyang
贵阳
Use Guiyang as a 2-night base for Guizhou: one day in the city, one day out to Qingyan or Huaxi, then move on to Anshun or Libo.
Guiyang is the capital of Guizhou and the transport hub for the province: high-speed rail to Chongqing, Kunming and Chengdu, plus buses to Anshun and Zunyi. The city itself is a half-day of sights — Jiaxiu Pavilion, Qianlingshan Park and two free museums — and most travellers use it as a bed between trips to Huangguoshu Waterfall, the Miao and Dong villages, and the karst country further south.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 贵阳
- Best months
- Mar–May, Sep–Nov
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (rainy season, heavy downpours), Chinese New Year
- 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 ¥250–450 excl. bed · Mid ¥450–900 excl. bed · High ¥900+ 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 |
|---|---|
| Noodle bowl (suantang or beef noodles) | ¥10–25 |
| Sour fish hotpot, per person | ¥60–120 |
| Coffee | ¥20–40 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a shop | ¥15–30 / ¥5–10 |
| Metro ride | ¥2–6 |
| Taxi flagfall | ¥10 |
| Museum entry | Free (most provincial museums) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- KWE · Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport
- Metro Line 2 runs to the city; taxi about 15–20 min to the centre (check the flat rate)
Typical fares
- Airport → city centre, taxi
- about ¥60 flat, 15–20 min (check)
- Airport shuttle bus
- about ¥10 (check)
- Metro ride
- ¥2–6
- Taxi across the centre
- about ¥10
Get around
Metro (GYURT) lines 1, 2, 3 and S1 cover the centre, both main rail stations and the airport; fares ¥2–6. Buses cost ¥2 and are Chinese-only. Taxis flag at ¥10, more late at night. Motorcycle taxis exist but no helmet is provided — agree the price first.
See and do
Known for
- Jiaxiu Pavilion
- Qianlingshan Park and its monkeys
- Guizhou minority-culture museums
- Sour fish and lajiao cooking
- Gateway to Huangguoshu Waterfall
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Qingyan Ancient Town | Bus 203 from Guiyang railway station, or bus 210 from Huaguoyuan Wetlands Park | About 1–1.5 h |
| Huaxi Park and Tianhe Lake | Bus 8 or 404 to Huaxi, then bus 211 or 701 to Tianhe Lake | About 1–1.5 h |
| Anshun and Huangguoshu Waterfall | High-speed rail or long-distance bus to Anshun, then a local bus to the falls | 2–2.5 h |
| Zunyi | High-speed rail from Guiyang North | About 1 h by rail |
Sleep
- Nanming district (Jiaxiu Pavilion, railway station)
- Central, walkable to the river sights and the old Guiyang railway station; best for a short stay.
- Yunyan district (Beijing Road, Qianlingshan)
- North of the centre, close to Qianlingshan Park and the art museum; quieter streets.
- Guanshanhu district (Jinyang)
- New district around Guiyang North railway station; convenient for high-speed rail but 12 km from the old centre.New district around Guiyang North railway station; convenient for high-speed rail but 7.5 mi from the old centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xiè |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duō shǎo qián |
| I don't understand | 我不懂wǒ bù dǒng |
| Where is the toilet? | 厕所在哪里？cè suǒ zài nǎ lǐ |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kě yǐ shuā kǎ ma |
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
- Three rail stations (Guiyang, Guiyang North, Guiyang East) are far apart: check which one your train uses before you leave.
- Summer is the rainy season — June to August brings the heaviest downpours.
- Qianlingshan's wild monkeys grab food and bags: keep snacks inside your pack.
- Some museums require a reservation through a Chinese mini-app; staff usually let foreign visitors in without one, but allow time.
Guiyang is a low-crime city by Chinese standards; the real risks are summer downpours, traffic, and motorcycle taxis without helmets. Ask the fare before you get on.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Guiyang yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Jiaxiu Pavilion
- Qianlingshan Park and its monkeys
- Guizhou minority-culture museums
- Sour fish and lajiao cooking
- Gateway to Huangguoshu Waterfall
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Guiyang municipal government: www.guiyang.gov.cn/
- China Railway 12306: www.12306.cn/en/index.html
- Wikivoyage: Guiyang, revision 5250338 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5250338
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Guiyang贵阳
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most countries' embassies are in Beijing; the US, UK and others have consulates-general in Chengdu, Chongqing and Guangzhou (check which covers Guizhou).
Alipay and WeChat Pay work for almost everything; set them up before you fly.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/guiyang). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.