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Voykit pocket guide · China
Hezhou
贺州
Give Hezhou one full day for Huangyao Ancient Town and one for Gupo Mountain; skip it entirely if you are not already in eastern Guangxi.
Hezhou is a forested prefecture in far eastern Guangxi, a rail junction on the Guangzhou–Nanning corridor with five high-speed stations. The draw is not the city itself but Huangyao Ancient Town, 60 km southwest, plus two national forest parks and a karst stone forest north of town. Most travellers pass through in a day or use it as a two-night base for the old town.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 贺州
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (humid, heavy rain), Lunar 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 ¥250–400 excl. bed · Mid ¥400–700 excl. bed · High ¥700+ 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 |
|---|---|
| Bowl of rice noodles | ¥8–15 |
| City taxi ride | ¥5–15 |
| Shared electric bike unlock | from ¥2 |
| Bus to Huangyao | ¥20–30 |
| Scenic-area entry (forest parks, caves, old town) | ¥40–100 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥80–150 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- KWL · Guilin Liangjiang
- No airport in Hezhou; one direct bus daily from Guilin airport at 14:30, about 3 h to Hezhou, ¥100No airport in Hezhou; one direct bus daily from Guilin airport at 2:30 PM, about 3 h to Hezhou, ¥100
- WUZ · Wuzhou Xijiang
- 184 km from Hezhou, roughly 2.5 h by road114 mi from Hezhou, roughly 2.5 h by road
Typical fares
- Guilin airport → Hezhou bus
- ¥100, departs 14:30, about 3 h¥100, departs 2:30 PM, about 3 h
- Hezhou → Huangyao bus
- ¥20–30, about 1.5 h
- Taxi in the city
- from about ¥5 plus ¥1 fuel surcharge
Get around
Taxis in the city start around ¥5 with a ¥1 fuel surcharge; shared electric bikes from about ¥2. Buses run to the main sights (no. 17 to Gupo Mountain, no. 4 toward Jade Stone Forest, no. 25 to the Hakka round houses). For Huangyao, buses leave from Hezhou Station and Hezhou Central Bus Station; the trip is about 1.5 h.
See and do
Known for
- Huangyao Ancient Town
- Gupo Mountain National Forest Park
- Jade Stone Forest
- Hakka round houses
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Huangyao Ancient Town | Bus from Hezhou Station or Hezhou Central Bus Station, about 1.5 h | About 2 h |
| Gupo Mountain National Forest Park | Bus no. 17 from Hezhou Station, about 30 min | About 1 h |
| Jade Stone Forest | Bus no. 4 to Luhua Village Committee, then about 1 km on footBus no. 4 to Luhua Village Committee, then about 0.6 mi on foot | About 1 h |
| Fuchuan Ming Castle and Xiushui Scholar Village | High-speed rail to Fuchuan Station, then local transport | 2–2.5 h |
Sleep
- Hezhou Station area (Pinggui District)
- High-speed rail access and the bus link to Huangyao; best for one night with bags.
- Babu District centre
- City museums, markets and breakfast streets; 15–20 min by taxi from the rail station.
- Huangyao Ancient Town
- Sleep inside the old town if you want it before and after day crowds; guesthouses only, book ahead in holidays.
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 |
| Where is the toilet? | 洗手间在哪里？xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎ lǐ |
| I don't understand | 我不懂wǒ bù dǒng |
| Can I pay by phone? | 可以手机支付吗？kě yǐ shǒu jī zhī fù 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
- No airport in Hezhou: plan the Guilin or Wuzhou transfer before you book rail.
- Gupo Mountain's peak climb takes 5–7 h round trip and should start before 11:00; the top is cold and windy.
- Primates at the Gupo Mountain entrance grab food — keep snacks zipped away.
- Huangyao charges an entry ticket (¥100) even if you sleep inside; confirm with your guesthouse.
- English is limited outside hotels; have your address in Chinese characters.
Hezhou is calm and low-risk for tourists; the real hazards are summer heat and rain, mountain trails after rain, and long taxi or bus gaps late at night. Keep the 12301 tourist hotline and your hotel's Chinese name on your phone.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Hezhou yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Huangyao Ancient Town
- Gupo Mountain National Forest Park
- Jade Stone Forest
- Hakka round houses
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: Hezhou, revision 5298327 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5298327
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Hezhou贺州
请带我去这个地址
Please take me to this address
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Hezhou; your country's embassy or consulate-general is in Guangzhou or Nanning (check).
Show the Chinese name of your hotel to taxi drivers.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/hezhou). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.