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Voykit pocket guide · China
Meizhou
梅州
Spend 1–2 days in Meizhou for Hakka culture and tea gardens; skip if you lack time for Guangdong's remote spots.
Meizhou, a Hakka cultural hub in northern Guangdong, offers museums, temples, tea gardens and scenic waterfalls. Its attractions are spread, so a full day covers the main sights; a second day lets you explore the tea garden or nearby waterfalls.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 梅州
- Best months
- Oct–Mar (cooler, less rain)
- Avoid
- Jun–Sep (hot, heavy rain)
- Stay
- 1–2 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 ¥80–120 excl. bed · Mid ¥120–200 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 and ambulance 119
- 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 |
|---|---|
| Breakfast noodles (yammien) | ¥15–25 |
| Salt‑baked chicken (Hakka specialty) | ¥30–50 |
| Tea garden entry | ¥80 |
| Taxi (5 km (3.1 mi))Taxi (3.1 mi (5 km)) | ¥30–40 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MXZ · Meixian Airport
- Domestic flights; some international charters
- SWA · Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport
- 1.5 h by car, more international routes
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Language, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Private cars with driver are common; three‑wheel bikes cost ¥5–6 for ~2 mi; taxis are modest; local buses serve museums and tea garden.
See and do
Known for
- Hakka Museum of China
- Yannanfei Tea Garden
- Lingguang Temple
- Longguizhai Waterfall
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Yannanfei Tea Garden | Bus no. 17 from Jiaying University West Gate, ~30 min | ≈1 h |
| Longguizhai Waterfall | Bus or taxi from Fengshun County, ~2 h total | ≈3 h round trip |
Sleep
- Puxing Youth Hostel
- Dorm beds ¥55, private rooms ¥81–130; central Meijiang district
- Howard Johnson Changsheng Plaza Meizhou
- From ¥448; near city centre
Language
Mandarin is the language of the whole country, written in Simplified characters; Cantonese dominates Guangdong and Hong Kong, and dozens of regional languages survive at home. English is on metro signs, airports and large hotels; elsewhere use a translation app. Pinyin (the romanisation) helps with names but tones change meaning.
- Translation apps: Baidu Translate, Youdao, Microsoft Translator and Apple Translate work without a VPN; Google Translate needs one or a roaming eSIM.
- Show destinations to taxi drivers in characters; copy them from Amap.
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
- Traffic can be chaotic; set taxi or bike price beforehand.
- Long‑distance bus to Hong Kong costs ¥100 but takes ~6 h with border checks.
Generally safe; watch traffic and keep valuables on public transport.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Meizhou yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Hakka Museum of China
- Yannanfei Tea Garden
- Lingguang Temple
- Longguizhai 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.
- Wikivoyage: Meizhou, revision 5237867 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5237867
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/meizhou). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.