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Voykit pocket guide · China
Xiamen
厦门
Give Xiamen 2–3 nights: one full day on Gulangyu, one on the island's beaches and Yundang Lake, and a half-day for Jimei or a Fujian tulou run.
Xiamen is a subtropical port city on Fujian's coast, one degree north of the Tropic of Cancer, warm enough to visit year-round. The core sits on Xiamen Island, with Gulangyu a five-minute ferry offshore and four mainland districts — Jimei, Haicang, Tong'an and Xiang'an — linked by bridge, tunnel, metro and BRT. It is a Special Economic Zone since 1980, so it is modern, green and easy to move around, and it works as a base for the Minnan coast: Quanzhou, Zhangzhou and Chongwu are all day-trip distance.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 厦门
- Best months
- Oct–Dec, Mar–May
- Avoid
- Jul–Sep (heat, humidity, typhoon risk)
- Stay
- 2–3 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 |
|---|---|
| Coffee or milk tea | ¥15–35 |
| Bowl of shacha noodles or seafood noodles | ¥15–40 |
| Seafood dinner, per person | ¥60–150 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a convenience store | ¥25–45 / ¥5–10 |
| 5 km taxi or ride-hail3.1 mi taxi or ride-hail | ¥15–25 |
| Metro or BRT ride | ¥2–7 (check) |
| Gulangyu ferry, return | about ¥35 (check) |
| Museum or temple entry | ¥0–60 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- XMN · Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport
- On Xiamen Island, about 20 min and ¥30–40 by taxi to downtown; bus 18 or 27, or BRT via the T4 station. A new airport at Xiang'an is due to replace it in late 2026: check which one your flight uses.
Typical fares
- Gaoqi Airport → downtown, taxi
- ¥30–40, about 20 min (check)
- Gulangyu ferry, return
- about ¥35, 5–20 min crossing (check)
- Xiamen → Quanzhou, high-speed rail
- about ¥30–50, 30–45 min (check)
Get around
The metro and BRT cover the island and reach Jimei, Tong'an and Xiang'an; buses fill the gaps and cost a couple of yuan. Taxis and ride-hailing are cheap for short hops. Gulangyu is car-free and reached only by ferry from the Zhongshan Road pier — book the ferry slot ahead in peak season. Bridges and a tunnel link the island to the mainland districts.
See and do
Known for
- Gulangyu (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- Colonial treaty-port architecture
- Nanputuo Temple and Xiamen University
- Minnan seafood and shacha noodles
- Yundang Lake and island beaches
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gulangyu | Ferry from the Zhongshan Road pier, about 5–20 min depending on the pier | About 1 h with boarding |
| Jimei | Metro or BRT across the bridge, about 30 min | About 45 min |
| Quanzhou | High-speed rail from Xiamen North or Xiamen station, about 30–45 min | About 1.5 h |
| Zhangzhou | High-speed rail or bus, about 30–60 min | About 1.5 h |
| Chongwu | Bus or car up the coast, about 1.5–2 h | About 2.5 h |
| Liu'ao | Bus or car south along the coast, about 2–2.5 h | About 3 h |
Sleep
- Zhongshan Road and the old town (Siming)
- Walk to the Gulangyu ferry, Nanputuo and the university; the densest eating and the most convenient first base.
- Yundang Lake and Haiwan Park
- Cafés, bars and Western food around the lake and seafront; quieter evenings, 10–15 min by taxi from the ferry.
- Xiamen University and Zengcuoan
- Student district with hostels and cheap eats; beach access at Baicheng and Hulishan.
- Jimei
- Mainland suburb across the bridge; cheaper beds near the university town and metro into the island.
- Gulangyu
- Sleep on the island for car-free mornings, but beds cost more and you still need the ferry for everything else.
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
- Gulangyu ferry tickets are dated and capped: book on the official channel, and expect queues at the pier in summer and on holidays.
- Typhoon season runs Jul–Sep; check forecasts and ferry or flight cancellations before committing to a coastal day.
- Summer is hot and humid (July highs around 32 °C) — plan indoor or shaded blocks midday.
- Buy Gulangyu ferry and attraction tickets from official counters or apps; ignore touts at the pier selling 'fast' boats.
- Mobile payment (Alipay or WeChat Pay) is near-universal; set it up before you fly, as some stalls take no cash.
Xiamen is a low-crime city and comfortable to walk by day and evening. The real risks are summer heat and typhoons, ferry and ticket touts at the Gulangyu pier, and traffic when you cross without a signal.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Xiamen yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Gulangyu (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- Colonial treaty-port architecture
- Nanputuo Temple and Xiamen University
- Minnan seafood and shacha noodles
- Yundang Lake and island beaches
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: Xiamen, revision 5320678 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5320678
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Xiamen厦门
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
The US and most other countries run embassies in Beijing and consulates-general in Shanghai or Guangzhou; Xiamen has no full consulate for most nationalities — check your own country's list before you travel.
Ferry and attraction tickets change by season: confirm on the official channels the day before.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/xiamen). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.