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Voykit pocket guide · China
Zhaoqing
肇庆
Give Zhaoqing one full day and one night: Seven Star Crags and the lake in the morning, Dinghu Mountain or the old wall in the afternoon. Two nights if you want both.
Zhaoqing is a small Guangdong city 1.5–2 h from Guangzhou by high-speed rail, built around Star Lake and the Seven Star Crags limestone peaks. It is a two-night stop or a long day trip from Guangzhou, not a destination on its own for a first China trip. Air is cleaner than the Pearl River Delta cities and the pace is slow.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 肇庆
- Best months
- Oct–Dec, Mar–Apr
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (heat, humidity, typhoon season)
- 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 ¥200–350 excl. bed · Mid ¥350–700 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 |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | ¥15–35 |
| Cantonese dim sum meal | ¥60–70 |
| Bowl of noodles | ¥15–30 |
| Beer: draught in a restaurant / can at a convenience store | ¥15–30 / ¥5–10 |
| City bus ride | ¥2–4 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | ¥15–25 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥70–150 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CAN · Guangzhou Baiyun International
- Intercity bus to Zhaoqing has run from the airport; check current service before you rely on it. Otherwise rail via Guangzhou.
- ZQG · Zhaoqing (no scheduled passenger service)
- check
Typical fares
- Guangzhou South → Zhaoqing East, high-speed rail
- about ¥60, 1.5–2 h (check)
- Zhaoqing East Station → city centre, taxi
- about ¥70, 30 min (check)
- City bus
- ¥2–4
Get around
City buses ¥2–4; bus 12 links the rail station and the main bus station, bus 21 runs to Dinghu Mountain. Taxis and ride-hailing are cheap for short hops. Seven Star Crags and the old city are walkable from each other; Dinghu Mountain needs a bus or taxi.
See and do
Known for
- Seven Star Crags and Star Lake
- Dinghu Mountain nature reserve
- Song Dynasty city wall and Piyun House
- Cantonese dim sum
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Dinghu Mountain | Bus 21 from the main bus station, or taxi about 20 km northeastBus 21 from the main bus station, or taxi about 12 mi northeast | About 1 h each way |
| Guangzhou | High-speed rail from Zhaoqing East Station | 1.5–2 h |
| Kaiping diaolou towers | Bus from the downtown bus terminal | 2–3 h |
Sleep
- Star Lake / Qixingyan waterfront (Duanzhou)
- Walk to Seven Star Crags and the evening fountain; most mid-range and resort hotels sit here.
- Old city / Piyun House area
- City wall, museum and street market on foot; cheaper guesthouses, fewer lake views.
- Zhaoqing East Station area
- High-speed rail access only; 30 min and about ¥70 by taxi to the centre, so use it for a late arrival or early departure, not a base.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | 不好意思bù hǎo yì si |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xie |
| This one, please | 要这个yào zhè ge |
| 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 |
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
- Dinghu Mountain and Seven Star Crags get very crowded on Chinese public holidays and weekends — go at opening.
- Zhaoqing East Station is about 30 min from the centre; budget taxi time and cost, or use the bus.
- Summer is hot, wet and typhoon-prone; check forecasts in Jun–Sep.
- Museum exhibits at Yuejianglou are mostly labelled in Chinese only.
Zhaoqing is a low-crime city and safe for tourists on normal precautions. The real risks are summer heat and humidity, holiday crowds at the lake and mountain, and traffic when crossing roads.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Zhaoqing yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Seven Star Crags and Star Lake
- Dinghu Mountain nature reserve
- Song Dynasty city wall and Piyun House
- Cantonese dim sum
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- China National Tourist Office: www.cnto.org/
- Wikivoyage: Zhaoqing, revision 5261075 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5261075
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Zhaoqing肇庆
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most countries: embassies in Beijing, consulates-general in Guangzhou (check your own country's list).
Tipping is not expected. Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay and an eSIM or VPN before you fly.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/zhaoqing). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.