Guiyang Travel Guide

Guiyang is the capital city of Guizhou province. Surrounded by mountains, Guiyang is well known as the “Forest City” and “Plateau Pearl”. Compare the passionate beauty of Kunming, the beauty of Guiyang is delicate and pure. Most Guiyang attractions are named after parks, and are especially famous for Karst landform. Rolling green hills, widespread emerald lakes and grotesque caves are scattered all over the city, makes Guiyang a perfect natural oxygen resort for people to escape summer heat. Pleasant and comfortable is another character of Guiyang besides beautiful scenery. Compared to most modern urban centers, the pace of life in Guiyang is slow. Moreover, delicious spicy and sour local dishes will never let you down.

For most travelers, Guiyang is often just a stopover on their journey to Huangguoshu Waterfalls or minority villages in Guizhou Province. However keep your eyes peeled, you will find that there are still a series of scenic spots quiet worth to pay a visit. Visitors can meet the wild macaques at Qianling Mountain Park, track the history of Qingyan Ancient Town, take a exciting adventure of rafting at Nanjiang Grand Canyon and appreciate the idyllic scenery of rape flower sea at Qinglong Lake, etc.

Why Visit Guiyang in Guizhou:

• A Summer Resort & Natural Oxygen Bar: Guiyang is an excellent place to escape summer heat. Climate here is pleasant, even in the hottest day in summer, temperature would rarely exceed 30℃. The emerald trees and plants not only swish a green cape around the city, but also create a natural oxygen bar. Therefore, Guiyang officials also played "Clear and Cool" Guiyang as the city’s propaganda slogan.
• The Most Important Transit City in Guizhou Province: Located in the center part of Guizhou Province, Guiyang has the most sophisticated transportation system in Guizhou Province. Usually, tourists who want to tour around Guizhou would make Guiyang as their first stop. Transportation between Guiyang and surrounding cities (such as Kaili, Anshun, Tongren, etc.) in Guizhou are very convenient, you can easily find high-speed rails, buses and flights to take you to your next destinations.
• Refreshing and Delicious Guiyang Cuisine: “Cool” is not only about the cool summer in Guiyang, but also about the delicious and refreshing Guiyang cuisine. The Diversity of cuisines in Guiyang can provide you with different kinds of breakfasts for weeks. There are street food such as Siwawa (a kind of vegetable spring roll), Loving Beancurb Puff and Yams Baba, and specialties such as Fish in Sour Soup, Huaxi beef Rice Noodles... Tourists may have to stay for a while if they want to taste all the delicacies.
• Peaceful Local Life: Apart from the exquisite landscape and delicious food, “Ease and Comfort” is another name card of Guiyang. Without the hustle and bustle of metropolitan city, life in Guiyang is in a slow pace. Elders enjoy playing cards in the park to spend their relaxing afternoon, and younger people love hanging out with families and friends at the night market after daytime working. The generosity and tolerance of Guiyang shows a uniqueness side to its’ visitors.

Top Attractions in Guiyang, Guizhou

Guiyang features many historical and cultural sites. Visitors can visit time-honored Qingyan Ancient Town and trace back to Ming dynasty; Plan a half day hiking at Qianling Park, pray at efficacious Hongfu Temple and meet the wild macaques; Appreciate the night view of Jiaxiu Tower with hundreds of years and make a comparison among the modern architectures; Taste the local food to enjoy the leisure pace lifestyle; Drive to Huaxi Scenic Area or Aha Lake National Wetland Park and wander alongside the wetland to feel the “Clear and Cool” of Guiyang...For more attraction info, please keep on reading All Attractions in Guiyang | Top Things to Do in Guiyang.

Qianling Park

Named after the First Mountain in Guizhou Province, Qianling Park is located at the center of Guiyang. With sentient and clever wild macaques, a sizable zoo with cute pandas, clean water and ancient temples, this park is a great escape from the crowds and city noise.

Qingyan Ancient Town

Qingyan Ancient Town, one of the four ancient towns in Guizhou Province, was a military town built over 600 years ago. Layout of the town follows the pattern of Ming and Qing Dynasty. The entrance portal, wickets, ancient stones, etc. are still well preserved till today.

Jiaxiu Tower

Jiaxiu Tower, the symbol of Guiyang city, is a Chinese typical tower built in Ming dynasty. In the evening, when lights on, the dappled light spilled out through the building, makes the architecture become a beautiful scenery in the city.

Huaxi Scenic Area

Given the green mountains, limpid water, ample foliage, Huaxi Scenic Resort has owned a name of a pearl inlaid in plateau. Tourist can enjoy the beautiful scenery by rafting a boat or just make a short excursion in the Huaxi Park. 

Tianhe Lake Scenic Area

With Karst Caves, waterfalls, doline, clear lakes...Tianhe Lake Scenic Area can be seen as the concentration of natural landscapes in Guizhou. Highlights are including the Milky Way Palace, Dry Cave, Water Cave and Calcified Waterfalls.

Guizhou Provincial Museum

Guizhou Provincial Museum has a total collection of more than 80,000 pieces, displaying local history, folk cultural and paleontological relics. Minority cultural relics are highlights in Guizhou Provincial Museum, unique in China.

Nanjiang Grand Canyon

With the astonishing Grand Canyon scenery, typical types of multifarious waterfalls and surrounding exquisite, Nanjiang Grand Canyon is well-known and worthwhile to pay a visit. Rafting is an unmissable activity in Nanjiang Grand Canyon in summer.

Qinglong River

In spring when rape flowers are in their full bloom, Towns alongside Qinglong River becomes a sheltered arcadia in mountains, flower sea and clear water. There are also many Buyi villages on the river bank, such as Fenghuang Village, Pingzhai Village, etc.

Weather & Best Time to Visit Guiyang, Guizhou

Guiyang is located in the century hilly region of Yunnan-Guizhou plateau, about 1100m above sea level. Controlled by the westerlies all year round, it belongs to the subtropical humid and mild climate. With an average annual temperature about 15℃, Guiyang is free from summer heat. The average temperature in summer is around 23℃, and the highest temperature is between 25-28℃ on average. Rainfall is abundant in summer, with about 500mm. Precipitation at night accounts for almost 70% of the annual total precipitation of about 11,000mm.

Best Time to Visit Guiyang

With fresh air and mild climate, the “Clear and Cool” Guiyang is suitable for visit any time of the year, especially from May to October. In summer, the whole city is dressed in Green, with no strength heat; the weather is comfortable and pleasant. River flux increase a lot that makes summer the best time to appreciate the splendid waterfalls. Rafting tour at Nanjiang Grand Canyon also reach to its’ peak season.

Know more about weather in Guiyang, please read Guiyang Climate, Weather & Season to Go.

Transportation of Guiyang, Guizhou

How to Get to Guiyang

Travelers can take flight, train and bus to reach Guiyang. Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport (贵阳龙洞堡国际机场) is one of the most important air transport hub in Western China. There are over 70 domestic airlines between Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Kunming, Chengdu, etc. and international flights to or from Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Osaka, Paris and Melbourne etc. are also available.

High speed trains are available between Guiyang and hot destinations in China such as Guilin (2.5-3hrs), Kunming (2-2.5hrs), Changsha (3-3.5hrs), Chengdu (3.5-4.5hrs), Chongqing (2.5-3hrs), Beijing, Shanghai, and Xiamen, etc. There are also many G trains and D trains would reach train stations in Guiyang from Kaili (about 40mins), Anshun (about 30mins), Rongjiang and Congjiang (about 1.5-2hrs), etc.

How to Travel Around Guiyang

By Private Car Service - Most Recommended

If you want to have a worry-free travel without concerning about transportation, here we strongly recommended you to book a private car service with us. Our experienced private car drivers will pick you up from no matter where you are landing in Guiyang and send you directly to hotels or other places you would like to visit. Drivers would choose the best driving route to save you from the troublesome traffic jam. Our professional local guides will introduce all history, culture, attractions and highlights of Guiyang on the way. If you are interested in our private transfer service and would like to know more, please feel free to contact us.

By Metro, Taxi and Bus - Independent Travelers

For independent travelers, you can get around Guiyang city by metro (Line 1), taxi and public buses. But please be aware that traffic jam is terrible in Guiyang. If you need to catch a flight or train, please make sure you leave enough time for it.

To check more transfer info, please see How to Get to & around Guiyang.

Guiyang to Hot Destinations in Guizhou

Guiyang to Huangguoshu Waterfalls

The No.1 Waterfalls in China - Huangguoshu Waterfalls is about 118km away from Guiyang, takes about 1.5 hours by car. Travelers can get there by high-speed trains, private cars or tour buses. Know more details of How to Get from Guiyang to Huangguoshu Waterfall >>

Guiyang to Kaili

If you want to explore minority villages in Guiyang, Kaili is the unmissable place. Kaili is about 135km from Guiyang, can be reached by trains, buses and private cars. Know more details of How to Get to Kaili From Guiyang >>

Guiyang to Fanjingshan

Mount Fanjing is about 250km northeast of Guiyang City, takes about 3.5 - 4 hours to travel by car. Most people would take a high-speed train to arrive at Tongren first and then transfer to private car or tour buses to Fanjingshan Scenic Area. Know more details of How to Get to Kaili From Guiyang >>

Accommodation in Guiyang, Guizhou

There are two places that most tourists would like to stay in Guiyang, one is at the center area near Dashizi, Xiaoshizi and Huaguoyuan, the other is at suburb of Guiyang near Qingyan Ancient Town.

Whether you want to stay in a 5-star luxury hotel (Pullman Hotel), a 4-star business hotel (Ramada Plaza Guiyang), or a 3-star boutique hotel (Guiyang Hualian Hotel), all type of hotels can be found in Guiyang downtown. Moreover, transportation from the city center to the railway station or the airport are all very convenient. Even you need to catch a train or flight on the next day, it only takes less than 1 hour to reach by car/taxi.

Visitors who have plan to Qingyan Ancient Town can spend one night in featured quaint inns in the town, which will absolutely give you a different novel experience. Xishe Inn, Qingyan Yueran Wutong Inn, etc are recommended.

To check more accommodation & hotels info, please see Where to Stay & Accommodation in Guiyang.

Useful Guiyang Maps

To help you have a better understanding about Guiyang, now we've collected some useful Maps of Guiyang, including Guiyang China Map, Guiyang Attraction Map, Map of Guiyang Metro and more. More Guiyang maps. please check 2024 Updated Guiyang Maps.

Guiyang China Map

Guiyang Guizhou Map

Guiyang Attractions Map

Other Hot Destinations in Guizhou Province

Besides Guiyang, there are some other hot destinations in Guizhou Province, like Anshun (Huangguoshu Waterfalls), Tongren (Fanjingshan), Kaili (Miao & Dong Villages), Libo (Seven Small Arches), Rongjiang and Congjiang , etc. Check the travel guide of each destination and discover now!

Mount Fanjing

Kaili

Anshun

Congjiang

Other Popular Destinations in China

China is vast and diverse. You can choose your favorite destination among more than 70 tourist destination and regions. Following are 4 popular destinations you may get interested in. Check all destinations in China

Beijing

Xian

Guilin

Shanghai