Guangzhou to Beijing Tour Plans - How to Travel from Guangzhou to Beijing

1. Find out the Present & Past of China in Guangzhou and Beijing

Guangzhou is always described as modern, vital, or energetic. It’s one of the best locations to feel the present China. People who come here will be amazed at the high-rise skyscrapers and rapid city development. The landmark of Guangzhou - 600m Canton Tower is the highest tower in China and the second highest in the world. Guangzhou is like a bold young man full of creative ideas and happy to try something new.

Beijing, as the capital of China for several centuries, there are many historic sites which will show you the past of China, such as the splendid Forbidden City, magnificent Great Wall, pleasant Summer Palace, solemn Temple of Heaven, etc. Every one of them has so much to see and so many stories to tell.

2. Convenient Transfer Between Guangzhou and Beijing

As the southern gate to China's mainland, Guangzhou has always been an important transportation hub. It’s very convenient to get to Guangzhou from other countries such as the UK, America, Canada, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore. After a Guangzhou tour, there are more than 30 daily flights and a dozen of trains for your choice to get to Beijing.

3. Experience the Charm of Language in Guangzhou and Beijing

Language is one of the most amazing products of human being’s wisdom. When we talk about Chinese, it usually refers to mandarin Chinese. However, in Guangzhou, local people are more used to speaking Cantonese. They have their own songs, TV plays, operas in Cantonese and they are much different from mandarin Chinese. So if there are two people from Guangzhou and Beijing who can only speak their local languages, they basically can not understand each other. Maybe you can try to learn some simple words from Guangzhou and Beijing people and see if you can find the difference between them.

4. Try Delicious Snacks and Specialties of Guangzhou and Beijing

Guangzhou people have a tradition of having morning tea. However, it’s not just about drinking tea. There is a large selection of snacks or dim sum such as egg tart, double-skin milk, rice rolls, shrimp dumplings, Hefen noodles, and all kinds of porridge and soup. Canton cuisine is one of China’s eight major cuisines. While in Beijing, you can have a taste of the roasted Duck, Cooked Beef or Sheep Tripe, Fried Liver, Lǘdagunr, Yellow Pea Cake, and countless street food. Just be ready for the treat!

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is the second busiest and largest airport in Southern China. The airport is the base for China Southern Airlines. It has two connected terminals. Terminal A serves international air lines and domestic air lines run by other airline companies except for China Southern Airlines. Terminal B is privately owned by China Southern Airlines and its branches. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport connects most major cities in China, including Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lhasa, etc. There are international flights from Amsterdam, Auckland, Bangkok, Brisbane, Busan, Chicago, Dubai, Frankfurt, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Jakarta, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Los Angeles, Macau, Melbourne, Moscow, Mumbai, Nairobi, Paris, Perth, Qatar, Seoul, Singapore, Irkutsk, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo and Vancouver.

To Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (downtown): 1 hour by car or subway, you can take subway Line 3 then transfer to Line 2.

To Yuexiu Park: 50 minutes from the airport, only 1km at the north of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.

To Six Banyan Tree Temple: about 1 hour from the airport, only 15 minutes’ walk from Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.

Built in 1958, the largest airport in China offers international flights to major cities in all continents (except sub-Saharan Africa and sub-USA American), and domestic flights to every provincial capital and major cities in China. It is China's air portal and an important window for foreign exchanges. Nearly 1700 flights per day from over 90 Airlines link Beijing closely with 244 cities and regions in 54 countries around the world.

To Forbidden City: 1 hour’s drive, or take an airport shuttle bus to Dongzhimen Station and take subway Line 2 to Jianguomen then transfer to Line 1 which takes about 1.5 hours.

To Tian’anmen Square (downtown): 1 hour’s drive, or take an airport shuttle bus to Dongzhimen Station and take subway Line 2 to Qianmen Station which takes about 75 minutes.

To Temple of Heaven: 1 hour’s drive, or take an airport shuttle bus to Dongzhimen Station and take subway Line 2 to Chongwenmen then transfer to Line 5 which takes about 80 minutes.

Guangzhou Railway Station, located in Guangzhou downtown, was built in 1960 and put into operation in 1974. It is one of the most important railway stations in Guangzhou and one of the main railway hub stations in China. It serves Guangzhou-Shenzhen Railway, Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, Guangzhou-Maoming Railway, and Guangzhou-Foshan-Zhaoqing Intercity Railway and is the intersection of Guangzhou Metro Line 2 and 5. So you can get to all parts of Guangzhou easily from here.

To Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (downtown): only about 2km, 10 minutes by car and 30 minutes on foot.

To Yuexiu Park: less than 1km, only 15 minutes’ walk.

To Six Banyan Tree Temple: 15 minutes’ drive, or take subway Line 2 which will need 25 minutes.

Guangzhou South Railway Station started its construction in December 2004 and was put into operation in January 2010. This large modern railway passenger station is the largest and busiest high-speed railway station in South China. It is the core railway station in the Dawan District of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao and the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region. It is a world-class transportation hub that connects Beijing-Guangzhou High Speed Railway, Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High Speed Railway, Guizhou-Guangzhou High Speed Railway, Nanning-Guangzhou Railway, Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity Railway and the coastal railway of Western Guangdong and many major cities in China like Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Hong Kong, etc.

To Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (downtown): about 40 minutes by car or by subway Line 2.

To Yuexiu Park: 55 minutes’ drive, or take subway Line 2 which will need about 50 minutes.

To Six Banyan Tree Temple: 50 minutes’ drive, or take subway Line 2 which will need about 45 minutes.

Beijing West Railway Station is one of the main train stations of Beijing, which runs both high speed trains and normal trains. Besides, it is the starting point of Beijing Guangzhou (High Speed) Railway and Beijing Kowloon (Hong Kong) Railway. If you want to take a Tibet train, you need to go to Beijing West Railway Station. Every day, it delivers 273 daily trains to other cities, and about 200 of them are high speed trains (G trains) to Xian, Chengdu, Chongqing, Taiyuan, Kunming, Lanzhou, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Changsha and couples of D trains to Shenzhen.

To Forbidden City: 30 minutes’ drive, or take subway Line 9 then transfer to Line 1 which takes about 45 minutes.

To Tian’anmen Square (downtown): 30 minutes, take subway Line 9 then transfer to Line 1.

To Temple of Heaven: 30 minutes by driving or taking subway Line 7

To Beijing Capital International Airport: 1 hour’s drive, or take subway Line 9 then transfer to Line 4, and then transfer to Line 2 to Dongzhimen and take an airport shuttle bus which takes about 75 minutes.

Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province. When you plan a Guangzhou tour, you can start with the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. It was built during 1929~1931 in memory of the great revolutionist Sun Yat-sen who is also honored as “the Father of China”. Then spend some leisure time at the Yuexiu Park nearby. It is the largest park in downtown Guangzhou where you can enjoy stunning mountain views, beautiful lakes and well equipped entertaining facilities. The Five-Ram Sculpture in the park is the emblem of the city, which is a must-see. Then move on to the Six Banyan Tree Temple, a Buddhism temple of more than 1400 years’ history. There is a 57-meter high pagoda, several lovely Buddhist shrines, and many statues. After that, make a visit to the Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family, a typical Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1616 - 1912) architecture. It is a great place to appreciate the traditional Chinese architecture. If you are traveling with kids, the amazing Changlong Safari Park definitely can’t be missed. You and your kids are going to love the beautiful giraffes, Chinese Giant Panda, Australian Koala, Thai Asian Elephant, etc. With convenient transportation, you can also add another day to Shenzhen to see the famous Window of the World and have a comprehensive understanding of this city in Shenzhen Museum.

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With the convenient 144 Hours Visa-free for Transit in Beijing, you will have enough time to explore the best highlights of Beijing in many flexible ways. You can start your Beijing trip by visiting Tiananmen Square, now the largest city plaza in the world, and then go to see one of the world’s five most important palaces – the Forbidden City. After lunch, spend an enjoyable time in the Summer Palace. It is the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China. At night, you can watch a wonderful Kungfu Show in the Red Theater or enjoy the classic Chinese art performance of Beijing Opera at Liyuan Theater. On the next day, get ready to a take a hiking trip on the Great Wall, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Then continue your trip to Sacred Way, a 7-kilometer-long passage leading to the Imperial Tombs of 13 Emperors of Ming Dynasty. After that, on your way back to Beijing, you can stop by at the Beijing Olympic Village to view its famous Bird’s Nest and Water Cube. On the last day, pay a visit to the Temple of Heaven, originally a site used to pay homage to Heaven and pray for good harvests. Then get back to the central city to hop on a rickshaw to experience the typical Beijing Hutongs. If you have more days, you can go for an in-depth Great Wall hiking or photography tour, and explore more hidden attractions in the city.

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