Gulangyu Island Self-Guided Tour Guide

Gulangyu Island in Xiamen is always a tourist destination that many people long for. It also has a long history. It was named Gulangyu Island during the Ming Dynasty, because of the sound of the tide. It is the most beautiful city in China.

Travel, in fact, is just a willful and luxurious way of wasting time, letting all the haste stop, slow down, slow down, doing nothing purposelessly.

You know, it’s wonderful to have the chance to do nothing for a while.

Qingzi’s travel photos, randomly taken by phone.

Sometimes, the scenery you’re willing to walk along the road is just because you want to walk, the attractions are not important, the distance is not important, the important thing is whether you are willing, especially alone.

Three-leafed plum, said to be the city flower of Xiamen, is everywhere.

Traveling alone, just slow down, and it’s easy to get rid of. Wake up naturally, put on your backpack, go out and start wandering, rest when you’re tired, and go into a shop if you think it’s good to have a cup of coffee, sit quietly and be in a daze. Yes, just be in a daze, alone. In the intervals of being in a daze, you can also have the opportunity to “overhear” other people’s stories.

The taste of handmade biscuits from the “Book of Songs” about plants and trees is wrong.

The girl on the balcony outside the window, alone with a black parasol on her shoulder, carrying a black backpack, sat down and actually ordered a beer, then started drinking beer, smoking, and swiping her phone. She seemed to be in a bad mood. She made a phone call in the middle, and her tone was very angry.

A moment later, four girls came in, sat down and ordered four different cups of coffee, then started taking pictures and chatting, talking about children, life, work and past events. They should be classmates or colleagues and friends who have known each other for many years. One of them said that she had three children and that no one should be able to see her again. The one sitting opposite her said, “Don’t think too much. Your eldest daughter is going to college. She’s grown up. Some people don’t mind this.”

In fact, remarriage is very difficult. It is even more difficult to meet a suitable person who does not mind. What’s more, you may have to consider your child’s feelings.

Life is sometimes like that, full of all kinds of things that you may not understand or haven’t encountered.



A chance encounter with a Gulangyu bear

Walking aimlessly, time flies by. A day’s scenery is just consumed like this.

The old pavilion has no piano to wait for, the new wind has rhymes with the sea as its chant. The distant peaks sway outside the frosty waves, today I have climbed again, and my eyes are full of searching.

The prosperous dream of buildings from all nations, towering ancient trees are brushed by the sea breeze.

Tomorrow, continue the new slow walk.



The afterglow of the setting sun shines.

1. Must-reads before boarding the island

First of all, you need to know that: you need to buy a boat ticket to get to Gulangyu Island! Taking a boat is the only way to get to the island! Don’t find out you need to buy a boat ticket when you get to the dock.

In September this year, Gulangyu Island was hit by a typhoon. The number of people allowed to enter the island was reduced from 65,000 to about 15,000. Boat tickets are tight. If you can confirm your travel date, it is best to book your ticket two or three days in advance.

There are four docks on Xiamen Island that can take you to Gulangyu Island by boat, but not all four docks are open to ordinary tourists.

They are divided into “citizen-only” and “tourist-only”, and the sailing times are different for summer and winter time, and the docks that ordinary tourists can use are also different during the day and night. In addition, the four docks have different boats that can arrive at three different docks on Gulangyu Island. It is easy for first-time visitors to Xiamen to be confused by the combination of routes.

There are many detailed guides about boarding the island from different docks, but you don’t really need to be brain-burning and waste time to understand all the combinations! Because 90% of tourists only need to understand one!

1. The best boarding route plan

Xiamen “Cruise Center Xiagu Dock” (also called “Dongdu International Cruise Terminal”) → Gulangyu “Sanqiutian Dock” / “Neicuo’ao Dock”.

If you don’t plan to spend a night on the island, you can buy a ticket to “Sanqiutian Dock”, which is closer to the attractions. Most importantly, Sanqiutian Dock has routes back to Xiamen Island 24 hours a day.

If you have booked an inn on the island, ask the inn in advance about its specific location to see if it is closer to Sanqiutian Dock or Neicuo’ao Dock.

The last boat from the Xiagu Dock in the city center of Xiamen departs at 5:40 pm in winter (October 1 to May 31 of the following year); and 6:40 pm in summer (June 1 to September 30). After this time, you can buy tickets from the “Xiamen Ferry Terminal”, which is only open to citizens, to Gulangyu Island.

2. How to buy a ticket?

The following methods are suggested in descending order of importance. ① Follow the WeChat official account “Xiamen Ferry Co., Ltd.”, choose “Buy Tickets”, you can purchase tickets for the next 5 days in advance. After purchasing successfully, just swipe your ID card to board the island. One account can support the purchase of up to 5 tickets at a time.

② Queue up at the ticket window at the dock. However, during peak season, you may only be able to buy a ticket for 3 pm or later in the morning at 9 am.

③ #Not Recommended# Find scalpers. Usually, from the moment you get off the bus and are about to enter the ferry hall, you will be constantly approached by scalpers. Ticket prices will vary from 80 yuan to 300 yuan, depending on the availability of tickets that day.

This is suitable for those who really can’t buy a ticket but have to go to the island ~

Scalpers generally claim that they can let you board the ship immediately. However, based on my own experience, it will take at least another hour or so for you to really get to the island, and you will also face the possibility of failing to impersonate someone else.

Moreover, after boarding the island with a ticket bought from a scalper, you will have to go to Sanqiutian Dock again to pay 18 yuan per ticket for the return trip.

3. How to get to Xiamen Cruise Center Xiagu Dock?

Xiamen [Cruise Center Xiagu] Dock, also known as [Dongdu International Cruise Terminal].

① Xiamen city center / High-speed rail station [Xiamen Station] → Xiagu Dock The nearest bus stop to Xiagu Dock is “Cruise Center Terminal Station”. It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the bus stop to the ferry ticket hall.

Xiamen has two high-speed rail stations, “Xiamen Station” and “Xiamen North Station”. In terms of transportation, “Xiamen Station” is in Siming District, which is much more convenient than “Xiamen North Station”. However, in terms of the number of high-speed rail trains, “Xiamen North Station” has more trains.

If you are very lazy and a super road idiot, it is recommended that you use it directly. Call a Didi car. Didi in Xiamen accepts orders at a speed of seconds, and the price is not expensive. You have to walk a few hundred meters by bus. Although Xiamen’s buses are very convenient, if you are not familiar with the city, it is easy to waste time on this.

② Xiamen North Station → Cruise Center Xiagu Dock Take bus No. 957 from Xiamen North Station exit, 50 minutes journey, get off at [Cruise Center Station], and then walk 10 minutes.

The taxi ride takes about 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on traffic conditions.

The price of a fast car is about 90-120 yuan. If you are not in a hurry, choose a ride-hailing car. It costs less than 30 yuan to settle it.

③ Xiamen Airport → Ferry terminal You can take a sightseeing bus from the airport directly to the Xiagu Dock, 10 yuan/person. About 30 minutes.

Taxi ride is about 50 yuan.

4. Basic information about the use of tickets

Price: 35 yuan (ordinary cabin) / 50 yuan (VIP cabin).

Frequency: 20 minutes/trip

Docking pier: Sanqiutian Dock (recommended arrival dock) / Neicuo’ao Dock

Maximum stay time: Up to 15 days

Usage: Swipe your ID card for round-trip travel.

Refund and change information: Not eligible for change, but can be refunded before departure (at least 1 hour in advance). A 10% handling fee will be charged for each ticket.

Children’s tickets: Children under 1.2m are free. If you purchase tickets online, you will see an option to bring a child. Check it. Children 1.2m~1.5m are half price. One adult can only bring one child. Children’s ID documents must be provided.

2. Five top attraction route recommendations

The five top attractions are: Sunlight Rock (including Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall and Qin Garden), Shuzhuang Garden (including the Piano Museum), Haoyue Garden, International Calligraphy Museum, and Organ Museum. The five top attractions have some points worth seeing, but it is not recommended to spend all your time on them! You can completely save money and time by “taking the essence and discarding the dross”.

Sunlight Rock

The highest point on Gulangyu Island. According to regulations, the highest point of the fortress can only accommodate a maximum of 30 people at a time, and each person can only stay for 5 minutes. During peak season, it may take an hour or two to wait in line just to get your turn.

You can enter the scenic area at 5:30 am to see the amazing sunrise scenery. Tickets are half price before 7:30 am. Before 8 am, there are very few people, and no one will care how long you stay. But the fog is heavy in the morning, which will affect the view.

The ticket also includes two attractions: the Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall and the Qin Garden. At 8 am, go down from Sunlight Rock and go directly to the 3rd floor of the Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall. You can have the balcony to yourself and overlook the entire Gulangyu Island. Closed on Mondays. The highlight of Qin Garden is the Bird Garden. Bird shows are held every hour on the hour. Suitable for parents with children. From 9 am to 11 am, tour groups occupy the peak season of Sunlight Rock, and there will be countless people rushing up.

Shuzhuang Garden

Ticket price 30 yuan. Open at 8 am and closes at 6 pm. It is a private villa that combines gardens and the sea. The scenery is extremely beautiful during the twilight hours, and there are also! fewer! people!

International Calligraphy Museum

Opposite Shuzhuang Garden, it is quite a waste of time and money, not recommended.

Organ Museum

Ticket price 20 yuan. Originally the Bagua Building, one of the ten most luxurious mansions in Gulangyu Island. It is recommended to spend half an hour visiting it.

Haoyue Garden

The main attraction is the statue of Zheng Chenggong. You can see the stone statue from afar. Enter after 6:30 pm and it is free. Below the statue is a beach. It is very pleasant to walk along the beach at night. However, be careful and safe.

Suggested route

Before 7:30 am, go to [Sunlight Rock] → After 8:00 am, go directly to the 3rd floor of [Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall] → Go to [Bird Garden] at 8:30 am → [Organ Museum] decide whether to enter or not based on your interest → Go to other places from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm! → Go to [Gang Houzai Bathing Beach] at 4:20 pm for a look → Enter [Shuzhuang Garden] and [Piano Museum] at 4:30 pm and walk clockwise → Arrive at [Dadeji Bathing Beach] at 5:30 pm to watch the sunset → Enter [Haoyue Garden] for free after 6:30 pm.

3. The current situation and highlights of buildings from all nations

Consulates of various countries

Historically, Gulangyu Island was a “concession”. A total of 13 countries established consulates here.

These consulates are mostly designed with architectural features of various countries, but not all of them have been preserved intact. You can just take a look outside and take some photos. Some of them have been reclaimed by the government and allocated as offices, while others have been renovated. The US Consulate and the Japanese Consulate are two of the best preserved.

Old mansions of wealthy merchants and celebrities

Let’s talk specifically about the old mansions of wealthy merchants and celebrities.

Most of these wealthy merchants and celebrities were overseas Chinese who had a strong financial background. Naturally, the houses they built on the island were also worth seeing. Many well-known villas still exist in Gulangyu Island, all of which were their private estates at that time.

The current situation and highlights of the ten most luxurious mansions in Gulangyu Island: ① “Little White Palace”, Bagua Building: Now the Organ Museum

Highlights: Red dome in imitation of ancient Islamic architecture + 82 large stone columns based on the ancient Greek Temple of Hera.

② Huang’s Garden: In the 1950s, it was the “State Guest House” of the Xiamen government. It has now been transformed into an inn.

The European-style building itself is very eye-catching.

③ Haitangge Structure: Ticket price 88 yuan

Architectural layout, it is the only building complex on the island that is laid out along the central axis; The main building is like a Chinese hat pressing down on the Western architecture.

On the right side of the entrance, there are puppet shows and Nan music performances. The puppets start at 9:30 am, perform every half hour, and the Nan music performs every hour on the hour.

④ Huang Rongyuan Hall: Can be visited with Haitangge Structure ticket

Combination of ancient Greek Doric columns and Chinese pavilions and towers.

⑤ Ronggu Villa: One of the few old villas that still retain their original layout, privately owned and not allowed to enter.

⑥ Lin’s Mansion: Now renovated into a high-end inn, only for guests to enter.

Highlights: The historical entanglement behind this family, it is like the Forbidden City to Beijing in the hearts of the old Gulangyu people.

⑦ Jin Gualou: The door is closed, visitors are not allowed to enter.

Highlights: Byzantine-style Jin Gualou-shaped roof.

⑧ Yang’s Garden: Four villas, some renovated into inns and some renovated into private museums.

Highlights: The roof of the inn overlooks Gulangyu Island, and the windows of the villa are particularly beautiful.

⑨ HSBC Mansion: Privately owned, not open to the public.

Highlights: Built on the edge of a cliff, it looks extremely dangerous from afar.

⑩ Fanpo Building: Now only available for photos from outside.

Highlights: Rococo design

Other buildings

Here are two more buildings that I would like to recommend. One is the boat house. It is not far from the US Consulate and is now a family inn. The whole house looks like a ship sailing on land. The interior of the house is nothing to see, but the external shape is more eye-catching.

The other is Guancai Building, which has the best rooftop for watching the sunset on Gulangyu Island. The shape of the roof is like a coffin, so it is also called the “coffin building”.

After boarding the island, you will find that some buildings have black signs on them. These are “historical architectural buildings” managed uniformly by the government. They can be used, but they cannot be privately remodeled. These houses are often witnesses to history.

My personal experience is that if possible, get a reliable guide. It is quite difficult to understand the buildings on your own. Everything has a spirit. When you understand the past of a building and the thoughts of the original designer, your feelings towards it are completely different. However, you must not hire a wild guide! You are very likely to be ripped off!

4. The artistic little shops on Gulangyu Island

① Miss Zhao’s Shop: No. 11-10, Longtou Road. The most popular items are the pies, tea, and burned grass jelly.

② Zhang Sanfeng Milk Tea Shop: No. 8, Longtou Road, 1st floor. It is said that their milk tea is special because it adds almond slices and raisins to the milk tea.

③ Su Xiaotang Baking Life Hall: No. 51, Quanzhou Road. Their nougat is very famous.

④ Headline Milk Tea: No. 8-117, Longtou Road. Their milk tea is light in taste. If you buy more than 20 yuan, you will get a white bottle. Many people will use oil paint pens to draw on the bottle.

⑤ Chen Guanshi Western Tea Shop: No. 282, Longtou Road. A specialty store selling canned tea leaves.

⑥ Nora and Piero: No. 20, Huanghuang Road. They sell home furnishings and small personal items.

⑦ Mango Nutcracker: No. 466, Longtou Road. Their specialty is nutcracker wooden dolls.

⑧ Pan Xiaolian Yogurt: No. 8, Longtou Road. The decoration style is exotic, mainly selling yogurt and coconut cakes.

⑨ A-Gan Slow Delivery: No. 178, Longtou Road. You can write postcards to send to yourself or your friends in a few years.

5. Longtou Road food recommendations

Gulangyu snacks and delicacies are concentrated on Longtou Road. However, if you have more contact with local people in Xiamen, they will definitely advise you not to eat seafood on the island. In the minds of the locals, eating seafood on Gulangyu Island has been equated with being ripped off.

Longtou Road, as the most famous food street on Gulangyu Island, although no restaurant is a must-try, there are also some century-old shops that you can try.

Longtou Road snack recommendations

① Malasang: The best reputation should be the one at No. 181, Longtou Road.

② Fish balls: The most famous fish balls on Longtou Road are Linji Fish Balls, but they have opened many branches, and the quality is uneven. You must make sure it is the one at No. 54, Quanzhou Road. No. 54 is located in a courtyard, and usually sells out before 7 pm. Some friends have also recommended the original Xiangkou Fish Balls at No. 62, Longtou Road, saying that they are better than Linji’s, but I haven’t verified it yet.

③ Oyster omelet: The one at No. 189, Longtou Road. The oysters are very fresh, the owner said that they are shipped from his hometown in Longhai every day. They have a unique seasoning, if you don’t mind, you can try it.

④ Noodles soup: No. 200, Longtou Road. You need to go before 10 am. Their shop is at the entrance of the vegetable market. The noodles soup is only available for a limited time each day.

⑤ Ye’s glutinous rice balls: A mobile stall on Longtou Road, a traditional stall that has existed for many years. People queue up to buy it every day, and it is also in limited supply. They close after selling out.

⑥ Longtou Beizi Cake: A very inconspicuous old shop, but it has been praised by locals for decades. Located at No. 302, Longtou Road, there are all kinds of flavors. Some people love it and some people hate it. Students from the north should be cautious!

⑦ Soil-worm jelly: I recommend the one at No. 178, Longtou Road. This is mainly for the special taste. Soil-worm jelly is made by boiling sandworms. Not everyone can accept it~

Formal restaurant recommendations

If you want to eat formal meals, you can directly open Dazhong Dianping and arrange them by rating. It is still reliable. Below are a few restaurants that I have personally tried and found to be good.

① Rebirth Sea: No. 9, Guxin Road. This restaurant is considered to be good value for money on Gulangyu Island. I recommend the seafood stew and the oyster bite. You can tell they are very fresh, and the decoration is also good.

② Sweet Life: No. 340, Longtou Road. The portions are large, the owner is Taiwanese, and the service is excellent. I recommend the pork chop rice.

③ Fisherman’s Wharf: No. 19, Quanzhou Road. Ranked No. 1 on Dazhong Dianping for Southern Fujian home-style cuisine on Gulangyu Island. The price is a bit expensive, but the taste, environment, and service are impeccable.

④ No. 35 Private Kitchen: Located at No. 35, Bisan Road. It looks like a private residence and is difficult to find. I highly recommend the schizo fish, which has almost no bones. If you make a reservation in advance, you don’t have to wait.

Souvenir recommendations

① Huang Shengji Golden Fragrant Pork Floss Shop: There are many branches in Xiamen, but if you buy it, make sure it is the one at No. 95, Longtou Road. This is the oldest and most authentic.

② Jinlan Bakery: There is only one in the whole of Xiamen. It is an old-style shop with old-style traditional craftsmanship and packaging. The packaging is not suitable for gifts, but the taste is very good. It has been open for over 30 years. I love their coconut cakes. It is located at No. 413, Neicuo’ao Road.