Travel Tips

Xiamen has a humid subtropical monsoon climate, characterized by long, hot and humid summers and short, mild and dry winters. It is susceptible to typhoons in late summer and early autumn. The warmest month is July, at 28.5 °C on average, and the coolest month is February, normally at 13.2 °C.

The city is suitable for travel all year round, and the best time to visit Xiamen is in spring and autumn, especially from April to November. It has six districts including Siming, Huli, Haicang, Jimei. Tong'an and Xiang'an.

With convenient transportation facilities, Xiamen is easily accessed by air, railway and highway. The Xiamen Gaoqi Airport is one of the hubs of communications in east China, with scheduled flights traveling to all large and medium-sized cities in China, and over 30 regional and international air routes have been opened.

Gulangyu Island

Covering an area of 1.87 square km, the island has several must-visit attractions, including Gulangyu Piano Museum, Sunlight Rock and Shuzhuang Garden.

On the islet, tourists can find winding coastlines, serene natural seaside bathing grounds with fine sands, and oddly shaped reefs. The whole islet offers a clean, tidy and tranquil environment. In addition, many buildings on the islet demonstrating both Chinese and foreign architectural styles have been well preserved. Therefore the island is dubbed "gallery of international architecture."

Walking on the street, visitors can hear the soft tinkle of piano keys everywhere, owing to the long-standing affinity of the island for the instrument. Winding zigzag paths are another major characteristic of Gulang Islet.

There are small shops everywhere on Gulangyu Island, where tourists can buy local products such as local handicrafts, calligraphy, painted sculptures and ceramics.

Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street

Representing the heartland of Xiamen's commercial area, Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street is 1,200 meters long and 18 meters wide. This is a beautiful and prosperous commercial corridor where visitors can find serried ranks of stores playing host to dense crowds.

Zhongshan Road is hailed as the "No. 1 street of Fujian and Taiwan culture." Special Fujian and Taiwan snacks can be found everywhere on the street. Huangzehe peanut soup, Hai Li Jian (oyster-egg pancake), Tu Sun Dong (jelly fish and sea worm), Zongzi (pyramid-shaped dumplings of glutinous rice and other stuff wrapped in bamboo leaves), stir-fried rice noodles and spring rolls are all excellent choices for tourists. Moreover, there is also a range of interesting locally produced shows featuring Taiwanese Opera, hand puppetry and Southern Tones Chinese Opera.

South Putuo Temple

Lying at the foot of Wulao Peak in the south of Xiamen Island, South Putuo Temple is a temple which enjoys fame in its native south Fujian as well as throughout China.

The temple hosts a seemingly endless stream of worshippers and pilgrims all year around. The statue of the Goddess of Mercy with 1,000 hands is the product of superb local craftsmanship, and the Sutra House contains various kinds of Buddhist relics.

A great number of inscriptions by famous figures from the past have been well preserved around the temple, and the Chinese characters denoting "Buddha" is inscribed on a cliff behind the temple, nearly 5 meters high and over 3 meters wide. Behind the temple is Wulao Peak. Standing on the peak, tourists can view the mountains and sea at a distance.

Xiamen University

Xiamen University was founded in 1921 by Tan Kah Kee (1874-1961), a famous overseas Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist. It is the first university founded by an overseas Chinese in China's modern education history, as well as one of the most prestigious universities in the country.

With an area of nearly 1.46 million square meters, Xiamen University is permeated with a strongly academic atmosphere carrying a distinct cultural flavor, and boasts exceptionally picturesque grounds.

Its large, manicured green campus has a small lake and several ponds and is backed by rolling hills looking out to the sea. Also worth checking out on a visit to the campus are the more than 2,000 meters of student artwork displayed along the campus' Furong Tunnel. The Jiannan Auditorium and Shangxian Stadium are also spectacular must-sees.

Huandao Road

There is no better place to cycle than Xiamen. The city's Huandao Road, or Island Ring Road, is a veritable cyclist's paradise.

The 31-km Huandao Road, which winds through the south and east shore of Xiamen Island, is a green belt that offers tourists an ideal place to cycle along beautiful seashores. Riding along the coastal road, cyclists will be charmed by the sound of gentle waves breaking onto sandy seashores, while they get to feast their eyes on exotic flowers and palm trees along the road.

The road starts from Yanwu Bridge near Xiamen University and ends at Wuyuanwan Bridge in the island's northeast area.

The best stretch for cyclists is between Baicheng Beach near Xiamen University and the Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center, which has a view of Kinmen Island. The distance is about 10 km, one-way, which will take about an hour to cycle without stopping.

Along Baicheng and Huangcuo beaches, there are restaurants, coffee shops and fruit and snack kiosks galore, should the weary traveler wish to stop for a bite to eat.

For those without a bicycle, this must-visit destination has bike rental services conveniently located along its scenic route.