Weather:

When is the best time to travel Guangzhou?

October-December is usually regarded the best time to go.

Guangzhou has the subtropical climate with year-round pleasant weather.

Spring (Mar--Mid May) is humid and rainy. It is the blooming season and nice to visit the parks immersed in the thriving flowers like the South China Botanical Garden, Yuexiu Park, etc.

Summer (May--Mid Sep) is hot and rainy with occasional typhoons. Nothing can compare to cool down the burning heat in the water activities in the Recreation spots like Chimelong Water Park. Tissue, umbrella, etc. is recommended when traveling in the blistering city.

Autumn (Late Sep--early Dec) is very moderate and the best travel time. It is spree shopping time. The biggest wholesale markets assemble here and are heavens to hunt for real bargain. Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, Beijing Road Pedestrian Street, etc are tourist-frequent commercial streets.

Winter (Mid Dec--Late Feb) is a little cold and a sweater will be sufficient. It is also the good time to appreciate the flowers. The Spring Festival Flower Fair also annually takes place days before the lunar Chinese New Year.

Tips:

1. In Guangzhou there are annually two largest China import and export fair--Canton Fairs. The spring fair lasts from 15th April to 30th and the autumn fair starts from 15th October to 30th. During the fair time, accommodation price will be soaring than the usual time for the business person flood. If you don't come for the fair, it is advised to travel for another time.

2. Light short wears, napkins, sunblock, hats, mosquito repellent are advised to prepare if you travel Guangzhou in melting summer.

Safety:

Is it safe to travel Guangzhou?

It is generally safe in Guangzhou. The frequent problem that tourists confront is the pick pocket thieves. Keep alert all the time when you are in packed places like the train station where the thieves blend in the passengers flows.

Tips:

1. Try to wear your bag in front. Keep wallet in your bags and put some small changes in the easily accessible place like your bag's side pocket or pant pockets to avoid flashing your wallets unnecessarily.

2. Avoid walking phoning. If you do have urgent call to make or answer, try to find a place like the wall behind you to avoid the thieves to snatch from your back.

3. Do some caution work when you take the overnight train, it is better to keep the valuable items inside your clothing. To enable you can wake up easily when necessary, sleep aids like sleeping pills, earplugs are not advised.

4. Ignore the touts that approach you and try to get you to somewhere when you come out /to the train stations, bus stations or borders.

5. Better to go to big shops or restaurants or hotel lobby to get your orientation if you loss your way.

6. Get the Xerox copy of your passport and your Chinese visa to avoid the trouble of steal loss and respond the police's check.

7. Write down or print out on paper the name and address of your destination and hotel in Chinese characters since majority of the driver speak Mandarin or Cantonese rather than English.

Transportation:

How to get around Guangzhou?

• By Subway
  Subway ticket costs CNY 2-8 and subway cards can be conveniently bought at ticket vending machines.
• By Bus
  Local buses reach everywhere and mostly prices from CNY 1-2.
• By Taxi
  Guangzhou taxis start from CNY 7 for the first 2.3 kilometers (1.4 miles), and CNY 2.6 for each additional kilometer.

Tips for taxi:

1. It is advised to get a receipt each time you use a taxi for later contact reference in the case like dispute a fare, recover a lost article, etc.

2. 7:30-8:45am and 4:30-7:00pm are the taxi shifting time and the taxi driver may refuse or only carry the passengers whose route coincides with their.

3. It is easy to meet over-enthusiastic taxi drivers that jostling to try to grab your luggage and drag to their cars and better avoid taking theirs. Make sure the driver starts the meter. If they refuse, you can just get out and take the next taxi.

4. If possible, pay exact or small money to avoid getting a fake CNY 50 back or a fake CNY100 swopped by the driver. Or try to remember the last 4 digits of your big notes when you pay the taxi fare so that you can make sure whether it is really your money when he returns and claims it's fake.

5. Write down or print out on paper the name and address of your destination and hotel in Chinese characters or you can mark your destination on a map since majority of the driver cannot speak English.

Shopping:

Is shopping in Guangzhou really that great?

Guangzhou is one of the most important commodity distribution centers in south China. Worldwide brand commodities in complete categories are easily found here to meet worldwide shoppers' need.

What are the great shopping places in Guangzhou?

Ultimate shopping streets in Guangzhou--Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, Beijing Lu Pedestrian Street that fulfill with fashion stuffs, foods, etc.

Not-miss shopping places like Teemall, WTO Xintiandi, China Plaza, etc won't disappoint your shopping desire with its dazzling good products.

Tips:

1. Bargain hard and only for the ones you intend to buy. If you just window shopping, remember to tread carefully to avoid angering the shop owner or invoking the forcing shopping or curse shouts that may happen if you don't buy the things once the owner agree on your bid price.

2. A calculator will be handy since locals most of the time cannot speak English.

Cuisine:

What are Guangzhou cuisine specialties?

Cantonese specialties are Roast Suckling Pig (Kao Ru zhu), soup, porridges, dim sums, etc.

Where can I easily find the authentic Guangzhou cuisine?

Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, Beijing Pedestrian Street, etc. have many brand restaurants that are nice to hunt for cuisine to refresh from the shopping spree. The restaurant's taste usually share close relation with its diner number. It won't disappoint you to try a crowed restaurant. More crowded more delicious!

Dining Tips:

1. Guangzhou people are famous for their daring heart and mouth to eat everything that eatable or even uneatable in normal sense. You'd better make sure what the original meat is before you order. As you know, Cantonese love to eat the strong animals to strengthen their body like the snake, the wild dogs, wild cats, etc especially in winter day.

2. Be prepared to see one or two funny strange dish names on a restaurant's English menu. Like "Show me", for example, is actually a wheaten food with meat stuff.

3. Better prepare some handy medications for allergies/aspirin/upset stomach/diarrhea if you are not sure about the Chinese medicines.

Nightlife:

Where should I color my night life?

There are three famous bar streets in Guangzhou:

• Huan Shi Road situates in downtown Guangzhou features with garden-villa bars. A crazy or a quiet beer-chat night can be made here.
• Yanjiang Road with its characteristic bars attracts the young fancier of fashion and thrill fun.
• White Swan Bay backed with the river scene, is a newly open place where the east meets west. And yet its low cost adds more luring luster.