Xiamen Travel

Your first days, made easier

Arrive curious.
Feel ready.
Explore Xiamen.

Practical help with payments, getting online, transport and your first island escape.

Red-roofed buildings and trees on Gulangyu, looking across the bay towards Xiamen
Gulangyu across the bay · Photo credit

First, the essentials.

Browse all guides

Go beyond the practical

Make room to wander.

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Start with an island, a harbour neighbourhood or the coast—or borrow our flexible three-day shape for the city.

Historic villas and waterfront on Gulangyu, with central Xiamen across the harbor
A view over Gulangyu toward Xiamen's harbor. · Photographed 2012 · Photo: Windmemories
Island

Gulangyu

Plan a day among Gulangyu’s historic villas and coastal lanes, with time for one main sight and a ferry home.

Allow 5–7 hours on the island, plus ferry travel and boarding · A walking day with slopes and steps
Fishing boats moored in the Shapowei shelter harbor, Xiamen
Fishing boats in Shapowei's shelter harbor. · Photographed 2015 · Photo: mojojo.cn
Old town

Shapowei

Explore Shapowei’s harbour edge, small streets and creative spaces on a relaxed afternoon near Xiamen University.

Allow 1½–3 hours, longer with a meal · A short urban walk; busy pavements and crossings
Palm-lined Huandao Road in Xiamen
Palm-lined Huandao Road, Xiamen. · Photographed 2023 · Photo: Windmemories
Coast

Huandao coast

Choose a manageable stretch of Xiamen’s southeast coast, with Huangcuo for the beach and Zengcuo’an as an optional food stop.

Allow 2–3 hours for one coastal stretch · Exposed to weather; sand and crossings can slow progress
Historic villas and waterfront on Gulangyu, with central Xiamen across the harbor
A view over Gulangyu toward Xiamen's harbor. · Photographed 2012 · Photo: Windmemories
Itinerary

A three-day plan

A flexible first visit: old town and harbour, one island day, then a choice between garden-and-coast or Jimei.

Three full sightseeing days; arrival and departure time is extra · Walking each day; shorten the optional sections to suit you

A useful thing to keep

A little help,
even offline.

Save a Chinese destination card before you head out. Show it to your driver, with or without a connection.

Make a destination card
TAKE ME HERE厦门站

Xiamen Railway Station

Chinese destination card
Planning your trip

A few things to do first.

Prepare your phone, payments and entry documents before departure.

Just landed? Start here.

Your first hours, sorted.

Get to your hotel, get connected and save the details you will need.

Find your next step.

12 practical guides · 2 useful tools

Pick a topic below. Each guide separates practical suggestions from the official sources behind them.

12 guides shown

Money & Phone

How to pay in China

Choose a payment app, keep a cash backup and know what to do when a card is declined.

Sources reviewed 12 Sep 2026
Money & Phone

eSIM, roaming or a local SIM?

Choose for your actual phone, data needs and need for a Chinese number—not just a headline price.

Sources reviewed 12 Sep 2026
Money & Phone

Getting a local SIM in Xiamen

What to bring, what to ask and how to avoid buying the wrong kind of mobile plan.

Sources reviewed 12 Sep 2026
Getting Around

Xiamen airport to your hotel

Find the right terminal, choose a transfer and keep the hotel’s Chinese address ready.

Sources reviewed 12 Sep 2026
Getting Around

Getting around Xiamen

Choose a metro, bus or car journey with a clear destination and a backup way to pay.

Sources reviewed 12 Sep 2026
Book & Visit

Hotels and passport check-in

Confirm the location, passport check-in, arrival time and deposit before you travel.

Sources reviewed 12 Sep 2026
Getting Around

Xiamen Station or Xiamen North?

Recognise the two names, save the correct destination and check the entrance before departure.

Sources reviewed 12 Sep 2026

Useful when plans change.