Your Guangzhou vacation will bring a lot to the table. Literally. Steaming dim sum like sticky-sweet char siu bao (BBQ pork), golden har gow (shrimp dumplings) and 37 other dishes you didn’t know you needed. After all, there’s an old saying in China: Eat in Guangzhou.
But that’s just half the story. Your Guangzhou trip will constantly pull you into two different worlds, stepping out of an incense-filled ancient temple into the glow of a futuristic neon skyline. Yet somehow Guangzhou makes it work.
Visit Guangzhou: get started
Guangzhou will keep you in motion. And not always at the same speed. You’ll glide up Baiyun Mountain. Drop 101 feet down from 1,591 feet at Canton Tower. Weave into banyan-shaded streets at Shamian Island. Travel through time at ornate Chen Clan Ancestral Hall. Then down dazzling Pearl River, up buzzing Beijing Road, and into whatever is around the bend. Keep up.
Guangzhou travel guide
Destination facts
Language
Cantonese is the local lingo, but Mandarin is widely spoken. English is found in tourist hubs, but a translation app will help unlock the dim sum menus.
When to visit
Fall brings cooler temps and clearer skies. The city is yours for the wandering.
What to bring back
Recreate yum cha at home with local teas like Phoenix Dancong, Yingde and Pu-erh. And sip them from hand-painted Guangcai porcelain teacups, a centuries-old Guangzhou craft.
What to eat
Settle in for a traditional yum cha, where tables are stacked with bottomless dishes, like cheong fun (silky rice noodle rolls) and siu yook (crispy roast pork), and endless pots of Pu-erh tea. And that’s just breakfast.
Fun fact
Think dim sum is just for breakfast? Not in Guangzhou. Ye cha (night tea) means you can still be sipping tea and eating dim sum at 1AM.
Important info
For more information on all necessary travel documents and more, check Air Canada’s Travel Requirements page and the Government of Canada’s Travel and Tourism website.
