Attraction guide
Gulangyu Island鼓浪屿
Book the correct tourist ferry to Gulangyu with a foreign passport, choose the right pier and plan a realistic car-free island route.
Half to full dayDated ferry ticket required
Xiamen for foreign visitors
Explore the Xiamen you want—without missing the ferry, pier or perfect stretch of coast.
厦门旅行指南
Tell us what perfect Xiamen means to you: Gulangyu architecture, temple mornings, tropical gardens, coastal cycling, seafood streets or a Fujian Tulou day. These 19 guides connect the idea to the correct ferry, passport ticket, gate, weather plan and return route.
12 attraction guides7 planning guidesOfficial sources checked August 24, 2026
Protect the island ferry
Book the correct tourist sailing under the passport name and verify both piers before building the rest of the Gulangyu day.
Choose one coastal segment
Huandao Road is long; select a beach, start point and endpoint instead of treating the entire coast as one quick stop.
Name the Tulou cluster
Confirm whether the trip reaches Tianluokeng, Yunshuiyao or Yongding—and exactly what transport and admission include.
Book these first
Secure ferry and controlled-entry sites before leaving the coast flexible.
Gulangyu ferries, campus access and some paid sites depend on precise identity and operating rules. Beaches, Shapowei and Zhongshan Road remain weather-friendly backups.
Open the Xiamen reservation checklist- 1Gulangyu Tourist Ferry
- 2Xiamen University
- 3Xiamen Botanical Garden
- 4Fujian Tulou Day Trip
12 core attractions
Island ferries, temple paths and coastal routes—planned before you set out.
Each guide gives foreign visitors the Chinese destination, correct pier or gate, passport workflow, realistic timing and a backup for typhoons, sold-out sailings or access changes.
Attraction guide
Sunlight Rock日光岩
Climb Gulangyu’s Sunlight Rock with ticket advice, steep-stair warnings, crowd timing, viewpoints and an efficient island route.
1.5–2 hoursPaid admission or island pass
Attraction guide
Shuzhuang Garden菽庄花园
Visit Shuzhuang Garden with admission details, seafront routes, Piano Museum expectations and a practical pairing with Sunlight Rock.
1.5–2.5 hoursPaid admission or island pass
Attraction guide
Nanputuo Temple南普陀寺
Visit Nanputuo Temple with current entry guidance, respectful etiquette, vegetarian food, mountain paths and nearby Xiamen planning.
1.5–3 hoursTemple entry generally free
Attraction guide
Xiamen Botanical Garden厦门园林植物园
Plan Xiamen Botanical Garden with passport tickets, the west and south gates, internal buses, rainforest mist timing and succulent gardens.
3–5 hoursPaid admission
Attraction guide
Hulishan Fortress胡里山炮台
Visit Hulishan Fortress with ticket guidance, coastal defenses, the Krupp cannon, performance checks and a Baicheng Beach pairing.
1.5–2.5 hoursPaid admission
Attraction guide
Zhongshan Road中山路步行街
Explore Xiamen’s Zhongshan Road with an arcade walking route, local-food expectations, ferry-area links and reliable evening pickup points.
2–4 hoursPublic streets are free
Attraction guide
Shapowei沙坡尾
Plan a Shapowei visit with the old harbor, creative spaces, food streets, coastal links and clear ride-hailing pickup advice.
2–3 hoursPublic district is free
Attraction guide
Huandao Road环岛路
Choose the best Huandao Road section for beaches, cycling and sea views with weather, bike-rental and transport advice.
2–5 hoursPublic coast is free
Attraction guide
Jimei School Village集美学村
Visit Jimei School Village for Jiageng architecture, Dragon Boat Pond and cultural sites with metro access and realistic walking time.
3–5 hoursPublic district is free; venues vary
Attraction guide
Xiamen University厦门大学思明校区
Check whether Xiamen University is open to tourists, how passport reservations work, which gate to use and what to do if entry is unavailable.
1.5–3 hours if admittedVisitor reservation may be required
Attraction guide
Fujian Tulou Day Trip福建土楼
Choose a Fujian Tulou day trip from Xiamen with Nanjing versus Yongding comparisons, transport timing, passport tickets and realistic routes.
Full dayPaid scenic admission
Plan the whole stay
Itineraries, neighborhoods, airport transport and ferry help.
Planning guide
Xiamen 3-Day Itinerary
A realistic three-day Xiamen itinerary for foreign visitors, organized around geography, reservations, transport time and the city’s essential experiences.
3 full daysFull but realistic
Planning guide
Xiamen 5-Day Itinerary
A five-day Xiamen itinerary balancing major attractions, local neighborhoods, museums, evening experiences and a realistic optional day trip.
5 full daysBalanced
Planning guide
Where to Stay in Xiamen
Compare the best Xiamen neighborhoods for sightseeing, transport, food, nightlife and airport access, with practical tradeoffs for foreign visitors.
Metro accessChinese hotel name
Planning guide
Xiamen Airport to City
Compare airport-to-city transport in Xiamen, including metro or rail, official taxis, DiDi, late-night arrivals, luggage and Chinese hotel addresses.
Rail or metroOfficial taxi queue
Planning guide
Xiamen Metro & DiDi
How foreign visitors use the Xiamen metro, taxis and DiDi, with payment setup, Chinese destinations, pickup points, station exits and practical backups.
MetroDiDi
Planning guide
Xiamen Reservation Guide
Which Xiamen attractions foreign visitors should reserve, what may allow walk-up entry, and how to plan around real-name tickets and limited time slots.
Gulangyu tourist ferry: secure the correct sailing and piers first.Original passport
Planning guide
Xiamen Tickets for Foreigners
A practical guide to buying Xiamen attraction tickets with a foreign passport, checking official sellers, using QR codes and avoiding booking mistakes.
PassportOfficial venue
Want your Xiamen plan to work in real life?
Tell us what you want to experience—we’ll help make the local details work.
China Trip Care helps with bookings, routes, Chinese messages, pickup points and practical changes before or during your trip.
Ticketing, hours, transport and access rules can change. Each guide links to the official sources used and shows when operational details were last checked.