Day 1: an early ferry to Gulangyu, back by mid-afternoon, dinner on Zhongshan Road. Day 2: the Eighth Market at seven, Nanputuo Temple, lunch, Shapowei harbour, and the seafront for sunset.
Sort these before you land
The ferry. Visitors do not use the terminal beside Zhongshan Road in the daytime. That one is for residents. Tourist boats leave from the Dongdu terminal at the International Cruise Center, from ¥35 return. Tickets are tied to your passport, the official app often will not accept a foreign one, and morning sailings sell out at weekends. Our ferry guide explains what works.
Nanputuo Temple. Free, but you need a timed reservation made one to four days ahead.
Xiamen University, if you want to try. It is a lottery. Enter it, and plan as if you will lose.
All three systems were built for Chinese ID numbers. If you are travelling with us, we deal with them. If not, ask your hotel for help the day you arrive.
Day 1: the island
8:00. Dongdu terminal
Be there twenty minutes before your sailing. There is a security check and, for passport holders, a counter. Leave big bags at the storage desk. The crossing takes about twenty minutes. Choose the Sanqiutian pier.
8:30. The consulate shore
You land in the oldest part of the foreign settlement. The former British and Japanese consulates are along Lujiao Road, a short walk from the pier. Gulangyu was an international settlement in the early 1900s, and UNESCO listed it in 2017 for its 931 historical buildings. At this hour you will share the lanes with residents and not many others.
9:30. Up through the lanes
Walk uphill towards the red dome you could see from the boat. That is Bagua Mansion, reopened in 2024 after restoration, with a full-size pipe organ inside. Then let yourself drift south through the residential lanes. There is no wrong turning. The whole island is under two square kilometres and there are maps at every junction.
11:00. Shuzhuang Garden
A garden built in 1913 on the southern shore, half of it a walkway on stone piers over the sea. The piano museum is inside. It is the most level and shaded of the paid sights, about ¥30, and the one to choose if you only pay for one.
12:30. Lunch
Longtou Road is the snack street: oyster omelette, fish-ball soup, coconut. It is busy and priced for visitors. Eat and move on.
14:00. Sunlight Rock, or not
The island's summit, 92.7 metres, about ¥50. The last ten minutes are a steep, narrow staircase and the view over the red roofs to the city is the famous one. By two o'clock the morning groups have gone. If stairs are not for you, walk the shore instead.
15:30. Ferry back
The return is included and you can board at any pier. Boats run until late.
17:30. Zhongshan Road
The old shopping street, 1.2 km of 1920s arcades running down to the water. The main drag sells pearls and chain-store snacks. The side lanes to the north are where people actually eat: shacha noodles, peanut soup, fresh spring rolls. Nothing here is spicy unless you add the sauce.
The full route, with alternatives, is in Gulangyu in one day.
Day 2: the main island
7:00. The Eighth Market
The old wet market behind the piers is at full volume between six and eight. Tubs of crab and mantis shrimp on the pavement, scooters squeezing through. Have breakfast at a stall: vermicelli porridge, five-spice rolls, a slab of peanut pancake. Wear closed shoes.
9:00. Nanputuo Temple
Ten minutes by taxi. Ask for the east gate. Take the free incense inside, not the bundles sold on the pavement. The halls climb the hill one behind another. Go past the main hall, where most visitors turn back, to the great gold character carved on the rock at the top. An hour is enough, more if you climb Wulao Peak behind, which is stairs all the way and closes to climbers at about four.
10:30. The university, or the garden
If the lottery went your way, the Visitor Center is at the South Gate. Go straight there. People who came through the underpass from the West Gate during the last holiday queued far longer. If it did not, the Botanical Garden is the better use of the time: west gate, rainforest mist, cactus garden.
12:30. Lunch
Vegetarian noodles in the temple canteen, about ¥25, or seafood at Shapowei.
14:00. Shapowei
The old typhoon shelter, with fishing boats moored under two 300-metre towers. Have coffee by the water. It is a place to sit, not a sight to tick off.
15:30. The boardwalk
From Baicheng beach, just round the corner, a boardwalk runs east for about 6 km. Hulishan Fortress and its 87-tonne Krupp gun are a mile along. Walk as far as you like and call a car, or take one to Zengcuo'an, rent a bike and ride east.
18:00. Sunset
Anywhere on this coast. Then Zengcuo'an for a noisy street-food dinner, or back into town for a quiet one.
Both days on one screen
| Day 1 | Day 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Early | Ferry from Dongdu | Eighth Market |
| Morning | Consulates, Bagua Mansion, lanes, Shuzhuang Garden | Nanputuo; university or Botanical Garden |
| Lunch | Longtou Road | Temple noodles or Shapowei |
| Afternoon | Sunlight Rock, ferry back | Shapowei, fortress, boardwalk |
| Evening | Zhongshan Road | Sunset; Zengcuo'an |
When it goes wrong
The ferry is suspended. Fog does this on spring mornings and storms do it in late summer. Swap the days. The ticket is refunded.
It rains. Day 2 survives. Trade the boardwalk for a tea house and the arcades of Zhongshan Road, which are covered.
It is a public holiday. Start an hour earlier on both days and expect to queue.
Someone offers you a cheap ferry ticket or a guide at the pier. Say no. Those are shopping tours.
With a third day
Take the metro across the causeway to Jimei, or leave at half past seven for the Tulou. How many days in Xiamen compares them.
Quick answers
Which day should I go to Gulangyu?
The first day. If fog or a storm suspends the ferry, you can swap the two days and still see the island.
Where should I stay for a 2-day visit?
On Xiamen Island, in the south-west around Zhongshan Road, the ferry area or the university side. That keeps you within a short taxi ride of everything in this plan.
Do I need to book anything in advance?
Yes: the Gulangyu ferry, which sells out on weekends and holidays, and the free reservation for Nanputuo Temple. Bring your passport for both.
Can I fit the Fujian Tulou into 2 days?
We would not. The Tulou are two to three hours from Xiamen by road each way. Add a third day for them.
Is this itinerary suitable for children or older travellers?
Yes with small changes. Skip the climb up Sunlight Rock and Wulao Peak, take the electric cart on Gulangyu, and shorten the evening.
Keep planning
Sources we checked
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Kulangsu, a Historic International Settlement
- Xiamen Ferry Co.: tourist routes and fares (Chinese)
- Xiamen Ferry Co.: night route from Lundu terminal (Chinese)
- Xiamen University: overview and founding
Last checked: October 2026. Tickets, ferries, opening hours and entry rules change; we confirm the current arrangement for your dates before you travel.
Want this itinerary arranged for you?
We can check ferry sailings and reservations for your dates, and set up a private guide and car so the two days run smoothly.