Things to do in Guiyang
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Guiyang
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring is comfortable, in the teens to low 20s, with rising rain and festival season in southeast Guizhou.
Summer is cool by Chinese standards, mid to high 20s, but the wettest and busiest season with frequent heavy rain.
Autumn is the best all round window, drier and mild, except National Day Golden Week in early October.
Winter is damp and grey at about 0 to 8 degrees, uncrowded and cheapest but poor for outdoors picks.
What's on
- Sisters Meal Festival Lunar 15th day of the 3rd month, usually April or May
Miao courtship festival in Shidong, Taijiang, reached via Kaili, with coloured sisters rice, silver dress and lusheng dance.
- Lusheng Festival Early November (5 to 7 November in 2026)
Post harvest festival at Gulong, Huangping near Kaili, with massed lusheng pipes, dance circles and bullfighting.
- Miao New Year Tenth lunar month, usually November
The biggest Miao celebration across Qiandongnan, with parades in full silver festival dress in Leishan and Kaili.
Best things to do in Guiyang
Qianling Mountain Park
A forested mountain park inside the city with a lake, climbing paths and a bold troop of wild macaques.
Hongfu Temple
A working Buddhist temple on the main climb inside Qianling Mountain Park, busy on festival days and calm midweek.
Jiaxiu Pavilion
Guiyang's Ming era landmark pavilion on a rock in the Nanming River, best at dusk when lit and reflected in the water.
Guizhou Provincial Museum
The essential context stop for Guizhou, with Miao silver, embroidered festival dress and provincial fossils.
Qingyan Ancient Town
A Ming stone garrison town south of the city with walls, temples and snack lanes, best on a weekday morning.
Yangming Ancestral Temple
A quiet memorial temple for Wang Yangming in the old centre, small, scholarly and usually uncrowded.
Wind of Colorful Guizhou
A big staged folk show of Miao and Dong costume, lusheng and dance, the fastest one evening survey of Guizhou cultures.
Where to stay in Guiyang
Yunyan and Nanming old centre
first trip, food and metro base
Penshuichi, Dashizi and Jiaxiu Pavilion put Minsheng Road, Qingyun Market and Qianling Mountain Park within easy reach.
Guanshanhu
quieter, newer hotels and the museum
The newer district by Guiyang North Station and the provincial museum, cleaner and calmer but duller at night.
Longli and the airport side
resort rest days
Green hills southeast of the city for a stay put resort break, with town reached by car rather than on foot.
Think twice about
- Guiyang Railway Station perimeter
Hectic and tout heavy with unmetered taxis at night. Use it for trains, sleep in Yunyan or Nanming.
- Huaguoyuan complex
A vast, steep and confusing mega complex that is easy to get lost in. Pass through if needed, do not base there.
Best restaurants in Guiyang
Lao Kaili Fish in Sour Soup
The flagship for sour soup fish, fish poached in fermented red sour soup with tofu, greens and a burnt chilli dip.
Huaxi Wang Family Beef Noodles
The named local shop for Huaxi beef noodles, spiced beef broth with flat rice noodles and braised beef for breakfast.
Minsheng Road
The old centre breakfast street for changwang noodles, glutinous rice, potato cakes, tofu balls and siwawa in one graze.
Qingyun Market
A neon night bazaar on Qingyun Road and the most convenient one stop graze of Guizhou snacks in the city.
Erqi Road Snack Street
The older, rawer night snack street by the railway station, all barbecue, grilled seafood, noodles and beer tables.
Outdoor things to do in Guiyang
Huangguoshu Waterfall
Guizhou's biggest sight, a vast waterfall two hours from Guiyang with a cave behind the fall and a full day of steps.
Tianhetan Scenic Area
A close karst sampler near the city with waterfalls, a boat ride through a flooded cave and gorge paths.
Huaxi Park
Guiyang's classic suburban river park of hills, bridges and pavilions, made for a slow local afternoon.
Nanjiang Grand Canyon
A steep karst gorge north of the city with walkways, bridges and seasonal rafting, the most active day out here.
Xiaoqikong Scenic Area
Emerald rivers and tiered falls in a UNESCO karst landscape, worth an overnight and not a rushed day trip.
Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village
The largest Miao settlement in the world, a valley of stilt houses best seen lit at night and misty at dawn.
Best hotels in Guiyang
Sofitel Guiyang Hunter
The most established international luxury hotel in the old centre, near Jiaxiu Pavilion with a pool and spa.
Anantara Guiyang Resort
A green hills resort southeast of the city with large rooms and a spa, a rest stop rather than a sightseeing base.
Novotel Guiyang Downtown
A dependable mid range hotel in the old centre, walkable to Minsheng Road food and the main sights.
Hampton by Hilton Guiyang Yunyan
A clean modern mid range hotel in Yunyan, a short walk from Qianling Mountain Park and well placed for stations.
Home Inn Neo Guiyang Penshuichi
A clean budget chain room by the Penshuichi metro interchange, above the old centre food streets for hostel money.
Is Guiyang expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CN¥250 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CN¥550 a person |
| Splurge | CN¥1,200 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Wind of Colorful Guizhou: a few days ahead
- Huangguoshu Waterfall: a few days ahead
- Xiaoqikong Scenic Area: a few days ahead
- Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village: weeks ahead
- Book Huangguoshu tickets and transport days ahead in summer and Golden Week.
- Book Xijiang overnight stays weeks ahead in peak summer.
- Book southeast Guizhou festival trips months ahead if you want a village room.
Is Guiyang safe?
- Hotels register your residence with the Public Security Bureau at check in, keep your passport for real name entry at sights.
- Emergency numbers in China are police 110, ambulance 120 and fire 119.
Guiyang travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Unmetered taxis touting at Guiyang Railway Station and the airport late at night.
- Scenic area restaurants at Huangguoshu and Qingyan charging multiples of city prices, agree the full price first.
- Feeding macaques at Qianling Mountain Park, which ends with a grabbed bag.
- Xiaoqikong and Xijiang sold as relaxed day trips, which are mostly driving.
Getting around Guiyang: public transport and more
- Metro Line 1 links Guiyang North Station through the old centre, Line 2 serves the airport in about 30 minutes, Line 3 serves Huaxi.
- Check whether your train uses Guiyang North or the older Guiyang Station, they are not interchangeable.
- Taxis and ride hailing are cheap and often faster than the metro across the hilly centre.
Who Guiyang suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Guiyang your trip
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