Things to do in Quanzhou
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Quanzhou
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, warm and drier, autumn Tieguanyin in Anxi and the most comfortable walking weather.
Spring tea, Mazu festivities and good walking weather, with occasional spring rain.
Worst months, peak heat and humidity, typhoon risk and domestic summer crowds.
Spring Festival crowds and closures, but the Lantern Festival closing it is glorious.
Hot and humid shoulder months, Dragon Boat Festival in June and Mid Autumn in September or October.
Cool, quiet and good value, the calmest month for the old city.
What's on
- Lantern Festival (Yuanxiao) 15th day of 1st lunar month, usually February
Quanzhou is famous across Fujian for its lanterns, centred on the old city and Confucian Temple square.
- Xunpu Mazu Tour 29th day of 1st lunar month
The fishing village's great procession, with zanhua headdresses in full ceremonial force.
- Mazu's Birthday 23rd day of 3rd lunar month, usually April or May
Tianhou Temple's biggest day of the year.
- Dragon Boat Festival 5th day of 5th lunar month, usually June
River racing and rouzong season.
- Mid-Autumn Festival 15th day of 8th lunar month, usually September or October
Moon watching from Qingyuan Mountain and Luoyang Bridge is a local tradition.
Best things to do in Quanzhou
Kaiyuan Temple
Fujian's largest Buddhist temple, with twin Song stone pagodas and Hindu carvings inside a Buddhist hall.
West Street
The best preserved Minnan street in Quanzhou, lined with red brick houses, temples and snack shops.
Qingjing Mosque
One of China's oldest mosques, founded in 1009, its stone arches tell the Arab merchant story of the port.
Quanzhou Maritime Museum
Home to a Song dynasty ocean going junk, the museum that explains why Quanzhou was a world port.
Quanzhou Confucian Temple
A grand and calm Confucian temple complex that also hosts Nanyin music performances.
Tonghuai Temple of Guan Yu and Yue Fei
The old city's busiest folk temple, dense with incense and devotion to Guan Yu and Yue Fei.
Quanzhou Tianhou Temple
Quanzhou's principal Mazu temple, mother temple to the sea goddess cult across Taiwan and Southeast Asia.
Xunpu Village
A fishing village of oyster shell houses where women wear fresh flower headdresses called zanhua.
Where to stay in Quanzhou
Licheng Old City / West Street
first trip, heritage on foot
All main temples, the mosque and food streets are walkable, with Xiaobai shuttles for the rest.
Donghai / Fengze
space, bay views and coast day trips
Modern bay side hotels near Taihe Plaza, closer to Xunpu and Chongwu by car.
South bank / Jiangnan and Fengze Square
drivers, repeat visitors and river views
Riverside and mall adjacent hotels with easier parking, a short drive from the old city.
Think twice about
- Quanzhou Railway Station area, Fengze north
Functional transport sprawl with little food life and nothing walkable, 25 to 35 minutes from the sights.
- Jinjiang and Shishi town centres
Wholesale garment and shoe districts with heavy traffic and business hotels, wrong base for the old city.
- Directly on West Street for light sleepers
Evening crowds, shop music and early deliveries are part of the street's life, sleep one lane back.
Best restaurants in Quanzhou
Sidan Ginger Duck
Quanzhou's signature clay pot duck braised with old ginger and sesame oil, at its flagship address.
Grandma Hou Roast Pork Rice Dumplings
Fist sized soy braised rouzong with pork, mushroom and chestnut, eaten hot with sweet spicy sauce.
Shuimen Guozaimianxianhu
Mianxian hu vermicelli paste in a peppery seafood broth, customised with oysters, shrimp or youtiao.
Bafanglin Quanzhou Restaurant
The old city Minnan spread in one sitting, including a benchmark oyster omelette and vinegar pork.
Linjia Minnancai
Where Quanzhou families book the private room for banquet Minnan cooking and seasonal seafood.
Li Zhou
A polished, seafood leaning occasion restaurant with private rooms, the city's other celebration table.
Sanjiaohu Xianchao Tongfengguo
A lively fresh stir fry house for clams, squid and shellfish flashed in the wok and shared.
West Street Runbing Stalls
An evening graze of runbing spring rolls, tusun jelly and four fruit soup along West Street.
Outdoor things to do in Quanzhou
Qingyuan Mountain
Quanzhou's sacred green mountain, with the Song dynasty Laojun Rock, China's largest Taoist stone carving.
Luoyang Bridge
A Song dynasty stone bridge across a tidal estuary, founded on oyster beds and now a pedestrian walk.
Chongwu Ancient Town
China's best preserved stone coastal fortress, with 2,567 metres of Ming wall above the sea.
Chongwu Coast Walk
The harbour lanes and stone yards where Hui'an women in floral scarves still run the shore economy.
Dehua Ceramics Museum
The museum of Blanc de Chine white porcelain, with Guanyin figures and ceramic flowers of startling fineness.
Shunmei Ceramics Cultural Park
A working porcelain park in Dehua where visitors throw, trim and glaze a piece with a teacher.
Daixian Waterfall
Reputedly Fujian's widest waterfall, dropping through forest below Jiuxian Mountain in Dehua.
Luojia Temple
A small temple on a rock in the surf that appears to float at high tide on the Shishi coast.
Best hotels in Quanzhou
KAIPUU Belfry
A small luxury boutique by West Street with Minnan inspired design and a garden restaurant.
Quanzhou Hotel
The city's classic five star near West Street, with gardens, pagoda views and a famed breakfast.
Home Inn Neo Quanzhou Jiuyi Road West Street Ancient City
A reliable budget chain base on the old city edge, walkable to West Street with no surprises.
InterContinental Quanzhou
Bay side luxury in Donghai with river mouth views, a proper pool and daily Nanyin performances.
C&D Hotel Donghai Quanzhou
The smart value pick of the new shore, with top guest scores and easy access to Xunpu.
Crowne Plaza Quanzhou Riverview
A riverside Crowne Plaza facing the old city, selling 270 degree panoramic views of the Jinjiang.
Wanda Vista Quanzhou
A large upper mid range hotel at Wanda Plaza, good for families who want mall convenience.
Is Quanzhou expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CN¥180 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CN¥350 a person |
| Splurge | CN¥900 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Xunpu Village: a few days ahead
- Quanzhou String Puppet Show: a few days ahead
- Quanzhou Puppet Theater: weeks ahead
- Anxi Tieguanyin Tea Country: a few days ahead
- Quanzhou Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Linjia Minnancai: a few days ahead
- Li Zhou: a few days ahead
- KAIPUU Belfry: weeks ahead
- Book old city hotels a week out for weekends and 2 to 3 weeks out for public holidays.
- Book the string puppet show a day ahead on weekends and private performances and day cars a week ahead.
- The Maritime Museum and Dehua Ceramics Museum close on Mondays.
- Confirm Quanzhou Golf Club visitor tee access by phone or concierge before travel.
Is Quanzhou safe?
- Watch for silent, fast electric scooters on old city lanes that look pedestrian.
- Summer brings 32 to 36C heat, humidity and typhoon season rain, plan indoor middays.
- Drink bottled or boiled water, emergency numbers are 110 for police and 120 for ambulance.
Quanzhou travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- West Street at 2pm on a holiday is the worst version of the street, go early or at night.
- Xunpu's main photo lane at peak hour is a queue, go on a weekday morning.
- Agree the total price for seafood by weight before cooking, especially in Chongwu and Xunpu.
- Buy Tieguanyin in Anxi or from a teahouse that brews before you buy, not at souvenir markup by the sights.
Getting around Quanzhou: public transport and more
- Walk the old city and use the Xiaobai electric shuttles, flat 2 CNY, hailed by waving.
- Use Didi for cross town rides, rarely over 25 CNY in the city.
- Quanzhou Jinjiang Airport JJN is 30 to 45 minutes from Licheng, high speed trains use Quanzhou Station in Fengze.
- Set up WeChat Pay or Alipay with an international card before arrival, cash is still accepted in the old city.
Who Quanzhou suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Quanzhou your trip
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