Private Day Tour of Historical Guangzhou Including Evening Dinner Cruise on Pearl River

Meet your guide at 8:30am in the lobby of your downtown Guangzhou hotel to begin this day tour by private air-conditioned car. Your first visit today is to the Ancient Huangpu Port and Village located close to the modern day Guangzhou Sea Port on the eastern end of Pazhou Island where was the original sea port of the region, and In the 18th and early 19th centuries, it was the only Chinese port permitted to trade with foreigners. Huangpu was also the Chinese end of the ancient maritime Silk Road and later played an important role in Opium Trade. There is a small history museum in the center of the ancient village that will give you a background on the old port. You may also visit Pak Tai Temple with its large sticks of burning incense. Mostly you will enjoy wandering through the network of old streets and alleyways that crisscross the village.

From Huangpu, continue to Lychee Bay Scenic Area with a history dating back to the 2nd century BC. The bay was formed at a point where many small rivers and lakes flowed into the Pearl River. One of the main attractions is the five bridges spanning over the river here. The 57-meter-long Longjing Bridge is especially important as it is where you can see the Wen Tower which was thought to have been built during Qing Dynasty. After a traditional Chinese lunch, you will be taken to bustling Qingping Market where you could see a wide variety of food, herbal medicines, and flowers being sold. The market covers an area of over 2.7 acres (11,000 square meters) and is actually several markets all operating next to each other. From here, herbal and western medicines are exported all over the countries of East Asia and South East Asia.

Continuing on, you will visit Beijing Road Ancient Avenue Pedestrian Street where has been an important commercial street in Guangzhou for many centuries, and there are also some ancient areas covered by glass showing the stone paved roads from Song and Yuan Dynasties. In addition, there are some old city gates and sections of wall that can still be seen. This is a vibrant shopping area where everything from food to famous brand-name clothing can be found, usually at a great bargain.

Later, you will transfer to the river dock to board the cruise boat commencing your 2-hour trip along Pearl River and enjoying a buffet dinner on board accompanied by your guide. There are many historical sites dotted along the river that you will see as well as some unique architectures and ten bridges that you will pass under. During your cruise, you will have a full view of the magnificent Canton Tower, the tallest tower in China and the third tallest in the world. Evening is the best time to take the Pearl River Cruise as the city lights put on a spectacular show. After the cruise, you will be taken back to your hotel where your tour ends.