Private Xiamen Day Tour to Gulangyu Island, Shuzhuang Garden, Hulishan Battery, Nanputuo Temple

Your private guide and driver will meet you in the lobby of your Xiamen hotel at 8:30am and then you will be driven by private car to the ferry terminal where you will start your visit to Gulangyu Island. Xiamen is an island connected to the mainland by Gaoji Causeway and Xiamen Bridge. Being located on the south eastern coast of China, Xiamen has mild weather all year round, making it an attractive and popular holiday retreat. And because of its large natural harbour, now closed off from the sea by land reclamation, the city became an important trading port since Song Dynasty. 

Your first visit today is to the small and picturesque island of Gulangyu just off of the southwest coast of the main island. Access to Gulangyu is by a short ferry ride, and when you reach the island, you will find that only electric powered vehicles are allowed so it is a peaceful retreat from the noise and fumes of petroleum powered vehicles. You will be able to take a leisurely stroll around the island and enjoy the natural beauty as well as the colonial European architecture of the churches and other buildings. Because this is a popular holiday spot, there are also many small cafes and boutiques for you to enjoy. You will also visit Shuzhuang Garden, originally a private villa built in 1931, that were opened to public since 1955.

After returning to the main island, you will enjoy lunch before driving south to Hulishan Battery Scenic Park. Hulishan Battery was constructed in 1894 and originally had two large cannons guarding the eastern and southern approaches. Today, only one of them survived, and it is the largest and oldest 19th century breech loader remaining. The cannon is 43 feet (13 meters) long and has a range of over 4,921 feet (1.5 kilometers). As well as the cannons, there is the Rongguang Museum that contains an array of ancient weaponry and also several fortified buildings such as the barracks and magazine that are all surrounded by a granite wall.

Next, on your way back toward the city center, you will stop at Nanputuo Temple, sitting at the foot of Wulaofeng Mountain. The original temple was built during Tang Dynasty but later destroyed during Ming Dynasty and then rebuilt during Qing Dynasty. The whole temple complex, with four main buildings and many smaller rooms, covers an area of 3 hectare (30,000 square meters). All around on the mountain side, there are many small structures containing hundreds of Buddhist statuettes. If you are energetic enough to walk to the top of the mountain, you will be rewarded with a beautiful view of Xiamen and the surrounding counties. At the end of your visit to the Nanputuo Temple, you will be transferred back to your downtown Xiamen hotel where this private tour ends.