Old City & Riverside Day Loop
Heritage and harbour in one day: Chen Clan Academy, the granite Sacred Heart Cathedral, lunch on dim sum, then the banyans of Shamian Island and a Pearl River night cruise. Bookable end-to-end by our team.
Day Plan
Chen Clan Academy. Take metro line 1 to Chen Clan Academy and tour the Qing clan hall (¥10, 08:30–17:30) — wood, brick and pottery decoration at the peak of Lingnan art, 'every beam an artwork'.
Cathedral & dim sum. Metro line 2 to Haizhu Square for the all-granite Gothic Sacred Heart Cathedral (free, 08:00–17:30). Lunch on Shifu Road — dim sum at Tao Tao Ju (20 Shifu Road · +86 20 8138 9632) or double-skin milk at Nam Shun.
Shamian Island. Metro line 1 to Huangsha and walk five minutes to Shamian (free, all day) — 150 European buildings under 150 ancient banyans, the former foreign concession, a leafy flat wander.
Pearl River night cruise. Walk or metro to Tianzi Wharf on Yanjiang Road and board a cruise (¥48–148 by class) past the Canton Tower, Haixinsha and the Zhujiang New Town lights — the perfect close to the old-city day.
Book this Guangzhou itinerary
Hotels, Canton Tower tickets, Chimelong passes, cruise seats and guides arranged by our team — free of charge, no obligation.
Metro loop
Lines 1 and 2 link every stop on this plan; short walks connect Chen Clan, the Cathedral and Shamian. A Yang Cheng Tong card covers it all.
Day costs
Chen Clan ¥10, Cathedral free, Shamian free, Pearl River cruise ¥48–148. Dim-sum lunch around ¥50 per person.
Old-street lunch
Tao Tao Ju shrimp dumplings and custard buns; Nam Shun double-skin milk; Da Yang coconut stew for soup-lovers — all on the route.