Diverse Scenery & Mystical Hakka Tulou

It is very easy to travel from Manila Philippines to some big cities like Xiamen in China. According to the present flight timetable, four daily flights are available from Manila to Xiamen. The morning flights are Philippine Airlines flight PR334 0745/1000 and China Xiamen Airlines flight MF9401 0745/1000, meanwhile the latter has been code shared with the former. The evening flights are PR1020 2120/2335 and MF820 2120/2335, and again the latter has been code shared with former. The flying time of the above flights is around 2 hours and 15 minutes. 

Although more and more people can speak and understand English, independent tour in Xiamen may not be as easy as in big cities like Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. You'd better plan your travel route, get relevant transportation information and book your hotels in advance, so as to make your China tour from Philippines easier. 

Upon arrival in Xiamen, take a bus or taxi to your own booked hotel. We suggest the 3-star Bestel Hotel. You can take the airport shuttle bus Lundu Special Line with a fare of CNY10 to the terminal station, Xiamen Sunlight Hotel, which is about 500 yards from your hotel. After alighting, walk east along Shengping Road for less than 10 minutes and you will see the hotel in front of you. Besides, taxi fare from airport to the hotel is about CNY 50 per cab. Check in and have a good rest. 

The hotel is only 200 yards from the famous Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street, and not far from the coastal Lujiang Road, so you can have a leisure stroll this evening and sample local food for dinner. 

Accommodation Suggestion: Bestel Hotel

Our suggestion for today is a full day trip to Gulangyu Island. After breakfast, take a taxi at a cost of CNY20 to Xiagu Cruise Ferry Terminal to take a ferry to Gulangyu. The ferry disembarks at Sanqiutian or Neicuoao terminal, running at an interval of 10 to 15 minutes from 7:10 to 18:30, and the fare is CNY 35 per person for a round trip. 

As a coastal city, Xiamen is famous for its gorgeous beaches and beautiful islands, and Gulangyu has the best scenery. You can buy a through ticket and follow the map and sign posts to the Sunlight Rock, Shuzhuang Garden, Bright Moon Garden, Seasight Watch Garden, Yu Park, and Xiamen Museum. Moreover, the island is the heaven for gourmands. There are many delicious local snacks, such as fried glutinous pudding, fish ball, dried meat floss, sea worm jelly, and fried oyster. 

After you take a ferry back, you are suggested to take a leisure stroll along the seashore to enjoy the charming coastal landscape or wander around the beautiful campus of Xiamen University. Then take a taxi back to the hotel at a cost of about CNY 20.

A visit to Tianluokeng Earth Tower Cluster is one of the highlights in your China holiday tour. We suggest that you book a one-day tour through the Xiamen Travel Distribution Center, which is located on 2F of Wucun Long-Distance Bus Station. The fare is around CNY 220 per person including travel bus and tour guide services, entrance fee to the attractions, and lunch. From your hotel, you can walk east along West Siming Road for 200 yards, and turn south to the South Siming Road for another 100 yards; you will reach the Zhongshanlu bus stop to take bus 1 or 122 to Huochezhan stop. Alighting from the bus, you will see the Wucun Bus Station across the road. 

Earth towers are the traditional living buildings for the Hakka people in Fujian. Over 1,000 years ago, they built their houses into round or square towers to protect their families from wild animals and enemies. Though constructed with earth and stones, many towers have been protecting the Hakkas for hundreds of years. The Nanjing Tianluokeng Earth Tower Cluster you are going to visit is made up of three round, one oval and one square towers, with a history of more than 200 years.

Today we suggest that you visit Jimei Village in the morning, while South Putuo Temple and Hulishan Battery in the afternoon. 

After breakfast, check out of the hotel but deposit your luggage at the reception desk. You can walk from the hotel to Dazhong Road, and go south for 150 yards, and then turn west to Zhongshan Road for another 450 yards, you will reach the Lujiang Road to take bus No. 950 to Jimei Government. Getting off the bus, you will see the Jimei University across the road. After visiting the campus, you can walk south to the end of Yinjiang Road and turn east to visit the nearby Dragon Boat Pond, Aoyuan Garden, the former residence of Tan Kah Kee, and the Guilai Hall. After the visit in the hall, you can walk west along the Jiageng Road for 400 yards, and turn south into the Shigu Road. Another 200 yards walking forwards, you can catch bus No. 959 to the South Gate of Xiamen University. Getting off the bus, you will see the South Putuo Temple. You can have lunch at a nearby restaurant before visiting the South Putuo Temple, a famous Buddhist temple built in the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). Then get out from the western gate and walk south along Yanwu Road for 240 yards to Xiada Xicun bus stop to take bus No. 22, 48, 96 or 659 for 3 stops to Hulishan Gongjiaochang. After alighting, you will find the Hulishan Battery, which was built in 1891 and now still keeps the world's largest and smallest cannons. 

In the late afternoon, you are suggested to take the high-speed train G1660, departing from Xiamen North Railway Station at around 17:00 and reaching Wuyishan East Railway Station in three hours. You need to get to the railway station at least about 15:30. Please hail a taxi from Hulishan back to your hotel with a fare of CNY20 to fetch your luggage. Then, still take a taxi to Xiamen North Railway Station at a cost of CNY80. 

Since the train tickets are always in great demands, you are supposed to make a booking in advance. Upon arrival, we suggest you check in the hotel of Wuyishan Yin Xiang Resort for three nights' stay. You can take special tourist bus K1 to Wuyishan Tourist Beareau (Wuyishan Shi Lvyouju). The bus fare is CNY10, and it takes about one hour on the way. Getting off the bus, walk southwards and turn east at the first fork; keep heading for 120 yards and you will reach the hotel. A taxi ride from Wuyishan East Railway Station would take 40 minutes and cost about CNY150. 

Accommodation Suggestion: Wuyishan Yin Xiang Resort

Mount Wuyi is a popular destination for backpacking travelers. There are many attractions, so we suggest that you buy a two-day ticket at a cost of CNY 365 per person. Besides the admission fee, the ticket also covers services of shuttle bus between each spots inside and bamboo raft at Nine Bends Brook. Today, you can visit the Dahongpao Tea Trees to have a taste of the famous local rock tea and Heavenly Tour Peak (Tianyou Peak) which is like a fairyland in cloudy weather. After breakfast, hail a taxi to Mount Wuyi and the fare should be around CNY10. Pack some fast food and bottled water with you for food provided in the mountain is expensive. When the whole day's visit is over, also take a taxi back to your hotel.

Continue to visit the Mount Wuyi today. When you get to the gate of the mountain, check in and then take the shuttle bus to Tiger Roaring Rock. When you proceed to One Ray Scenic Area, it will be very dark inside, so you are advised to take a flashlight with you. After lunch, take the shuttle bus to the Nine Bends Brook Scenic Area. There you can take a bamboo raft to drift downstream along the river and enjoy the picturesque scenery. You need to share the raft with another 4-5 visitors. The boatmen will tell stories about the attractions and sing their folk songs for you. Take a taxi or local bus back to your hotel.

This morning, check out of the hotel and deposit your luggage in the hotel. We suggest that you take a taxi with a fare of CNY30 to visit the Xiamei Ancient Village, which is about 6 miles from your hotel. Please remember to ask the driver to charge by meter. The village still keeps the residential houses of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). You can also have a taste of the local cuisine at a restaurant in the village. After that, hop onto a taxi back to the hotel to collect your luggage, then take either tourist bus K1 or taxi to Wuyishan East Railway Station to catch a high-speed train to Fuzhou. The train tickets are in great demand during the travel peak season, so you'd better book the tickets as early as possible with TravelChinaGuide and we will deliver the tickets to your hotel in advance. For detailed train schedule, you can use the search tool at the bottom of this page. 

We suggest you take the train G1633, departing from Wuyishan East at around 16:00 and arriving in Fuzhou at 17:00. When you arrive in Fuzhou Railway Station, you need to check into a hotel for rest at night. We advise you the 4-star Fuzhou Hotel, quite near the city center. Take bus No. 133 from the north square of the train station to Nanmen stop. Alight from the bus, walk backwards along the Middle Bayiqi Road for 70 yards, and turn east to Doudong Road for another 120 yards, you will find the hotel on your right hand side. Check in and have a good rest. 

Accommodation Suggestion: Fuzhou Hotel

After breakfast, walk east along the Doudong Road, turn north to enter the South Xinquan Road for 200 yards' walking. And then turn east to Gutian Road and go forward for 170 yards; you will reach the Yushan bus stop. Take bus No. 97 to Xiayuan and the main entrance of the Drum Hill is 200 yards east of you. You can either take a local minibus or a cable car to climb the hill. Make a stop at halfway to visit the Yongquan Temple, where you will also see many old inscriptions carved on rocks. 

Then get back to the entrance of the Drum Hill, and take bus No. 70 to Sheng Dianying Gongsi bus stop. Get off the bus and walk northwards for 100 yards, you will find Guanglu Lane on your right, which leads to the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys scenic area. Those lanes and alleys clustered with old houses had been surviving for hundred years. Now there becomes a tourist and commercial center. You can sample local dishes in a restaurant. For the way back, you can take a taxi with a flag-down price or walk southward along the Bayiqi North Road on the east of the scenic area and turn left to the hotel's Doudong Road.

Our suggestion for today is to take a bullet train to Quanzhou to visit the Southern Shaolin Temple and stay overnight in Quanzhou City. Check out of the hotel after breakfast, and hail a taxi to Fuzhou Railway Station to catch the bullet train. You are suggested to take the train departing at around 9:00 and the train ride takes about 80 minutes. Upon arrival, find your own way to a local hotel. The 4-star Xiamen Airlines Quanzhou Hotel is recommended. The hotel is located at No.339 of Fengze Street, quite near the famous Delicacy Street. From the Quanzhou Railway Station, you can take bus No.K1 for 7 stops to the Children's Hospital (Ertong Yiyuan). After alighting, you will see the hotel. Check in and have a rest. 

In the afternoon, you can have lunch at the Delicacy Street which is only one block west of the hotel. Then visit the Southern Shaolin Temple. Take bus No. 41 from Children's Hospital bus stop for 5 stops to Quanzhou Sports Center (Tiyu Zhongxin) and walk northward along the road for 500 yards, and then turn west to Dongyueqian Street for another 250 yards forward, you will reach the entrance of the temple. When the visit is over, you can reverse the trip back to your hotel. 

Accommodation Suggestion: Xiamen Airlines Quanzhou Hotel

You are suggested to take a bullet train to Xiamen this noon, so please check out after breakfast and leave your luggage at the reception desk of the hotel. In the morning, visit the Kaiyuan Temple. You can go across the road in front of your hotel to take bus No. 40 from Children's Hospital bus stop to Kaiyuan Temple directly. Initially constructed in the Tang Dynasty, it is the largest Buddhist temple in Fujian Province. There you can see many ancient halls and pavilions, as well as the East and West Pagodas. Then take a taxi with a fare of CNY15 to the Quanzhou Maritime Museum to learn about Quanzhou's maritime transportation. 

There are many trains available every day, so you can purchase the tickets upon your arrival at Quanzhou Railway Station. When you arrive at Xiamen North Railway Station, you are still advised to live in the Bestel Hotel. From the north railway station, you can take Tourist Bus Express Line to Lundu stop at Lujiang Road. Then walk for another 650 yards to the hotel. The bus fare is CNY20, and the duration is 50 minutes. Alternatively, you can take a taxi to the hotel directly at a cost of CNY80. 

Accommodation Suggestion: Bestel Hotel

Your joyful independent China Tour from Manila Philippines ends today. Please check out of hotel before 12:00, then either walk to Sunlight Hotel for airport shuttle bus or take a taxi at a cost of CNY 50 per cab to the airport for your onward flight. From Xiamen to Manila, there are four daily direct flights. They are PR335 1100/1400 and its code-share flight MF9404 1100/1400 in the morning, and MF819 1755/2020 and its code-share flight PR1019 1755/2020 in the late afternoon. 

Alternatively, you can extend your stay in China and visit more cities. Please feel free to contact with TravelChinaGuide for more guided China Tours.