Guangzhou

We are leaving for Hong Kong in four weeks. We will be there for 10 nights. I have already obtained visas to go to China. We will be going to Shenzhen the first full day that we are in Hong Kong to order a gown from a tailor. Then from advise on this board we will stop in at Shenzhen on our way back from Guangzhou to have a fitting for the gown.

We will be going to Guangzhou for just a day. What would be your suggestions as what to do in Guangzhou. The two teenagers are not into museums. I would like them just to get a flavor of Guangzhou. Perhaps to go to a temple and a large market.

If we leave Hong Kong in the morning and do some sightseeing in Guangzhou would there be time to go to Shenzhen that day on our way back to Hong Kong for a gown fitting?

Guangzhou

Hi

Guangzhou is a big city and potentially quite hard to see in a day. It can take a while to get from A to B as the traffic is really bad. You%26#39;d need a taxi from the train station I think.

The area around the jade market is quite traditional with quiet back streets, old houses and locals living their day to day lives and there is a interesting Buddhist temple in the middle of the jade market area - can%26#39;t remember the name offhand but it has a nice courtyard and lots of golden buddhas which are good to see. Also downtown there are a couple of big wholesale markets (eg Haizhu Square wholesale market) which are good to wander round even if just to see the range of tat made in China. There are a few interesting restaurants on the waterfront area near Haizhu Square eg the Dongjiang seafood restaurant - this has an area where you can walk round and pick the fish/vegetables etc that you want cooked for you. Quite an authentic experience although not a lot of English spoken so you might have to just guess what you%26#39;re getting!

If you have time, Shamian Island is also a nice area with pretty streets and buildings and is a nice place to walk round but again its a taxi ride from the Haizhu Square area. It doesn%26#39;t have a very Chinese feel to the area though so if you are pushed for time you might want to concentrate on the downtown area.

In theory it would be possible to fit in Shenzhen on the way back but it would be quite tight and a long day and wouldn%26#39;t leave you a lot of time to explore Guangzhou. Where are you getting the gown made in Shenzhen, is it in Lo Wu? If so the tailor%26#39;s stalls there usually close around 8pm. If you have time you might be better going to Shenzhen on a different day. I can spend hours in Lo Wu mall alone so it might be good for you to have more time there.

There are also lots of traditional areas in Hong Kong itself where you could get a local Chinese flavour.

Hope you have a good time

Suz

Guangzhou

Thank you for your excellent suggestions. I think that taking a taxi would be the best way to go.

We will be going to Shenzen a couple of days prior to going to Guangzhou and the only reason why we would stop there would be to have a fitting for a gown that we had already ordered. The shopping day in Shenzhen will be on another day.

I am so glad that you mentioned that the tailors close early. We will take that into consideration.

One thing I would definitely do would be to EAT. The Guangzhou Racecourse Auto Mall has some really good restaurants, like Haiyuan Restaurant and Rich Countryside. Although some of the options might be a bit interesting, it is a nice view of different foods that you might not be able to get in your country.

Tasting different foods is a great idea.