Red roofs on Gulangyu above the blue harbor, seen from Sunlight Rock — XiamenGulangyu and Xiamen Harbor, seen from Sunlight Rock

Xiamen · 厦门 · Southeast

Xiamen

Seaside, colonial lanes, and the best slow weekend you can bolt onto a work trip.

Best months: Oct–Apr
Days needed: 2–3
Airports: XMN
Difficulty: Low

Why go

The short version

Gulangyu island is a car-free grid of consular villas and narrow lanes, twenty minutes by ferry from downtown.

The rest of the city is a working port with a good food scene and none of the pressure of a capital.

Three things nobody tells you

Xiamen through the year

UNESCO · Kulangsu

March–May

Spring

Gulangyu’s red roofs

Take the ferry to Gulangyu and look for openings in the lanes where you can see the red roofs and harbour together.

Red roofs nestle in the trees on Gulangyu, with islands and mountains across the water. — Gulangyu’s red roofsRed roofs emerge from Gulangyu’s green slopes, with the harbour and distant islands behind them.

June–August

Summer

Xiamen’s sandy coast

Walk the coast before the midday heat. Check the coastal forecast if you plan to take a ferry or swim.

Two distant beachgoers with a pale umbrella on Xiamen’s shore, beside teal water and beneath layered clouds. — Xiamen’s sandy coastTwo beachgoers give a sense of scale to the water and cloud banks on Xiamen’s summer coast.

September–November

Autumn

Shimao Straits Towers

Follow the waterfront towards the Shimao Straits Towers for the city skyline and open water in the same view.

Xiamen’s twin towers and a curving shoreline promenade against a peach sunset. — Shimao Straits TowersThe twin towers and coastal walkway catch the last light on Xiamen’s waterfront.

December–February

Winter

The Xiamen shore at dusk

Stay near the shoreline for a low view across the water as the light fades.

Quiet water, distant ridgelines and rocks off the Xiamen shore in winter evening light. — The Xiamen shore at duskWinter dusk settles over Xiamen’s shore, with dark rocks below the layers of distant hills.

Guides for this region

Read before you land

Paying in China with a foreign card

Alipay will take a Visa card issued abroad. What it won't tell you is which merchants still refuse it, and why your first payment sometimes fails for no reason at all.

Getting online: eSIM versus a local SIM

Buying data before you land costs slightly more and removes an hour of queueing. Here is when that trade is worth it, and when it isn't.