Guiyang

23 hand-picked places in 8 lists. Tick the categories you want to see on the map.

7 places on the map

Instagrammable

Opens Google Maps with these places, ready to save to your own list.

Ride the Guiyang Metro: lines connect the old centre around Penshuichi with Guanshanhu and the North and East railway stations; scan in with Alipay or WeChat transit codes.
Use high-speed rail for day trips: Guiyang North and Guiyang East stations have fast trains to Kaili for Miao villages, Anshun for Huangguoshu Falls, and on to Chongqing and Kunming.
Book DiDi for taxis: the DiDi app inside Alipay has an English interface and shows your destination in Chinese, which avoids language mix-ups with drivers on Guiyang's hilly roads.

Keep your passport handy: hotels, train stations and some attractions check ID, and you need your passport number to buy rail tickets on 12306 or Trip.com.
Watch your phone at night markets: busy food streets such as Qingyun Road night market get crowded, so keep your phone and wallet zipped away while you queue for snacks.
Drink boiled or bottled water: tap water is not for drinking; hotels provide kettles and bottled water, and busy food stalls with high turnover are the safest bet for street food.

Eat Guiyang snacks: a bowl of changwang noodles for breakfast or siwawa, wrapped pancakes you fill yourself with pickled vegetables, cost little and fill you up.
Set up mobile payment: link a foreign card to Alipay or WeChat Pay before you arrive, since many stalls rarely take cash and paying by QR code avoids change and card issues.
Enjoy free parks: Qianling Park offers forest trails, Hongfu Temple and resident macaques for free, and the riverside walk past Jiaxiu Pavilion is also free to stroll.

Enjoy cool summers: thanks to its altitude on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Guiyang stays pleasantly mild in summer, so light layers and a thin jacket are usually enough.
Always pack rain gear: locals say the sky is never clear for three days in a row, and drizzle and grey skies are common in every season, so bring a light umbrella or rain jacket.
Layer up in winter: winters are damp and chilly, and many older buildings have limited heating, so bring a warm sweater, thermal layers and a waterproof coat.

Taste sour soup fish: Guizhou suantangyu is a tangy red soup with tomato and chilli; it originates with the Miao people around Kaili and is a favourite for group dinners.
Learn about minority cultures: Guizhou is home to Miao, Buyi and Dong peoples; the Guizhou Provincial Museum explains their silver, costumes and festivals well.
Be patient and polite: English is limited, so use a translation app, keep a calm tone and accept that shared dishes and loud, lively meals are normal in local restaurants.

See Jiaxiu Pavilion at night: this Ming-era tower on the Nanming River is lit up after dark, and the riverside promenade around it is one of Guiyang's nicest evening walks.
Day trip to Qingyan Ancient Town: south of the city, Qingyan has stone walls, temples and snack streets; try its famous braised pig trotters and rose sugar treats.
Book Huangguoshu early: the big waterfall near Anshun gets packed on weekends and holidays, so go on a weekday and buy tickets online in advance via the official channels.

Only have a day? Each one keeps you in one area, from morning to late afternoon, with lunch nearby.

Day 1 of 2

🕘 9:30–14:45📍 5 stops

Day 2 of 2

🕘 9:30–12:30📍 3 stops