Guiyang

Best time to visit

1. Jan
2. Feb
3. Mar
4. Apr
5. May
6. Jun
7. Jul
8. Aug
9. Sep
10. Oct
11. Nov
12. Dec

From the airport or station to the city

Where you land, the ways into the city centre, how long each takes and what it costs.

Getting around

Guiyang sits on a plateau at about 1,100 m, so summers are mild (rarely above 30 °C) but often rainy: bring a light rain jacket. The centre is hilly and spread out; Metro Lines 1, 2 and 3 plus taxis and DiDi are the easiest way around. Qingyan Ancient Town and Huaxi are 15–30 km south. Huangguoshu (via Anshun West), Xijiang (via Kaili South), Libo and Zhaoxing (via Congjiang) are day trips or overnights by high-speed train from Guiyang North, each followed by a shuttle bus. Guiyang Longdongbao Airport is a 240-hour visa-free transit port and all of Guizhou is inside the permitted stay area, so these trips are fine on visa-free transit. Carry your passport: most scenic-area tickets are real-name and checked at the gate.

Book these before you fly

These sights need a reservation with your passport. Walk-ups are usually turned away.

• Libo Xiaoqikong (Small Seven Arches)Buy online in advance (official WeChat ticket site “荔波小七孔售票官网”, the “一码游贵州” mini-program, or Trip.com) with your passport; entry is by ID check and face scan.
• Qianling Mountain ParkFree real-name booking is required: since 1 May 2026 only via the park’s WeChat account “黔灵山公园” or the “贵客荟” mini-program. If the form will not take a passport number, ask staff at the main gate.
• Guizhou Provincial MuseumFree real-name booking on the museum’s WeChat account “贵州省博物馆”; visitors without a booking are generally not admitted. Bring the passport you booked with.

Top sights

黄果树瀑布Huangguoshu WaterfallChina’s best-known waterfall, about 78 m high and 100 m wide, in a karst park with two more areas: the terraced Doupotang falls and the stone forests and caves of Tianxing Bridge.Booking recommendedFull day from Guiyang (4–6 hours in the park)青岩古镇Qingyan Ancient TownA 600-year-old garrison town south of Guiyang with stone walls and gates, flagstone lanes, temples, a Catholic church and old merchant houses.Half day西江千户苗寨Xijiang Miao VillageThe largest Miao village in China: more than a thousand wooden stilt houses climbing two hillsides above a river, with wind-and-rain bridges, a museum and daily song-and-dance shows.Booking recommendedFull day; better with one night荔波小七孔Libo Xiaoqikong (Small Seven Arches)A UNESCO-listed karst forest valley named after an old seven-arch stone bridge, with turquoise lakes, a forest of trees growing in a river, and chains of small waterfalls.Booking requiredFull day; overnight in Libo recommended黔灵山公园Qianling Mountain ParkA forested mountain park right in the city, with hundreds of free-roaming macaques, Hongfu Temple (a 17th-century Buddhist monastery) near the top, a lake and a small zoo.Booking required2–3 hours甲秀楼Jiaxiu PavilionGuiyang’s symbol: a three-storey Ming-dynasty pavilion on a rock in the Nanming River, reached by an arched stone bridge, with the old Cuiwei Garden behind it.1 hour贵州省博物馆Guizhou Provincial MuseumA large modern museum on Guizhou’s history and its many ethnic groups, strongest on Miao and Dong silver jewellery, embroidery, batik and festival costumes.Booking required2–3 hours花溪国家城市湿地公园Huaxi National Wetland ParkSeveral kilometres of riverside paths along the Huaxi River, from the classic Huaxi Park with its stepping stones and karst hills to the Shilihetan wetlands; popular for cycling and picnics.2–3 hours天河潭Tianhetan Scenic AreaKarst scenery close to the city: waterfalls and pools in a green valley, plus a water cave you enter by boat and a dry cave on foot.2–3 hours青云市集Qingyun Market (night market)A former knitting factory turned into Guiyang’s liveliest evening hangout: Guizhou snacks, sour-soup hotpot, craft beer bars and small design shops.1–2 hours二七路小吃街Erqi Road Snack StreetA 400-metre street of about a hundred food stalls beside Guiyang Railway Station, where locals go for cheap, no-frills Guizhou snacks.1 hour文昌阁Wenchang PavilionA three-storey wooden tower from 1609 on a stretch of the old city wall, unusual for its nine-sided roofs; with Jiaxiu Pavilion, one of Guiyang’s two Ming landmarks.30–45 minutes阳明祠Yangming ShrineA hillside group of Qing-dynasty halls on Fufeng Hill honouring Wang Yangming, the Ming philosopher whose exile in Guizhou shaped his thought, set among old trees and stone steps.45 minutes–1 hour龙宫景区Longgong (Dragon Palace) CaveAn underground river near Anshun that you ride through by boat between lit-up karst chambers, entered past a waterfall that pours out of a cave.About 3 hours肇兴侗寨Zhaoxing Dong VillageOne of the largest Dong villages, in a valley ringed by rice terraces, with five tall wooden drum towers, wind-and-rain bridges and evening performances of Dong polyphonic singing.1–2 days including travel

Map

Further out, not on this map: Huangguoshu Waterfall, Xijiang Miao Village, Libo Xiaoqikong (Small Seven Arches), Longgong (Dragon Palace) Cave, Zhaoxing Dong Village

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