Sanya travel guide for foreign visitors

Best time to visit

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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.

From Sanya Phoenix Airport (SYX)

三亚凤凰国际机场

TaxiTime20–45 minCost¥60–120
Official rank opposite Gate 3 of domestic arrivals and to the right of the international arrivals exit, or DiDi. Reference fares: about ¥60–80 to Dadonghai, ¥100–120 to Yalong Bay. Hainan has its own 30-day visa-free entry for 61 countries (stay within Hainan only); check our visa page.
BusTime45–60 minCost¥15–25
Airport shuttle buses: Route 1 to Dadonghai (¥15, about 47 min), Route 3 to Yalong Bay (¥25, about 60 min).

From Sanya Railway Station

三亚站

TaxiTime20–30 minCost¥35–50
End of the round-island high-speed line from Haikou (about 1.5–2 hours). Taxis and DiDi wait outside; no metro in Sanya.

Getting around

Sanya has no metro. The bays are spread along 40 km of coast (Nanshan in the west, Sanya Bay, Dadonghai, Yalong Bay, Haitang Bay in the east), so use DiDi or taxis; city buses are cheap but slow. The round-island high-speed railway also stops at Yalong Bay, Haitang Bay and Nanshan North. It is hot year-round; the typhoon season is roughly July–October, when boat trips can be cancelled.

Book these before you fly

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

Top sights

Palm trees and white sand along Yalong Bay beach

亚龙湾Yalong BaySanya’s finest beach: a 7 km crescent of white sand and clear water, lined with international resorts.Half a day

Glass skywalk winding over the forest with Yalong Bay in the distance

亚龙湾热带天堂森林公园Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest ParkRainforest hills above Yalong Bay with a swaying suspension bridge, trails and a sweeping view of the bay.Booking recommended3–4 hours

The 108-metre Guanyin statue standing in the sea at Nanshan

南山文化旅游区Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone (108 m Guanyin)A Buddhist park on the sea with a three-faced 108 m Guanyin statue standing offshore, temples and gardens.Booking recommendedHalf a day

Beach and granite boulders at Tianya Haijiao

天涯海角游览区Tianya Haijiao (“Edge of the Sky, Corner of the Sea”)Granite boulders on a beach carved with the characters for “edge of the sky” and “corner of the sea”, a famous symbol of the end of the world.Booking required1.5–2 hours

Clear turquoise water and white beach on Wuzhizhou Island

蜈支洲岛Wuzhizhou IslandA small island off Haitang Bay with Sanya’s clearest water, known for snorkelling, diving and water sports.Booking recommendedA full day

The Deer Looking Back sculpture at Luhuitou Park

鹿回头风景区Luhuitou ParkA hilltop park named after a legend of a deer turning its head, with the best night view over Sanya Bay and the city.1.5–2 hours

Thatched beach umbrellas and green headlands around Dadonghai Bay

大东海Dadonghai BeachA sheltered town beach close to the centre, with calm water, seafood restaurants and plenty of mid-range hotels.2–3 hours

The long sandy beach of Sanya Bay with Phoenix Island offshore

三亚湾椰梦长廊Sanya Bay and Coconut Dream CorridorA long city beach with a coconut-palm promenade, where locals walk, dance and watch the sunset over the sea.1–2 hours

The arched facade of the CDF duty-free mall at Haitang Bay

三亚国际免税城Sanya International Duty Free City (Haitang Bay)One of the world’s largest duty-free malls, selling cosmetics, watches and luxury goods at Hainan’s offshore duty-free prices.2–3 hours

A traditional thatched Li dwelling in Ganza Village, Betel Nut Valley

槟榔谷黎苗文化旅游区Betel Nut Valley (Li and Miao Culture Park)A park in a betel-palm valley showing the culture of Hainan’s Li and Miao peoples: boat-shaped thatched houses, Li brocade weaving and a daily song-and-dance show.Half a day

Wooden boardwalk through the tropical forest at Yanoda

呀诺达雨林文化旅游区Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism ZoneA tropical rainforest park in the hills north of Sanya with boardwalks past giant trees, strangler figs and waterfalls, plus a glass walkway and zip lines.Booking recommendedHalf a day

Granite boulders in the clear sea along the Daxiaodongtian coast

大小洞天旅游区Daxiaodongtian (Big and Small Cave Heaven)A Taoist seaside park founded in 1187, with sea caves, granite boulders carved with calligraphy and coastal walks west of Nanshan.Booking required2–3 hours

Fishing boats in the harbour of West Island (Xidao) with its green hills

西岛West Island (Xidao)An island in Sanya Bay with a still-inhabited fishing village, clear water for snorkelling and diving, and beaches; about 10 minutes by boat.Booking recommendedHalf a day 后海村Houhai Village (surf beach)A fishing village on a crescent bay at the south end of Haitang Bay, now China’s best-known beginner surf spot, with surf schools, guesthouses and beach bars.Half a day 第一市场First Market (seafood market)Sanya’s busiest old market in the centre, where you buy live seafood at the stalls and have it cooked at one of the small restaurants around it.1–2 hours (with a meal)凤凰岭海誓山盟景区Phoenix RidgeThe hill in the middle of Sanya, about 400 m high, reached by a long cable car, with views over the city, the river and several bays.1.5–2 hours 三亚千古情景区Sanya Romance ParkA theme park of Hainan folk culture whose highlight is a big-stage show on the island’s history and legends, with water, flying acrobats and special effects.Booking recommended3 hours

Palm trees and a sandy beach on Fenjiezhou Island

分界洲岛Fenjiezhou Island (Boundary Island)A small island off Lingshui, about 10 minutes by boat, known for some of the clearest water in Hainan for snorkelling and diving.Booking recommendedHalf a day to a full day from Sanya

Rhesus macaques resting in the trees on Nanwan Monkey Island

南湾猴岛Nanwan Monkey IslandA nature reserve on a peninsula in Lingshui with around a thousand wild macaques, reached by a 2 km cable car over a harbour full of floating fishing homes.Booking recommendedHalf a day from Sanya

Dacheng Hall of the Yacheng Confucian School in Yazhou Ancient City

崖州古城Yazhou Ancient CityChina’s southernmost old walled town, with a restored city gate and wall and the Yazhou Confucian school, the old seat of learning of southern Hainan.1–1.5 hours

Map

Further out, not on this map: Fenjiezhou Island (Boundary Island)

What to eat here

文昌鸡Wenchang chickenHainan’s most famous dish: free-range chicken poached and served cool with ginger, garlic and lime dips, with chicken-fat rice.

椰子鸡Coconut chicken hotpotChicken cooked at the table in fresh coconut water, sweet and light; dip in soy, lime and chilli.

海南粉Hainan rice noodlesThin rice noodles tossed with a thick savoury sauce, peanuts, pickles and crispy toppings; a breakfast staple.

清补凉Qingbuliang (coconut dessert soup)Iced coconut milk with red beans, taro, coconut flesh, jelly and fruit; the classic way to cool down in Sanya.

和乐蟹Hele crabA local mud crab full of roe, usually steamed; ask the price per jin before it is cooked.

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