Guangzhou! Hell NO!! Pretty Sure 1/10th of China Is ALREADY Here!
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Oh, friends, take my advice! If you're thinking about visiting Guangzhou during the summer vacation, you'd better think twice!
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Summer Vacation = Human Wave Mode!
- Here, "summer" usually refers to July and August, when students are on break, making it a peak period for Chinese families to travel.
- That means: On every street, at every tourist attraction, in every shopping mall...you will be surrounded by people. Seriously, there are so many people that it can feel like a sea of heads.
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Canton Tower? Summer is a 'Braver's Game' for this place!
- Canton Tower is the particularly tall, well-known TV tower that serves as one of Guangzhou’s landmark symbols.
- Warning! Warning!
- What you will see: Queueing! Endless queueing! To get up the tower, you may have to wait for hours.
- How your experience might be: Once you finally manage to get up, the observation deck is packed with people and finding a good spot to take photos will be difficult.
- How to avoid the pitfalls: If it isn't imperative for you to visit the top during summer, or if you don't have all day to wait in line, consider coming another time instead. Or, consider admiring the tower from afar; its image can still be captured beautifully from places such as along the Pearl River.
In summary, summer temperature in Guangzhou goes through the roof, and tourists’ passion only adds fuel to the fire! If you prefer less crowded travels or don't wish to spend your days waiting in long lines, summer, being an intensified version of the “Golden Week” peak season, could be best avoided for your trip.
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As a Guangzhou local, I think there are better ways to experience the city. First, skip tourist traps like Dian Dou De; many other restaurants offer better quality. You can use an app like Dianping to call ahead for reservations or to see if there's a line. Second, try to avoid the Canton Tower during summer vacation. For a similar view and a more luxurious experience, use that money for afternoon tea at the Rosewood Hotel; the Four Seasons is a good second choice. Third, if the metro is packed, don't try to squeeze in. Download a ride-hailing app like Meituan or Didi – rides in Guangzhou aren't expensive. For example, a trip from Chimelong to Zhujiang New Town is about 50 RMB. Why would a family cram into the metro for 20 RMB? Fourth, I don't find the malls overly crowded. Places like Taikoo Hui, Parc Central, and IGC are quite comfortable. Are there any popular shopping malls that are truly swarming with people? Fifth, I haven't visited many tourist attractions, so I can't really comment, but aren't places like the Guangdong Museum, Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, Thirteen Hongs Museum, Mausoleum of the Nanyue King, Shamian Island, and the Six Banyan/Guangxiao Temples pretty good?
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I think you can actually plan a very relaxing trip. For instance, when visiting Ersha Island, you can check out exhibitions at the Guangdong Museum of Art and Lingnan Club. Or have tea at Wenlifang or Ersha Hongchengbao (it's outdoors – lovely for kids and dogs in spring or autumn). If you don't mind the sun, go take some photos at Haixin Bridge. If you're heading to Haixinsha, you could grab some Cantonese food at Huacheng Yuan. After the APM sightseeing line, maybe dinner at Party Pier in the evening? And for a late-night snack, aren't Xingsheng Road, Zhujiang Road, or an upstairs dai pai dong tempting?
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Excuse me, will Guangzhou be just as crowded in August? I'm wondering if it's convenient to take the metro with children.
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With the metro, just avoid weekday rush hours and the stations near tourist spots on weekends. Otherwise, it's usually fine.
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My advice to tourists visiting Guangzhou is to avoid the metro during these hours: 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00, 18:00, 19:00, 20:00, 21:00, 22:00, and 23:00. It's always pretty packed.
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Hahahahahaha, you're hilarious!
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Guangzhou's biggest issue is its metro system. I was there with my family in February. On a Saturday night at 10 PM at Yangji station, we waited for Line 1, and the trains were running every 8 minutes. We could barely squeeze on. For a major city to have 8-minute intervals during what felt like a busy evening hour... I was speechless.
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10 PM? That's already past the rush hour.
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I just got back. Sounds like you just didn't pick the right times or places. Why try to put others off?
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Sis, you're taking it too seriously. They might just be venting or posting for laughs. People who genuinely want to go will go anyway.
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It's truly terrifying during the May Day holiday. The area around the Canton Tower and along the Pearl River is so packed with people you can barely even walk.
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I'm planning to go during the October National Day holiday... Will it be as crowded as shown in the pictures above?
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Coming to Guangzhou? I highly recommend taking Metro Line 3.
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Thanks, OP! Wow, so few people.
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Okay, I can understand the Canton Tower being crowded, but why on earth is Guangzhou Zoo also packed?
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So why did you go then?
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Oh dear, I didn't listen to any advice... and I'm currently on my way to Guangzhou!
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I'm going too! But I've heard from many people that it's not really worth it.
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Are there any pedestrian streets that are relatively less crowded?