Xiamen — Gulangyu Travel Guide

Complete travel guide to Xiamen. How to get there, where to go, what to see, where to eat and sleep.

Source: wikivoyage·Updated: 2026-05-21
Table of Contents

Xiamen/Gulangyu

History and culture museums

  • 24.445933118.0681795 China Records Museum中国唱片博物馆),32 Fujian Road (福建路32号),☏ +86 592 6883070,info@crmuseum.com.09:00-17:30.¥78.updated Feb 2019 | )
    • 24.44646118.0666016 Gulangyu 100 Years Museum百年鼓浪屿博物馆),62 Fujian Road (福建路62号)Inland and uphill from the ferry stop),☏ +86 18659236520.08:00-18:00.A museum focusing on the colonial-era foreign residents of Gulangyu, in a building that was once a villa belonging to the Singapore-based OCBC Bank.¥70.

Gulangyu Organ Museum鼓浪屿风琴博物馆),43 Guxin Road (鼓新路43号),☏ +86 592 2061777, +86 592 2063226.08:15-17:45 (winter), 08:15-18:15 (summer).The organ museum is in the Trigram House (八卦楼 Bagualou) in northwestern Gulangyu; it is the only and the largest organ museum in the world. Matched with the piano museum in southeastern Shuzhuang Garden, it attracts a lot of music lovers from around the world. There are many styles of organ collected in this museum.¥20.

Gulangyu Piano Museum鼓浪屿钢琴博物馆),Shuzhuang Garden, 7 Gangzihou Road (港仔后路7号菽庄花园内),☏ +86 592 2060238.08:15-17:45 (winter), 08:15-18:15 (summer).A museum of pianos, including rare specimens from the 1700s. The entry fee to Shuzhuang Garden (normally ¥30) includes entrance to the museum. Guided tours several times a day include performances on a few of the instruments.

  • 24.445434118.0619419 Koxinga Memorial Museum郑成功纪念馆, Koxinga Memorial Hall),73 Yongchun Road (永春路73号),☏ +86 592 2061921, +86 592 2571857.Tu-Su 08:30-16:45.A rather small museum dedicted to Zheng Chenggong, or Koxinga as he is generally known in the West, who made his mark in history by driving the Dutch out of Taiwan in the 1660s. His headquarters were on Dragon Head Hill at the south end of Gulangyu; a watchtower and some other fortifications remain, and the statue is nearby (see listing below). Having defeated the foreign devils, Koxinga is one of the few people regarded as a hero by the current governments of both China and Taiwan. Things the museum's account (Chinese only) does not mention are that his father, a seafaring merchant from the Quanzhou area, dabbled in piracy and that his mother was Japanese. As the Manchu conquerors who became the Qing dynasty moved south, the father surrendered and became a Qing official, but the son remained loyal to the Ming and fought on; at one point, his armies got as far as menacing Nanjing. Eventually, he found himself defeated on the mainland so he went off, bringing most of his army, and took over Taiwan. Koxinga's arrival was the first major Chinese incursion into Taiwan; many of his troops stayed and settled. This was followed by a surge of other immigration, mainly from the Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou areas. Modern Taiwanese is essentially the Minnan dialect of those cities.Free.updated Feb 2019 | )

Statue of Koxinga郑成功石雕像),Bright Moon Garden (皓月园), 3 Zhangzhou Road (漳州路3号)5 minutes walk southeast of the ferry terminal),☏ +86 592 2061777.07:30-20:30 (winter), 07:30-21:00 (summer).A 24-metre-high statue of Koxinga stands on a cliff looking toward Xiamen Island.¥15 (Bright Moon Garden entry fee).

  • 24.454219118.0624611 Kulangsu Gallery of Foreign Artefacts from the Palace Museum Collection故宫鼓浪屿外国文物馆),80 Guxin Road (鼓新路80号)on the north side of the island),☏ +86 592 2919760.Tu-Su 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:30.Occupies a heritage-listed 19th-century building, which used to be the site of the Hope Hospital and Nurses’ School. The museum was jointly founded by the Palace Museum in Beijing and the Xiamen government. As the name says, the museum displays foreign artefacts from the Palace Museum's collection.¥50.updated Feb 2019 | )

Other museums

  • 24.443976118.05902912 Shell Dream World贝壳梦幻世界),5 Gusheng Road (鼓声路5号),☏ +86 592 2066852.08:30-18:00 (summer), 08:30-17:20 (winter).Part theme park, part museum. The museum is said to contain over 6800 varieties of seashells from over 60 different countries.¥78 (standard adult entry fee), ¥40 (persons aged between 60 and 69 as well as children between 1.2 and 1.5 metres in height). Children under 1.2 metres in height and persons over 70 years old are admitted for free. Tickets are cheaper if purchased online.updated Feb 2019 | )

Parks and nature

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  • 24.444611118.0706813 Bright Moon Garden皓月园),3 Zhangzhou Road (漳州路3号),☏ +86 592 2061777.07:30-20:30 (winter), 07:30-21:00 (summer).Bright Moon Garden (Haoyueyuan) is on the Covering Rock (Fudingyan) on the east (Xiamen side) coast of Gulangyu. It covers an area of 3 hectares (30,000 square meters, about 7.5 acres) spreading along the shore with a sandy beach, rocks, trees and pavilions. Its name is from two lines of a poem about a King of Yanping. In the park stands a bronze sculpture of Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) and some of his soldiers, 13.7 meters long and 4.7 meters high (about 45 by 15 feet).¥15.
  • 24.444043118.0594714 Gulangyu Aviary鼓浪屿百鸟园),Gusheng Road (鼓声路)Accessible by cable car from Sunlight Rock),☏ +86 592 2060777, +86 592 2062868.07:00-20:00.Over 1000 birds from over 100 countries. Many peacocks, including a rare Albino, several types of cranes, lots of ducks/geese, and other large birds (e.g. emus). Watch for falling excrement. Aviary performances take place several times per day, including at 09:30, 10:30, 11:30, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00.¥60 (Sunlight Rock admission fee).
  • 24.441534118.06479515 Shuzhuang Garden菽庄花园),7 Gangzihou Road (港后路7号)on the left as you walk from the ferry terminal toward sunlight rock),☏ +86 592 2061777, +86 592 2063722.07:30-20:30 (winter), 07:30-21:00 (summer).Named after the original owner Lin Erjia (aka ShuZhuang), a wealthy Taiwanese businessman who fled here when Japan took Taiwan in the 1890s. Highlights include the 44 bridge, the Piano Museum (see below) and the rockery with hidden sculptures of all 12 zodiac animals. There is also a small private art museum to the right of the main entrance.¥30.
  • 24.448828118.06637816 Xiamen Underwater World厦门海底世界),2 Longtou Road (龙头路2号)from the ferry terminal, walk to the right and look for the big blue building),☏ +86 592 2069365,info@xm-underwaterworld.com.08:00-21:00 (April to October), 08:00-18:30 (November to March), no entry or ticket sales during last hour of operations.Admission is a steep ¥90 for adults, ¥50 for children/seniors, but you can just stand outside and take photos of the Jules Verne-esque octopus statue.

With a view

add listing Sunlight Rock日光岩),62 Huangyan Road (晃岩路62号)on Dragon Head Hill),☏ +86 592 2061777, +86 592 2067284, +86 592 2062868.07:30-20:30 (winter), 07:30-21:00 (summer).This is the highest point on the island with great views as far as Xiamen. Entry included into Buddhist temple, the Aviary and a cable car ride to the aviary on Yingxiong Hill. Warning: climbing to the top involves a lot of stairs, so probably not good for young children or the elderly.¥60.

Other sights

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The south end of the island also has some lovely gardens with a lot of various types of eucalyptus. There are over 50 registered heritage properties on the island. Photos and descriptions of each one can be found on the UNESCO site.

Do

add listing There is a beach just south of the ferry stop and others around on the other side of the island. Gulangyu Concert Hall鼓浪屿音乐厅),1 Huangyan Road (晃岩路1号),☏ +86 592 2066730.Concerts are held here almost every night at 19:30.Most concerts are free.updated Feb 2019 | )

Buy

add listing Items aimed at the tourist trade abound on Gulangyu — some amazingly tacky, some amazingly lovely, and more-or-less everything between. As in any tourist area in Asia, many things are much cheaper than in western countries but asking prices tend to be high and bargaining is usually necessary. Gulangyu merchants have some excuse for high prices; they have to cover costs of transporting goods to the island. In general, things are more expensive on Gulangyu than in downtown Xiamen; on the other hand Gulangyu has a much broader range of tourist merchandise and a better selection on some items. The two main shopping streets are Dragon Head Road (Longtou Lu) — which runs south near the shore from the ferry stop, off to your left as you arrive, to Dragon Head Hill or Sunlight Rock — and Quanzhou Road which is roughly parallel to that but further inland and on higher ground. There are many smaller streets with shops, mostly running off those two. Shops along these streets sell mainly art and handicrafts. Items on offer include: beads, lacquer work, sculptures, pictures carved on stone, Chinese antiques, reproductions of Chinese antiques, jade, fake jade, other jewelry, silk and other clothing, and ceramics. There are also T-shirts, hats and other tourist merchandise, plus artists offering portraits or cartoons.

Eat

add listing Yuanxiangkou Fish Balls原巷口鱼丸铺),four locations around Gulangyu; one is behind the ICBC near the ferry terminal,☏ +86 592-3997993.An award-winning shop that is most famous for its fish balls, which are stuffed with pork and cooked in a savory soup. Try the fish balls alone (¥6) or with noodles (¥8). Unless you're an adventurous foodie and/or read Chinese well enough to understand exactly what you're getting, however, skip the other "snacks" (小吃) even though they're supposed to be famous Gulangyu specialties.

  • 24.445435118.0647792 Chu Family Coffee褚家园咖啡馆),15 Zhonghua Rd,☏ +86 13600944308.Daily 11:00-21:00.Quiet and lovely place. They offer coffee, western-style food and desserts. A bit overpriced, like many of the venues on Gulangyu.
  • 24.451276118.0603453 Mr Lin Shachamian林氏沙茶面(鼓浪屿店))near west end of Longshan Tunnel).10:00-20:00.Local branch of the well regarded shacha (satay) noodle chain. Their specialty is the luxurious seafood version with abalone (鲍鱼海鲜沙茶面), but the meat version is quite tasty as well.¥50.

Not far inland of the ferry stop is a large building with some interesting upmarket tourist shops and several restaurants including a large KFC on ground level and a place on the second floor that has reasonable food, good beer, and a patio with a fine view. There is a central courtyard that sometimes has acrobats, jugglers or musicians. Near that is the main market for Gulangyu residents, mainly selling fruits, vegetables and seafood. Nothing is cooked, nobody speaks English, and some prices are higher than downtown Xiamen, but the place can be an adventure and a pile of fruit here will be cheaper than lunch in a restaurant.

Drink

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  • Black Cat CoffeeBlack Cat Cafe),14 Yong Chun Rd.You can come just for the coffee (~¥30-35) and a look at the restored home and gardens, but definitely consider their food menu. They offer à la carte options for seafood and mixed grill items for ¥100-140, and 4-course set menus for ¥160-190. The "Italian consulate menu" is good. It consists of a crisp roast duck caesar salad, a sweet and creamy pumpkin soup, choice of prime rib or salmon, and dessert. The front porch tables enjoy sun after 13:00, and American oldies play on speakers throughout the cafe.¥30-200.

Sleep

add listing There are numerous places to stay on Gulangyu, mostly at moderate prices. As of 2018, many hotels in the area do not accept foreigners— make sure you book ahead of time and confirm that the hotel accepts foreigners before showing up. Near the ferry wharf there are several places within a stone's throw of each other. When you get off the ferry, walk straight. Immediately on your left, you will see a stone stairway leading to the top of a small hill. At the top, turn right onto Lujiao Road and you will find a youth hostel and several hotels.

  • [dead link]17 Longtou RdOnce on Lujiao Road (see above) look for a yellow/white building and a sign.),☏ +86 592 2060466, +86 592 2060468,fax: +86 592 2060468,bayviewinn@163.com.Check-out: 12:00.Very nice, clean inn near the ferry terminal. Free internet and wi-fi. English speaking staff. The website is in Chinese but there are detailed pictures of all the rooms on the site. Air-con and mosquito plug-ins provided.¥45-60 dorm, ¥188 twin, ¥322 twin ensuite.
  • Consulate Innformer British Consulate),14 Lujiao RdSouth and inland from the ferry terminal),☏ +86-592-2068305.
  • Gulangyu International Youth Hostel18 Lujiao Rd,☏ +86 592-2066066,fax: +86 592-2066022,yha@yhagly.com.Just up the road from 'Naya'. Spacious grounds. Grubby dorms, iffy bathrooms. Peeling paint. No kitchen. Better go to Bayview Inn across the street for a few yuan more, or stay at Xiamen International Youth Hostel, 41 Nanhua Road, on the mainland, which is impeccable. (City bus 1 or 21 from the railway station.)
  • Just a Hotel有间客栈 - You Jian Ke Zhan),☏ +86 592-2066088.A nice and cozy hotel on Gulang Yu. Really friendly staff and a nice boss "Jason". If you don't find the place, give them a call. Family-style, private bathrooms.From ¥168 to 260.
  • [formerly dead link]former German Consulate),Lujiao Road.Wonderful homestyle hotel, quaint decoration. Also doubles as an Italian restaurant/cafe with outdoor seating. No individual dorms.
  • Remy's Garden HotelNo.65 Kantai Rdover on the west side of the island).

Go next

For most travellers, the only place you can go from Gulangyu is back to Xiamen. If you own or charter a boat, there are other choices but some caution is required. The Taiwan-controlled island of Kinmen is nearby and — while there has not been artillery fire across that strait since the 1970s, — both governments still consider the area sensitive and keep substantial military forces there. This city travel guide to Gulangyu****guide status. It has a variety of good, quality information including hotels, restaurants, attractions and travel details. Please contribute and help us make it a star!

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