Third part of the itinerary, I am featuring the beautiful Gulangyu island that everyone goes to Xiamen for. Also known as an "Garden on an island", Gulangyu is Xiamen's largest offshore island that is full of historic and cultural background, almost like a huge open-air museum. It used to be the residential choice of colonialists after the opium war due to its beauty, weather and vibes, therefore there are a lot of foreign influences on the architecture.
Gulangyu 鼓浪屿
This is the attraction that is highly romanticized and hyped but most locals do not think much of it. So, manage your expectations.
For foreigners, do note that the ferry tickets need to purchase on the spot (and they run on a time table with about 1.5 hours per ferry), so ask your hotel about the timings before going to avoid wasting time at the terminal. Currently, there are no methods to buy tickets online for foreigners because they need to do an physical identity verification.
There are easily more than 20 attractions on Gulangyu so it's definitely a day trip and it's nearly impossible to finish all the attractions / not all attractions are worth going. It's quite important to plan before you actually go, or your legs will break 😂
Mark these out on your map and plan your own walking tour~
1. Sunlight Rock 日光岩: highest point in Gulangyu to take all your seascape photos
2. Haoyue Garden 皓月园: a park dedicated for Zheng Chenggong (war hero)
Entry fee: 30 RMB / pax
3. Shuzhuang Garden 菽庄花园: a classic floral and rock Chinese garden
4. Xiamen Underwater World 厦门海底世界: it is pretty similar to Singapore's SEA aquarium, but if you haven't seen the one at Singapore, it's worth going
5. Gulangyu Organ Museum 鼓浪屿风琴博物馆: world's largest organ (music instrument!) museum with more than 30 organs, including the largest organ that is 6 metres tall!
6. A European Y shaped road (near the American embassy)
There are a smattering of photogenic buildings to take photos all around the island which you'll discover as you walk from the main attractions on the island!
[Xiamen Itinerary 2019/2020]
Day 1: Culture, History & Shopping
Day 2: Island Seascape Tour
Day 3: Gulangyu Island
Day 4: Feed your Instagram in Xiamen
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