Xiamen 3-Day Tour
This compact journey showcases Fujian’s diverse wonders, from coastal charm to mountainous heritage. Begin in Xiamen, where European-style boulevards meet bustling night markets along the Taiwan Strait. The highlight comes on day two with a pilgrimage to the UNESCO-listed Hakka Tulou – these extraordinary 12th-century earthen castles cluster like giant mushrooms across tea-growing valleys. Walk through the circular corridors of Tianluokeng’s “Four Dishes One Soup” formation and the gravity-defying Yuchang Lou, where wooden pillars have leaned artistically since the Yuan Dynasty.
The finale blends spirituality and colonial elegance: morning chanting at Nanputuo Temple’s Buddhist grottoes precedes an afternoon on Gulangyu Island. This car-free haven of Victorian villas and piano shops floats in the strait, where winding paths reveal hidden gardens and the island’s famous Sunlight Rock viewpoint.
Included with every escorted tour
Day 1: Xiamen Arrival
Your Xiamen adventure begins with a warm airport welcome and smooth transfer to your downtown hotel.
As the afternoon unfolds, take your first taste of this coastal gem at leisure. Wander through the European-influenced architecture along the Hulishan Fortress seaside promenade, where the salty breeze carries scents from nearby seafood grills.
When evening falls, lose yourself in the neon-lit Zengcuo’an Art Village, where fishermen’s houses now host bohemian cafés and indie galleries beneath strings of fairy lights.
Day 2: Xiamen
Nanjing County–Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster–Yuchang Lou–Taxia Village–Hekeng Tulou Cluster
4-Star Hotel
Breakfast
Morning sunlight reveals the misty mountains of Nanjing County as you arrive at the Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster, where five enormous earthen buildings form the iconic “Four Dishes One Soup” pattern. Watch local grandmothers drying sweet potatoes on circular courtyards that have witnessed six centuries of communal living.
The afternoon brings you to the astonishing Yuchang Lou, its tilted wooden pillars defying gravity since 1308, followed by the poetic Taxia Village where stone bridges arch over a babbling stream lined with ancestral halls.
Conclude at the starlike Hekeng Tulou Cluster, its fifteen buildings strategically positioned according to ancient feng shui principles as the golden hour gilds their rammed-earth walls.
Day 3: Xiamen Departure
Nanputuo Temple–Gulangyu Island
Breakfast
The morning’s tranquility begins at Nanputuo Temple, where monks chant amidst intricate Buddhist rock carvings and the aroma of vegetarian noodles drifts from the monastery kitchen. A short ferry ride transports you to the piano-shaped Gulangyu Island, where afternoon explorations reveal:
Sun-dappled lanes lined with magnolia trees and Victorian villas
The melancholic melodies of practice rooms at the Piano Museum
Secret sea-view gardens hidden behind weathered stone walls
The panoramic vista from Sunlight Rock where Xiamen unfolds like a watercolor painting
Your journey concludes with an evening transfer to the airport, the scent of tea leaves and sea air lingering as lasting mementos of Fujian’s magic
