If you’re looking for a memorable, culturally-rich family trip within Guangdong province then Chaozhou is the place for you. Fascinating history, amazing architecture, famous tea, yummy food, fast rickshas, beautiful temples, impressive city wall and tranquil parks-did I miss anything?

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Yes, I did! And it’s Chaozhou’s most well-known feature-the main street, Paifangjie, lined with 22 large archways!

Chaozhou city is located in eastern Guangdong, about 3.5 hours away from Guangzhou by ‘gao tie’-high speed train (new line is about to open and will reduce travel time significantly). I have not heard of it until my husband suggested it for our next trip. Google search returned very little information therefore my expectations were quite low.

The place is stunning!

Breathtakingly detailed houses and other structures, alleyways upon alleyways of ancient villas, many of which can be viewed inside, hold cool artist workshops and peaceful tea houses. The city wall is monumental, and literally glowing after dark. Old Town is home to many historical sites and temples as well as traditional businesses, after all Chaozhou is known all over China for its food and magnificent wood carvings, all of which can be viewed from the comfort of a ricksha, which you can hire for a couple of hours(the driver can either take you to places you request or take you on a standard tour and will wait for you while you sightsee, kids love it!). Most impressive of all is the Guangji Bridge, which is absolutely mesmerizing after dark.

A one-of-a-kind place in all of China.

We were only there for three days and it wasn’t nearly enough to see everything the city has to offer or even just to see everything that Old Town holds. We loved every minute of our stay in Chaozhou but a special mention goes to the old tea house, where we leisurely spent two hours sipping tea and admiring the architecture.

You might wonder if this type of historical place with lots of sightseeing is suitable for younger children. I’d say absolutely yes! My son loved the ricksha ride, the animal statues on Guangji bridge and wandering around Memorial of Han Yu, who was a famous scholar- a vast site hidden by greenery across the river from the Old Town. Honestly, we genuinely loved everything about this trip.

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Tips:

Kids: Right on the edge of Old Town there is a lovely park, with gentle hikes and some games for little kids. Perfect for an afternoon after a morning of temples (I highly recommend large Kaiyuan temple downtown)!

Getting around: My advice would be to first stroll along the pedestrian alleyways of the Old Town and then hire a rickshaw to see more. Back in 2023 50rmb could buy you a 2 hour ride and it was definitely money well spent. We could never have seen as much as we did on foot. No need to pre-book, just stop the driver on the main street but make sure to negotiate the price!

Additional daytrip: Just outside the city, there is a famous Longhu Ancient Village, which we wanted to see but just couldn’t make it there due to the sheer number of interesting spots in the city itself. Trip.com has some more information about it-looks fascinating!

Accommodation: We stayed at the simple but modern Orange Hotel right on the edge of the Old Town, which was perfect as it saved us taking taxis.

Food: If you’re worried about the food, in addition to traditional restaurants, there are a couple of fast food outlets in the Old Town though most Western eateries and cafes are located in the ‘new town’, you’d need a taxi.

Getting there: It takes about 30min to get from Chaozhou high-speed train station to the city centre, plenty of drivers are waiting outside the station offering rides though we preferred to book a Didi in order to avoid being overcharged.

Have you been to Chaozhou? If so, did you think it was suitable for kids?