Highlights
- Eat authentic street food with the locals in Kowloon and Foshan
- Ride the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car on picturesque Lantau Island
- Sample Chinese/Portuguese fusion cuisine on a tour of Macau
- Explore the charming streets and canals of Fengjian Water Town
- Visit a Chinese medicine market in Guangzhou.
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive in Hong Kong, Dim Sum Feast | Hong Kong |
| Day 2 | Highlights of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Street Food & Culture Walking Tour | Hong Kong |
| Day 3 | Day Trip to Lantau Island, Sample Local Seafood, Transfer to Macau | Macau |
| Day 4 | Macau Heritage Tour, Macau Culinary Highlights Tour | Macau |
| Day 5 | Self-Guided Discovery of Macau, Train to Shunde via Zhuhai | Shunde |
| Day 6 | Shunde City Highlights with Food Experience, Visit Fengjian Water Town | Shunde |
| Day 7 | Day Trip to Foshan, Transfer to Guangzhou | Guangzhou |
| Day 8 | Cultural Discovery in Guangzhou with Market Experience & Dim Sum | Guangzhou |
| Day 9 | Depart Guangzhou |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Hong Kong, Dim Sum Feast
Welcome to China! You'll touch down in Hong Kong, one of the world's great international hubs, with over seven million residents on this small island city. Prepare to experience Hong Kong's melting pot of cultures due to its history as a former British colony and its current status as a "special administrative region" of China. This also means its cuisine takes inspiration from all over the world, making it an ideal city for foodies. Once you land, catch the Airport Express to your hotel in the city.
Spend a few hours recovering from your flight, then go yum cha (drink tea), which in Hong Kong means "go to eat dim sum." Join your guide to experience Hong Kong's cultural yum cha tradition, which is enjoyed by visitors and locals alike. Savor these bite-size dishes at Michelin-starred spots like Tin Lung Heen or neighborhood favorites in Dim Sum Square. Hong Kong specialties to try include har gow (shrimp dumplings), lor mai gai (rice steamed in lotus leaf), sweet egg tarts, and the classic cha siu bao (bun filled with barbecued pork).
Day 2: Highlights of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Street Food & Culture Walking Tour
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
After breakfast at your hotel, meet your guide for a half-day tour of Hong Kong's highlights. Start with a classic ride on the Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak for panoramic city views. Then, head to Repulse Bay, a wealthy suburb in the south of Hong Kong Island famous for its beautiful beaches. Stroll along the shoreline before continuing to the popular Stanley Market in a quaint coastal village nearby. Wander through the market and its selection of clothing, accessories, home furnishings, and more, stopping to grab a bite for lunch.
Later in the day, head to the Kowloon district for a four-hour street food walking tour. You'll start in Sham Shui Po, a blue-collar area known for its open-air markets, delectable street food, and several Michelin-starred eateries. As you explore, sample smooth tofu pudding, steamed sugar cakes, and rice noodle rolls in various dipping sauces. Walk toward Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, passing through many of Kowloon's most famous neighborhoods, while your guide offers a dose of history and culture, covering the origins of Kowloon and its present-day lifestyle.
Day 3: Day Trip to Lantau Island, Sample Local Seafood, Transfer to Macau
This morning, check out of your hotel and join your guide for a tour of nearby Lantau Island. Start with a 25-minute ride on the picturesque Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car for sweeping views of the lush island and surrounding ocean. Disembark, then continue to the renowned Po Lin Monastery, built in 1906 CE by three Buddhist monks. Enjoy the peaceful grounds and visit the tall and impressive Hall of the Ten Thousand Buddhas.
Finish your exploration of the island by climbing up 260 steps to the base of the Big Buddha. At 112 feet (34 m) tall, it's one of the world's largest Buddha statues. Admire the immense bronze statue of Buddha sitting on a lotus flower atop a three-story altar with his right hand raised in healing as he gazes at the incredible view.
Finally, head to a local restaurant on the island to try some classic Hong Kong seafood dishes caught fresh that day. Favorite staples to sample include mantis shrimp fried with garlic, steamed scallops, razor clams with red pepper, or steamed fish with soy sauce and scallions. At the end of the meal, a driver will be waiting to transfer you to Macau, about an hour away, where you'll spend the next two nights.
Day 4: Macau Heritage Tour, Macau Culinary Highlights Tour
In the morning, meet your guide for a discovery tour of Macau on the Pearl River estuary. Macau is an autonomous region of China that was formerly a territory of Portugal up until 1999. On today's tour, you'll discover how this mix of cultural influences creates an exciting variety of architectural styles, cuisine, and customs. As a Portuguese colony, Macau was little more than a sleepy fishing region, but in 1999, after the liberalization of casino regulations, it became a gambling hotspot.
Your half-day tour goes beyond the casinos and takes in the major sights. Start at Macau's most famous site, the Ruins of St. Paul's, once the largest Catholic church in Asia. See the ornate granite facade at the top of a small hill, then head to the Church of St. Dominic, a brightly colored, 400-year-old church with a small museum in its bell tower. Wander to Senado Square, where you'll be surrounded by European-style Baroque architecture, to visit Leal Senado, once the seat of the Portuguese government and now home to an exhibit hall with artifacts and a library.
In the afternoon, join a culinary tour to discover the many flavors of Macau. As an important trade hub for centuries, linking the East and the West, Macau attracted recipes and spices from all over the world, which is reflected in its one-of-a-kind food scene. Follow your guide to neighborhoods from Senado Square to Taipa Village, savoring bites of pastéis de nata (Portuguese custard tart), michi (a Chinese-Portuguese fusion of meat, potatoes, and soy sauce), pork chop buns, steamed milk pudding, or curry fish balls.
Day 5: Self-Guided Discovery of Macau, Train to Shunde via Zhuhai
Check out of your hotel, then spend this morning exploring Macau at your leisure. Ride the elevator up to the top of Macau Tower for far-reaching city views and visit the attached Skypark Macau for adrenaline-spiking activities like climbing or bungee jumping. Next, head to the southern part of the city to see the 15th-century A-Ma Temple, which honors the goddess of fishermen, and the Statue of Kum Lam, dedicated to the goddess of mercy.
Cross the Macau-Taipa Bridge to ride a gondola in the glitzy Venetian Resort, then stroll Fisherman's Wharf, an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex along Macau's waterfront. Finally, stop at Lotus Park to see the iconic Lotus Flower in Full Bloom, a 19-foot (6 m) gilded bronze flower statue. In the afternoon, grab your luggage and catch a one-hour train to Zhuhai, where you'll change trains for a one-hour trip to Shunde and check into your hotel.
Day 6: Shunde City Highlights with Food Experience, Visit Fengjian Water Town
Spend a full day discovering the food and culture of Shunde along with your guide, starting in Qinghui Garden, a Ming-era landscape garden. Wander the serene walkways connecting traditional pavilions and halls hidden among verdant greenery, including the iconic two-level Boat Hall. Next, take a food tour through the streets of Shunde to sample some of the region's signature Cantonese dishes. Try shuang pi nai (steamed milk pudding), which originated in Shunde, and congee hotpot or Shunde yu sheng (raw fish with veggies and spices).
In the afternoon, travel for half an hour with your guide to Fengjian Water Town, a small Venice-like village built on a network of canals. Wander along the stone paths beneath a leafy canopy of trees lining the waterways and over the old arched bridges. Then, hop aboard a traditional boat for a ride along a canal to appreciate the traditional residences and neighborhoods from the water. Afterward, return to your hotel in Shunde for the night.
Day 7: Day Trip to Foshan, Transfer to Guangzhou
Pack your bags and say farewell to Shunde, then meet your driver for a one-hour drive to Foshan. When you arrive, you'll head out on a half-day guided food and walking tour of the city. Begin at the ancient Taoist Ancestral Temple, which dates back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE). Admire the complex's delicate brick carvings on the walls and brightly colored miniature clay figurines on the roofs of the buildings, highlighting the skill of local craftspeople. Visit the Main Hall, Wanfu Stage, Lingying Archway, and (for kung fu fans) the Ip Man Hall.
After exploring the temple, pull up a chair at a street food stall where Foshan locals like to eat. Here, you'll sample delicious Cantonese specialties like wonton noodles, beef chow fun (stir-fried noodles with beef), or seafood porridge. After filling up on delectable local delicacies, join your driver once more for a one-hour transfer to Guangzhou, where you'll check into your hotel for two nights.
Day 8: Cultural Discovery in Guangzhou with Market Experience & Dim Sum
Spend a full day exploring Guangzhou with your guide. For centuries, this city has been one of China's busiest trading centers and is now one of the most populated. Admire Guangzhou's stunningly modern architecture, colonial pockets, and tree-lined streets on your tour, starting at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, a gorgeous, blue-tiled, octagonal building dedicated to one of Guangzhou's most famous revolutionaries.
Then, head to the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, a century-old all-in-one shrine, school, and gathering place for members of the Chen family. The complex consists of 19 buildings constructed in the traditional Cantonese style, all featuring elaborate carvings, colorful sculptures, and ornate scrollwork. You can also explore the on-site Guangdong Folk Arts Museum to appreciate the works of traditional folk art. At lunchtime, go yum cha, Guangzhou-style, with a pot of Chinese tea and local dim sum dishes like spring rolls, feng zao (chicken feet), or turnip cake.
End the day by exploring the Qingping Chinese Medicine Market, a traditional market specializing in ingredients and herbs used in local healing practices, often in herbal soup. Roam the stalls, spotting ginseng, goji berries, Sichuan peppercorns, and various roots used for restorative tonics. The market also sells meat, veggies, and seafood, giving you an insight into the local culture. Return to your hotel and refresh, then head out on your own for your final evening in the city. You might like to visit the beautiful Shaiman Island and dine in a historic restaurant.
Day 9: Depart Guangzhou
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