Maruichi DrugstoreHISTORIC BUILDING
(丸一药房; Wányī Yàofáng GOOGLE MAP ; %0779 203 9169; 104 Zhuhai Zhonglu; 珠海中路104号 h8.30-11.30am & 3-5.30pm)F
This historic building was disguised as a pharmacy that allowed the Japanese to pursue espionage activities in the 1930s. Today, it serves as a tiny national security museum. No English captions.
Silver BeachBEACH
(银滩; Yíntān GOOGLE MAP )F
This 24km-long stretch of silvery-yellow sand with apparently clean water, about 8km south of the city centre, is an enjoyable spot. It's not as amazing and unparalleled as Chinese folklore attests, however. Take bus 3 (¥1.50) from town.
4Sleeping
From the central bus station, cross Sichuan Lu (四川路) to reach Běihǎi’s cheapest accommodation on Huoshaochuang Wuxiang (火烧床五巷). This small alley off Beibuwan Xilu is jam-packed with zhāodàisuǒ (招待所), simple guesthouses offering doubles and twins from around ¥35, although some may not take foreigners.
oBackpacker InnINN$$
(老道精舍; Lǎodào Jīngshě MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0779 203 0605; www.backpacker-china.com; 165 Haizhu Xilu; 海珠西路165号 dm ¥46-68, d ¥178-208, ste ¥298-888; aW)
This cordial and welcoming place perched at the western end of atmospheric old-town street Zhuhai Lu has 13 fantastic rooms with oodles of space and upholstered bay windows that inspire relaxed reading with a good novel. The singer in the adjacent bar can get pretty vocal come evening, though, although the microphone is usually switched off quite early.
Bavaria City HotelHOTEL$$$
(巴伐利亚酒店; Bāfálìyǎ Jiǔdiàn GOOGLE MAP ; %0779 223 7000; [email protected]; 338 Xinan Dadao, Hǎichéng District; 海城区, 西南大道338号 r ¥440, ste ¥660-750; naiW)
A plush option in a new quarter close to the high-speed train station (¥15 by cab to the old quarter or a 25-minute walk), Bavaria offers clean, bright and quiet rooms, with discounts usually in effect. You can flag down pedicabs outside the hotel, or the thoughtful staff will find you a taxi – just give them 10 minutes.
5Eating
The old town is full of stalls selling steamed rice rolls (粉卷; fěnjuǎn) and shrimp pancakes (虾饼; xiābǐng). Overseas Town is not just a fun outing, it's your best bet for a reasonably priced seafood feast.
Aunty Li's Shrimp PancakesGUANGXI$
(李姨虾饼店; Lǐyí Xiābǐng Diàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 110 Zhuhai Lu, 珠海路110号 pancakes ¥4; h8am-6pm)
Dried shrimp pancakes (虾饼; xiābǐng) are a delicacy here and nobody does them better than this hawker stall opposite Běihǎi Christ Church.
Old Town Coffee, Bar & RestaurantCAFE$
(老道咖啡; Lǎodào Kāfēi MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0779 203 1828; www.backpacker-china.com; 155 Zhuhai Lu; 珠海路155号 snacks ¥16-35, mains ¥25-60, drinks ¥28-45; h9am-1.30am; W)
This charming and very efficiently staffed cafe, with distressed exposed brickwork and great coffees, has a ground floor that's open all day; the upper floors morph into a bar in the evenings, where singers croon nightly from 8pm. There are Western favourites (spaghetti, burgers, steak, sandwiches), but for us the curry in a bread bun stole the show (it's a meal in itself).
oOverseas Town RestaurantSEAFOOD, VIETNAMESE$$
(侨港镇瘦佬大排档; Qiáogǎngzhèn Shòulǎo Dàpáidàng %0779 388 2086; 7-8 Hongmian Lu, Overseas Town; 侨港镇, 红棉路7-8号 fish per jīn ¥60-120, shrimp per jīn ¥60-150, clams per jīn from ¥30; h10.30am-10.30pm)
Take your pick from the seething tanks of aquatic life at the entrance and tell staff how you'd like it cooked; prices per jīn are all displayed on the glass. The pan-fried squid (香煎小鱿鱼; xiāngjiān xiǎoyóuyú) is exceptional, at ¥50 per jīn. There are also lion crabs (¥60 per jīn) and all manner of fish. Zero English, so hone your pointing skills.
If taking bus 5 to Qiaogang Market, walk along Qiaoxing Lu (侨兴路) right by where you disembark the bus and then turn right into Hongmian Lu. From Binhai Lu (滨海路), go west and turn left into Qiaobei Lu (侨北路). Walk to the end, turn right into Qiaoxing Lu (侨兴路), then left into Hongmian Lu.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
CHOW DOWN IN OVERSEAS TOWN
Běihǎi is the place to feast on fresh seafood – it's excellent and abundant. Yet at the most visible seafood eateries, especially those near Silver Beach, customers pay through the nose for a plate of squid.
This is because cab and pedicab drivers get a cut for bringing customers to these places – up to 50% of the bill! With that kind of incentive, some drivers will work hard to lure you to eateries that pay them. Insist on going elsewhere and they may feign ignorance of the location, or take you to their pet eatery and pretend it's the one you're after.
But there are exceptions to the rule. Seafood restaurants that don't overcharge can be found in Overseas Town (侨港镇; Qiáogǎng Zhèn), 4km away from Silver Beach. OT was established in 1979 to settle Vietnamese Chinese refugees who had arrived near the shores of Běihǎi. Most of the arrivals were fishermen who brought their unique mix of Chinese and Vietnamese culture to the area. There are no sights as such, but the pervasive Sino-Vietnamese atmosphere is quite unique. Note how written Vietnamese is abundantly used alongside Chinese on shop fronts.
Ask a driver to take you to Overseas Town (without mentioning a restaurant), then walk to your destination; alternatively, simply take bus 5 from Běibùwān Sq (北部湾广场; Běibùwān Guǎngchǎng), which runs direct to Qiáogǎng Shìchǎng (侨港市场; Qiáogǎng Market). The whole town is only 1.1 sq km.
6Drinking & Nightlife
The best and most atmospheric part of town for a drink is along Zhuhai Lu. The Old Town Coffee, Bar & Restaurant is a great choice.
8Information
ICBCBANK
(中国工商银行; Zhōngguó Gōngshāng Yínháng GOOGLE MAP )
Has a 24-hour ATM for international cards.
Public Security BureauPOLICE
(PSB; 公安局; Gōng’ānjú GOOGLE MAP ; 213 Zhongshan Donglu; 中山东路213号 h8am-noon & 2.30-5.30pm, 3-6pm summer)
At the eastern end of the old town; can extend visas.
8Getting There & Away
Air
There are daily flights to Běijīng (¥1200) and Shànghǎi (¥1000). Běihǎi Fúchéng Airport is 21km northeast of the town centre.
Bus
There are two main bus stations: a Central Long-Distance Bus Station (北海和信客运中心; Běihǎi Héxìn Kèyùn Zhōngxīn GOOGLE MAP ; Beibuwan Zhonglu; 北部湾中路 ) and the newer, inconveniently located Nánzhū Bus Station (南珠汽车站; Nánzhū Qìchē Zhàn cnr Beihai Dadao & Nanzhu Dadao; 北海大道南珠大道路口 ). Most buses drop you at the latter station. From Nánzhū bus station to Central Long-Distance you’ll need to take public bus 15 (¥1.50) to Beibuwan Lu or a taxi (¥25).
From the central bus station, bus 2 (¥1.50) goes to the train station.
Direct buses from the Central Long-Distance Bus Station run to Jiāngnán bus station in Nánníng (¥67, three hours, nine daily, 6am to 5.40pm), Guǎngzhōu (¥180, nine hours, five daily) and Hǎikǒu (¥138, four hours, 7.25am). From Nánzhū bus station there are regular buses to Nánníng Lángdōng long-distance bus station (¥70, every 10 minutes, 6am to 9.20pm), Guǎngzhōu (¥220, six daily) and Zhūhǎi (¥270). To reach Guìlín, you need to go first to Nánníng Lángdōng bus station and change for an onward bus.
Train
Eighteen high-speed trains run daily from Nánníng train station and Nánníng East train station (¥70, 1½ hours, 6.45am to 9.05pm) to Běihǎi train station (北海站) on Zhanbei Lu (站北路). In the other direction, regular high-speed trains run to Nánníng train station and Nánníng East train station (8.06am to 10pm) from Běihǎi. Tickets to onward destinations can be bought from the train station ticket office ( GOOGLE MAP ; h8.10am-noon & 2-5pm) for a ¥5 fee.
8Getting Around
Airport shuttle buses (¥10, 30 minutes) leave from outsi
de the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC; 中国民航; Zhōngguó Mínháng GOOGLE MAP ; %0779 303 3757; Beibuwan Xilu; 北部湾西路 h8am-10pm) building a few hundred metres beyond Huoshaochuang Wuxiang, and connect with every flight. Flight tickets can also be bought here.
There are three-wheeled pedicabs and motorcycle taxis. You can get to most places in town, including to Silver Beach, for ¥5 to ¥20.
Wéizhōu Island 涠洲岛
%0779 / Pop 16,000
China's largest volcanic island, Wéizhōu Dǎo (涠洲岛; 6.5km long) makes for a relaxing day trip from Běihǎi, 124km away, if you like dormant volcanic scenery, water sports and religious architecture. You can pay for the entry ticket (¥115 per person) and buy a map (¥3) at the Běihǎi pier. Note, however, that the island's growing popularity with Chinese tourists has meant new surcharges and sometimes less-than-honest operators. With boats taking a mere 70 minutes, a day trip should suffice.
The main settlement of Nánwān Port (南湾港; Nánwān Gǎng) is 5km south of the pier.
1Sights & Activities
The waters around Wéizhōu contain some of the most diverse coral communities in the area; ask in Nánwān Port about motorboat rides and diving opportunities, though instructions will be in Chinese. If you're not into water sports, the beaches are skippable. On several of the beaches, you can hire sand buggies (沙滩车; shātānchē; ¥100 for 20 minutes).
oWéizhōu Catholic ChurchCHURCH
(涠洲天主堂; Wéizhōu Tiānzhǔ Táng Shèngtáng; 盛塘 ¥20)
Quite an incredible sight, this church was built in 1835 with coral and volcanic rocks from the seabed in a neo-Gothic style. Quite formidable despite its modest size, the church was constructed by French missionaries for followers who had fled here to escape ethnic conflict in Guǎngdōng. It was damaged during the Cultural Revolution and rebuilt with donations from the wife of former premier Zhou Enlai, and a Catholic priest in Hong Kong. The admission charge is unfortunate, though.
Mouth of the VolcanoVOLCANO
(火山口; Huǒshān Kǒu )
This breezy jaunt alongside the sea follows a long boardwalk that snakes past wave-sculpted caverns, sandy coves, rock pools, sea stacks, rock arches, crystal waters and animal shapes that were molten lava several millennia ago. It's a lovely expedition, despite the constant presence of Kenny G, and takes about 1½ hours. The actual volcano mouth is very small and a bit of a let-down, but the surrounding scenery is lovely.
4Sleeping
Homestays (农家乐; nóngjiālè) on the island charge ¥60 to ¥80 per room. Choices are all rather samey; quite a few can be found in Nánwān Port, including a simple hostel, but there are several options near the pier as well.
Piggybar HostelHOSTEL
(猪仔吧; Zhūzǎibā %0779 601 3610; http://weibo.com/piggybar; Nánwān Port; 南湾港 dm ¥35-40, r ¥80-120)
This simple place in Nánwān Port has affordable accommodation.
8Getting There & Around
Tickets for boats to Wéizhōu Island can be purchased from the International Ferry Terminal (北海国际客运港; Běihǎi Guójì Kèyùngǎng) in Běihǎi. Fast boats (¥150 to ¥240) from Běihǎi to Wéizhōu Island leave at 8.30am, 11.30am and 3pm, taking just 70 minutes. Return boats from Wéizhōu Island to Běihǎi leave at 10.15am, 2pm and 5pm. There are more services on the weekend. Běihǎi's ferry terminal is on the road to Silver Beach (bus 3; ¥1.50).
Once on Wéizhōu Island, to get from the ferry pier to Nánwān Port, it’s around ¥15 by pedicab. As the island is pretty large, consider hiring a pedicab (roughly ¥100 to ¥120 for four to five hours), a van (¥150) or a sightseeing cart (¥220), otherwise you will get quickly tired, especially in the heat (there is little shade). Drivers from the same operator may take turns chauffeuring you around, so make sure no one owes you change before you let them out of your sight. They should take you to five or six sights, before taking you back to the port.
Huāshān Cliff Murals 花山 岩画
Huāshān Cliff MuralsARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
(花山岩画; Huāshān Shíhuà GOOGLE MAP ; ¥80)
The enigmatic Huā Mountain Cliff Murals, 2000-year-old rock paintings of people and animals on sheer cliff faces, are the reason many people come to Guǎngxī. The red-painted murals are believed to be the work of ancestors of the Zhuang, who refer to Huā Mountain as pay laiz – mountain with colourful paintings – but why they were painted remains a mystery. For an idea of scale, the largest of 1900 distinguishable images is 3m tall.
The crudely drawn figures are barefoot and shown in silhouette. Many have hands raised and knees bent, accompanied by pictures of drums and animals – features that suggest celebration of harvest or victory.
For several years now, conservation has kept portions of the cliff shrouded in scaffolding, as China continues its application for the site's inclusion on the UN World Heritage list.
The admission fee includes a two-hour boat ride on a spectacular section of the Zuǒ River (左江; Zuǒ Jiāng) past ducks and fallen cliff faces. The boat leaves at 10am and 2pm; outside these times, you can hire a private boat – it's ¥300 to ¥500 for 90 minutes to three hours, depending on the type of vehicle used.
The only way to see this ancient wonder is by boat from the village of Pānlóng (攀龙), commonly known as Huāshān Shānzhài (花山山寨). The cliffs are in Níngmíng (宁明), a county between Nánníng and Píngxiáng.
Trains and buses that run between Nánníng and Píngxiáng stop at Níngmíng (宁明). From the train or bus station, pedicabs (¥30 to ¥50, 40 minutes) trundle to Huāshān Shānzhài.
Regular buses leave Níngmíng for Píngxiáng (¥13, one hour), Chóngzuǒ (¥22, 1½ hours) and Nánníng (¥70, three hours); the last buses leave at 6.30pm, 6pm and 7.50pm respectively.
Trains from Níngmíng to Píngxiáng leave at 12.30pm (¥9, one hour) and 7.28pm (¥9, 75 minutes). Trains to Chóngzuǒ (¥9, one hour) and Nánníng (¥26, three to four hours, 40 minutes) leave at 9.18am and 3.14pm.
Píngxiáng 凭祥
%0771 / Pop 110,000
Guǎngxī’s gateway to Vietnam (越南; Yuènán), Píngxiáng (凭祥) is a market town with a dusty, end-of-the-world feel. Everyone passing through is on their way to Vietnam, rather than visiting Píngxiáng specifically. In any case, there are no real sights of note and no reason to linger.
Turn right from the bus station’s front entrance onto Yingxing Lu (银兴路) to find the Bank of China (中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng) and a couple of internet cafes (网吧; wǎngbā).
Friendship Pass Scenic AreaPARK
(友誼關景区; Yǒuyìguān Jǐngqū ¥42; h8am-8pm)
The Chinese side of the Sino-Vietnamese border is a quite attractive park sprinkled with old buildings, including a yellow French colonial number erected by the Qing government, and the virile-looking Friendship Pass Tower, rebuilt in 1957 on the original 2000-year-old site with battlements and ramparts.
You can find simple places on Beida Lu (北大路) behind the bus station, with air-con and wi-fi, ranging from ¥50 to ¥150. Look for the Chinese characters 宾馆 (bīnguǎn).
Xiáng City HotelHOTEL$$
(祥城国际大酒店; Xiángchéng Guójì Dàjiǔdiàn %0771 802 2666; 2 Beida Lu; 北大路2号 r ¥260-300, ste ¥518; aW)
This is one of the more comfortable places to stay in Píngxiáng.
Regular buses depart from Píngxiáng bus station for Níngmíng (¥15, one hour) until 7pm, for Chóngzuǒ (¥34, one hour 20 minutes) until 6.40pm, and for Nánníng (¥78 to ¥80, three hours) until 8pm.
Trains leave for Níngmíng (¥9) and Nánníng (¥30 to ¥33, 3½ hours) from Píngxiáng Station (凭祥站; Píngxiáng Zhàn) from 6.20am. The train station is 3km south of the bus station and pedicabs (about ¥5) link the two.
BORDER CROSSINGS: GETTING TO/FROM VIETNAM FROM PíNGXIáNG
The Friendship Pass (友谊关; Yǒuyì Guān) border is located about 18km south of Píngxiáng on the Chinese side, and sever
al kilometres from the obscure town of Dong Dang on the Vietnamese side; the nearest Vietnamese city (Liàngshān; Lang Son in Vietnamese) is 18km away. The border is open from 8am to 8pm Chinese time (China is one hour ahead of Vietnam), but some travellers have reported that passports aren’t always stamped after around 4.30pm.
To get to the border crossing, take a pedicab or taxi (about ¥40) from Píngxiáng. From there it’s a 600m walk to the Vietnamese border post. Onward transport to Hanoi, located 164km southwest of the border, is by bus or train via Lang Son.
If you’re heading into China from Friendship Pass, catch a minibus to Píngxiáng bus station, from where there are regular onward buses to Nánníng and beyond. A word of caution: though train tickets to China are more expensive in Hanoi, it isn't advisable to walk across the border from Dong Dang and buy the ticket on the Chinese side. Dong Dang is several kilometres from Friendship Pass, and you’ll need someone to take you by motorbike. If going by train, buy a ticket from Hanoi to Píngxiáng, and then in Píngxiáng, buy a ticket to Nánníng or beyond.
There are still reports of Lonely Planet’s China being confiscated by border officials at Friendship Pass. We advise copying vital information and putting a cover over your guidebook just in case. Note that all bags are searched as you walk into the train station. Once you leave Píngxiáng, you won’t have a problem.
Lonely Planet China Page 129