How to Visit Gulangyu Island (Tips, Photos & Map)

Dear Travellers,

We’d like to have the following quick guide to be always updated for the benefit of new visitors visiting Gulangyu Island by ferry. If anybody having used the piece finds necessary updates, please leave a message or feedback. Thanks!

Plan your Xiamen Tour? Gulangyu Island is a picturesque island about 600 meters off the southwest coast of Xiamen City (or exactly Xiamen Island).

ABC of Gulangyu Island

Gulangyu Island started to develop and prospered at late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. Zheng Chenggong (1624-1662) is a national hero of late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. He and his troops stationed in Gulangyu Island. He and his soldiers fought bravely against the Qing government. He recovered Taiwan Island and from the Dutch invaders.

Gulangyu Island became a treaty port as the result of the Chinese losses in the First Opium War and the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842. 15 countries including Great Britain, France and Japan set up houses and consulates in the international settlement in Gulangyu. Now Gulangyu Island is teeming with Victorian-era style architecture – Villas, churches, and hospitals. Japanese invaders occupied the island began in 1942, and lasted until the end of World War II.

Gulangyu Island takes an area of 1.87 square kilometers with a population of 20,000 residents. Gulangyu Island is now classified as a AAAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration. The local government is in full swing in preparation of applying for UNESCO World Culture Heritage.

How to Get to Gulangyu Island

Go to Xiamen Cruise Port to take a ferry boat to Gulangyu Island. Xiamen Cruise Port is officially known as Xiamen International Cruise Center ( 厦门国际邮轮中心).

1) Xiamen Airport Shuttle Bus

2) By Taxi

Gulangyu Island Ferry Boat Timetable & Tickets

Ferry fares: 35 yuan ( hard seat ）； 50 yuan ( soft seat); 150 yuan ( including a circular tour )

Entrance Fees for the Island and Inside Paid Sights

We are approaching the Ferry Pier at Gulangyu Island.

Gulangyu Island has beautiful beaches.

People are playing on the rocks and beaches with the cityscape as the backdrop.

On the top of the Sunlight Rock, the highest place on the Island.

The Lujiang River cuts through Xiamen Island and Gulangyu Island, a sharp contract between the modern buildings and the traditional Victorian-era style architecture.

Sun is setting over the mesmerizing Gulangyu Island

Tip：Xiamen Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself Xiamen tour and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours,  here are some options for guided tours to Xiamen:

Further Readings

If you have any questions, just drop a line.