How to Travel from Guangzhou to Beijing

Guangzhou is located in Guangdong Province, the south of China while Beijing is in the north. They are more than 2000km away and have developed their own distinctive culture, language, cuisine, and living habits in several thousand years’ history. Want to take a trip to these two cities? Here we have illustrated how to travel from Guangzhou to Beijing, including the reasons, transportation means, and recommended travel plans.

Why Travel from Guangzhou to Beijing

1. Find out the Present & Past of China in Guangzhou and Beijing

Guangzhou is always described as modern, vital, or energetic. It’s one of the best locations to feel the present China. People who come here will be amazed at the high-rise skyscrapers and rapid city development. The landmark of Guangzhou - 600m Canton Tower is the highest tower in China and the second highest in the world. Guangzhou is like a bold young man full of creative ideas and happy to try something new.

Beijing, as the capital of China for several centuries, there are many historic sites which will show you the past of China, such as the splendid Forbidden City, magnificent Great Wall, pleasant Summer Palace, solemn Temple of Heaven, etc. Every one of them has so much to see and so many stories to tell.

2. Convenient Transfer Between Guangzhou and Beijing

As the southern gate to China's mainland, Guangzhou has always been an important transportation hub. It’s very convenient to get to Guangzhou from other countries such as the UK, America, Canada, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore. After a Guangzhou tour, there are more than 30 daily flights and a dozen of trains for your choice to get to Beijing.

3. Experience the Charm of Language in Guangzhou and Beijing

Language is one of the most amazing products of human being’s wisdom. When we talk about Chinese, it usually refers to mandarin Chinese. However, in Guangzhou, local people are more used to speaking Cantonese. They have their own songs, TV plays, operas in Cantonese and they are much different from mandarin Chinese. So if there are two people from Guangzhou and Beijing who can only speak their local languages, they basically cannot understand each other. Maybe you can try to learn some simple words from Guangzhou and Beijing people and see if you can find the difference between them.

4. Try Delicious Snacks and Specialties of Guangzhou and Beijing

Guangzhou people have a tradition of having morning tea. However, it’s not just about drinking tea. There is a large selection of snacks or dim sum such as egg tart, double-skin milk, rice rolls, shrimp dumplings, Hefen noodles, and all kinds of porridge and soup. Canton cuisine is one of China’s eight major cuisines. While in Beijing, you can have a taste of the roasted Duck, Cooked Beef or Sheep Tripe, Fried Liver, Lǘdagunr, Yellow Pea Cake, and countless street food. Just be ready for the treat!

How to Get to Beijing from Guangzhou

At present, there are normally 2 ways to get to Beijing from Guangzhou. Taking a flight is undoubtedly the fastest and only takes about 3 hours. If you book your plane ticket in advance, there is usually a chance to get a discount, so the money you need to cost depends. Taking a train will need about 8 ~ 30 hours depending on the train type you choose. The 8-hour G trains are recommended because they are fast, comfortable, punctual and you can enjoy the view along the way.

Flights to Beijing from Guangzhou

From 07:00 in the morning to 23:00 at night, there are more than 30 nonstop flights from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport. You can transfer between these two cities in about 3 hours. Here are some selected flights for your reference. As the schedule and price are not fixed, please contact us for specific flight information and ticket price.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (IATA: CAN)

Location: North of Guangzhou City, about 35km away from downtown (广州市白云区人和镇和花都区新华街道、花东镇交界处) 

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is the second busiest and largest airport in Southern China. The airport is the base for China Southern Airlines. It has two connected terminals. Terminal A serves international air lines and domestic air lines run by other airline companies except for China Southern Airlines. Terminal B is privately owned by China Southern Airlines and its branches. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport connects most major cities in China, including Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lhasa, etc. There are international flights from Amsterdam, Auckland, Bangkok, Brisbane, Busan, Chicago, Dubai, Frankfurt, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Jakarta, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Los Angeles, Macau, Melbourne, Moscow, Mumbai, Nairobi, Paris, Perth, Qatar, Seoul, Singapore, Irkutsk, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo and Vancouver.

To Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (downtown): 1 hour by car or subway, you can take subway Line 3 then transfer to Line 2.

To Yuexiu Park: 50 minutes from the airport, only 1km at the north of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.

To Six Banyan Tree Temple: about 1 hour from the airport, only 15 minutes’ walk from Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.

Beijing Capital International Airport (IATA: PEK)

Location: Airport West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing City (北京朝阳区机场西路)

Built in 1958, the largest airport in China offers international flights to major cities in all continents (except sub-Saharan Africa and sub-USA American), and domestic flights to every provincial capital and major cities in China. It is China's air portal and an important window for foreign exchanges. Nearly 1700 flights per day from over 90 Airlines link Beijing closely with 244 cities and regions in 54 countries around the world.

To Forbidden City: 1 hour’s drive, or take an airport shuttle bus to Dongzhimen Station and take subway Line 2 to Jianguomen then transfer to Line 1 which takes about 1.5 hours.

To Tian’anmen Square (downtown): 1 hour’s drive, or take an airport shuttle bus to Dongzhimen Station and take subway Line 2 to Qianmen Station which takes about 75 minutes.

To Temple of Heaven: 1 hour’s drive, or take an airport shuttle bus to Dongzhimen Station and take subway Line 2 to Chongwenmen then transfer to Line 5 which takes about 80 minutes.

Trains to Beijing from Guangzhou

The trains from Guangzhou to Beijing all arrive at Beijing West Railway Station, but they may depart from Guangzhou, Guangzhou South (serves high speed trains), or Guangzhou East (only one Z train) Railway Station. There are 5 ~ 9 high speed trains a day. The earliest train leaves at 07:46 and the quickest only needs 8 hours. Here is part of the schedule updated in March, 2019 for your reference:

>> Real-time Guangzhou to Beijing Train Schedules

>> Beijing Guangzhou High Speed Railway & Train Route Map

Guangzhou Railway Station

Location: in the downtown, No.159, Huanshi West Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou (广州市越秀区环市西路159号)

Guangzhou Railway Station, located in Guangzhou downtown, was built in 1960 and put into operation in 1974. It is one of the most important railway stations in Guangzhou and one of the main railway hub stations in China. It serves Guangzhou-Shenzhen Railway, Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, Guangzhou-Maoming Railway, and Guangzhou-Foshan-Zhaoqing Intercity Railway and is the intersection of Guangzhou Metro Line 2 and 5. So you can get to all parts of Guangzhou easily from here.

To Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (downtown): only about 2km, 10 minutes by car and 30 minutes on foot.

To Yuexiu Park: less than 1km, only 15 minutes’ walk.

To Six Banyan Tree Temple: 15 minutes’ drive, or take subway Line 2 which will need 25 minutes.

Guangzhou South Railway Station

Location: Shibi Street, Panyu District, Guangzhou City (广州市番禺区石壁街道)

Guangzhou South Railway Station started its construction in December 2004 and was put into operation in January 2010. This large modern railway passenger station is the largest and busiest high-speed railway station in South China. It is the core railway station in the Dawan District of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao and the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region. It is a world-class transportation hub that connects Beijing-Guangzhou High Speed Railway, Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High Speed Railway, Guizhou-Guangzhou High Speed Railway, Nanning-Guangzhou Railway, Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity Railway and the coastal railway of Western Guangdong and many major cities in China like Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Hong Kong, etc.

To Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (downtown): about 40 minutes by car or by subway Line 2.

To Yuexiu Park: 55 minutes’ drive or take subway Line 2 which will need about 50 minutes.

To Six Banyan Tree Temple: 50 minutes’ drive or take subway Line 2 which will need about 45 minutes.

Beijing West Railway Station

Location: No.118, East Lianhuachi Road, Fengtai District, Beijing (北京市丰台区莲花池东路118号)

Beijing West Railway Station is one of the main train stations of Beijing, which runs both high speed trains and normal trains. Besides, it is the starting point of Beijing Guangzhou (High Speed) Railway and Beijing Kowloon (Hong Kong) Railway. If you want to take a Tibet train, you need to go to Beijing West Railway Station. Every day, it delivers 273 daily trains to other cities, and about 200 of them are high speed trains (G trains) to Xian, Chengdu, Chongqing, Taiyuan, Kunming, Lanzhou, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Changsha and couples of D trains to Shenzhen.

To Forbidden City: 30 minutes’ drive, or take subway Line 9 then transfer to Line 1 which takes about 45 minutes.

To Tian’anmen Square (downtown): 30 minutes, take subway Line 9 then transfer to Line 1.

To Temple of Heaven: 30 minutes by driving or taking subway Line 7

To Beijing Capital International Airport: 1 hour’s drive, or take subway Line 9 then transfer to Line 4, and then transfer to Line 2 to Dongzhimen and take an airport shuttle bus which takes about 75 minutes.

 Beijing West Railway Station

>>Read More About Beijing Train Stations

How to Travel from Guangzhou to Beijing

Having known so much about these two cities, what exactly should we do while in Guangzhou and Beijing so as to fully explore them? Here are some suggestions on how to plan your trip in Guangzhou and Beijing.

How to Plan a Guangzhou Tour

Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province. When you plan a Guangzhou tour, you can start with the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. It was built during 1929~1931 in memory of the great revolutionist Sun Yat-sen who is also honored as “the Father of China”. Then spend some leisure time at the Yuexiu Park nearby. It is the largest park in downtown Guangzhou where you can enjoy stunning mountain views, beautiful lakes and well equipped entertaining facilities. The Five-Ram Sculpture in the park is the emblem of the city, which is a must-see. Then move on to the Six Banyan Tree Temple, a Buddhism temple of more than 1400 years’ history. There is a 57-meter high pagoda, several lovely Buddhist shrines, and many statues. After that, make a visit to the Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family, a typical Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1616 - 1912) architecture. It is a great place to appreciate the traditional Chinese architecture. If you are traveling with kids, the amazing Changlong Safari Park definitely can’t be missed. You and your kids are going to love the beautiful giraffes, Chinese Giant Panda, Australian Koala, Thai Asian Elephant, etc. With convenient transportation, you can also add another day to Shenzhen to see the famous Window of the World and have a comprehensive understanding of this city in Shenzhen Museum.

>>3 Days Guangzhou Short Stay Tour

>>4 Days Guangzhou Family with Kids Tour

>>6 Days Canton Fair & Guangzhou Highlights Tour

>>Shenzhen Day Tour from Guangzhou

How to Plan a Beijing Tour

With the convenient 144 Hours Visa-free for Transit in Beijing, you will have enough time to explore the best highlights of Beijing in many flexible ways. You can start your Beijing trip by visiting Tiananmen Square, now the largest city plaza in the world, and then go to see one of the world’s five most important palaces – the Forbidden City. After lunch, spend an enjoyable time in the Summer Palace. It is the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China. At night, you can watch a wonderful Kungfu Show in the Red Theater or enjoy the classic Chinese art performance of Beijing Opera at Liyuan Theater. On the next day, get ready to a take a hiking trip on the Great Wall, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Then continue your trip to Sacred Way, a 7-kilometer-long passage leading to the Imperial Tombs of 13 Emperors of Ming Dynasty. After that, on your way back to Beijing, you can stop by at the Beijing Olympic Village to view its famous Bird’s Nest and Water Cube. On the last day, pay a visit to the Temple of Heaven, originally a site used to pay homage to Heaven and pray for good harvests. Then get back to the central city to hop on a rickshaw to experience the typical Beijing Hutongs. If you have more days, you can go for an in-depth Great Wall hiking or photography tour and explore more hidden attractions in the city.

>>2 Days Beijing Layover Highlights Tour

>>3 Days Beijing Essential Short Stay Tour

>>4 Days Classic Beijing Tour Package

Most Important Beijing Travel Notes

1. Take advantage of Beijing 144-Hour Transit Visa Free

Beijing, altogether with Tianjin and Hebei has implemented 144-Hour Visa-free Transit to visitors from 53 countries with valid travel document & connecting (flight, ship, trains) tickets to a third country/region. These countries include 25 European Schengen Visa Agreement countries (Austria, Germany, Italy…), 14 Other European countries (Russia, United Kingdom, Ireland…), 6 America countries (United States, Canada, Brazil…), 2 Oceania countries (Australia and New Zealand) and 6 Asian countries (South Korea, Japan, Singapore…).

2. Itinerary can be tailor-made according to your own interest and budget

The itinerary in this tour can be customized according to your own interests and needs. Usually, Mutianyu Great is the top recommended among several sections of Great Wall in and around Beijing, because it’s less crowded, fully-restored and quite family-friendly. If you want to explore the primitive appearance of Great Wall and want a memorable hiking experience in lesser known sections, you can also choose Simatai, Jiankou, Jinshanling, etc. It is also available to choose some other attractions based on your interest. Besides, you can visit a local family in Beijing Hutongs, or take part in some other interested activities. If you have any personal travel ideas, feel free to tell us.

3. Flexible choices of hotels and meals

Beijing, the capital and No.1 tourist destination of China, is equipped with numerous hotels and restaurants for your choice. Undoubtedly, every traveler can stay in Beijing with great comfort. There are enough luxuries hotels with good location and best value. It is also easy to find many comfortable 4-star hotels and economical hotels. You can choose one hotel according to your tour itinerary and budget. Beijing also offers a large number of choices of food – from multi-course cuisine to various street food to satisfy your taste bud.

4. How to Get to Beijing

As the capital of China, Beijing enjoys a well-developed transportation system to be reached from both international cities and domestic cities. There are many daily flights from Europe (London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Amsterdam, etc.), America (Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Washington, etc.), Asia (Singapore, Tokyo, Taipei, Macao, etc.) and Oceania to Beijing. It is also quit convenient to take a domestic flight to Beijing from more than 120 cities in mainland China, including the frequent flights from some other popular gateway cities - Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming, Shenzhen, Chongqing and Chengdu.

5. When is the best time to visit Beijing

With a temperature monsoon climate, Beijing enjoys four distinctive seasons. It has warm spring (March ~ May), hot summer (June ~ August), cool autumn (September ~ November) and cold winter (October ~ December). Visiting Beijing in different seasons allows you to see different featured scenery, but the best time to visit Beijing is spring and autumn because you can enjoy the most comfortable weather. It is also important to avoid visiting Beijing in China's big festivals, including May Day, Tomb Sweeping Day, Dragon's Boat Day and National Day when most of the scenic areas will be crowded and it will be common to meet traffic jam.

6. Extend you Beijing tour to other destinations in China

If you have more days in China, you are strongly suggested to extend your tour to another two top tourist destinations – ancient Xian and modern Shanghai, which presents China's past and future. A tour combining these three cities will help you get a first panoramic view of China. For more wonderful experience, you can visit Guilin to see breathtaking Karst landscape or take a Yangtze River cruise to enjoy a comfortable holiday.

Most Important Guangzhou Travel Notes

1. Convenient Guangdong 144-Hour Visa Free Transit

Guangzhou City and the whole Guangdong Province has implemented the 144 hour visa free transit policy, which enables visitors from the specific 53 countries with valid travel document & connecting (flight, ship, trains) tickets to a third country/region to enter and via Guangdong Province no more than 6 days without applying for Chinese Visa. The 32 valid ports include 5 airports (Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport…), 4 railway stations (Guangzhou East Railway Station…), 8 highway / road ports (Luohu Port in Shenzhen…) and 15 harbor / sea ports (Guangzhou Port, Nansha Port, LianHuaShan Port…). And the countries include 25 European Schengen Visa Agreement countries (Austria, Germany, Italy…), 14 Other European countries (Russia, United Kingdom, Ireland…), 6 America countries (United States, Canada, Brazil…), 2 Oceania countries (Australia and New Zealand) and 6 Asian countries (South Korea, Japan, Singapore…)

2. How to Get to Guangzhou

As one of the busiest transportation hub cities in China, Guangzhou is connected with the world with many international flights to and from continents/countries including Africa, America, Australia, Canada, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, India, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, etc. Besides, high speed bullet trains are well served to and from most domestic cities like Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Shenzhen, Guilin, Guiyang, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xiamen, Wuhan, Changsha, etc.

3. Best Time to Visit Guangzhou

Guangzhou situated in southern China is suitable to visit all around the year. The best time for tourists is from March to early May and from September to December when sunny days appear most and comfortable temperature around 24℃ can be easily enjoyed. Also, lots of flowers are blooming to beautify this city for a better traveling mood. However, It changes some cold with humid during January and February. And high temperature and reason period occur more during June and August. Umbrella and sunblock are advised anytime to Guangzhou.

4. Accommodation in Guangzhou

Since Guangzhou is a super modern and prosperous city, countless hotels, hostels and homestays from extremely luxury, like Sheraton, Shanri-La, Crown Plaza, Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, etc. to real budget can be easily found. Top international brands gather most in Tianhe District where you can also savor the very modern cityscape of Guangzhou. Yuexiu District and Liwan District have most tourist attractions, and various kinds of accommodations are offered with relatively better prices. If you visit Guangzhou for Canton Fair, Pazhou and Haizhu District is a wise choice with a lot of high standard 4-5 star hotels and comfort ones. Besides, a series of good and cozy hotels are arranged around Baiyun International Airport in Huadu District for your convenient early flight catching.

5. Meals of Cantonese Food or Other Types are Flexibly Arranged

Eating in Guangzhou! There are quite diverse kinds of food, such as traditional Cantonese cuisines, morning tea with delicate dim sum, Cantonese old fire soups, sea food, snacks along the streets… All the meals of this tour can be arranged flexibly according to your likes and needs. Besides, if you want to enjoy other kinds of food like American food, French food, Italian food, Japanese Sushi, Southeast Asian food, Sichuan food, etc. Just tell your guide directly!

6. Tailor Make Your Guangzhou Trip Based on Your Interests and Budget

The itinerary of your Guangzhou trip can be tailor-made according to what you like and how much budget you are planning. For most visitors, Chen Clan Ancestral Hall is the top one to admire excellent architectural arts and culture of Guangzhou and whole Lingnan area, Yuexiu Park tells you how Guangzhou changes to a city and about her nickname, Shamian Island keeps the look of Guangzhou during the period of war, and Huacheng Square as well as Canton Tower show the nowadays brand-new prosperity of this trading city. If you like, you can choose to ascend Canton Tower to have a bird’s eye view of Guangzhou. No matter you are businesspersons, family with kids, culture lovers, foodies, you can be fully satisfied in Guangzhou.

7. Do Side Trips from Guangzhou

Guangzhou is served the first gateway city in Guangdong Province that most travelers would arrive in Guangzhou first and then make a trip to its surrounding destinations. To extend you tour longer to explore stunning cultural highlights, it is a good idea to spend 1 day in Foshan (the center of Lingnan Culture, Lion Dancing, Kung Fu Martial Arts), 1 day in Shunde (the origin of Cantonese Cuisine), 1 day in Jiangmen (Kaiping Diaolous & Villages), or 1 day in Shenzhen (fast development with incredible Shenzhen speed), etc. Tell us which destinations you like and we can arrange the trip for you.

8. Canton Fair Held in Guangzhou

Canton Fair, also known as China Import and Export Fair, is world famous trade fair held in the spring and autumn seasons every year. During the opening period, the fair will be open from 9:30 to 18:00 and will go on the weekends.

If you wan to some help or want to enjoy day break to see some highlights of Guangzhou during the Canton Fair, just feel free to tell us your ideas.

9. Customizable Extension to Other Chinese Destinations from Guangzhou

As there are quite a lot of popular tourist destinations in China and Guangzhou has really convenient transportation by air, railway and road with them, you can totally consider traveling beyond Guangzhou to catch more beauty, culture, history and other highlights of this vast country, such as the imperial constructions and great wall in Beijing, amazing and remote Terracotta Warriors in Xian, subtle Karst landform view in Guilin, world-class fascinating skyline and shopping paradise in Hong Kong, to name but a few. Please feel free to tell us any idea you are thinking about, and our professional travel expert from China Discovery will help you plan your Guangzhou China trip with sincerity and rich experience and knowledge!

Travel with Kim Tours

If you have other ideas or questions about a Guangzhou Beijing Tour, please feel free to contact us. We are also specialized in tailor-made tours that fit you best according to your own interests, requirements, traveling time, etc. We will provide you with reliable drivers, professional guides and comfortable vehicles. You don’t need to worry about the tickets, meals, accommodation or any other problem; all you need to do is just enjoying your trip!