Region

South Fujian

Base in Xiamen for 3–4 days; take high‑speed rail day‑trips to Quanzhou, Zhangzhou and Putian.

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Key facts · China

Visa: Depends on your passport
Currency: Chinese yuan (CNY / RMB, ¥)
Language: Mandarin in Simplified characters
Plugs: A · C · I · 220 V
Time zone: UTC+8 nationwide

Rules in force · 7

East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
China ↗Most nationalities need a visa, a unilateral visa-free entry (the list and end dates change) or the transit exemption below. Confirm your route on the official sites before you buy a ticket.
China ↗Transit stay without a visa: up to 240 hours (10 days) for citizens of about 55 listed countries who pass through China to a third country or region, with a confirmed onward ticket and a stay inside the permitted area (Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei count as one area). It replaced the 144-hour rule in December 2024, which some older pages still quote. Use the transit lane at immigration, show the onward ticket, and check the current nationality list. Hong Kong and Macau count as separate regions; check whether your ticket qualifies.
China ↗Foreign visitors must register their address with the police within 24 hours; hotels do it at check-in with your passport. Carry the original passport at all times: hotels, trains, museums, Tiananmen Square and police checks ask for it.
China ↗Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before you fly. QR payment is the default in shops, taxis and many stalls, and some places refuse cash or a foreign card. Carry cash as a backup.
China ↗Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and many news sites are blocked. Use an eSIM with roaming (it routes through your home network) or install and test a VPN before you fly; VPN sites and app stores are hard to reach inside China, and only government-approved VPNs are officially permitted.

South Fujian’s coast mixes historic ports, stone‑craft towns and seafood. Base in Xiamen (3–4 nights) and use high‑speed rail for day trips to Quanzhou, Zhangzhou and Putian.

Where to sleep

4 places in this region

Sleep base

XiamenCity guide
Coastal city, airport, sea‑food, Gulangyu island.
Best Mar–May, Oct–Dec
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Xiamen →

Day trip

QuanzhouCity guide
Maritime Silk Road heritage, stone bridges.
Best Mar–Apr, Oct–Dec
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Quanzhou →
ZhangzhouCity guide
Historic port, stone houses, tea.
Best Mar–May, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Zhangzhou →
PutianCity guide
Distinct cuisine, stone craft.
Best Mar–Apr, Oct–Dec
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Putian →

Plan the nights

How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags

Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags

Night sequences

3 nights: Xiamen 3, day trips to Quanzhou and Zhangzhou
4 nights: Xiamen 4, add Putian day‑trip

Typhoon risk May–Nov, highest in July–Aug; check forecasts before travel.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Quanzhou	Xiamen	60 min	check	HSR ~30 min; add 30 min for local transport.
Zhangzhou	Xiamen	45 min	check	HSR ~20 min; total ~45 min door‑to‑door.
Putian	Xiamen	70 min	check	HSR ~35 min; include travel to/from stations.

Bags between cities

Luggage can be forwarded between Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou and Putian via local courier (usually next‑day delivery).

When to go

Months and weather

Open When to goClose When to go1 partSeasons

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table

Country	JJan	FFeb	MMar	AApr	MMay	JJun	JJul	AAug	SSep	OOct	NNov	DDec
Xiamen	ok	ok	go	go	go	ok	×	×	×	go	go	go
Quanzhou	ok	ok	go	go	ok	ok	×	×	×	go	go	go
Zhangzhou	ok	ok	go	go	go	ok	×	×	go	go	ok	ok
Putian	ok	ok	go	go	×	×	×	×	×	go	go	go
China (country-wide)	ok	×	ok	go	ok	ok	ok	ok	go	go	go	go

Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Eat and move on

Regional food and where to go next

Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on1 partGo next

Go next

Other regions of the country

North China

4–6 nights

Beijing base; Great Wall and Tianjin as day trips

East China

planned

3–5 nights

Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou by high-speed rail

Southwest China

planned

3–4 nights

Chengdu and the Sichuan basin

South Fujian: what we know, and what is coming

4 of 4 places open

On this page

4 places with their role: where to sleep, what to do as a day trip
How to split 3 or 4 nights
3 day trips with door-to-door time
Seasons month by month, from the cities’ own tables
What to do with the big bag between beds

Coming as the guide grows

Climate strip by zone, with the storm and haze months
Get in: airports and stations with door-to-door times
Regional passes and cards, with a buy / skip verdict
Regional food: what, where and when it works

Meanwhile

Planning aids

Built from this guide's own data

Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids1 partIn numbers

Region in numbers

Where to sleep: 1 base
Day trips: 3, 45 min to 1 h 10
Nights suggested: 3–4 nights

Explore Xiamen Up to China

Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

Open Deep diveClose Deep dive1 partSources

Sources

secondaryWikivoyage: South Fujian, revision 5281714 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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