In which quarter house in Guangzhou?

Are you going to Guangzhou, in the Megapolis of the Pearl River in China? This is in which district to stay in Guangzhou!

Guangzhou – also known as Canton – is the third most populous city in mainland China after Beijing and Shanghai . It forms, with Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan and Jiangmen, the Chinese megalopolis of the Pearl River delta, a gigantic conurbation gathering more than 50 million people out of 20,000 km2 (as a comparison, the Île-de-France region, which is already said to be very dense, measures 12,000 km2 and houses 12 million francilians). The city of Canton, at 2 o’clock in Hong Kong, has a population of 12.7 million, is and worldwide known for its culinary, historical and cultural heritage.

Founded under antiquity by the Qin dynasty, Guangzhou – which was called Panyu – developed rapidly, and was the lust of Europeans in the 16th and 17th centuries (Portuguese in Macau, Dutch, British, French). The fourth most visited country in the world, China attracts more than 59 million visitors per year, a large part of which comes to visit and stay in Canton.

Moreover, this is the question that binds us in this article: where to book his lodging, where to sleep in Guangzhou? Canton, crossed by Zhujiang River and full of multiple peninsulas, takes the form of a huge varicoseous artery between Foshan and Dongguan. The city consists of 4 historical districts and 8 modern districts. We have listed some neighbourhoods – or districts – where to stay in Canton, to help you better prepare your trip.

Shamian Island

Located in the Liwan district west of the megalopolis, the island of Shamian is a former Franco-British concession acquired after the Opium War in 1859, and having preserved its European architecture. The area is quiet, ideal to stay in Canton if you come with a family looking to stay quietly. In its alleys, there are many places of exits taken from expatriates. The island is a small haven of peace for its guests, living out of time, with its colonial houses in disconnection with the rest of the city. Shady pars, restaurants, cafés where to relax and hotels where to stay in Canton allow you to live a little to the west. To visit the island, the Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes chapel, built by the French in 1892.

Yuexiu District

In this huge district with 1 million inhabitants in the city centre, there are many tourist sites to visit while offering the opportunity to escape from the noisy tumult and the city’s swelling. Where? In the many parks and green areas of the area, including the Yuexiu homonymous park. The uncontourable district is the Sun Yat Sen Memorial – named Sun Yat-Sen (1866-1925), considered to be the founding father of modern, revolutionary China having overthrown the power of the Qing – along the Dongfen Middle Rd (Metro Memorial Hall).

Many hotels where to sleep in Guangzhou pass the area, in a relatively central position: two subway stations from the river Les Perles and a station at the Grand Parc Yuexiu. The numerous trails and the statue of the five rams – iconic of Canton –, its hills, ponds, shaded paths and flowery parks make it one of the most popular sites of Chinese and tourists.

District of Baiyun

Want to book accommodation away from the concrete? It seems difficult in Guangzhou and yet, going north and near the slopes of Mont Baiyun, it will be possible! It is a residential area where you can find hotels there again, in numbers where you can sleep in Guangzhou, and along the metro stations. Walks and hikes can even be made in the mountain range of Bayiun, with its forests, its vertiginous peaks at 382 metres above sea level.