Three-Night Food and Sightseeing Trip to Shantou

1. Transportation During holidays, taking the high-speed train is the fastest and most convenient option. Remember to book tickets 15 days in advance. I couldn’t get tickets for May 1st, so I settled for May 2nd. Important tip here!!! Upon arriving at Shantou High-Speed Rail Station 🚄, it’s extremely difficult to get a taxi—you either pay a high price or wait for a long time. Solutions: 1. Take a bus directly to your hotel area. 2. Find the bus that departs the soonest, ride for 2-3 stops, then get off and hail a taxi. 3. If your hotel is nearby and you don’t have much luggage, you can rent a small electric scooter. 2. Accommodation 🏨 I stayed near Xiaogongyuan (Little Park) and Wanda Plaza. I found Wanda Plaza to be a better choice for accommodation. There are more new homestays and apartments there, and the prices are cheaper compared to Xiaogongyuan. Although Xiaogongyuan has more sightseeing spots nearby, the buildings are older, and the soundproofing is quite poor. 3. Attractions Avoid going to Nan’ao Island during holidays unless you can leave at 5:30 AM to get on the island. Otherwise, be prepared for a 4-hour traffic jam. I originally booked a homestay on Nan’ao Island but canceled it after seeing the traffic situation. Instead, I had a leisurely time eating and exploring Xiaogongyuan, visiting the Water Dragon Bureau, enjoying the food street on Longyan South Road, taking the one-yuan ferry ⛴️, hiking at Queshi Scenic Area, and renting a small scooter to cruise around. 4. Food Fangji Beef Hotpot, Chaoxi Beef Brisket, Paicheng Rice Rolls, any random beef ball shop, and Guiyuan White Porridge, plus many unnamed small eateries where I got lost in the food street 😆😆.