Guangzhou Private Historical Tour: Chen Clan Temple & More

Walk through underground chambers and carved temples that hold Guangzhou's deepest history

This private full-day historical tour of Guangzhou covers four major sites (the Chen Clan Temple with its Guangdong Folk Art Museum, the 2,000-year-old Mausoleum of the Nanyue King, the Six Banyan Temple with its nine-story Flower Pagoda, and Shamian Island) with a professional English-speaking guide, hotel pickup and drop-off, private air-conditioned transport, Chinese-style lunch, and all admission tickets included. A moderate amount of walking is involved. Comfortable shoes are recommended.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Chen Clan Academy1h · entry included
2. Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King1h · entry included
3. Temple of the Six Banyan Trees1h · entry included
4. Shamian Island1h · entry included

Guangzhou historical sightseeing tour

• Visit Chen Clan Temple and museum
• Explore Mausoleum of Nanyue King
• Tour Six Banyan Temple
• Walk around Shamian Island
• Stroll Shanghaixiajiu shopping street
• Enjoy Chinese-style lunch

The experience

Your guide meets you at your hotel and drives you into Guangzhou's historical heart. The Chen Clan Temple, built between 1890 and 1894, opens first: a former private residence of the Chen family now housing the Guangdong Folk Art Museum. Inside, the carved halls hold wood carvings, ivory carvings and brick carvings that show the craftsmanship of the period. The scale and detail of the work fill the rooms.

The Mausoleum of the Nanyue King sits at Xianggang Hill and dates back roughly 2,000 years. You descend a stone pathway from the hilltop down into a 20-meter-underground tomb carved into the hill itself. The complex spans 100 square meters, built from around 750 pieces of grit-stone and divided into seven chambers. The front chamber carries rough colorful cloud paintings on its walls and ceiling. The rear chambers hold remains of bone ashes, clothes, arrow tips and everyday objects arranged as they were left, so the space reads as a living world frozen in time rather than an empty ruin.

The Six Banyan Temple, built in 537, stands as a major Buddhist site. Inside are three large copper Buddhist statues, the biggest in Guangdong Province, and a thousand-Buddha copper pillar cast during the Yuan Dynasty and kept on the pagoda's top story. The 184-foot structure appears to have nine stories from outside but holds 17 levels within. Its colorful exterior carvings earned it the name Flower Pagoda. Shamian Island comes next, a small oval islet on the Pearl River's north bank covered in Western classical architecture and designated a state-protected relic. The island's colonial-era buildings and tree-lined streets offer a different texture from the temples. Lunch, Chinese-style, is included partway through the day, and the tour wraps with a walk along Shanghaixiajiu, Guangzhou's well-known pedestrian shopping street, which carries the city's long history in its layout and storefronts.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off.
• private air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver.
• English-speaking tour guide.
• admission tickets to all four sites.
• Chinese-style lunch.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (2 and older) · Infant (under 2): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Chinese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Hantang International Travel Service

Is this one for you?Book this if you want a local guide to connect Guangzhou's scattered historical sites into one coherent story in a single day, rather than piecing together the Chen Clan Temple, Nanyue King Mausoleum, and Six Banyan Temple on your own.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Infant (under 2): free.

What is inside the Nanyue King Mausoleum that I'll actually see?

The Mausoleum of the Nanyue King is an underground tomb 20 meters below ground, divided into seven chambers. You'll see colorful cloud paintings on the walls and ceiling of the front chamber, and the rear chambers display bone ashes, clothes, arrow tips and daily-life objects left in their original positions, giving a sense of how the royal household was arranged in the tomb.

How much walking is involved in this tour?

A moderate amount of walking is involved across the four main sites and the pedestrian shopping street. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended, and the pace is set by the guide with your group's fitness level in mind.

What makes the Six Banyan Temple's pagoda unusual?

The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees holds a 184-foot pagoda that looks like it has nine stories from the outside but actually contains 17 levels inside. It's known as the Flower Pagoda because of its colorful exterior carvings, and it houses three large copper Buddhist statues and a thousand-Buddha pillar cast in the Yuan Dynasty.

Is hotel pickup included, and does the tour return me to my hotel?

Yes, hotel pickup and drop-off are included. Your guide meets you at your accommodation at the start of the tour and returns you there at the end.

What's included in the lunch?

A Chinese-style lunch is included as part of the tour. The meal is provided partway through the day to fuel the rest of your sightseeing.

Can I bring an infant on this tour?

Yes, infants can join the tour free of charge and are required to sit on an adult's lap during transport and walking portions of the day.