Top 20+ Things to Do in Xiamen – Iconic Attractions and Experiences

Written by Natalia | Updated August 26,2025

Xiamen is on southeast coast of Fujian province. Consisting of Xiamen Island, Gulangyu Island and the coastal area in mainland, it forms a unique landscape of “island and city integration”. So the natural scenery in Xiamen is quite charming. Beside, there are not only Western-style European villas, but also traditional red-brick old houses, making it a city that blends Chinese and Western cultures. So what to do in Xiamen tour? Follow this article to learn more about this city.

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• Why Visit Xiamen? China’s Garden City by the Sea​
• Explore Cultural Must-sees in Xiamen – Gulangyu, South Putuo Temple, Xiamen University…
• Exploring Diverse Districts in the City to Experience Local Life
• Enjoy its natural landscapes – Various plants and Cable Car
• Relaxing on Xiamen’s Beaches & Coastal Spots​​
• Delving into Food & Markets in Xiamen
• Enjoy Vibrant Nightlife in Xiamen
• Visit Iconic Attractions around Xiamen
• Quick Summary List of Top 10 Things to Do in Xiamen
• Practical Tips for Your Xiamen Trip
• Plan Your Xiamen Tour with Us

Why Visit Xiamen? China’s Garden City by the Sea​

• Prefect blendof modern city and historic heritages: The Gulangyu Island, Jimei School Village, and red-brick old houses are the historic imprints of Xiamen, while the Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street and the Shapowei Art District represents the modernity of the city.
• Healing island romance:In Xiamen, you can enjoy a relaxing time to cycle along the Island Ring Road, explore the offshore island and have a night cruise along Lujiang River to appreciate the island scenery.
• Characteristic food in southern Fujianprovince: Food in Xiamen is quite unique, including snacks like satay noodles, oyster omelette and classic cuisines ginger-braised duck. The delicious dessert four fruit soup is also worth tasting.

Explore Cultural Must-sees in Xiamen – Gulangyu, South Putuo Temple, Xiamen University…

1. Wander in Gulangyu Island: Pedestrian Paradise & UNESCO Gem

Gulangyu Island has been listed as the world cultural heritage and is the renowned as the “sea garden”. The most splendid is the more than a thousand international buildings that blend Chinese and Western architectural styles, including consulate, church, villa, etc. It is also called music island where you can tour the first piano museum in China and the world’s largest organ museum. And do not forget to visit Sunlight Rock, Shuzhuang Garden and Bright Moon Garden.

To protect the ecological environment and cultural heritages, all cars are not accessible in the island except for sightseeing bus, making it an ideal place to wandering. To board the island, the only transportation is the ferry. You can buy the ticket on the Wechat mini program or the official website of the Xiamen Ferry 10 days in advance with your passport. And all tickets include a return trip within 20 days, so there is no need to purchase tickets again. Here are the information about the wharf.

• Locationand Opening hours: Xiagu Wharf: 06:30 – 18:25; The First Wharf: 07:10 – 18:10; Songyu Wharf: 07:00 – 18:45; Xiamen Ferry Terminal 18:50 – 06:30
• Destination: Sanqiutian Wharf, Neicuoao Wharf
• Tickets:CNY 35 for ordinary ferry and CNY 80 for luxury ferry.

2. Experience Buddhism Culture in South Putuo Temple: Sacred Seaside Sanctuary​

South Putuo Temple is a famous Buddhism temple built in Tang Dynasty. Backed by the one of the eight landscapes of the city – Wulaofeng (Five Old Men Mountain) and facing the blue sea, its scenery is very attractive, and you can overlook the city and coastal line after climbing to the peak. Inside the temple, you will see the architectures integrating the regional characteristics of southern Fujian, the solemnity of Buddhism and the ancient palace style, such as Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Great Buddha’s Hall, Great Compassion Hall, Scripture Library, etc. And trying the vegetarian dishes and pancakes there has been one of the top things to do in Xiamen.

• Opening hour: 8:00-17:00
• Ticket: free
• Best Time to visit: March – May, September – November

3. Appreciate Campus Charm in Xiamen University & Furong Tunnel

Renowned as the most beautiful university, Xiamen University is backed by Wulaofeng, face the sea and next to South Putuo Temple. The natural landscapes Furong Lake and private beach inside the campus are also of great charm. From the Jiannan Building Complex, you can see ships entering and leaving Xiamen Port. The architectures are quite unique with Chinese traditional large roof and western house bodies, which look like wearing a conical hat and a suit. The plants are also abundant, so you can see various flowers in full bloom all year round.

Furong Tunnel is a 1.1-kilometer-long graffiti corridor with artworks of various themes painted by the college students. To enter the campus, visitors need to make a reservation on the official Wechat account 1 – 3 days in advance and enter from the new south gate.

• Opening hour: weekdays: 10:30 – 17:30, weekends and summer and winter holidays: 08:30 – 17:30; public holidays: 08:00 – 18:00
• Ticket: free

4. Witness the Massive Coastal Defense in Hulishan Fortress

Covering an area of over 70,000 square meters and castle area of 13,000 – 22,000 square meters, Hulishan Fortress is an important massive coastal defense of Ming Dynasty. Now, it has been a famous scenic spots where the world’s largest existing coastal artillery is displayed. The fort barbette here combines European style and Chinese Ming and Qing architecture styles. Besides, you can see the ancient weapons in the Rongguang Museum, watch the drill performances of army in Qing Dynasty and have a distant view of Kinmen Islands.

• Opening hour: June – September: 08:00 – 18:00; October – May: 08:00 – 17:30
• Ticket: CNY 25 for adult, CNY 13 for students and elders

Exploring Diverse Districts in the City to Experience Local Life

5. Go Shopping & Taste Snacks in Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street​

Tasting the local food is definitely one of the top things to do in Xiamen travel. And boasting both high-end shopping mall and time-honored brands, Zhongshan Road is the best place. You can taste various local snacks here, the most recommended include peanut soup, lotus oyster omelette, satay noodles, etc. Zhongshan Road is also famous for characteristic arcades architecture which integrates the European and Southeast Asian style. Except the food, you can also visit the historical and cultural sites along the road and watch light show and street performance at night.

6. Immerse in Academic Legacy in Jimei District & Turtle Garden

The most famous in Jimei District is the Jimei School Village, which boasts full-chain education system and 16 universities now, thus renowned as a living history textbook. Combining Chinese and western styles, the architecture complexes have been listed as architectural heritage of 20th-century in China. Turtle Garden is an art treasure of stone carving with over 600 artworks telling the historical stories and folk customs.

• Opening hour: Turtle Garden: 8:00-18:00
• Ticket: Free

7. Experience Local Life in Zeng Cuo An

With a history of 800 years, Zeng Cuo An used to be a fishing village. Although has transformed into a cultural and creative village now, it still remains simple and ancient charm of a fishing village. In daytime, you can wander along the street to appreciate the red-brick old houses, taste the local snacks, visit some unique craft shops and bookstores, and in the nighttime, you can listen to the music in the bars. This is the best place to experience local original ecological life.

• Opening hour: Open all day, free of charge
• Recommended time: 3 – 4 hours

8. Taste Seafood in The Eighth Market

The Eighth Market is one of the oldest markets in Xiamen built in Qing Dynasty with the most diverse kinds of vegetables. The buildings preserve the style of the Republic of China era of last century. If you are interested in local life and fond of seafood, visit the market after 19:00, choose the fresh seafood and entrust a processing store to cook it on the spot, then you can enjoy a big dinner with an average cost of CNY 30 – 50 per person.

Enjoy its natural landscapes – Various plants and Cable Car

9. Indulge in Plant Kingdom in Xiamen Botanical Garden

Covering an area of 5 square kilometers, Xiamen Botanical Garden is a green museum where you can see more than 9000 kinds of plants from all over the world. The characteristic areas include Rainforest World with an artificial spray system to create a tropical rainforest mist landscape, Succulent Garden with over 2,000 kinds of cacti and succulents, and Palm Garden with more than 500 types of Palm plants, etc. Except plants, there are also ancient temples and stone inscriptions of Ming and Qing Dynasties.

• Opening hour: 6:30-18:00​​
• Ticket: CNY 30 for adults and CNY 15 for kids and elders.

10. Overlook the City on Zhonggu Cable Way

If you want to overlook the whole city, the best way is to take Zhonggu Cable Way, the aerial observation deck of Xiamen. The old-fashioned and retro double chairlift cable car can take you to view the Gulangyu Island, South Putuo Temple, Botanical Garden, Kinmen Islands and so on from the height of 150 meters in this 20-minutes journey.

• Opening hours: 08:30 – 17:30
• Ticket: CNY 50 for a single trip and 70 for a round trip

Relaxing on Xiamen’s Beaches & Coastal Spots​​

11. Cycling along Island Ring Road: Scenic Coastal Views​

Island Ring Road is a well-known free coastal road with a total length of 43 kilometers. Surrounded by mountains and sea, the scenery is very beautiful along the whole road. It features golden sandy beaches, clear sea water and fishing villages, making cycling along the road a top thing to do in Xiamen. So it is highly recommended to rent a bicycle and ride on the dedicated cycle track to enjoy the seaside scenery.

• Recommended cycling route: Baicheng Beach – Zeng Cuo An – Music Square – Huangcuo Beach – Yefeng Village – Yanwu Bridge.
• Best time: 06:00 – 09:00, after 16:00
• Duration: about 1 – 2 hours
• Price for bike rental: CNY 10 – 15 per hour

12. Watch Sunset at Baicheng Beach

Located near Xiamen University, Baicheng Beach is the most popular beach in Xiamen with fine  sand and clear sea water. At dusk, you can enjoy the breathtaking sunset with the Yanwu Bridge and the Xiamen Twin Towers as the backdrop. There are also art installations like giant mouse sculpture, stone carvings, semi-circular footbridge, etc.

13. Appreciate Sand Sculptures in Guanyinshan Beach 

As the largest sand sculpture cultural park in Asia, large-scale exhibition of exquisite sand sculptures are always held in Guanyinshan Beach with the theme of Chinese culture. And in the evening in summer, there are open-air concerts, beach camping and barbecue parties in joyous atmosphere. When at low tide, you can also go beachcombing to dig shells and grab small crabs. The water sports here include windsurfing, surfing, jet skiing, etc.

14. Swim or Snorkel in Huangcuo Beach 

With fine sand and gentle currents, Huangcuo Beach is one of the most suitable beaches for swimming in Xiamen. The sea water is quite clear with transparency exceeding 5 meters and 36 species inhabiting the intertidal zone, so snorkeling to observe the sea animals has been one of the most popular things to do in Xiamen. At 05:00 in the morning, you can watch the sun rise above the horizon, with pink and purple rosy clouds filling the sky.

15. Experience Tropical Island in Yefeng Village Beach

Yefeng Village Beach is featured by the plenty of coconut trees planted along the beach, making it  full of tropical island atmosphere. It is also suitable for families where you can experience carousel, bumper cars, ferris wheel in the Seaside Amusement Park and watch dolphin shows and mermaid shows in the ocean park with kids. Compared with other beaches, the tourists here is less.

Delving into Food & Markets in Xiamen

16. Xiamen Food Specialties: Taste Must-Try Dishes

The specialties in Xiamen are mainly concentrated in seafood snacks, specialty noodles with soup, and desserts. Among them, the most famous is the classic satay noodles, the soup of which is prepared with satay sauce and added various seafood or meat ingredients. Other recommended characteristic foods include Sea Worm Jelly, Oyster Omelette, Ginger-Braised Duck, Braised Pork with Chestnuts, Peanut Soup, Four Fruit Soup.

17. Explore Night Markets: Flavors After Dark

To taste the authentic local food in Xiamen, visiting a night market is undoubtedly a popular thing to do in Xiamen, where combines the traditional flavor of southern Fujian, artistic creativity and coastal charm. Besides, the food price of night markets is reasonable with an average cost of CNY 20 – 40. The top 4 night markets are Zeng Cuo An, the Eighth Market, Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street and Shapowei Market, all the four markets are in different styles. The best visiting time is 18:00 – 22:00.

Enjoy Vibrant Nightlife in Xiamen

18. Enjoy a Night Cruise Ship Tour

As one of the top things to do in Xiamen at night, the night cruise tours include several projects with the representative one being Lujiang River Night Tour with a duration about 90 minutes. During the journey, you can appreciate the night scenery of Gulangyu Island, Yanwu Bridge, World Trade Center Twin Towers, Haicang Bridge and watch the puppet shows, tea art performances, and ancient-style band performances on the cruise. The ticket price is CNY 109 – 188 for adults and half price for children, and the ship sets out at 19:30 and 20:10. The other projects are Gulangyu Island Night Cruise, the Kinmen Island Night Cruise and Yundang Lake Cruise.

19. Appreciate the Night View of Xiamen

The feature of night landscapes in Xiamen includes combination of the history and modernity, such as the arcades on Zhongshan Road and the international architectures in Gulangyu Island. Surrounded by mountains and sea, you can enjoy the unique scenery of mountain, sea and city at Yanwu Bridge and Wuyuan Bay. Besides, the moonlight ring in garden expo garden and water light show in Jimei New District reflect the integration of technology and culture.

Visit Iconic Attractions around Xiamen

20. See the UNESCO World Heritages Hakka Earth Buildings

Renowned as “Oriental Ancient Castle” and “Mythical Mountain Architecture”, Hakka Earth Buildings have been listed as the world cultural heritage sites since 2008. To protect the people living there, it is in closed circular layout with only one or two gates. And one building is one village. The rammed earth wall is 2 meters thick with bamboo strips as “steel bars” and glutinous rice and brown sugar as “concrete”. The largest Yongding Hakka Earth Buildings can accommodate up to 800 people living together. Another famous one is Nanjing Hakka Earth Buildings.

Related reading: Fujian Tulou Travel Guide: Tips to Visit All Tulou Areas

Head to Quanzhou

In Song and Yuan Dynasties, Quanzhou was the largest port in the East and now it is the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road. In Quanzhou, you can pay a visit to the 22 world heritages sites, including Kaiyuan Temple, Laojun Rock, etc. In addition, it is known as Museum of World Religions, where Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and other religions coexist harmoniously. As the birthplace of culture of southern Fujian province, it boasts abundant intangible cultural heritages, including Nanyin music, Liyuan opera, and string puppetry.

• Distance from Xiamen: 90 – 100 kilometers
• Highlights/what to see: 22 world heritages sites, intangible cultural heritages, religious art
• Time needed: 1 – 3 days

If you want to explore more natural and cultural highlights of Fujian, our list of top things to do in Fujian will offer you some ideas.

Quick Summary List of Top 10 Things to Do in Xiamen

It is recommended to have an in-depth tour to experience the charm of the city. But if your time is limited, then the following 10 options may offer you help to decide what to do in Xiamen.

Practical Tips for Your Xiamen Trip

Make the most of the 240-hour Visa-free Transit Policy

After entering from Xiamen Gaoqi Airport or Xiamen Port, you can start the tour in Xiamen first, then head to Quanzhou and Hakka Earth Buildings to cover other main tourist attractions in Fujian Province. 10 days are sufficient for an essence tour in Fujian Province. If time permits, you can also travel to the nearby provinces.

Things to Do during a layover

If your layover time is less than 3 hours, Wuyuan Bay Beach is recommended where you can take a walk to see the sea. It can be reached in 20 minutes by taxi. For 4 – 8 hour layover, take the airport bus line to Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street directly, then head to Shapowei Art District, or go to South Putuo Temple and Xiamen University. If you want to visit Gulangyu Island, at least 6 hours are needed.

How to Get to and Travel around Xiamen

To get to Xiamen, there is one airport offering flights to almost all major domestic and foreign cities and two train stations offering both normal and bullet trains. As for travel around, the three metro lines cover the airport, train stations and main scenic areas in Xiamen. Besides, buses and taxis are also available. To tour Gulangyu Island, ferry is the only mean of transportation.

Best Time to Visit Xiamen

To avoid typhoon season, the best time is March – May and September – November, when the temperature is 20 – 28 ℃, and tourist can enjoy outdoor activities.

Related reading: Fujian Weather in Different Seasons & the Best Time to Visit

Plan Your Xiamen Tour with Us

As a tourism city with beautiful seaside scenery, abundant culture, characteristic architectures, Xiamen attracts a number of tourists. If you are about to plan a Xiamen tour but have no idea about what to do in Xiamen, our travel agency is always pleased to introduce our travel route or customize a trip for you. Also, we can arrange an experienced guide and driver during the tour to ensure you enjoy a leisure trip. So contact with us right now for more information.