Xiamen Travel Guide

Chinese name: 厦门

Location: South of China

Dialing code: 0592

Zip code: 361000

Official Language: Chinese

Currency: RMB

Main attractions in Xiamen: Gulangyu Island, South Putuo Temple, Hulishan Fort, etc.

Located in the subtropical zone, Xiamen belongs to maritime climate, warm and rainy. It is like spring all the year round with an annual average temperature of 21 °C, without hot summers and cold winters, February is the coolest, with an average temperature of 12 °C; August is the hottest, with an average temperature of 28 °C.

Much of the climate in Xiamen is influenced by its coastal setting and the hottest and sunniest weather falls between July and September, when temperatures are between 25°C to 30°C and the beaches quickly fill up. Xiamen boasts an average of more than six hours of sunshine each day, meaning that there is usually plenty to go around, whatever the time of year.

The typhoon season runs from July to September. Xiamen’s lush foliage, colourful flowers, gentle breezes and plentiful sunshine can be enjoyed year-round. The combination of a clean environment, picturesque scenery and near-ideal climate conditions has led to Xiamen ranking in the top 10 of China’s most habitable cities

Characters of the four season in Xiamen
* Spring, both by humidity and percentage of sunshine, is the dampest season. 

* Summer and autumn are marked by comparatively sunny conditions, while autumn is warm and dry.

* During the winter months of November to February, the temperatures in Xiamen stay much higher than more northerly parts of China, rarely dropping below 10°C and usually staying much higher.

* The rainfall duration is from May to August every year with force 3-4 wind which is usually the northeast wind. Due to the differences in temperature and air current on the Pacific Pcean, typhoons affect Xiamen four to five times a year, mainly from July to September.

Climate Data Table for Xiamen

Tip for Xiamen Weather
Best time to visit Xiamen
Xiamen is suitable for travel all the year round, and the best travel season is from April to November every year.

Usually, spring and autumn are tow golden seasons to Xiamen. The sunny spring days make your Xiamen tours pleasant. The autumn of Xiamen is cozy and agreeable. On annual October, tourists at Xiamen would have a good opportunity to taste the famous dark dragon tea at the best time. Moreover, the special activity about moon cake on Mid-Autumn Festival is just carrying on. Travelers will enjoy themselves to taste delicious moon cake, try good quality scented tea while savoring the flavor of Xiamen’s autumn.

Try to Avoid domestic travel seasons
Try to plan your Xiamen tour by avoiding the peak holidays. Because of the Chinese tourists, those attractions become more crowded in these periods.

The most crowded seasons in China are Chinese Spring Festival (usually in late Jan or early Feb.), International Labor Day (May 01 to 03) and National Day (Oct 01-07). Spring Festival and the National Day golden week are the most crowded time for traveling.

During the early Jin Dynasty, the place was made Tong'an County in 282, which belonged to Jingan prefecture and was merged into Nanan County later on. In 909 Wang Shengzhi became the king of Min and Fuzhou was the capital. In 949, Southern Tang (937-975) upgraded Quanzhou into Qingyuanjun which was changed into Pinghaijun in 963. During the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD), the city was a seaport open to foreign trade.

In Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), this place was under the control of Quanzhou Government. In 1387, the Ming Dynasty built a fort in Xiamen, then part of Quanzhou, to guard against pirates. After the Manchu Qing Dynasty overthrew the Ming in 1644, Ming loyalist Koxinga, used Xiamen as a base to launch counterattacks against the invading Manchus from 1650 to 1660. In the mid-17th century, Xiamen and Gulangyu Island became a stronghold of Zheng Chenggong, known in the West as Koxinga, a Ming loyalist who held out against the Manchu invaders until being driven to Taiwan.

After the Opium Wars, Xiamen became one of the first treaty ports to be opened to foreign trade and settlement following the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842. Gulangyu Island was transformed into an international settlement, where many Victorian and Neoclassical style buildings still survive.

Xiamen was founded in 1394 at the beginning of the Ming dynasty as a center of defense against coastal pirates. Its prosperity was due to its deepwater sheltered harbor, that supplanted nearby Quanzhou, the port that had been the center of the maritime trade with the Indies.

The city was renamed by the Manchus in 1680 to Xiamen Subprefecture. The name "Siming" was changed back after the 1912 Xinhai Revolution overthrew the Qing Dynasty and the settlement was made a county. Later it reverted to the name Xiamen City. In 1949, Xiamen became a provincially administered city, then was upgraded to a vice-province-class city, or a municipality. Today, Siming is the name of main city district of downtown Xiamen.

As one of main cities and a hot tourist destination in Fujian province, Xiamen enjoys convenient transportation.

Air
There is only one airport in Xiamen. By air is the most convenient and comfortable way to reach Xiamen. The airport connects most of main cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin, Xian, Chongqing, etc. It also owns some international air routes, but mostly connects cities in South-east countries.
Add: Dailiao Rd., Huli District, Xiamen
Tel: 0592-5706017, 0592-6028940, 0592-6020033
Website: www.xiac.com.cn

Rail
There are three main passenger train stations in Xiamen: Xiamen Railway Station, Gaoqi Railway Station, Xiamen North Railway Station. Although there are high-speed trains traveling between Xiamen and other cities, such as Shanghai, Fujian, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, etc., but it is still travel by air instead of taking the train, as train travel is a little long.

Xiamen Railway Station
It is located in southwest of the city, near to the downtown. Almost al the trains which pass Xiamen will pass through this station.
Add: Crossing of Xiahe Rd. and Hudong Rd.
Tel: 0592-5111798

Xiamen North Railway Station
It is located outside Xiamen Island, a little far away from Xiamen downtown. It is mainly responsible for the high-speed train from other cities inside Fujian province, such as Fuzhou, and high-speed trains from other cities outside Fujian Province, such as Shanghai, Hanghzou, Nanjing, etc.
Add: Houxi Town, Jimei District, Xiamen
Tel: 0592-2038888
How to get: take bus to taxi to get off at Xiamen North Railway Station

Xiamen Gaoqi Railway Station
It is located in the north of Xiamen island, it is main responsible for freight transport and limited passenger transfer. If you travel to or from Xuzhou, Jingdezhen, Zhengzhou, etc., you can arrive or depart from this station.
Add: Gaoqi Town, Xiamen
How to get: take bus or taxi to get off at Gaoqi Railway Station

Bus
There are three main passenger bus stations in Xiamen: Jimei Long-distance Bus Station, Hubin Bus Station and Songbai Bus Station. If you are traveling to Xiamen from Shanghai, Zhejiang, Guangdong, taking the bus would be a good choice as well.

Jimei Long-distance Bus Station
It is located outside Xiamen Island, a little far from Xiamen downtown. It is responsible for arrival and departure of long-distance buses of many big cities from all over the country. It is mainly responsible for the buses to & from Guangdong.
Add: 159 Yinjiang Road, Jimei District, Xiamen
Tel: 0592-6068319

Hubin Bus Station
It is located in Xiamen Island, near to Xiamen Railway Station.
Add: 59 Hubin South Rd., Siming District, Xiamen
Tel: 0592-2215533

Songbai Bus Station
It is located in Xiamen Island near to Gaoqi Railway Station. It is mainly responsible for the train inside Fuzhou.
Tel: 0592-5089328
How to get: take bus or taxi.

Ship
There are actually two different ferry terminals in Xiamen. One is called Dongdu (东渡/厦门国际邮轮中心) on the west side of the island near the Marco Polo and Pan Pacific Hotels. The other is called Wutong (五通客运码头) on the east side of the island near the Xiang'an Tunnel. Currently, only the Wutong terminal has boats to/from Kinmen.