Beihai

Silver Beach and a century-old street, plus Weizhou Island's volcanic Crocodile Hill and Five-Colored Beach: Guangxi's most popular seaside getaway.

Beihai lies at the southern tip of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on the northeast shore of the Beibu Gulf, and was one of the starting ports of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. The city has Silver Beach and a century-old street, and Weizhou Island, about 36 km out to sea to the south, is China's largest and youngest volcanic island. Together they make Guangxi's most popular seaside getaway. The climate is subtropical maritime monsoon. From October to April temperatures are 18–26°C, dry with little rain, the best season, and the period around Spring Festival is peak season for escaping the cold. May–Sep is hot and rainy, with frequent typhoons from July to September, when Weizhou Island ferries are often suspended, so be sure to check the official suspension notices from the Beihai Weizhou Island Tourist Area before you set out. There are two main areas. First, downtown Beihai: Silver Beach (a 10 km stretch of white sand, free), Beihai Old Street (century-old arcade buildings on Zhuhai Road), Guantou Ridge and the Qiaogang Food Street (cuisine from returned Vietnamese overseas Chinese), which together take about 1 day. Second, Weizhou Island, about 70–90 minutes by boat from the Beihai International Passenger Port. Sights such as the Crocodile Hill volcano park, Dripping Water Cliff, Five-Colored Beach, Shiluokou and the Shengtang Catholic Church are spread along the island loop road, and renting an e-bike to circle the island is the standard way to see them; we suggest 2 nights. Getting there: Beihai Fucheng Airport is about 25 km from downtown. Beihai Railway Station has bullet trains to Nanning (about 1.5 hours) and Guangzhou (about 4–5 hours). Weizhou Island ferry tickets must be bought in advance with real-name registration on the official Laiyouba platform, about CNY 240–360 round trip, and a week ahead in peak season; you also need to buy an island entry ticket (about CNY 98, including Crocodile Hill and other sights). We suggest 3–4 days: 1 day in Beihai and 2–3 days on Weizhou Island. Notes: prices on the island are higher than in the city, and seafood is sold by weight, so ask the price first; when riding an e-bike, watch out for rural roads and slopes, and do not ride at night; watch the sunrise at Five-Colored Beach, and the sunset at Shiluokou and Dripping Water Cliff; you can go tide-pooling at low tide, but the rocks are slippery. Local Beihai food includes stir-fried sea snails, sand crab sauce, shrimp cakes, pork trotter noodles and the Vietnamese rice rolls of Qiaogang.

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