Guiyang
Discover Guiyang
Guiyang (贵阳; Guìyáng) is the capital of Guizhou province, China. While not the most spectacular of Chinese cities, it has much to offer as an introduction to the history, culture and natural splendor of Guizhou and China's southwest. Moreover, it is drastically cheaper than the more touristed and developed provinces. It makes an excellent base for exploring mountains, caves, rivers, and minority cultures of the province. Subtropical monsoon humid climate. The temperature changes little, the winter is warm and the summer is cool, and the climate is pleasant.
Taste of Guiyang...
People in Guiyang like those throughout Southwest China love spicy food. Use of red chilies of various temperatures and salty dried chili powder dips for hot pots is ubiquitous. Food can be prepared mild (不要辣 buyaola) according to your tastes but the best way is to settle in and eat the way the locals do. With a brave stomach, you could eat something new everyday for a week just by walking along the streets of Guiyang and sampling the street foods of Guizhou's minorities around the night markets. Most of these offerings come heavily spiced by default, but you can ask for a little or no spice. For excellent Guizhou cuisine at very reasonable prices try Siheyuan (四合院). The restaurant enjoys a good bit of local fame and is popular with the (very) small expat community as well. The story goes that the owners were laid off from their factory jobs some years ago. Without work, they opened a street side restaurant with a single table. The food was so good that business boomed. Some 15 or 20 years later they serve a bustling lunch and dinner crowd in a multilevel but still rustic and homey restaurant. Siheyuan doesn't have a sign so finding it without a guide can be a bit of a trick. It is located a few feet down the alley opposite the Protestant Church on Qianling Xilu. Be sure to try Bean Hotpot (豆米火祸 dōumǐhuǒguō) which is available all around the city. Just as with other hotpot styles, you choose whichever ingredients you want and cook them at your own pace.
Climate
Subtropical monsoon humid climate. The temperature changes little, the winter is warm and the summer is cool, and the climate is pleasant. Guiyang is relatively easy to get to by air with many flights daily coming in from Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and other cities in Southwest China, particularly Kunming and Chengdu. Travelers flying in from abroad will most likely transfer to a domestic flight to Guiyang in Kunming, Guangzhou, Shanghai or Beijing. From the airport, taxis (¥60 flat rate) or the airport shuttle bus (¥10, drops off in a few locations around town) take fifteen to twenty minutes to reach downtown. Those interested in saving money may opt to catch a taxi from the bus stops in town rather than directly from the airport. Doing so brings the total for a solo traveler to ¥20 from airport to hotel. Guiyang straddles the trunk rail line linking Chongqing (2 hours, ¥212) with Kunming (3 hours, ¥220) and points south.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsGuiyang is relatively easy to get to by air with many flights daily coming in from Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and other cities in Southwest China, particularly Kunming and Chengdu. Travelers flying in from abroad will most likely transfer to a domestic flight to Guiyang in Kunming, Guangzhou, Shanghai or Beijing. From the airport, taxis (¥60 flat rate) or the airport shuttle bus (¥10, drops off in a few locations around town) take fifteen to twenty minutes to reach downtown. Those interested in saving money may opt to catch a taxi from the bus stops in town rather than directly from the airport. Doing so brings the total for a solo traveler to ¥20 from airport to hotel. Guiyang straddles the trunk rail line linking Chongqing (2 hours, ¥212) with Kunming (3 hours, ¥220) and points south. Train tickets to Chengdu are also readily available (3 hours, ¥290)....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
The Guiyang metro system is called Guiyang Urban Rapid Transit, or GYURT. Four lines are operational as of October 2025. Line 1 is in operation between Xiaomeng Industrial Park in Guanshanhu district and Douguan in Guanshanhu District. It connects to the rail network at Guiyang North and Guiyang railway station. Standard fares are ¥2-6, though each 8 km after the first 24 km will cost an additional ¥1. Line 1 offers interchange with Line 2, Line 3, and Line S1. Line 2 goes from North Baiyun Road to Zhongxing Road connecting to Longdongbao airport (and the rail station), intersecting with Line 1 and Line 3. Line 3 goes between Luowan and Tongmulin, connecting with Line 2, 3, S1, and Huxinan railway station. Line S1 stretches from Wangchengpo on Line 1, intersects Line 3 and goes to Zaojiaoba far in the south west. The long-term plans include a total of nine lines for the city. Guiyang has a well-developed bus system, although it is entirely in Chinese and takes some getting used to.
Where to Stay
Guiyang has four main universities that host foreign teachers and students, as well as a few others. The three universities that have foreign students are Guizhou University (贵州大学), Guizhou Normal University (贵州师范大学), and Guizhou University of Nationalities (贵州民族学院). These three universities all have foreign teachers usually teaching English. Guiyang University (贵阳学院) also employs foreign teachers. Guizhou, like much of central and western China, lags far behind the dynamic coast in economic, industrial and social development. As a result, the main opportunities for work are teaching English. Several private schools in the area are licensed to hire foreigners: English First, Aston, Tian Tian, and Interlingua being among the most established. For those not interested in teaching, Guiyang is home to several industrial and high-technology development zones seeking foreign investment, partnerships and experts.
Money & Budget
People in Guiyang like those throughout Southwest China love spicy food. Use of red chilies of various temperatures and salty dried chili powder dips for hot pots is ubiquitous. Food can be prepared mild (不要辣 buyaola) according to your tastes but the best way is to settle in and eat the way the locals do. With a brave stomach, you could eat something new everyday for a week just by walking along the streets of Guiyang and sampling the street foods of Guizhou's minorities around the night markets. Most of these offerings come heavily spiced by default, but you can ask for a little or no spice. For excellent Guizhou cuisine at very reasonable prices try Siheyuan (四合院). The restaurant enjoys a good bit of local fame and is popular with the (very) small expat community as well.