First-tier fun in Guangzhou East

Guangzhou is one of China’s success stories: years of modernisation have resulted in a tier-one city of gleaming skyscrapers, underpinned by fascinating cultural sights and fantastic food. A 90-minute journey on the high-speed rail from Hong Kong train station will take you to Guangzhou East railway station.

From there, you’ll find plenty for the weekend traveller to see and do. With direct access to the city’s central business and commercial centres as well as historic neighbourhoods, Guangzhou East is the gateway to many of the most exciting attractions the “City of Five Rams” has to offer. Be sure to add these highlights below to your Greater Bay Area bucket list.

Feast for the eyes

Guangzhou is a gourmand’s paradise, and dim sum is the star of the show. Tao Tao Ju (20 Di Shi Fu Road, Liwan District), offers perfectly executed classics, while Taoyuan Restaurant (43 Qingbo Road, Ershadao) reinvents dim sum altogether – the shrimp and lychee balls and crispy ginger cakes are must-tries. However, one of the best ways to try dim sum here is to combine it with sightseeing: hop on the gleaming double- decker Yuetao Bus（粤陶巴）, which runs between the glass towers of Zhujiang New Town and the man-made island of Haixinsha and serves classic dim sum in bamboo steamers on board. Book at least one week in advance (+86 20 37595377, Chinese only).

Star-studded flavours

Guangzhou is the wellspring of Cantonese haute cuisine, with 19 of its restaurants bestowed at least one star in last year’s Michelin Guide located in the city.

Visit Bingsheng Mansion (2 Xiancun Road, Tianhe District) for the black char siu, made to a secret recipe; try Jiang by Chef Fei at the Mandarin Oriental Guangzhou (389 Tianhe Road, Tianhe District) for steamed lobster and egg with 20-year huadiao wine; and while Mukmeem (Room 407, G.T. Land Plaza Winter, 16 Zhujiang East Road, Tianhe District) is famous for barbecued dishes, the smoked chicken with Longjing tea and the tender straw-roasted baby pigeon are also not to be missed.

Architectural marvels

Take the Guangzhou metro to Opera House Station to get up close and personal with the city’s transformation. Here, you can admire some of Guangzhou’s sleekest new landmarks, such as the imposingly angular Guangzhou Opera House (1 Zhujiang West Road, Tianhe District), the late architect Zaha Hadid’s first project in the Chinese Mainland, which opened in 2010 in the run-up to the Asian Games. The nearby Guangzhou Library (4 Zhujiang East Road, Tianhe District) features a textured stone façade and angular planes marrying glass and concrete. Adjacent is the Guangdong Museum (2 Zhujiang East Road, Tianhe District), a flattened cube covered in black cut-out concrete slabs and housing precious cultural relics.

Artistic pursuits

Take the metro four stops from Guangzhou East Station to Dongshankou Station to soak up the artistic atmosphere of Yuexiu District. Start by visiting independent galleries, such as LPS or Local Landscape Public Space (11 Xuguyuan Road, Yuexiu District) and Art23 (23 Qimingsan Road, Yuexiu District) for contemporary art exhibitions. To take perfect pictures for your feed, head to Miaoqian West Street, an historic cluster of buildings now housing trendy cafés and boutiques. The nearby Art11 Weekend Market (11 Junyi Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District) is where you can experience and support the side of the city’s creative industry driven by its younger inhabitants.

A bird’s eye view

There’s no better place to marvel at the panorama of Guangzhou than from the Canton Tower (222 Yuejiang West Road, Haizhu District) rising 600m above the Pearl River. As well as a panoramic view, it’s also home to two attractions: the bubble tram, which gently circles the top of the tower, and the hair-raising Sky Drop – the highest thrill ride in the world. For tamer fun, head to the Park Hyatt Guangzhou (16 Huaxia Road, Tianhe District) near Huancheng Dadao Station and ascend 70 floors to the Roof Bar, where you’ll find speciality cocktails, live music and an unobscured view of the Canton Tower.

Buried treasure

Tianhe District is Guangzhou’s shopping nexus, and Taikoo Hui Guangzhou , directly above Shipaiqiao Station, is the epicentre of the city’s entertainment scene, boasting a hotel, a cultural centre, restaurants and a mall. Alongside all the designer mainstays, there are also homegrown shops with character: look out for the award-winning bookstore Fangsuo Commune and florist The Beast. Culture vultures love Discovery of the West (Block 5, 25 Saiba Road, Liwan District), a treasure trove of antique furniture and decor, with thousands of wares bought from auctions and flea markets all over Europe.