Plan your Guangzhou tour? Night cruising on the Pearl River is a must for many first time visitors coming to Guangzhou. Like the River Thames in London, the River Seine in Paris and Huang Pu River in Shanghai, Guangzhou has its own mesmerizing Pearl River passing through the city proper from west to east.
The Pearl River is the convergence of its three tributaries – Xi Jiang (“West River”), the Bei Jiang (“North River”), and the Dong Jiang (“East River”). These rivers share a common delta, the Pearl River Delta. The Pearl River is China’s third longest river, 2,400 km long, after the Yangtze River and the Yellow River.
Guangzhou Star Cruises Company has about 10 evening cruises on the Pearl River. The night cruise normally lasts 90 minutes operating between 18:40 and 22:00. Boats leave from Tianzi Pier (天子码头), Just east of Haizhu Bridge. To get to Tianzi Pier , you may take subway line 2 and get off at the station of Haizhou Square (海珠广场), then walk along the river to the east direction. Soon you will see Tianzi Pier by the river.
At the ticketing office, you will find about 10 cruise boats with different prices. Personally, I would like to choose Information (信息时报). Take the Information for example, the first floor costs RMB 80 (fruit and coffee), the second floor RMB140( including buffet dinner ) and the top open air floor RMB128 (fruits, coffee, snacks ).
The cruise ticket for the night cruise boat Information T (信息时报)
On Board the Cruise Ship named Information ( 信息时报）
Buffet dinner set on the second floor. If you purchase the 2nd floor ticket, you are entitled to having the buffet dinner.
The magic Haiyin Bridge
Guangzhou Bridge and Canton Tower
Passing by the Zhujiang New City Center of Guangzhou
Entertaiment on board
Back to Tianzi Pier
Tip : Hassle-free Guangzhou Guided Tours
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for guided tours to Guangzhou:
Guangzhou Half Day Tour from US$75 p/p
Guangzhou Highlight Day Tour from US$80 p/p
Further Readings
Top 10 Attractions in Guangzhou
How to Visit Guangzhou in One Day
Guangzhou Pearl River Night Cruises
How to Visit Chen Clan Ancestral Hall Guangzhou
How to Visit Mausoleum of the Nanyue King
How to Visit Kaiping Diaolou from Guangzhou
Any questions, just drop a line.