48 Hours in Guiyang, China

With its mild climate, rich culture, and stunning natural landscapes, Guiyang, China offers a refreshing escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Guiyang may not have the instant name recognition of Beijing or Shanghai, but that’s the charm of Southwestern China’s cool, accessible, main city. Surrounded by misty mountains and karst landscapes, the Guizhou capital offers a slower, more soulful China: Buddhist temples tucked into forests, centuries-old markets trading in ginseng and herbs, and dining tables where fiery sour-fish soup sits alongside fine tea. With HK Express’ new direct flights — which puts this relaxing getaway just over two hours from Hong Kong — the city is suddenly within easy reach for a long weekend.

Day One: City icons and herbal traditions

Board the HK Express morning flight at 6am from Hong Kong, and by 8:05am you’re landing in Guiyang, early enough to have a full day ahead. A short transfer takes you to the Sofitel Guiyang Hunter, the city’s flagship luxury hotel, where rooms overlook the Nanming River and breakfast is a spread of delicate dim sum, flaky pastries and local teas.

Start your exploration in Qianling Park, a lush green expanse right in the city centre. Locals use it as their outdoor living room, and you’ll catch them strolling shaded trails, practising tai chi, or boating on Qianling Lake. The macaques here are bold but entertaining, and the walk up to Hongfu Temple, a 17th-century Buddhist sanctuary, rewards with incense-scented courtyards and panoramic city views.

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Above Sofitel Hunter Guiyang

Above The Hongfu Temple is one of the most important Buddhist temples in the Guizhou Province

Sofitel Hunter Guiyang

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By lunch, head to Lao KaiLi , a refined restaurant where traditional Guizhou dishes are presented with polish. Order the sour-fish soup — it is bright, tangy and addictive — alongside stir-fried chicken with chillies, a dish that epitomises the province’s love of heat. For something gentler, the kitchen also does elegant tofu dishes with mountain herbs.

The afternoon reveals Guiyang’s historic role in wellness. The Guiyang Medicinal Botanical Garden is not just a serene retreat but also a cultural archive, with more than 2,000 medicinal plants and an on-site museum housing tens of thousands of specimens. It reflects Guiyang’s centuries-old reputation as China’s “pharmacy of the south”. Wander its leafy paths before continuing to alleys nearby, where apothecaries sell all manner of ingredients used in Chinese remedies. Pause at Jiaxue Pavilion, where you can sip chrysanthemum tea or sample Guiyang’s green tea — grassy and aromatic, poured in delicate glass cups.

Dinner should embrace the city’s bold flavours. The hotpot stalls of Shibanpo Street come alive after dark, with bubbling cauldrons of sour broth into which you plunge river fish, mushrooms and fresh greens. The atmosphere is lively, local and irresistible. Afterwards, return to the Sofitel and ascend to LE 19 Lounge Bar. The cocktails are inventive and the skyline views glittering, reminding you that Guiyang is as forward-looking as it is traditional.

Above Traditional sour fish soup in Guiyang is bright, tangy and addictive

Above The famous green tea of the area is ideal to wash down a heavy lunch

Traditional sour fish soup in Guiyang is bright, tangy and addictive

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Day Two: Waterfalls and ancient towns

Wake early and journey to the Huangguoshu Waterfall, about 2.5 hours from Guiyang. The drive cuts through terraced hillsides and karst peaks, and the reward is China’s largest waterfall: 77 metres high and over 100 metres wide, its spray rising like mist from a dragon’s breath. Take the path that leads behind the cascade into the Water Curtain Cave, where you can peer through a curtain of white water. It’s elemental and exhilarating.

On the way back, many tours stop in a Miao minority village, where hospitality is legendary. Guests are often welcomed with a drink of rice wine and long wooden tables piled with local fare: sticky rice steamed in bamboo, smoked pork, sour broths and fresh greens. Meals are sometimes accompanied by music and dance, silver jewellery flashing as performers share centuries-old traditions.

Above At a height of 77 metres, the Huangguoshu Waterfall is majestic and inspiring

Above The quaint and charming Miao minority village

At a height of 77 metres, the Huangguoshu Waterfall is majestic and inspiring

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Back in the city, spend the afternoon at Qingyan Ancient Town, a walled settlement founded in the Ming dynasty, about 30 minutes from central Guiyang. Cobbled lanes thread past stone archways, Taoist temples and wooden houses now converted into teahouses and boutiques. This is the place to indulge in some solid retail therapy; best is a Guizhou specialty, indigo-dyed cloth, and hand-crafted silver jewellery.

For your final dinner, choose Shu Chu, a destination restaurant that takes Guizhou’s rustic dishes and elevates them into artful plates. Or stay closer to home at the Sofitel’s elegant dining room, where French technique meets Chinese ingredients. Pair either meal with a glass of Moutai, Guizhou’s most famous spirit, distilled from sorghum and beloved across China.

See also: 48 Hours in Komatsu, Japan

Above Shu Chu serves up great local fare

Above Moutai cocktails are a must when in China

Shu Chu serves up great local fare

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Day three: Dawn departure

HK Express’ 8:50am flight from Guiyang gets you back to Hong Kong by 10:55am, making it a seamless weekend escape. Grab one last cup of Guizhou green tea before you go, and savour the thought that in just 48 hours, you’ve experienced temples in the clouds, waterfalls in full thunder, and flavours that linger well after you arrive home.

Hong Kong-based airline HK Express operates four flights weekly between Hong Kong and Guiyang. Inspired by this article? Book your flight to Guiyang here.