Guangzhou Airport Transportion

With an increasing number of international flights via China Southern and a wide selection of regional flights, Guangzhou Airport has become a popular hub for visitors exploring Southern China. 

In previous years you needed to rely on the bus network for your Guangzhou Airport transport, but the airport has now been connected with the metro. The Guangzhou metro is excellent and will deliver you to pretty much anywhere you want to go across the city. Running on metro line 3, trains run to and from the airport between 6 am - 11 pm. You buy tickets for the metro from the concourse and you'll find instructions on ticket machines in English. 

Given Guangzhou's crippling traffic the metro is often a faster solution for reaching the city than taking a taxi. 

Tickets can be bought for buses from the CAAC counter in the airport building. In addition to the below most hotels also share shuttle bus services to and from the airport. These are usually free but require a reservation. Call your hotel for details.

• Shuttle Bus Number 1 to Downtown Guangzhou and train station First Bus from Station 5 am – Last Bus 11 pm
  • First Bus from Airport 7 am – Last Bus timed to last flight
  • Frequency 5-15mins
• Shuttle Bus Number 2 To GITIC Plaza Hotel, Holiday Inn, President Hotel, Garden Hotel First Bus from Station 5:30 am – Last Bus 9 pm
  • First Bus from Airport 7 am – Last Bus 10:30 pm
  • Frequency 15-30 mins
• Shuttle Bus Number 3 To Haizhu Baohua Plaza, Fangcun Bus Station, Rosedale Hotel First Bus from Station 5:30 am – Last Bus 9 pm
  • First Bus from Airport 7 am – Last Bus 10:30 pm
  • Frequency 30mins
• Shuttle Bus Number 4 To Zhonglv Hotel, Hunan Technology University, Dongpu Bus Station, Lejieti Square, Mingzu Hotel, Tigang Huayun, Dongpu Bus Station, Hunan Technology University, Guangyuan Bus Station First Bus from Station 6 am – Last Bus 8 pm
  • First Bus from Airport 8 am – Last Bus 9 pm
  • Frequency 1hr

Drivers on buses are unlikely to speak English so it's worth having a map on your phone that shows you where you are in the city. Google Maps is sometimes hidden behind the Great Firewall. If that's the case, try Bing or, if you have an iPhone, Apple Maps. 

Taxis in Guangzhou are generally cheap and traffic jams are not as bad as in Beijing or Hong Kong. There are, however, plenty of cowboy outfits and you should avoid drivers who approach you in the arrivals hall. As a guideline it should cost around 120RMB from the airport to downtown. Use one of the counters in the lobby, or outside gates A5 or B6. 

Getting to Hong Kong from Guangzhou Airport can be a little bit tricky, depending on what time you arrive. The easiest route is by direct bus from the airport. A number of companies service the route but timetables and websites online are only available in Chinese. Buses leave roughly every 45mins until around 7 pm. These buses can be found in front of exit 7 on the arrivals concourse. Tickets are one-way and can be bought from the driver.

It is also possible to take a train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong from Guangzhou East Rail Station. The station is on metro line and can be reached directly from the airport. Trains run every hour and run until 7pm. The journey takes just two hours and delivers you into Hung Hom in Hong Kong. 

 If you're on a layover, you could instead consider staying at one of the Guangzhou Airport hotels.