Travel Tips
Haikou, China
Haikou,
also known as the "Coconut City", is the capital city of
Hainan Province, the strategic city of the Belt and Road. It
is the north end of Hainan Island and adjacent to Wenchang
to the east, Chengmai to the west, Ding’an to the north and
Qiongzhou Strait to the north. Situated in the tropics,
Haikou is a coastal city featuring beautiful coastal scenery
and a comfortable climate. The coastline of Haikou is 136.23
km (272.46 miles) long. Most of the coasts are vast and
continuous, with fine white sand. There are many coastal
swimming areas in the offshore where the water is clear and
the waves are flat all year round. Haikou has evolved from a
simple sightseeing city to an attractive seaside resort and
business center. The services for visitors to the city are
being extended with the aim of establishing the city as
Southern China's key center for tourism.
October to May is the best time for Haikou traveling when
sea is tranquil and weather is pleasant. Hainan also has the
Coconut Festival on the third day of March in the lunar
calendar. With the sea on three sides, Haikou enjoys a long
coastline that features excellent bathing beaches and sea
side resorts. Holiday Beach is the most popular of these,
while Xixiu Beach is where the national sailing and
windsurfing teams train and hold competitions. Dongzhai Port
Nature Reserve in the northeast of Haikou is a typical
tropical jungle and a heaven for birds..
● Qilou Old Street:
The first thing to do in Haikou is to visit
this famous historical and cultural
streetscape. In the past, 13 countries
established consulates, churches, post
offices, banks and residences in both
baroque and south Asian architectural styles
here between 1840 and 1912. Today, visitors
can still see about six hundred three- or
four-storey theatre pavilions, religious
sites, tea houses and villas.
It goes without saying that for anyone coming to Haikou, seafood is definitely a must. However, the city is also famous for its other prized dishes. There are four to delight the gourmet and should not be missed. They are Wenchang Chicken, Dongshan Mutton, Jiaji Duck and Hele Crab. The climate means there is an abundance of fresh local fruits such as mangos, pineapples, jackfruits, coconuts and carambola, betelnuts, pawpaw, longan and lichee, loquat, naseberry and passion fruit.
How to Get to Haikou
● Holiday Beach: As the
most well-known local beach, a visit to
Holiday Beach is another top thing to do in
Haikou for tourists. The beach is divided
into four areas, including a sunbathing
area, marine sports area, dining area and
recreation area. East of the beach in a
Roman-style architecture is where tourists
can enjoy water ballet, high diving and
other performances.
● Leiqiong Global Geopark:
Listed as ‘The Global Geopark’ by UNESCO in
2006, Leiqiong Global Geopark is
characterized by 101 volcanos formed through
the eruption of steam magma and basaltic
magma in ancient times. Tourists can
appreciate over 40 volcano cones and over 30
lava tunnels here. It is worth mentioning
that Ma’An Ling Crater in Leiqiong Geopark
is the highest place in Haikou. On coming
here, tourists can enjoy the panorama of the
whole city.
● Haikou Clock Tower: Haikou Clock
Tower has been a symbolic city landmarks
since it was set there in 1928. The present
six-storey tower replaced the original in
the 1930's and has a steel frame covered in
red bricks. Its height is 28m (91.9ft). The
masonry of red bricks and pointing of white
lime were copied from the buildings in
Guangzhou and Shanghai city in the 1920s. On
the top storey is the big clock, which is
equipped with a plastic dial of 2-meter
(78.7-inch) diameter, a 0.53-meter
(20.8-inch) hour hand and a 1-meter
(39.4-inch) minute hand. This clock tells
time every thirty minutes in a clear and
resonant sound through four horns controlled
by an amplifier and originally was for the
benefit of shipping in the harbor.
Haikou Airport & Flights
Haikou Meilan Airport, 25 kilometers (16 miles) away from the city center, provides a convenient connection with other cities at home and abroad. It has more than 200 air lines flying between major cities inside China such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shijiazhuang, Wuhan, Dalian, Xiamen, Xi'an, Chengdu, Harbin, Qingdao and Nanjing, etc., as well as direct flights to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and so forth.
Haikou Train
There are three train stations in this city at present, including Haikou Railway station, East Railway Station and Meilan Airport Railway Station. People can leave the city by train for Guangzhou, Sanya, Shanghai South and Beijing West.
Getting Around Haikou
You can get around by metro, taxi, tourist bus, and city-bus according to your schedule and the places you want to go.