Quanzhou Ancient City + Shishi's Most Beautiful Coastline Capture the Poetic World Heritage
🔥 Quanzhou × Shishi 4-Day Slow Travel Guide
✅ Theme: "Half a Thousand-Year-Old Ancient Port, Half a Blue Coastline"
✅ Core Concept: From red brick ancient houses to golden beaches, from misua soup to tide-pooling sunsets, experience the deepest culture and the wildest coast 🌊
✅ New Addition: [Shishi Golden Coastline]: Check in at Hongta Bay, Luojia Temple, Guanyin Mountain, Yongning Ancient Walled City
✅ Added [Tide-Pooling Experience]: Dig for clams and collect sea snails after the tide recedes, a favorite for families
💰 Round-trip transportation (bullet train/high-speed rail) ¥600; if departing from Xiamen/Fuzhou, round-trip per person ¥150-300; 3 nights accommodation ¥750 (West Street guesthouse ¥250×2 nights + Shishi sea view guesthouse ¥250, prime sea view); Tickets + experiences ¥200 (Kaiyuan Temple ¥5/person, Qingyuan Mountain ¥55/person, Xunpu Flower Pinning ¥48/person, tide-pooling tools available for rent); Meals (3.5 days) ¥1030 (Minnan snacks + seafood stalls, about ¥145/day per person, rich and authentic); Local transportation + others ¥200 (taxis/Didi + souvenirs + emergencies); Budget ¥2780, about ¥1400 per person
📅 Detailed itinerary (3.5 days)
🌞 Day 1: Ancient City Heartbeat · West Street Nightlife + Xunpu Flower Pinning as the Leading Lady
📍 Keywords: Thousand-Year-Old Temple × Sea Woman Culture
Arrive in the morning at [Quanzhou Station] → Taxi to [West Street] guesthouse (¥30)
Recommended stay: "Old Pavilion Inn · Qichi" or "Dream Among Flowers" (red brick ancient house style, ¥250/night)
Lunch: [Hou Grandma’s Meat Rice Dumplings] + [Shuimen Guozai Misua] (vinegar pork + large intestine + fried dough sticks combo)
Afternoon: Visit [Kaiyuan Temple] to see the East and West Pagodas and Sanglian relics
Stroll [West Street]: buy spring roll wrappers, drink stone flower jelly, check in at the bell tower
[Chengtian Zen Temple] for a moment of calm, listen to chanting
Evening: Taxi to [Xunpu Village] (¥35)
Experience [Flower Pinning] (¥48/person): style hair, wear flowers, put on Minnan skirts, take photos in front of oyster shell houses
Dinner: Eat [Baked Rice] + [Oyster Omelette] in the village, feel the fishing village atmosphere
✅ Flower pinning experience recommended to start at 16:00 for better sunset lighting!
🌞 Day 2: Mountain and Sea Faith · Laojun Rock + Islamic Sacred Tomb + Luoyang Bridge Sunset
📍 Keywords: Diverse Civilizations × Cross-Sea Long Bridge
Morning: Hike 30 minutes up [Qingyuan Mountain] → Arrive at [Laojun Rock]
Photograph the statue of Laozi seated, with a panoramic view of Quanzhou city in the background
Optionally visit [Master Hongyi’s Relic Pagoda], feel the Zen mood of "bittersweet joy"
Lunch at the mountain foot: [Vegetarian Meal] or return to the city for [Dongxing Beef Restaurant] (must order beef brisket soup + five-spice rolls)
Afternoon: Visit [Islamic Sacred Tomb]: Arab tomb from the Tang dynasty, legend of the moving stone
Stroll the 834-meter ancient stone [Luoyang Bridge], watch the river and sea converge
Wait on the bridge for a golden sunset, capture stunning "Rainbow over the Sea" photos
Dinner back at West Street, eat at [Aqin Seafood Stall] or [Sidan Ginger Duck]
🌞 Day 3: Shishi Coastline · Hongta Bay × Luojia Temple × Yongning Ancient Walled City
📍 Keywords: Blue Coast × Buddhist Kingdom on the Sea × Ming Dynasty Walled City
Morning: Taxi to [Shishi Hongta Bay] (about 40 minutes, ¥80)
Stay at [Hongta Bay Sea View Guesthouse] (¥250/night, sea view from the window, 30 seconds walk to the beach)
Lunch: Near the guesthouse, eat [Shishi Fish Roll Soup] + [Satay Noodles] (fresh and rich flavor, about ¥30 per person)
Afternoon: Free time at [Hongta Bay Beach]: barefoot on fine sand, take photos, build sandcastles
If the tide is out, try [Tide-Pooling] (bring small bucket + shovel, dig for clams, collect sea snails)
Visit [Luojia Temple] ("Potala Palace on the Sea")
White Buddhist pagoda facing the sea on the mountain, stunning aerial views
Climb up for a panoramic view of Quanzhou Bay
Stop by [Guanyin Mountain]: natural giant rock shaped like Guanyin’s profile
Evening: Head to [Yongning Ancient Walled City] (Ming dynasty anti-pirate fortress)
Walk the [Ancient City Wall], pass through [Narrow Alley Old Houses]
See [Yongning Old Street] daily life: grandma selling sweet rice cakes, children playing hopscotch
Dinner: Eat [Shishi Sweet Rice Cake] + [Four Fruit Soup] on the old street, or have a seafood stall meal (about ¥60 per person)
Night photography: At Yongning Pier, shoot [Fishing Lights], or watch the [Moonrise over the Sea] from the guesthouse balcony
✅ Luojia Temple has many steps, wear non-slip shoes; check tide tables before tide-pooling (use "Tide Table Elf" app)
🌞 Day 4 (Half Day): Seaside Morning + Return Trip
📍 Keywords: Morning Light Coast × Full of Memories
5:30-6:00 AM: Wake up to watch the [Hongta Bay Sunrise]
Golden shimmering sea, fishing boats leaving port, peaceful and healing
Morning: Before checkout, walk the beach once more
Buy souvenirs: Shishi fish skewers, sweet rice cakes, seaweed crackers
Before noon, taxi to [Quanzhou Station] or [Jinjiang Airport]
🎒 Tide-pooling tools: small bucket + shovel + holey shoes (rent on site, ¥20 set)
Waterproof phone pouch: for photographing waves and tide-pooling
Polarizing filter (camera): enhances water clarity, reduces glare
Light jacket: seaside winds are strong in the morning and evening, especially at Luojia Temple
Tide table app: check "Hongta Bay low tide times" for efficient tide-pooling 🌟
✅ New complete "Mountain-City-Sea" puzzle of Shishi coast
✅ Luojia Temple aerial shots known as "Fujian’s Little Potala Palace," 99% chance of great photos
✅ Yongning Ancient Walled City: Ming dynasty coastal defense relic, original old town, very few tourists
✅ Tide-pooling experience: a family favorite, kids scream when they find clams!
✅ Sea view accommodation: sea view from the window, fall asleep to the sound of waves, excellent value
Insider tips: Best seasons:
March-May: spring blossoms, Xunpu flowers bloom, gentle sea breeze
September-November: crisp autumn air, perfect for seaside walks, bluer skies after typhoons
Transportation tips:
Quanzhou → Shishi: taxi is most convenient (Didi about ¥80), rent electric scooters inside for ¥60/day, coastal riding is super enjoyable
Hidden gems:
Arrive at Luojia Temple before 6 AM, fewer people and soft light, perfect for empty shots
Find the "Century-old Sweet Rice Cake Shop" on Yongning Old Street, grandma steams fresh by hand
Food bonus:
Shishi locals’ breakfast: salty rice + meatball soup + fried dough sticks
Must-buy souvenirs: Shenjing fish skewers, Yongning sweet rice cakes, Golden Coast seaweed
📣 "Many say Fujian’s sea is Xiamen or Pingtan, but only after coming to Shishi do you realize— When you stand at Luojia Temple, watching the white pagoda face the sea, On Yongning Old Street, hearing Minnan grandmas call out sweet rice cakes in ancient tones, At Hongta Bay, digging your first clam with your child... This is the truest, gentlest coast of Fujian. I spent less than 3000 yuan to take her through Quanzhou’s cultural heartbeat and own Shishi’s blue dream. Follow me, next stop, we go to Hui’an to see the seaside 'Zuoshan Women.'"
✅ Shishi Tide Table for Tide-Pooling (updated monthly)
🎥🌊🏯 Wind all the way, on the left the swallowtail ridges of thousand-year-old houses, on the right the blue horizon of sea and sky. Quanzhou and Shishi are not just travel, but a return to a slow and deep life ❤️🌅