Huizhou

For other places with the same name, see Huizhou (disambiguation).

Huizhou (惠州; Huìzhōu in Mandarin, Fui⁴ziu¹ in Hakka) is a city in Guangdong. It is one of the most architecturally pleasing mid-sized cities in all of Guangdong, and one of the very richest.

Understand

The sight of Huizhou to the average traveller invariably arouses surprise. Some 40 miles north of Shenzhen, in verdant, tropical countryside, a common reaction is "Where did this place come from?" Until the 1980s, Huizhou was a sleepy Guangdong town on the Pearl River Delta. It has since exploded with industry, attracting investment from Japanese, Korean, European and American companies.

Talk

Hakka is the main language spoken in Huizhou, though many locals also speak Cantonese due to its proximity to Cantonese-speaking cities in the Pearl River Delta. As elsewhere in mainland China, Mandarin is the official language, and spoken by most younger locals.

Get in

Huizhou is well served by highways linking it with Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The Hong Kong border is a 1½-hour bus ride away.

By plane

1 Huizhou Pingtan Airport (惠州平潭机场, HUZ ^IATA) offers domestic service from various cities around China, but no international flights.

Larger international airports nearby include Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX ^IATA), Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN ^IATA), and Hong Kong International Airport (HKG ^IATA).

If you get off the plane at Shenzhen airport, you can get here by Intercity Bus . The earliest bus begins at 07:10. It will take you about 1½ hours.

By train

The city has a couple of mainline railway stations near the downtown area, namely Huizhou Railway Station and Huizhou North Railway Station.

• 2 Huizhou North Railway Station (惠州北站), Baishi Road, Huicheng District (惠城区白石路). Serves high-speed trains. (updated Aug 2023)
• 3 Huizhou Railway Station (惠州站), 57 Huizhou Avenue, Huicheng District (惠城区惠州大道57号). Serves regular-speed trains. (updated Aug 2023)
• 4 Huizhou South Railway Station (惠州南站), Hongda Rd, Huicheng District (惠城区三栋镇木沥村宏达路南). Serves high-speed trains. (updated Jun 2024)

There are also stations in some of the city's suburban districts and rural counties. For example, Huiyang District is served by Huiyang Railway Station (which was previously known as Huizhou South Railway Station) and Huidong County is served by Huidong South Railway Station.

The above stations link Huizhou with many cities around China. Trains from other cities in the Pearl River Delta such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen are especially frequent.

In addition to the mainline railways, there is a special intercity railway that runs between Dongguan West Station and Huizhou, and has its own stations. The eastern terminus of the line (as of August 2023) is Xiaojinkou Station (小金口站), which is actually right next to Huizhou Railway Station. Other stations on the line within downtown Huizhou include Yunshan Station (云山站) and Xihu East Station (西湖东站). Xihu East Station is conveniently located for visiting West Lake. Since May 2024, the line has been extended to Guangzhou and Zhaoqing, and passengers can change to other trains at Guangzhou South Station.

There are plans to link Huizhou by high-speed underground train with Shenzhen, which will effectively provide the city with a rapid-transit link to downtown Hong Kong.

By bus

The main bus station (Huizhou coach terminal) has regular buses to Guangzhou Tianhe (¥64, 2 hr 30 min), Shenzhen Louhu (¥60, 1 hr 20 min) and many other cities in the province.

There are also direct but less frequent coaches to Hong Kong which can be cheaper than getting the bus to the border then the MTR. These pick up at hotels in Huizhou rather than the bus station.

Get around

Huizhou has a comprehensive, clean and cheap bus system. Most bus rides cost a flat rate of ¥2, just drop your notes/coins into the box (no change given) or ¥1.6 if you have a "lingnantong" transport card - well worth investing in if you plan to stay in Guangdong long term (can also be used in the Guangzhou metro). Can be purchased from selected newsagents for a ¥20 deposit.

Taxis are everywhere. Flagfall for regular taxis is ¥5 or for the more opulent Kande Hotel Taxis which operate throughout the city, ¥8.

See

• 1 Golden Bay (金海湾, 巽竂湾 Xunliao Bay), Pingyuan Town, Huidong County (惠东县平海镇) (there is an express bus to the area from the airport; you can also catch the H8 bus from the Huidong County Bus Station), ☏ +86 752 8336009. Open all day. A popular coastal resort area. General entry to the area is free. 
• 2 Luofu Mountain (罗浮山), Changning Town, Boluo County (博罗县长宁镇) (buses to Luofu Mountain depart from Huizhou's main bus station; alternatively you could get a long-distance bus to Boluo County, then catch bus no. 268), ☏ +86 752 6668296, toll-free: +86 400 1336399, lfslykfzgs@163.com. 07:00-18:00, no entry after 17:00. A sacred Taoist mountain dotted with temples and pagodas. The mountain also has many natural attractions such as caves and waterfalls. Entry tickets are ¥54; cable car tickets are ¥70 one way or ¥120 return; children under 1.3 meters in height and elderly visitors over 60 pay half price. (updated May 2023)
• 3 Xiangtou Mountain (象头山 Xiàngtóu Shān), Boluo County (博罗县) (probably best reached by car), ☏ +86 752 2808434, +86 752 2881315. Open all day. A nature reserve about 18km north of Huizhou's urban area. The park is noted for its high-level of biodiversity. A number of rare animal species live here, including pangolins, clouded leopards and sambar deer. Tourist infrastructure has been kept to a minimum and the place does not see many tourists. Free. (updated Dec 2019)
• 4 Huizhou West Lake (惠州西湖), 2 Huancheng West Road, Huicheng District (惠城区环城西路2号) (about 2.5 km southwest of the city center; many buses serve the area; if coming from the city center take bus no. 2 or 18 and get off at the north entrance; a special bus service can take you to different points around the lake), ☏ +86 752 2121326, +86 752 2248116. 08:00-21:00. The beautiful, 17th-century West Lake, complete with pagoda and gardens. General entry to the area is free. (updated Dec 2017)
• 5 Nankun Mountain National Forest Park (南昆山国家森林公园), Provincial Highway 355, Longmen County (龙门县355省道) (best reached by car), ☏ +86 752 7690769, +86 752 7690065. May-Oct: 08:30-18:00, Nov-Apr: 09:00-17:30. ¥30. (updated Dec 2017)
• 6 Wing Kee Farm Park (永记生态园), Yongji Avenue, Qiaoxin Area, Daling Town, Huidong County (惠东县大岭镇桥新区永记大道) (take a D1 bus to the bus station in Huidong County, then catch bus no. 123), ☏ +86 752 8917888 (ticket sales), +86 752 8917555 (catering), farmpark@wingkee.com. 08:30-18:00. A recreational farm established by Wing Kee, a Hong Kong based food distribution company. Entry tickets to the farm are ¥60, tickets to the zoo are ¥32, combo tickets are ¥88, discounts are available for children. (updated Dec 2017)
• 7 Huizhou Museum (惠州博物馆), 3 Shimin Leyuan Road West, Jiangbei, Huicheng District (惠城区江北市民乐园西路3号) (near the Huizhou Municipal Government building; the closest bus stops are North Lake Park (北湖公园) and Civic Park (市民公园)), ☏ +86 752 2828818, +86 752 2827066, Hzbwggcb@126.com. 09:00-18:00, no entry after 17:30, closed on Mondays. The city's main museum. Free. (updated Aug 2023)

Do

• 1 Huizhou Beach Spa Resort (惠州海滨温泉, 惠州海滨温泉旅游度假区), Rural Highway 007, Zhegudong Village, Pinghai Town, Huidong County (惠东县平海镇鹧鸪洞村007乡道) (about 15 km by road from Golden Bay; best reached by car or taxi), ☏ +86 752 8578888. M-F 13:30-22:00, Sa Su 08:30-23:30, no entry in last 60 minutes. Adult tickets are ¥88, children's tickets are ¥78; tickets include entry fees for both the hot springs and the water park. 

Eat

Huizhou has no shortage of Japanese and western restaurants. Traditional Chinese food can be sampled on every corner. Hong Kong/Canton food is for obvious reasons especially popular with the locals. For those self-catering, Park'n'Shop, Vanguard and Walmart have a wide selection of western foods.

There is a few vegetarian (usually Buddhist) restaurants in Huizhou.

Drink

The English Bar and Relax Bar (both on the river) are very popular with expats and serve imported draft beers and liquors. The cocktail bar at the 5-star Kande Hotel (West Lake) is another popular hangout for expats.

Sleep

• 1 Homeland International Hotel, No.3 Zhongshan 4th Road, Danshui Town, Huiyang District. Over. The. Top. 
• Jinhai Resort (惠东巽寮金海湾度假酒店). The Jinhai Resort (Huidong Xunliao Jinhaiwan Dujiajiudian) is located in Songyuan Bay at the foot of a mountain by the sea. This Huizhou resort features sandy beach. Guests have plenty of activities to keep them busy with yachting, shell picking, diving, beach volleyball, fishing, bonfire and karaoke. 
• Golden Jazzy Hotel (金爵大酒店). The Golden Jazzy Hotel provides a low-cost option for travellers who want to go to the northern part of the city.

Go next

• Hong Kong - nicknamed the Pearl of the Orient, Hong Kong is a city with heavy British influence. You can experience Western and Chinese culture in Hong Kong.
• Shenzhen