Guangzhou Metro

Metro is the best way to explore Guangzhou. Featuring English signage and English broadcasts as well as a higher moving speed, it’s more foreigner-friendly than city buses. Compared with taxis, it costs much less and has never been late because of traffic congestion, so cost-effective and reliable.

Guangzhou subway owns 19 lines in operation with 398 stations and a mileage of 779.9 km (484.6 mi), linking transportation hubs such as Baiyun Airport, Guangzhou South Railway Station, Guangzhou Railway Station, and attractions including the Canton Tower, Chen Clan Academy, Beijing Road Pedestrian Street, Shamian Island, Chimelong Tourist Resort, as well as popular business areas like Canton Fair Complex and the Zhujiang New Town CBD. 

Check in to Ride a Metro Train

What’s more, Guangzhou metro extends to Foshan City via the Guangfo Line. Three tram lines serve as the supplementation of the metro network, running in Haizhu and Huangpu Districts mainly for sightseeing. Now, 8 sections of metro lines, totaling 101 km (62.8 mi), are under construction and will expand the metro network of Guangzhou in the near future. 
 

Attraction/ Landmark	Metro Line & Exit Station
Canton Tower	Line 3: Canton Tower Line 12: Chigangta APM: Canton Tower
Pazhou Canton Fair Complex	Line 11: Pazhou (Area B & C of Canton Fair Complex) Line 8: Xingang East (Area B & C of Canton Fair Complex), or Pazhou (Area B & C of Canton Fair Complex)
Yuexiu Park	Line 2: Yuexiu Park Line 11: Liuhua
Shamian Island	Line 1: Huangsha Line 6: Huangsha or Cultural Park Line 8: Cultural Park
Chimelong Tourist Resort	Line 3, 7: Hanxi Changlong
Zhujiang New Town CBD	Line 18: Xiancun APM: Huangpu Avenue
Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family	Line 1, 8: Chen Clan Academy
Beijing Road Pedestrian Street	Line 6: Beijing Road or Haizhu Square Line 1: Gongyuanqian Line 2: Gongyuanqian or Haizhu Square
Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street	Line 8: Hualinsi Buddhist Temple or Cultural Park Line 6: Cultural Park
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall	Line 2: Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
Tianzi Wharf for Pearl River Cruise	Line 2: Haizhu Square Line 6: Haizhu Square or Beijing Road
Tianhe Road Business District	Line 1: West Tiyu Road, Tianhe Sports Center Line 3: West Tiyu Road APM: Tianhenan, Tianhe Sports Center South
Temple of the Six Banyan Trees	Line 1: Gongyuanqian Line 2: Gongyuanqian or Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
Guangdong Museum	APM: Grand Opera House
Museum of the Western Han Dynasty Mausoleum of the Nanyue King	Line 2: Yuexiu Park Line 11: Liuhua
Guangxiao Temple	Line 1: Ximenkou Line 2: Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
Huaisheng Mosque	Line 1: Ximenkou
White Cloud Mountain	Line 3: Yongtai or Tonghe Line 11: Yuntai Garden or Dajinzhong Road
Nansha Tin Hau Palace	Line 4: Nansha Passenger Port
South Sea God Temple	Line 13: Nanhai God Temple

Beijing Road Metro Station

 

Transportation Hub	Subway Line & Exit Station
Baiyun International Airport	Line 3: Airport North (T2)
Guangzhou South Railway Station	Line 2, 7, 22: Guangzhou South Railway Station
Guangzhou Railway Station	Line 2, 5, 11: Guangzhou Railway Station
Guangzhou East Railway Station	Line 1, 3, 11: Guangzhou East Railway Station
Guangzhou Baiyun Railway Station	Line 12: Guangzhou Baiyun Railway Station Line 8: Shitan
Guangzhou North Railway Station	Line 9: Guangzhou North Railway Station
Nansha Passenger Port	Line 4: Nansha Passenger Port

Get off at Chigangta Station of Line 12

 

 Operation time: Around 6:00 to 23:00/ 0:00 the next day
 Departure interval: Usually 4 - 7 minutes, with a maximum of 10 minutes. Hot lines 3, 2, 5, and 1 send one train every 2m30s - 3 min during peak hours of 7:00 - 9:00 and 17:00 - 19:00.

Haixinsha Station for Canton Tower

 

Except for the APM’s ticket of fixed CNY 2, Guangzhou metro utilizes a tiered pricing system. The longer the journey, the more you need to pay. 
1. For the first 4 km (2 mi), the ticket fare is CNY 2. 
2. During 4 - 12 km (2 - 7 mi), passengers pay CNY 1 for each additional 4 km (2 mi). 
3. During 12 - 24 km (7 - 15 mi), CNY 1 is required for each additional 6 km (4 mi). 
4. When the whole distance is longer than 24 km (15 mi), you need to spend CNY 1 for each additional 8 km (5 mi).

For Reference:

Route	Ticket Price
Baiyun Airport - Guangzhou South Railway Station	CNY 10
Baiyun Airport - Canton Fair Complex	CNY 8
Guangzhou South Railway Station - Canton Fair Complex	CNY 6
Guangzhou South Railway Station - Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street	CNY 5
Canton Tower - Chen Clan Academy	CNY 4
Canton Tower - Canton Fair Complex	CNY 3

Go through Security Check

 If you have opened Alipay or WeChat, give priority to the public transportation QR code. You don’t need to buy tickets on the spot or carry any physical cards: just get the transportation code in either of the two apps in advance, and then scan it to go through the gate quickly. Due to their simple operation, these transport QR codes have become the preferred choice of most Guangzhou metro riders. 
 Suitable for tourists who will rely heavily on the metro during a short trip in Guangzhou, especially those with busy schedules. It allows passengers to take all the subway lines in Guangzhou city freely within 24 or 72 hours from the first entry, without limit on distance or number of rides; Guangfo Line, APM, and trams are not exceptions.

A one-day pass costs CNY 20, and a three-day one costs CNY 50, sold at the vending machines at most metro stations. If they are out of stock, turn to the customer service center. After use, these cards will not be recycled, thus can be kept as souvenirs for your Guangzhou trip.

Please note that the passes are not applicable for city buses or ferries, and once used, they cannot be refunded. 

Ticket Machines

 Overseas tourists can use the above bank cards with contactless payment functions to take the metro in Guangzhou with zero pressure. There is no need to make any preparations before you arrive at the check-in gate. Please note that not all gates support them. Just find one marked with the card logos, and boldly tap to enter or leave. 
 Tourists who will stay in Guangzhou for a long time or plan to visit this city multiple times are advised to purchase a transportation card to enjoy discounts: 20% off for monthly cumulative consumption on public transportation of over CNY 80, and 50% off for those exceeding CNY 200. 

You can easily get a Guangzhou Yangchengtong transportation card from white vending machines or service centers at any metro station. The card itself costs CNY 20, which is non-refundable. It can also be recharged at the two spots and at chain convenience stores such as Family Mart or 7-11.

The smart card can also be used for taking city buses and ferries and consuming at some convenience stores in Guangzhou. The latest version has joined the T-Union service in China, which means that holding the latest Yangchengtong with a China T-Union logo, you can take public transportation in over 330 cities across the country, like Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Xi’an, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, etc.

The balance in the card can be refunded, but only at some designated Yangchengtong customer service centers, not any metro station service center. Some of the locations are: Exit E of Grand Opera House metro station of APM Line, Exit E of Dongshankou station along Line 1 and Line 6, Exit E of Fangcun station on Line 1, and Liurong Street Community Service Center on Sixth Zhongshan Road, Yuexiu District.
 

Swipe Single-trip Ticket

 Recommended for travelers with a simple itinerary in Guangzhou. In other words, if you only need to take the metro once or twice during your stay, buy a single ticket on site as needed, which is the most economical method. The vending machines have English interfaces, posing no challenge to foreign visitors. It’s worth noting that they only accept 5-yuan and 10-yuan banknotes and coins, or you can use cashless payment. 

When passengers exit the gate to finish the ride, the ticket will be collected by the gate machine, so be careful not to lose it.
 Transfer between two lines of Guangzhou subway is usually easy and requires no extra cost. But there are two exceptions. Due to the lack of internal channels, passengers transferring between Line 8 and Line 11 at Pazhou Station and Line 5 and Line 10 at Wuyangcun Station need to leave the station first via designated exits with special blue checking gates, and then walk to another assigned entrance also equipped with blue checking gates to re-enter within 30 minutes. If using regular gray gates or the transfer process exceeds 30 minutes, you have to pay for two separate trips, rather than a consecutive one with a lower cost. 

Metro Station	Designated Exits & Entrances	Distance & Transfer Time
Pazhou Station	Entrance/ Exit F of Line 11 - Entrance/ Exit A of Line 8	220 meters (240 yards), taking 6 - 8 min on foot
Wuyangcun Station	Entrance/ Exit A of Line 5 - Entrance/ Exit F of Line 10	270 meters (295 yards), requiring 7/10-minute walking

Passengers riding the metro train with a single-trip ticket do not need to put your token into the recycling box of the blue exit gate when making a transfer. 

The internal transfer passages at the two stations are being built; in the near future, passengers will be able to transfer quickly and conveniently like at other stations.