Chaoshan Travel Info / Guangdong Travel Guide
Chaoshan 3D2N Itinerary Recommendation: How to Visit Chaoshan for the First Time? In-Depth Shantou, Chaozhou and Jieyang Route Guide
2026-08-20 GoChinaNow Editorial Team
Who is a Chaoshan 3D2N trip suitable for?
If it's your first time visiting Chaoshan, 3D2N is a fairly comfortable timeframe. The itinerary can cover: Day 1: Shantou city experience + Teochew food Day 2: Chaozhou old town cultural exploration Day 3: Nan'ao Island natural scenery or Jieyang specialty experience If you'd like to reduce transport planning and improve travel efficiency, you can also choose a professional Chaoshan tour package, with a local team arranging transport, accommodation and special experiences.
#Chaoshan travel#Shantou travel#Chaozhou travel#Nan'ao Island#3D2N itinerary
"Chaoshan isn't just a place for good food — it's a travel destination that blends thousand-year-old city culture, island scenery, overseas-Chinese architecture and local ways of life. 3D2N is the golden window to experience the best of Chaoshan."
Bringing your parents to Chaoshan for the first time? A 3D2N trip is doable, but don't force Shantou, Chaozhou, Jieyang and Nan'ao Island all into it. For Chinese families from Singapore and Malaysia, there are usually only two practical arrangements: one is staying in Shantou throughout and using the hotel as a fixed base; the other is 1 night in Shantou and 1 night in Chaozhou, slowing down the old town pace. This article breaks down two itineraries by morning, lunch, afternoon rest, afternoon and dinner, and explains when Nan'ao Island is worth visiting and when to skip it. Bringing your parents to Chaoshan — is 3D2N enough? Yes, but only if you subtract. These three days are better spent on "Shantou + Chaozhou" or "Shantou + Nan'ao Island," rather than running through Shantou, Chaozhou, Jieyang and Nan'ao just to add more city names to the map. For families with elderly or children, what really drains energy often isn't a particular attraction — it's repeatedly getting in and out of vehicles, changing hotels, finding parking and continuous walking. If it's your first visit and you also want to explore Nan'ao Island fairly thoroughly, we suggest looking at the 4D3N route instead. You can refer to our on-site [How to visit Chaoshan for the first time? Shantou + Chaozhou + Nan'ao classic 4D3N itinerary].
Key highlights
- Explore Chaozhou old town and experience a thousand years of Teochew culture
- Wander Shantou's old town and take in century-old qilou arcade charm
- Climb Nan'ao Island for island scenery and beautiful sunsets
- Taste beef hotpot, Teochew kueh and gongfu tea
- Link Shantou, Chaozhou and Jieyang's classic experiences in one trip
Why we don't recommend squeezing all four places into a 3D2N Chaoshan trip with your parents
On the map, Shantou, Chaozhou and Jieyang all look close to one another.
But a real trip also includes:
Getting from the airport or high-speed rail station into the city
Hotel check-in and check-out
Time for every meal
Afternoon rest for the elderly
Walking around the old town
Getting in and out of vehicles
Holiday traffic
Getting on and off Nan'ao Island
If you switch cities every morning and rush to another attraction every afternoon, the most common outcome for older parents isn't "we missed a sight" — it's that by the second afternoon, they simply don't feel like walking anymore.
So the principle behind this itinerary is simple:
A 3D2N trip should only cover two core areas.
If Jieyang is just your arrival or departure transport hub, there's no need to squeeze in a city sight just to say "we've been to Jieyang."
If your ancestral home is actually in Jieyang, Puning, Jiexi or similar places, that's a different story — the Teochew ancestral roots journey should come first, not a standard sightseeing route.
Two 3D2N slow-travel itineraries — which one should you choose?
Option A: Stay in Shantou both nights
Best for:
Travelling with parents around 70
Travelling with young children
Lots of luggage
Not wanting to check out every day
First visit, wanting something simple
Core idea:
Shantou as your base + a day trip to Chaozhou + an easy final day.
Pro: no hotel changes.
Con: you'll need to travel to and from Chaozhou in one day.
Option B: 1 night in Shantou + 1 night in Chaozhou
Best for:
Parents with reasonable stamina
Wanting to see Chaozhou at night
Wanting to enjoy tea slowly on the second evening
Departure direction on Day 3 works better from Chaozhou
Don't mind moving luggage once
Core idea:
Day 1 get to know Shantou, Day 2 move to Chaozhou, Day 3 continue a slow wander before heading home.
It involves one extra hotel change compared to Option A, but the Chaozhou day is noticeably more relaxed.
How to do Option A? Two nights in Shantou, one less luggage move
Day 1: Arrive in Shantou — don't overpack the old town
Morning
If you arrive in the morning or around noon, drop your luggage at the hotel first.
Don't start a non-stop sightseeing run right after getting off the plane or high-speed train.
If you're entering Shantou from Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport, you can first check our on-site [Jieyang Airport to Shantou City Transport Guide], then decide between taxi, private transfer or other options based on your group size.
Lunch
Don't make the first meal too complicated.
Kway teow, Teochew dishes or beef hotpot are all fine — choose based on your arrival time.
If your parents have been on a plane or train all morning, eat first before thinking about sights.
Afternoon rest
Go back to the hotel and rest.
Even just lying down for an hour beats dragging luggage around right from the start of the afternoon.
Afternoon
Visit the Little Park (Xiaogongyuan) Port Opening District.
This is a good first introduction to Shantou's treaty-port history, its qilou arcade streets and its overseas-Chinese hometown character. The Little Park Port Opening District is currently a national AAA-level scenic area.
For the elderly version, you don't need to walk the entire district.
You can focus on:
Little Park Sun Yat-sen Memorial Pavilion
→ Surrounding qilou arcade streets
→ Find a place to sit down for tea or sweet soup
Walking intensity: low to moderate.
Where parents may get tired: continuous walking in the old streets, hot weather, and pickup points that may be some distance from the core blocks.
As of 2026-10-03, some roads in the Little Park Port Opening District have time-based and section-based motor vehicle restrictions, so when travelling with slower-moving parents, don't assume a vehicle can park right at every attraction entrance.
Dinner
Just arrange one proper sit-down meal.
Beef hotpot, Teochew cuisine or claypot porridge are all fine.
We don't recommend rushing to three or four places after dinner just to follow a "late-night supper guide."
Day 2: Go to Chaozhou, but focus only on the old town
Morning
After breakfast, head to Chaozhou.
Once you arrive, don't immediately plug a dozen locations into your navigation.
For a first visit with parents, the core can be:
Kaiyuan Temple
→ Paifang Street
→ The Guangji Tower area
Chaozhou's official tourism routes have long featured Paifang Street, Guangji Bridge and the banks of the Han River as key nodes for old town sightseeing.
Lunch
Find a Chaozhou restaurant where it's easy to sit down.
Consider:
Braised goose, kway chap, oyster omelette, fish rice or other Chaozhou dishes.
The point isn't to eat every famous dish in one meal — it's to avoid making your parents stand in a long queue for a trendy restaurant.
Afternoon rest
This is one of the biggest differences between the parent-friendly version and the young-traveller version.
If you don't have a day-use room, you can arrange:
A teahouse
A café
A hotel lobby
A quieter indoor space
Sit down and rest for a while.
If you keep walking the old town all afternoon in Chaozhou without any break, fatigue tends to hit by early evening.
Afternoon
Continue with Guangji Tower, the Han River waterfront and the old town lanes.
Whether to walk Guangji Bridge depends on that day's opening conditions, your parents' stamina and on-site crowds.
On the day itself, always go by Chaozhou's official announcements.
Walking intensity: moderate.
Where parents may get tired:
Continuous walking on Paifang Street
Some old town surfaces are not fully even throughout
Energy drops when afternoon temperatures are high
Walking from one "nearby attraction" to another may not actually feel close for the elderly
So don't judge distances for the elderly using a young person's map scale.
A map showing a ten-minute walk may already be a stretch that requires a rest for your parents.
Dinner
Eat early.
Return to Shantou after dinner.
If your parents are clearly tired that day, we don't recommend adding a Shantou night tour.
Day 3: Slow Shantou breakfast + half-day activity + departure
Morning
The biggest principle for Day 3:
Let your departure time decide the itinerary.
If you're leaving in the afternoon or evening, sleep in a little, then go for a Teochew breakfast.
If you didn't finish the Little Park area in the first two days, you can add a short stretch.
If you've already seen enough, just arrange:
Buying souvenirs
Drinking tea
Having lunch
There's no need to add physical strain just because "Day 3 must also have a sight."
Lunch
Choose a location convenient to your hotel or departure route.
Don't cross the entire city for one last meal.
Afternoon rest
If your departure is later, you can rest at the hotel until check-out time.
Afternoon
Head to the airport or station.
If your departure is very late, add just one light activity.
Walking intensity: low.
Where parents may get tired: On the last day, it's tempting to say "we still have a few hours, let's squeeze in one more place." In reality, this is often the most unnecessary addition.
How to do Option B? 1 night in Shantou, 1 night in Chaozhou
Option B suits families who want a slower Chaozhou day.
Day 1: Shantou old town + food
Morning
Check in or leave luggage after arrival.
Lunch
Arrange a simple first Teochew meal.
Afternoon rest
Back to the hotel.
Afternoon
Take a slow walk around the Little Park Port Opening District.
Don't go on a long march just to photograph every qilou arcade street.
Dinner
Beef hotpot or Teochew cuisine.
Stay overnight in Shantou.
Walking intensity: low to moderate.
Where parents may get tired: Arrival day already involves travel fatigue, so just do one section of the old town.
Day 2: Check out of Shantou, go to Chaozhou, slow afternoon in the old town
Morning
Wake up, breakfast, check out.
Don't leave too early.
When travelling with parents, being able to finish breakfast normally on Day 2 before setting off is far more comfortable than rushing for a "9am check-in."
After arriving in Chaozhou, leave luggage at the hotel or check in first.
Lunch
Have it in Chaozhou.
Don't start walking Paifang Street immediately after eating.
Afternoon rest
Back to the hotel.
This is also Option B's biggest advantage:
Having a place where you can genuinely lie down for an afternoon rest.
For the elderly, this may be worth more than seeing two extra attractions.
Afternoon
Start with the Kaiyuan Temple, Paifang Street and Guangji Tower area.
If you're not in a hurry, sit down for a pot of gongfu tea whenever you get tired.
In the 2025 intangible cultural heritage tourism routes announced by Guangdong Province, the Chaozhou route also combines Paifang Street, Guangji Bridge and gongfu tea experiences — showing that the old town itself is best arranged around cultural experiences rather than a pure count of attractions.
Dinner
Eat in Chaozhou.
After dinner, if your parents still have energy, watch a bit of the night scenery.
If they're tired, go back to the hotel.
Walking intensity: moderate.
Where parents may get tired: Paifang Street and the Han River waterfront tend to make people "keep walking forward," and the actual step count may be higher than it feels.
Day 3: Chaozhou breakfast + old town top-up + departure
Morning
This morning is where Option B's value lies.
No need to travel from Shantou to Chaozhou again.
You can enjoy breakfast at ease, then visit places you didn't see the day before.
If your parents enjoy tea, you can simply cut down on attractions and find a comfortable place to sit.
Lunch
Decide based on your departure time.
Afternoon rest
If your departure is later, rest at the hotel or stay indoors.
Afternoon
Head to the airport or high-speed rail station.
Don't add a cross-city activity in the last two hours.
Dinner
If you're already on the way home, don't plan a fixed restaurant.
If you're leaving in the evening, eat early somewhere with convenient transport.
Walking intensity: low to moderate.
Where parents may get tired: After check-out you'll be moving with luggage, so use hotel luggage storage where possible — we don't recommend pulling suitcases through the old town.
Should you go to Nan'ao Island on a 3D2N trip?
Many first-time Chaoshan visitors struggle with this question.
The real question isn't "is Nan'ao worth it" — it's:
In your 3 days, is Nan'ao more important than Chaozhou or Shantou?
Situation
Should you go to Nan'ao?
How to adjust
Parents' first trip back to Chaoshan, focus on culture, food, old town
Not essential
Keep Shantou + Chaozhou
Family loves sea views, only mildly interested in Chaozhou
Yes
Replace Chaozhou with Nan'ao on Day 2
Travelling with elders over 70, prone to motion sickness or uncomfortable sitting long
Be cautious
Prioritise slow city travel
Travelling with children, mainly want to see the sea and play with sand
Can consider
Dedicate Day 2 to Nan'ao
Rain, strong wind or poor island conditions
Don't force it
Switch to Chaozhou or Shantou
Want to seriously explore Shantou, Chaozhou and Nan'ao all three
3 days is tight
Change to 4D3N
Ancestral home in Jieyang, Chaoyang, Chaonan etc., need to do a roots journey
Usually skip for now
Save time for the ancestral hometown
If you decide to go to Nan'ao, make it the core theme of a full day.
Don't arrange:
Chaozhou old town in the morning
Nan'ao in the afternoon
Back to Shantou for late-night supper in the evening.
This route connects on the map, but in reality it's not friendly for parents.
If you really want to go to Nan'ao, how should you change the 3D2N trip?
The simplest approach isn't to "add" — it's to "replace."
You can change it to:
Day 1: Shantou old town
Day 2: Nan'ao Island
Day 3: Half day in Shantou + departure
In this case, give up Chaozhou.
Or:
Day 1: Arrive in Shantou
Day 2: Nan'ao Island
Day 3: Half day in Chaozhou + departure
But the second option is only recommended if your departure time, transport direction and parents' stamina all work out.
If you can't bear to give up any of the three places, you can refer directly to How to visit Chaoshan for the first time? Classic 4D3N itinerary — that's more sensible than compressing four days of content into three.
How do you tell if a day is too packed when travelling with parents?
Here's a very simple method.
If a single day includes:
Two cities + two specific restaurants + four or five attractions + a night tour
It's usually already too packed.
When travelling with parents, leave at least one item each day that can be deleted.
For example:
If it's too hot, skip the second stretch of old streets;
If the afternoon nap runs long, drop one attraction;
If dinner takes a while, skip the night tour.
This kind of "white space" isn't wasted time.
It's part of the slow-travel itinerary.
What else should Singapore and Malaysia families prepare for a first visit?
Many families only realise once they arrive in Chaoshan that the most time-consuming things aren't attractions — they're:
Payments, maps, ride-hailing, internet and luggage.
We suggest having one family member handle all of this before departure:
Commonly used mainland China maps
Ride-hailing apps
Alipay or WeChat Pay
Hotel address in Chinese
Parents' passports and transport documents
Daily hotel contact numbers
Payment rules are information that changes.
As of 2026-10-03, this article does not lock in figures such as overseas bank card fees or limits. Before departure, you can check GoChinaNow's WeChat / Alipay International Credit Card Payment Guide, and always refer to the rules published by WeChat Pay, Alipay and your card issuer at the time.
Should a 3D2N trip be DIY or with a private car charter?
If it's two adults familiar with maps and ride-hailing in mainland China, DIY is perfectly fine.
If it's:
A family of four to eight
Travelling with elderly
Travelling with young children
Multiple large pieces of luggage
A roots journey
Not wanting parents to frequently get in and out of vehicles looking for cars
A local private car charter is more convenient.
But the point of a car charter isn't to "squeeze in more attractions."
On the contrary, the truly parent-friendly use is to make the route easier to stop, to head back to the hotel early when tired, and to cut the itinerary when the weather changes.
GoChinaNow's existing 3D2N routes also focus on Shantou and Chaozhou; for parent-friendly families, we recommend reducing stops on the existing route rather than adding cities.
Chaoshan 3D2N slow travel FAQ
Q1: Where's the most recommended place to stay for a 3D2N Chaoshan trip with parents?
If you want the least hassle, stay in Shantou both nights.
If your parents have good stamina and want to slowly enjoy Chaozhou old town at night, you can do 1 night in Shantou and 1 night in Chaozhou.
Q2: Can you visit Shantou, Chaozhou and Nan'ao all in 3D2N?
Technically it can be arranged, but this slow-travel itinerary doesn't recommend it.
Especially with elderly and children, we suggest choosing one focus between Chaozhou and Nan'ao.
Q3: Should you allocate a day for Jieyang?
For a standard first sightseeing trip, there's no need to add Jieyang just to increase the city count.
If your ancestral home is in Jieyang, Puning, Jiexi etc., then the roots journey should take priority over ordinary attractions.
Q4: Parents around 70 — is Chaozhou old town suitable?
In most cases yes, but we suggest breaking up the walking, arranging a rest after lunch, and reducing continuous lane exploration.
Suitability also depends on individual knees, heart and lung conditions, and that day's temperature.
Q5: Is Nan'ao Island suitable for the elderly?
It depends on whether they're used to longer car rides, frequent getting in and out, and island weather.
If they're prone to motion sickness, have back or leg discomfort, or aren't very interested in sea views, you can skip it.
Q6: If you only have 3 days but want to see everything, what should you do?
First decide what you want most:
Culture and food, or the island.
For the former, choose Shantou + Chaozhou;
For the latter, choose Shantou + Nan'ao.
If you want to seriously explore all three areas, 4D3N is more suitable.
The most important thing about a 3D2N trip isn't "how much you saw" — it's whether your parents still have energy on Day 3
When bringing your parents to Chaoshan, whether the itinerary is well arranged can't be judged only by how many checkmarks are on the map.
Day 1 eat comfortably;
Have somewhere to rest in the afternoon;
No need to rush through Chaozhou;
When tired at night, head straight back to the hotel;
Still have energy on the last day for breakfast and buying some souvenirs.
A 3D2N trip like this is usually more suitable for family travel than writing all four city names into the itinerary.
If you need to plan airport transfers, hotels, private car charter, parents' walking intensity or roots arrangements together, you can contact GoChinaNow to adjust the 3D2N plan based on your actual arrival and departure times; if you can already handle transport and accommodation yourself, you can absolutely just use the two itineraries above to arrange it on your own.