Xiamen
Xiamen, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait.
Xiamen, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, Haicang, and Xiang'an. All together, these cover an area of 1,700.61 square kilometers (656.61 sq mi) with a population of 5,163,970 as of 2020 and estimated at 5.365 million as of 31 December 2025. The urbanized area of the city has spread from its original island to include most parts of all six of its districts, as well as 4 Zhangzhou districts, which form a built-up area of 7,284,148 inhabitants. This area also connects with Quanzhou in the north, making up a metropolis of nearly ten million people. The Kinmen Islands (Quemoy) administered by the Republic of China (Taiwan) lie less than 6 kilometers (4 mi) away separated by Xiamen Bay. As part of the Opening Up Policy under Deng Xiaoping, Xiamen became one of China's original four special economic zones opened to foreign investment and trade in the early 1980s.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Xiamen
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Xiamen University
Xiamen University is a public university in Siming, Xiamen, Fujian, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China.
4.4 km · public research university in Xiamen, Fujian, China · Wikipedia - 02Xiamen International Centre
Xiamen International Center is a skyscraper under construction in Xiamen, China. The tower was topped out in April 2016 and finished in 2025.
2.3 km · building in Xiamen, China · Wikipedia - 03Roman Catholic Diocese of Xiamen
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Xiamen/Amoy/Hsíamen, Chinese: 廈門) is a diocese located in the city of Xiamen in the ecclesiastical province of Fuzhou in China.
1.6 km · diocese of the Catholic Church in China · Wikipedia - 04South Putuo Temple
South Putuo or Nanputuo is a famous Buddhist temple founded in the Tang dynasty in the Chinese city of Xiamen. It is so named because it is south of the Buddhist holy site Mount Putuo in Zhejiang Province.
4.1 km · building in Fujian, China · Wikipedia - 05Haicang Bridge
Haicang Bridge is a suspension bridge located in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China. Built in 1999, it has a main span of 648 meters.
2.8 km · bridge in Fujian, China · Wikipedia - 06Xinjie Christian Church
Xinjie Christian Church, is a Protestant church located in Siming District of Xiamen, Fujian, China.
2.9 km · church in Fujian, China · Wikipedia - 07Shimao Cross-Strait Plaza
Shimao Cross-Strait Plaza, also known as Shimao Straits Tower, Shimao MO Sky Mansion, and Xiamen Shimao Straits Mansion, is a skyscraper complex in Xiagang, Siming District, Xiamen, People's Republic of China. The project was completed in 2015, and the architect was Gensler.
4.6 km · skyscraper complex in Xiamen · Wikipedia - 08Xiamen Bridge
Xiamen Bridge is a highway cross-sea bridge on the northwest area of Xiamen Island, in Xiamen, Fujian, China. Construction took place from October 1, 1987 to April 1991, and the bridge was opened to vehicular traffic in May.
9 km · bridge between Jimei and Gaoqi · Wikipedia - 09Church of Christ the King
Church of Christ the King located in Xiamen, on Gulangyu Island, China, is a former cathedral and a World Heritage Site. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Xiamen.
4.3 km · Roman Catholic cathedral · Wikipedia - 10Xiamen University Libraries
Xiamen University Library was established in 1921. The famous librarian Qiu Kaiming served as the first director, Mr.
4.6 km · building in Xiamen University Libraries, China · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do
Xiamen is host to many influential trade shows. A majority of the Xiamen exhibitions are located at the Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center (XICEC). The China Xiamen Machinery and Electronics Exhibition (CXMEE), also called the Straits Fair since it is run as a joint venture with a Taiwanese organisation, is downtown (on Hubin Bei Lu) in the Spring.
From Wikivoyage: Xiamen, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
For restaurant listings, see the district articles. Here we list some local specialties that may be worth looking for. Shacha noodles (沙茶面 shāchá miàn) — Likely the most famous dish in Xiamen, the Minnan reading sa-te mi hints at their origin: the peanutty broth originates from the Malay satay.
From Wikivoyage: Xiamen, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Xiamen
- Airports
- Xiamen Gaoqi (XMN), 8 km · Quanzhou Jinjiang (JJN), 62 km · Penghu Magong (MZG), 186 km
- Stations
- Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, 8.2 km · Xiamen railway station, 2.5 km · Port of Xiamen, 2.6 km · Xiamen Gaoqi Railway Station, 7 km
- Quanzhou → Xiamen70 km · quickest by road, 1h 38m · ¥33–45
- Jieyang (Rongcheng) → Xiamen204 km · quickest by road, 3h 49m · ¥95–130
- Fuzhou (Changle) → Xiamen220 km · quickest by road, 3h 41m · ¥100–130
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Xiamen
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Xiamen. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inHowever, these take a circuitous routing and can be rather expensive; consider flying into Kinmen and taking a ferry to Xiamen instead.
- Get inFrom Shenzhen, one can cross to Hong Kong, change trains for Guangzhou, or take a ferry to Zhuhai.
- Get inA boat service operates from Xiamen's Wutong ferry terminal (五通客运码头) to and from Kinmen's Shuitou port, which is under Taiwanese control, hourly 08:30-19:00 every day.
- Get aroundThere is a frequent ferry service to/from Gulangyu.
- Get aroundNon-Xiamen residents have to take the ferry from Dongdu Wharf, accessible via taxi or bus #51.
From Wikivoyage: Xiamen, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 0129 km
- 02267 km
- 03444 km
- 04608 km
- 05946 km
If you know how people move in Xiamen – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Xiamen
Xiamen is 44 km from Zhangzhou, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.
- Haicang Districtdistrict of China6.1 km
- Siming Districtdistrict of Xiamen, Fujian Province, China2.8 km
- Huli Districtdistrict of China3.6 km