Heathrow to Guangzhou

Canton and on with China Southern

At first glance, bustling Guangzhou seems a typical 21st Century Chinese metropolis, yet look behind the high-rise cityscape and you'll find history and tradition stretching back centuries.

And now, with direct flights from Heathrow, it's rapidly becoming an attractive gateway to Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia too.

• Read our in-depth travel guide to Guangzhou
• Find fares and flights from London to Guangzhou
• Book Guangzhou hotels with us

From China Southern's hub at modern Baiyun Airport it's easy to travel on to Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth or Sydney, or connect to Asian destinations including Japan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

But China's third-largest city is a destination in its own right too, and well worth seeing if you have the chance.

Once known to westerners as Canton, this historic trading centre has excellent shopping, energetic nightlife and world-renowned cuisine – eating out here can feel as familiar or adventurous as you like.

Visitors shouldn't miss Chimelong theme park, the ancient Buddhist Temple of the Six Banyan Trees, or a cable car ride up to Baiyun Mountain.

China Southern flies three times a week from Heathrow to Guangzhou.