CAN layover
A layover in Guangzhou (CAN)
The city is 45 min–1h 10m from Baiyun each way, so budget around 2.3 hours of travel for the round trip before immigration and security. Guangzhou is a 240-hour visa-free transit port for passport holders of 57 countries flying on to a third country with a confirmed onward ticket. Baiyun is a large airport with several terminals; be back 2.5 hours before departure.
- 0–8hStay airside
- 8–14hZhujiang New Town and the Canton Tower
- 14–24hShamian Island and old Guangzhou
Checked against sources:· How we verify
Can you leave the airport?
That depends on your passport and ticket. Check the official rules before you plan anything outside the terminal:
We link the official sources rather than summarise entry rules, because they change and differ by nationality.
Conditions at Baiyun now
Raw METAR
0–8 hours
Stay airside
Under eight hours, the metro ride into the city and the immigration formalities both ways leave too little time. Check which terminal your onward flight uses and rest near its gates.
8–14 hours
Zhujiang New Town and the Canton Tower
Ride the metro to Zhujiang New Town for the riverfront skyline and the Canton Tower across the Pearl River. It is the easiest area to reach and leave again on one metro line.
14–24 hours
Shamian Island and old Guangzhou
Add Shamian Island's tree-lined colonial streets and a Cantonese dim sum meal in the old city. Visa-free transit requires an onward ticket to a third country: check the official list before you leave the airport.
Sources
- en.nia.gov.cn — 240-hour visa-free transit: eligible countries and ports
- en.nia.gov.cn — 240-hour visa-free transit conditions
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