Using an eSIM in Guangzhou

What Guangzhou is like on a phone

Guangzhou has traded for centuries and still does. Many visitors come to buy, to inspect factories, or for the very large fair that runs in sessions and pulls people in from everywhere at once. Others come for the food, since this is the source of the Cantonese cooking Thai travellers already know. It is hot and humid most of the year with heavy rain in bursts. As elsewhere in the country, a travel eSIM roams onto a local network, and some overseas apps and sites may be unreachable unless you have made your own arrangements.

When you land

Most flights land at Baiyun (CAN) north of the city, an hour in by metro or taxi; turn the eSIM on in the cabin so registration finishes before the passport queue. Many people instead come from Hong Kong or Shenzhen by high-speed train into the vast station in the south, which takes a long time to walk out of. Note the metro station you are transferring to in advance rather than working it out on the concourse.

Where coverage changes

The city is thorough and every metro line works. Where it genuinely weakens is inside the multi-storey wholesale markets — solid buildings packed with tiny stalls — especially on the inner floors far from any window. The riverside and the bridges are open and good. During a fair session the area around the exhibition centre carries an unusual density of people and speeds sag in the opening and closing hours, so handle anything important outside those windows.

What a day here costs in data

A day here runs about 1–1.5GB, and buyers go well past that, photographing goods and sending them to the team at home all day. Long bursts of images are the single biggest consumer on a trip like this, so scale them down before sending unless full resolution is the point. The heat warms the handset and drains it fast, so carry a power bank and keep the phone out of direct sun while walking between buildings.

Districts travellers ask about

• Tianhe — The newer business district of towers, malls and hotels aimed at working visitors; strong throughout and fine for online meetings, with the station-linked basements slowing slightly at going-home hour.
• Yuexiu — The old city, with a big park, temples and long-standing shopping streets; generally fine, and in the narrow lanes where old buildings crowd together it softens without cutting out.
• Liwan — The western riverside of old arcades and long-established restaurants; the waterfront promenade is good, while the inner floors of the older multi-storey commercial blocks weaken.
• Haizhu and the fairgrounds — South of the river, home to the big exhibition halls; during a session the surrounding area fills and slows at peak hours, so download the floor plan and your badge to the device before you reach the gate.

Day trips out of the city

• Foshan — The neighbouring city, reached on the interurban metro line and connected almost all the way; the ceramics quarter and the furniture plants are large buildings where the inside is weaker than the street, so pin the factory before you set off.
• Kaiping and its watchtower villages — Villages of old fortified towers about two hours southwest on country roads; the main roads are served, while the fields between them and the thick-walled towers themselves weaken. Download the area map before you go.
• Conghua hot springs — Hill country north of the city where people stay a night; the resort area works while the climbing roads and forest paths break up. Tell whoever is waiting when you expect to be back, and check road conditions on the official notices during heavy rain.