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Hi all,
At the beginning of Oct I will have ~6hr layover in Xiamen on my way home (from Shenyang so arriving domestically, departing international). Is that enough time to get into town and see/do anything and get back? Can anyone comment on prices and how long it will take to get into town using various methods.

I am scheduled to arrive at 3:30pm and depart at 9:40pm on a Thursday if it matters for traffic.

Thanks

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1

What do you want to do?
Gulangyu would be pretty tight
Downtown Xiamen is of moderate interest
Xiamen university is pleasant enough.

I would not bother with the BRT, it can be confusing for first timers. Take a taxi.

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Xiamen Airport is pretty centrally located. A taxi to the 'downtown' (say the Lundu area near Zhongshan Road) costs around 50 RMB or less if memory serves and takes less than 30 minutes in good traffic. There are also airport buses but if you want to max out your time take a cab. Assuming all is on time, you probably have 3 hours or so to look around downtown.

As above, Gulangyu is going to be too tight given your time frame. If you are just looking to get a feel for the city, head to Lundu (you could tell a cab to drop you off at the Lujiang Hotel) and explore the backstreets here - they have a lot of flavor. You can also look out on to Gulangyu (the rooftop of the Lujiang has an inexpensive restaurant with good views and there is also a Starbucks further south with a great balcony). If you do have time, another nice area is Minzu Road/Daxue Road near the university which has some nice old buildings, loads of cafes and boutiques and a hipster vibe.

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Thanks for the input. I'll have to build a bigger stopover into a future trip and get to Gulangyu and elsewhere in the area.

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