Xiamen Gulanyu Island Free Tour: History & Food

Interesting Island History

Ben, our guide, is very easy to talk to. He contacted us ahead of time to help us to get the ferry tickets to go on the island. The ferry was cancelled on the day of the tour due to weather conditions (fog). When the ferry re-opened around 11am, he was very nice to agree to reschedule the tour so we can visit the island on our last day. The island is pretty big, up and downs. Ben was able to talk about the history of this island, why it was an important port in ancient time. He is very knowledgeable. One of the highlights was that we stopped by one of the best dessert shop for some traditional TangShui (you can choose the soup base, whether milk or sweetened water with various toppings), where we could take a rest and social a bit. Our only complaint was that at the end of the tour, we all got pretty tired and there were some periods of time we just walked in silence which was a bit awkward. All in all, it’s a nice tour and the island itself definitely deserved to be visited/toured.

Ryan Wischmeyer · April 2026

Xiamen Gulanyu Island Free Tour by Chen Bin

We had an insightful walking tour with Bin. Prior to the walking tour, he gave us clear instructions on the location of the ferry to board. As we were unable to purchase the ferry tickets, he purchased them on our behalf. Bin speaks excellent English and it was a delight to walk around the island. He patiently waited for us when we decided to visit Gulangyu Organ Museum (his recommendation) and subsequently 12noon pipe organ performance at the Organ Arts Center. Thanks Bin for making this island tour a memorable one

David Hor · January 2026