Guangdong · China
Dongguan travel guide
Dongguan is a city in Guangdong, China, home to about 10,467,000 people.
- Best months
- October to February
- Nearest airport
- SZX46 km · Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport
- Currency
- CNYrenminbi
- Time zone
- Asia/Shanghai
- Language
- Chinese, Putonghua, Standard Chinese
About
About Dongguan
Dongguan is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. An important industrial city in the Pearl River Delta, Dongguan borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, Shenzhen to the south, and the Pearl River to the west.
Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Dongguan
See
Dongguan has an exhibition center in Dongguan city, which hosts many exhibitions and conferences. There is also a sports center for locals. If you only have a day and want to stay in one area, you might start at Jin'aozhou Pagoda (金鳌洲塔), go east and see Keyuan Garden (可园), and then walk along Dongcheng Avenue (东城大道) for shopping and food. It is not too far to bar street, where you can check out some pretty hopping clubs.
- Dongguan Botanical Garden
- Dongguan Exhibition Center
- Dongguan Library
- Dongguan Museum
- Dongguan Numismatic Museum
- Dongguan Science & Technology Museum
- Jin'aozhou Pagoda
- Keyuan Museum
- Lingnan Museum of Fine Art
- Mount Shuilian Forest Park
- Qifeng Park
- Ying’en Gate Tower
Do
Most four star hotels will have various "foot" massages and sauna services for upwards of ¥150. Saunas and foot massage parlors might be brothels.
- The Spa at Hyatt Regency Dongguan
- Dongguan Yulan Theater
- Dongguan Basketball Center
- Longfeng Villa Film and Television Tourist Area
- Yinxian Resort
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Dongguan
2 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Dong Rong Hotel | 2.9 km | |
| Sunbelieve International Hotel | 3.3 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Dongguan
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Dongguan are October to February. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; June is the wettest, with about 406 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Dongguan: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX), about 46 km from the city centre in a straight line; Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN, 60 km) and Foshan Shadi Airport (FUO, 70 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
The Pearl River Delta has one of the largest concentrations of international airports in the world, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong.
Getting around
Unlike other Pearl River Delta cities, Dongguan is a very car-centric city — its car ownership is only slightly less than Shenzhen. Public transportation is therefore less developed than other cities, if not rarely used by car-owning locals. For travellers without a car, ride-hailing services are the best way to get around, as taxis are becoming rarer (if not virtually disappeared in some townships) due to fierce competition. If you decide to hail a taxi, a 30 minute ride should not cost more than ¥80. Be sure to only use the blue or yellow licensed taxis.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
SZX · Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport
CAN · Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
FUO · Foshan Shadi Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Dongguan
Eat
Dongguan is known for its Chinese sausages (腊肠 làcháng in Mandarin, laahpchéung in Cantonese), lychees (荔枝 lìzhī in Mandarin, laihjī in Cantonese) and roasted goose (烧鹅 shāo'é in Mandarin, sīungó in Cantonese). Most 5-star hotels offer buffets, these are around ¥30-60 for breakfast, ¥100-200 for lunch, and ¥100-300 for dinner. There are many expat-oriented western restaurants in the bar area, particularly on Dongcheng East road. Expect to pay the prices a bit higher than is typical for China, however (but generally cheaper than Hong Kong).
Drink
The most popular bars are on or around "Bar Street" (Jiǔbājiē) in Dongcheng. However, like many parts of China, various kinds of services are popular, including prostitution. One should be careful with local girls if they seem to be getting too friendly if you are not looking for such services. Beware of your drink, it is not unheard of foreigners being drugged and robbed. Beer at supermarkets should not cost more than ¥4 a bottle for Tsingtao. Red wine costs from ¥10 a bottle.
Stay safe
As anywhere, be careful. However, be more careful in Dongguan because the city is known to have a relatively high crime rate. Violent crime is more common here than in nearby cities; you can be robbed by thieves riding on motorcycles, especially in less populated areas, and despite the city government's total ban on motorcycles.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Dongguan: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Dongguan?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Dongguan are October to February. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; June is the wettest, with about 406 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Dongguan?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX), about 46 km from the city centre in a straight line; Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN, 60 km) and Foshan Shadi Airport (FUO, 70 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Dongguan?
renminbi (CNY).
Nearby
Destinations near Dongguan
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.