Where to Stay in Old Guangzhou?
8 Heritage Hotels on Shamian Island & Liwan, by the Pearl River

We open the list with the riverfront icon Guangzhou has loved since 1983, and the highest-scoring old-town hotel here — if you want to stay on Shamian Island among the colonial buildings, White Swan Hotel scores 9.6/10 from over 8,547 real reviews, compiled from real guest reviews, one of the highest-rated, most-reviewed luxury hotels in the city. It sits on the Pearl River on Shamian Island, famous for the waterfall and garden in its atrium and for the Cantonese dim sum guests mention again and again. The praise is consistent: the river views, the island setting, warm attentive service and superb Cantonese food. The honest caveat is that it's a heritage property — some parts feel more classic than the glassy new-town hotels — and the island setting means a short walk or taxi to the Metro and the new-town side.

If you want to stay on Shamian Island like the White Swan but for less, this is the answer — Guangdong Victory Hotel scores 9.4/10 from around 4,503 real reviews, compiled from real guest reviews. It's a heritage property in a European-style building that has stood on Shamian Island for a long time, with some wings restored to keep the colonial-era feel. Guests praise the quiet island setting, the good air and the leafy calm, the easy walks to Shamian and Shangxiajiu, the helpful service, and the value for a riverside location. The honest caveat: it's an older building — some rooms in the original wing are small and more classic than a new hotel, some reviews would like parts of the rooms refreshed — and it doesn't yet have its own review page on our site (tap the booking button for live rates).

Want international five-star comfort but still in the heart of the old Xiguan quarter? This is the best fit on the list — voco Guangzhou Shifu by IHG scores 9.3/10 from around 3,487 real reviews, compiled from real guest reviews. It's a five-star IHG hotel on Dishifu Rd, right by Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, renovated in 2024 with spacious 33–83 sqm rooms. Guests praise the large clean modern rooms, the location you can walk straight into Shangxiajiu and Yongqingfang from, the helpful service and the value for the tier. The honest caveat: it's a new modern building, not a genuine heritage property like the Shamian hotels (though the location is the real old quarter), the Shangxiajiu area is busy and lively, and it doesn't yet have its own review page on our site (tap the booking button for live rates).

A three-star JI pick in the heart of the old town on the Yuexiu side that walks to the sights all day — JI Hotel Beijing Road (Dade Rd) scores 9.5/10 from over 2,839 real reviews, compiled from real guest reviews. The JI brand (全季), part of Huazhu, is minimalist and reliable; it's a short walk from Beijing Road Pedestrian Street (the archaeological glass-floored old road) and the Sacred Heart Cathedral, with Gongyuanqian on Lines 1/2 nearby. Guests praise the superb old-town location you can walk from, spacious well-equipped rooms, cleanliness, helpful staff, the value and the easy transport. The honest caveat: the pedestrian-street area is busy, and as a midscale it has no resort facilities.

A three-star with the top score in the midscale group, for travellers who care most about value in the old-town centre — HanTing Hotel Yuexiu Park scores 9.6/10 from over 1,405 real reviews, compiled from real guest reviews. It's a Hanting (Huazhu) hotel near Yuexiu Park, Guangzhou's largest central park, close to the Five Rams statue and the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, with Yuexiu Park on Line 2 walkable. Guests praise the clean, simple rooms, the excellent value, the convenient transport and being able to walk to the park and the old town. The honest caveat: it's a light-budget three-star, so rooms aren't large and there are no luxury amenities, and it doesn't yet have its own review page on our site (tap the booking button for live rates).

A light-budget three-star in a central old-town spot on Beijing Road — Vienna Hotel's Beijing Road branch scores 9.0/10 from over a thousand real reviews, compiled from real guest reviews. It's a short walk from Beijing Road Pedestrian Street, ~650 m from the Nanyue Palace site and ~5 minutes from the Peasant Movement Institute, with several metro lines nearby for easy airport and high-speed-rail access. Guests praise the bargain price in a prime old-town walking location, the simple clean rooms and the convenient transport. The honest caveat we'll state plainly: it's a basic three-star — compact rooms, simple amenities, and finishes that don't match the design midscale chains — but if you want an old-town location on a tight budget, this is a strong fit.

If you love old buildings and want to actually sleep in a historic riverfront landmark, this is the pick with a story — Aiqun Hotel scores 7.8/10 from around 651 real reviews, compiled from real guest reviews. It's a 1937 Art-Deco building, 15 floors, that was the tallest in Guangzhou for decades, on the north bank of the Pearl River by Haizhu Square. Guests praise the historical character, the riverfront location in the heart of the old town, the value, and the river views from some rooms. The honest caveat: it's a very old building — rooms and facilities are older than a new hotel, and some reviews mention room smell and condition that could be improved, which is why it scores below the design-midscale group. Choose it for the heritage character and the river view, not for being new — and it doesn't yet have its own review page on our site (tap the booking button for live rates).

We close the list with the lightest budget on Shamian Island, for travellers who want to sleep among the colonial buildings on the river without paying White Swan rates — Shamian Hotel scores 7.8/10 from around 340 real reviews, compiled from real guest reviews. It's a small hotel on Shamian Island at 35 Shamian St. Guests praise the quiet island location, the good air, the relatively spacious rooms, the big bathroom with a powerful shower, and its use as a value base for exploring Shamian and Shangxiajiu. The honest caveat: it's a light-budget two-star with basic amenities, and some reviews would like the cleanliness / service standard tightened up — choose it because you want to be on Shamian Island on a tight budget, not for full facilities, and it doesn't yet have its own review page on our site (tap the booking button for live rates).