Where to Stay in Xiamen's Old Town?
8 Hotels by Zhongshan Road — Walk to the Gulangyu Ferry + Bashi Market

We start with the main pick for the area — the hotel whose location best fits anyone wanting to stay in the old town by the harbour, and the most-reviewed on the list. Hotel Indigo Xiamen Harbour scores 9.4/10 from around 9,184 real guest reviews. It's an IHG design hotel on the Lujiang Road harbour facing Gulangyu Island. Guests say the same thing over and over about the bay-view rooms looking out at Gulangyu Island and the ferries, wall-to-wall glass, and a location a few minutes' walk from the Zhongshan Road pedestrian street and the Bashi market, so it doubles as an old-town base, with a walk to the Gulangyu ferry and metro Line 1 at Zhenhai Road, plus Indigo's distinctive design that tells local stories. The honest catch: the city-view rooms are cheaper but miss the island view (specify a Gulangyu view + book ahead), it's on the harbour-side road that's busy with visitors by day, and it's a design hotel — lovely rooms, but not a full-facility resort.

If you measure purely by a harbour-side location, this is the number one in the area, and it holds the highest score on the list — Lujiang Harbourview Hotel (鹭江宾馆) scores 9.6/10 from around 3,736 real guest reviews on Trip.com. It's a historic Xiamen landmark, open since 1958 and freshly restored in 2025, right at the corner of Zhongshan Road by the harbour. Guests talk about the location facing the Gulangyu ferry pier head-on — a few minutes' walk and you're on the boat to the island — the high-floor harbour-view rooms looking out at Gulangyu and the ferries, and the 7th-floor panoramic restaurant that locals love for the island view, with a few minutes' walk to the Zhongshan Road pedestrian street and the Bashi market. The honest catch: it's a long-established hotel, so some parts feel classic rather than as modern as recent openings (even after the restoration), the city-view rooms are cheaper but miss the harbour view (specify an island-view room when you book), and it doesn't have our own in-depth review yet — the score is from Trip.com.

If you're on a mid-range budget but want to stay right by the pedestrian street, this is a value pick with a surprisingly high score — HanTing Premium Hotel (汉庭优佳), the Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street branch, scores 9.5/10 from around 1,510 real guest reviews on Trip.com. It's a budget-to-mid chain hotel with the edge purely on location. Guests talk about the location ~230m from the Zhongshan Road pedestrian street, good food right on your doorstep, plus a walk to the Gulangyu ferry and the Bashi market, and metro Line 1 at Zhenhai Road about 830m away, with clean HanTing-standard rooms at a fraction of a five-star — it even scores higher than several pricier hotels. The honest catch: it's a budget chain focused on value rooms, without the facilities of a big hotel (no full pool / gym), the pedestrian-street area is busy by day, and it doesn't have our own in-depth review yet — the score is from Trip.com.

A mid-range chain pick that's newer than the rest, freshly renovated in 2026 and on Zhongshan Road itself — JI Hotel (季季酒店), the Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street branch, scores 9.4/10 from around 741 real guest reviews on Trip.com. It's a mid-range chain hotel in the Zhonghua City building on Zhongshan Road. Guests talk about the location on Zhongshan Road itself, about 340m to the pedestrian-street stretch, and rooms that are spacious and new after the 2026 renovation, with a walk to the Gulangyu ferry and the Bashi market, metro Line 1 at Zhenhai Road nearby, a Chinese-style breakfast, and staff who get praise for being helpful. The honest catch: the review sample is still smaller than other hotels (~741), some reviews note the soundproofing isn't great (the pedestrian-street area is busy), and it doesn't have our own in-depth review yet — the score is from Trip.com.

If you want a luxury five-star but still in Siming with an easy Line 1 ride to the Zhongshan Road area, this is the answer — Conrad Xiamen scores 9.4/10 from around 6,675 real guest reviews. It's a Conrad (Hilton) hotel on floors 37–54 of the Twin Towers 世茂海峡大厦 by the strait on the south side of the island. Guests talk about the sea-view rooms looking across the strait to Gulangyu Island and the sunset from up high, alongside Conrad-level service, spacious ~45 sqm rooms, and a location near Zhenhai Road on Line 1 — the same line as the Zhongshan Road area, a few stops to the old town — with a walk to Xiamen University and Nanputuo Temple. The honest catch: it's not in the Zhongshan Road area itself (a few stops on Line 1 / a taxi), the city-view rooms are cheaper but miss the strait view (specify Sea-View when you book), and it's a hotel inside a large office / retail tower so the lobby is high up by lift.

If you want a relaxed city-centre five-star with an outdoor pool, then an easy Line 1 ride into the Zhongshan Road area, this is worth a look — Marco Polo Xiamen scores 9.3/10 from around 2,676 real guest reviews. It's a classic international five-star on Yundang Lake (筼筜湖) in the heart of Siming. Guests talk about the garden and outdoor pool, which is rare for a city-centre five-star, plus a location next to Coffee Street, on the lake, and a walk to metro Line 1 for a ride to the Zhongshan Road area and the Gulangyu ferry a few stops away — a city base with a touch of resort calm. The honest catch: it's not in the Zhongshan Road area itself, so it's a Line 1 ride in; it's a lakeside city location, so no sea view like the Huandao zone; and the city-view rooms are cheaper but miss the lake view (specify Lake-View when you book).

Another international-brand five-star in the city centre on the lake, with an easy Lines 1/2 ride into the Zhongshan Road area — Pan Pacific Xiamen scores 9.3/10 from around 3,325 real guest reviews. It's a Pan Pacific (Singapore) hotel on Yundang Lake (筼筜湖) in the heart of Siming. Guests talk about the city-centre location that walks to Coffee Street, sits on the lake, and is near metro Lines 1/2 for an easy ride to the Zhongshan Road area and the Gulangyu ferry, making it a relaxed base for the city, plus international-brand service standards and a B Duck duck-themed family room the kids love. The honest catch: it's not in the Zhongshan Road area itself, so it's a metro ride in; it's a lakeside city location, so no sea view like the Huandao zone; and it's a hotel that's been open a while, so some corners aren't as new as recent openings.

We close the list with the hostel option — the cheapest on the list and on the Zhongshan Road pedestrian street itself, for budget travellers who want to stay in the old-town centre. Koala International Youth Hostel has both dorm beds from ¥80 and private rooms, scoring 8.6/10 from around 557 real guest reviews. It's in the city centre in Siming on the Zhongshan Road pedestrian street. Guests talk about the location that walks to good food on Zhongshan Road and to the Gulangyu ferry, the Bashi market and metro Line 1 (Zhenhai Road), making it a great-value old-town base on a budget, with dorms, private rooms, tatami rooms and queen rooms to fit your budget. The honest catch: it's a basic 2-star hostel with the basics — some rooms are small and soundproofing isn't great (the pedestrian-street area is busy by day) — and as a local property, foreign travellers should confirm passport check-in with the hostel before booking.