Getting there: airport, rail, Hong Kong and the last mile to Pazhou

At a glance

• Take the metro if you can. Police recommend Line 8 (Pazhou 琶洲 or Xingangdong 新港东) or Line 11 (Pazhou). Parking is scarce and cars without a fair pass cannot enter Areas A-D.
• Exit = Area. Areas A and D: Line 8 Xingangdong Exit A to Gate 6. Area B: Line 8 Pazhou Exit A/B to Gate 4, or Line 11 Pazhou Exit E/F to Gate 3. Area C: Line 8 Pazhou Exit C, then about 300 m west.
• Tap your Visa, Mastercard, Amex or JCB card directly on the metro gates; no ticket needed.
• From Baiyun Airport: intercity rail to Pazhou (reported 30-55 min), metro Line 3 + Line 8 (reported 60-90 min), the airport-fair express bus (airport departures 09:00-16:00) or a metered taxi (reported 40-70 min).
• From Hong Kong Airport: a ferry from SkyPier lands at Pazhou port, a 5-10 minute walk from the halls, without clearing Hong Kong immigration (check the ferry is running).
• Leaving by taxi or DiDi: go to the police-designated pickup zones (taxis 15:00-18:30, ride-hailing 16:00-19:00), not the hall doors.
• Taxis must use the meter; you pay tolls on top. Complaints: 12345.

1. Arrival options compared

Taxi times in this table come from a spring 2026 marketing guide measured to Xingangdong Exit F and exclude fair-day traffic.

2. Baiyun Airport to the fair

Option A: Intercity rail (fastest)

• The Pazhou intercity station connects to Baiyun Airport T3 and Guangzhou South.
• One September travel guide reports 30-55 minutes from T2 or T3 for a reported about USD 3-4. Check the live timetable and fare on 12306 before you travel.
• At Pazhou, intercity Exits K and J serve Area B. A 140th 3D layout image shows intercity exits G1, G2, H, J1, J2 and K on Huizhan Dong Road next to Gate 3. A station-finder screenshot puts the Pazhou intercity station about 1.0 km (15 min walk) from the app's complex-centre pin, not a platform-to-hall measurement. This is not confirmed.
• Line 11 and the intercity station connect underground; through-gates let you transfer with the Guangdong Intercity QR code. From Line 8 you must exit first (about 230 m from Line 8 Exit A to intercity Exit G1).

Option B: Metro Line 3 + Line 8 (cheapest)

• Route: from the airport take Line 3 (north extension) to Tiyu Xilu (体育西路), change to Line 3 southbound to Kecun (客村), then Line 8 to Xingangdong (Areas A/D) or Pazhou (Areas B/C).
• Reported time (one September travel guide): 60-75 minutes from T2, 75-90 minutes from T3.
• A travel guide gives about 9 RMB and says T3 passengers can use a free shuttle to Gaozeng station to join Line 3.
• One note questions whether the extra Line 3 change is still needed; check the current route in your map app.
• Fair-themed 1-day and 3-day metro tickets are sold at Airport North vending machines.

Option C: Airport-fair express bus

• Airport departures 09:00-16:00, from the airport's B Area Gate 11 and the T2 west coach station, also calling at T3.
• Fair departures 11:00-18:00 from the junction of Zhanchang Middle Road and Zhanchang South Road (展场中路与展场南路交界).
• Every 30-45 minutes normally; extra departures at peaks.
• Fare and journey time are not published.
• An older (133rd edition) timetable said 09:30 and T1; the 140th notice supersedes it.

Option D: Taxi

• Reported 40-70 minutes (one September travel guide). A September travel guide gives a reported roughly USD 20-26 to the complex.
• One 140th ride to Baiyun Airport, arranged by a local for a Brazilian buyer, cost a reported 57.7 RMB plus the expressway toll (one report; starting point not stated, not a fare guide).
• Taxis must use the meter and you pay applicable tolls. Do not agree a fixed price. Complaints: 12345; verified violations are usually investigated or refunded within 1 day.
• A bilingual "Guangzhou taxi info card" with a QR code for fare estimates and complaints is being handed out around the venue and in taxis.

Option E: DiDi (ride-hailing)

• Foreigners can use DiDi without a Chinese SIM or bank card: foreign mobile number plus international card, English interface, in-app message translation. Three ways in: the DiDi app (set region to Mainland China), the DiDi mini-program in Alipay, or WeChat > Services > Ride Hailing.
• Set an exact pickup point, check the plate and phone-number tail, and choose a larger vehicle for luggage.

Late-night arrivals

• The express bus does not run from the airport after 16:00.
• We have no sourced last-train time for the airport metro line or intercity. Plan on taxi or DiDi after late evening.
• Buyers on Facebook repeatedly ask about 01:30-03:00 arrivals; one rider reported 110 RMB for a premium DiDi at 3 a.m. to a Beijing Road hotel (date unknown).
• Baiyun T2 and T3 have Foreigner Facilitation Service Centres (payment, SIM, transport, tourism and fair information) and a 96158 assistance line. Whether the badge machines run around the clock is not stated.
• Private transfer ads quote "from 200" for a 5-seat car and "from 250" for a 7-seat car (currency not explicit, marketing).
• Two price lists from social media ads state RMB and are all-inclusive (fuel, tolls; one also parking). Airport to the city: 5-seat 200, 7-seat 250, 9-seat 400 RMB (posted Sep 30). Airport to Haizhu District, which includes Pazhou: 5-seat 230, 7-seat 300, 9-seat 450, 10-15 seat 550 RMB (posted Sep 8). These are "from" prices from two operators; the Sep 30 list excludes invoice tax, and the Sep 8 list explicitly warns that prices fluctuate during the Canton Fair. Check before you book.
• For luggage, the Sep 30 list counts 2-3 suitcases of 24 inches in a 5-seat car, 3-4 in a 7-seat car and 3-5 in a 9-seat van.

3. Railway stations to the fair

Guangzhou South (广州南站)

• Metro Line 2 to Changgang (昌岗), change to Line 8 for Xingangdong or Pazhou.
• Reported about 45 minutes by metro, 50 minutes in a spring guide.
• An intercity link Pazhou-Guangzhou South exists; a guide's "14-25 minutes" figure may refer to Panyu station rather than Guangzhou South, so check 12306.
• Taxi: about 36 minutes (spring guide measured to Xingangdong Exit F, excludes fair-day traffic); a September guide gives a reported 30-45 minutes and roughly USD 10-14.
• Badge collection point for new overseas buyers. Fair 1/3-day metro tickets sold at station vending machines.

Guangzhou East (广州东站)

• Line 3 to Kecun, change to Line 8. One source gives 30-35 minutes.
• A hotel note shows a direct Line 11 route of about 15 minutes; this excludes fair exit queues and railway security. Check before relying on it.

Guangzhou Railway Station (广州站)

• Line 2 to Changgang, change to Line 8.

4. From Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Macao

Hong Kong Airport by ferry

• Ferries link HKIA SkyPier with Pazhou port. International arrivals at HKIA do not need to clear Hong Kong immigration or reclaim bags: check in at counter E2 and bags go straight to Pazhou.
• Ticket check closes 30 minutes before sailing; no airline restriction for the sea leg.
• Pazhou Hong Kong/Macao Ferry Terminal (琶洲港澳客运口岸), No. 499 Yuejiang Zhong Road, is next to the fair: 5-10 minutes on foot to the halls.
• At the port: dedicated Canton Fair customs lanes and a badge desk; a 2F multi-currency exchange counter, FX machines and a mobile operator desk selling SIM cards; a temporary port-visa service for invitation holders Oct 12-Nov 11.
• Check the ferry is running. A Reddit post on Sep 17 reported the Pazhou-HKIA ferry suspended from Sep 1 for maintenance with no reopening date; this is not proof of an October closure. Ferry times and fares need live operator confirmation.

Hong Kong city

• Ferries from downtown Hong Kong also serve Pazhou.
• High-speed rail West Kowloon to Guangzhou South: 141 km, fastest about 47 minutes, 55-60 trains a day (06:32-21:32), second class about 185-215 RMB, with co-located exit and entry checks at West Kowloon. Check 12306.
• Door to door to the fair, allow 2-2.5 hours.
• A Reddit traveller recalled about one hour on the train and about 100 RMB for an HK-Huadu bus, with difficulty buying tickets.
• Remember Hong Kong and mainland immigration are separate; a Hong Kong visa does not cover the mainland.

Going back to Hong Kong from the fair

• In-fair check-in for 8 airlines (including Cathay Pacific, HK Airlines, Greater Bay, HK Express, Thai, Singapore Airlines, EVA, China Airlines), free baggage delivery for travellers leaving via Pazhou or Nansha ports within set windows, and cross-border shuttle buses to HKIA.
• A service counter in Area A (counter 3-6) run with the Airport Authority and Cathay Pacific handles flight check-in, ferry tickets and enquiries; ferry tickets are also sold at Area B and C ticket centres. Confirm the counter location on site.

Shenzhen

• From Jul 27, 2026 an intercity express runs Pazhou to Shenzhen Airport without changing: fastest about 60 minutes, 54 RMB, tickets on 12306.
• A Reddit thread asked why only "standing" tickets appeared; commenters said unreserved tickets let you take any free seat. Check before you travel.
• China Southern or China Eastern passengers may get free intercity rail or bus tickets from Shenzhen Airport to Guangzhou. Check eligibility with the airline.

Macao

• The Pazhou port is a Hong Kong/Macao passenger port, but no source in this research confirms a current Pazhou-Macao sailing. Not confirmed.

5. The metro at Pazhou: stations, exits and transfers

Exit-to-gate guide (show this to yourself, not the driver)

• A site map posted Oct 13 confirms these pairings: Line 11 E/F by Gate 3 on Huizhan Dong Road, Line 8 A/B just south of Gate 4 on Xingang Dong Road, a Line 8 Exit A icon by Gate 6, and Line 8 Exit C east of Area C (near Hall 16.4). An exit infographic posted Oct 14 gives the same table (A/D: Xingangdong A; B: Pazhou A/B; C: Pazhou C; Line 11: Pazhou E/F).
• A photo of the Guangzhou Metro exit screen inside Pazhou station (Oct 16) labels Line 11 Exit E as Huizhan East Road (会展东路) and "Area B of the Canton Fair Complex" (广交会展馆B区), with bus B7 and the Haizhu tram stop nearby.
• From Gate 6 to Xingangdong Exit A is short: an Amap walking screenshot shows about 100 m straight line, 160 m on foot, about 3 minutes, heading west along Xingang Dong Road.
• Line 8 Pazhou uses Exits A-D; Line 11 Pazhou uses Exits E-F.
• A buyer on Oct 16 found Line 11 Exit E less crowded for Area B; one commenter says it is about one minute from Gate 3. These are single observations.
• One note sends badge applicants to Pazhou Exit B for the Area B badge entrance. Check on site.

Changing between Line 8 and Line 11 at Pazhou

• It is an out-of-station transfer: walk the covered ground-level walkway (about 220 m) between Line 8 Exit A and Line 11 Exit F, and use the blue transfer gates. A 140th transit infographic flags the same point ("与8号线需站外换乘").
• Re-enter within 30 minutes and it counts as one journey; single-journey tokens are not swallowed. If you tap a blue gate by mistake, ask staff.

Timetables (140th fair release)

• During the fair, Lines 4 and 8 run special timetables and Lines 4, 8 and 11 add 1-10 extra trains; empty trains are injected at Xingangdong, Pazhou and Wanshengwei at evening peaks. Operating hours are not extended.

Paying for the metro

• Overseas Visa, Mastercard, Amex and JCB contactless cards work directly at the gates. About 9,000 turnstiles in Guangzhou accept international cards. Use the same card or phone to enter and exit.
• Alipay's transit QR code also works.
• Fair passes: 1-day and 3-day fair tickets from vending machines at Guangzhou South, Pazhou, Xingangdong and Airport North; a limited 5-day ticket is sold only inside the fair. Prices not published. A commenter says the 5-day pass is sold in Hall 6.1. Check on site.
• Reported standard passes as of Aug 2026 (secondary; confirm at the station): 24-hour 20 RMB, 72-hour 50 RMB (clock starts at first entry); single fares 2-20 RMB.

Help at the station

• Pazhou station's service desk has English-speaking staff, phone chargers, raincoats, umbrellas and route maps; at peaks staff by the ticket machines help with small change.
• 118 translation devices at the Pazhou information desk.
• Rain canopies at Pazhou Exits A, B, E, F and Xingangdong Exit A; a "Meeting Point" outside Pazhou Exit F.

Avoiding the evening crush

• Take Line 11 rather than Line 8 between 17:00 and 18:00.
• Walk to Chisha station (赤沙站, Line 11) to skip the Pazhou and Xingangdong queues.
• Line 8 connects to Line 4 at Wanshengwei, Line 18 at Modiesha (express to Tianhe CBD/Xiancun in about 10 minutes), Line 3 at Kecun and Line 2 at Changgang.

6. Buses, tram, ferry and shuttles

• Fair-Liuhua Road custom bus (广交会展馆-流花路定制公交): boards on Zhanchang Middle Road (展场中路); days 1-4 of each phase 15:00-19:00, day 5 13:00-17:00; 10 buses; fare 10 RMB. Liuhua Road is the downtown hotel area.
• Driverless demonstration bus: 11:00-16:00 every 15 minutes, loop Shangri-La Hotel, Pazhou metro Exit E, fair bus stop, Modiesha, Pazhou bus stop; 9.4 km, 5 buses; fare not stated.
• City buses stopping at the complex include 137, 229, 239, 262, 304, 461, 582, 762, B7 and University Town Line 3, with extra buses at peaks; another list gives 763 instead of 762. 15 standby buses wait on Zhanchang Middle Road from 15:00 for the Liuhua Road direction.
• Hotel shuttles: the city bus group runs 46 hotel-to-fair routes for 44 hotels with 126 vehicles. Get the pickup point, first/last departure and areas served in writing. One Phase 1 shuttle broke down on an elevated road; exhibitors report about 1 hour back to their hotel by coach.
  • One timetable we could read (Nanyang King's Gate Hotel, Tianhe; image posted Oct 21 by a hotel-deal account): hotel departures 07:00-09:00 in Phase 2 and 07:30-08:30 in Phase 3; return from the fair 17:40-18:30 from the hotel-bus parking on Zhanchang South Road by Area B (bay B1582); no return bus on the last day of each phase (Oct 27, Nov 4); guests only, show your room card; the bus leaves when full. Not confirmed.
• Tram: Haizhu Tram Line 1 runs Canton Tower-Wanshengwei along Yuejiang Road, near Areas A, B and D. A station-finder screenshot gives the Huizhanzhong (会展中) tram stop as 812 m (12 min) from the complex centre, versus 473 m (7 min) for Xingangdong Exit A.
• Water: the site map shows an Exhibition Center Wharf (会展中心码头) and the Pazhou Ferry Terminal for Hong Kong/Macao; some hotels (White Swan) run their own boat shuttles.
• Help on the street: bus marshals 07:00-19:00 at Pazhou Bridge South, Pazhou Station, the Canton Fair Complex stop and Exhibition Wharf; English-speaking youth volunteers 15:00-19:00 on Zhanchang Middle Road.

7. Taxi and ride-hailing at the fair (police notice of Oct 14)

The Guangzhou police notice of Oct 14 is the most recent official rule and overrides earlier transport-bureau lists. Follow on-site signs if they differ.

• Do not ask the driver to come to a gate at closing time; book the car to one of the four zones above.
• At least 2,000 taxis and ride-hailing cars combined are deployed daily (official); one report splits this as 2,000 taxis plus 300 ride-hailing cars.
• A charter operator claims closing-time taxi queues of 30-60 minutes (marketing). A spring visitor queued nearly an hour after choosing the wrong exit.
• A spring 2026 visitor reports that at closing time ride-hailing cars could not get into the roads around Xingangdong station, and walked from Gate 6 to the metro instead. This is one first-hand report, not an official rule.
• Avoid touts. Police are cracking down on illegal ride touting; a spring visitor was quoted 150 RMB near Gate 3 for a ride they expected to cost about 20 RMB. Do not use unlicensed "black" cars.

8. Road closures and driving

Mostly applies to local drivers and charter vehicles:

• Areas A, B, C and D are closed to vehicles without a Canton Fair vehicle pass; visitor parking inside needs a permit.
• From 08:00 to 11:00 Gate 8 lets other vehicles pass via Zhanchang West Road.
• Trucks without a fair pass are banned at morning and evening peaks inside the Keyun Road / Fengpu Middle Road / South China Expressway / Yuejiang Middle Road zone.
• E-bikes and bicycles are banned from the Pazhou core in daytime: 06:30-19:30 on opening day, 07:30-19:30 on other days.
• Parking near the venue is very limited; live availability is in the Chinese-language "Guangzhou Parking" (广州泊车) WeChat mini-program.
• A report says the restriction on non-Guangzhou number plates is lifted Oct 15-Nov 4. Check before you drive.
• Temporary road controls can change day to day.

9. Show this to your driver

师傅您好，请打表，送我去： 广交会展馆（中国进出口商品交易会展馆） 广州市海珠区阅江中路382号

Areas A or D: 请在6号门（新港东路）即停即走下车 Area B: 请在5号门即停即走下车 (Gate 5 is a signed stop-and-go bay; pairing with Area B is inferred, confirm on site) Area C: 请在10号门即停即走下车 (Gate 10 is a signed stop-and-go bay; pairing with Area C is inferred, confirm on site)

谢谢！

(English: "Hello, please use the meter and take me to the Canton Fair Complex (China Import and Export Fair Complex), No. 382 Yuejiang Zhong Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou. Please drop me at the stop-and-go bay at Gate 6 / Gate 5 / Gate 10. Thank you.")

Gate 5 sits south of the Central Platform between Areas A and B, and Gate 10 on the north edge of Area C, per the site map.

For a ride-hailing pickup at closing time, set the pickup to: 广交会堂 / 琶洲大道东（会展东路口往东100米） / 会展南二路 / 会展南三路

Ferry terminal: 广州琶洲港澳客运口岸，阅江中路499号 Metro stations: 琶洲站 (Pazhou), 新港东站 (Xingangdong), 赤沙站 (Chisha)

Do / Don't

Do

• Use the metro exit for your Area (table in section 5).
• Leave before 16:30 or after 19:00 if you can.
• Book ride-hailing to a designated zone between 16:00 and 19:00.
• Check ferry, intercity and express-bus details on the day; fares and timetables are not all published.

Don't

• Don't negotiate a flat taxi fare or take a touted car.
• Don't plan to drive to the fair or park nearby.
• Don't rely on the 09:00-16:00 airport bus for a late arrival.

Still to confirm

• Pickup zones: the Oct 13 transport-bureau release lists taxi stands at Zhanchang Middle Road, Zhanchang West Road and Huizhan South 2nd Road and DiDi pickups at Zhanchang Middle Road, Huizhan South 3rd Road, outside Gate 3 and Canton Fair Hall, with a Gate 5 drop lane; the Oct 14 police notice (used above) differs. Another repost gives the DiDi window as 16:30-19:00 instead of 16:00-19:00. One guide says taxis load only at Area A Zhanchang Middle Road and Area C east rank. Follow the police notice and on-site signs.
• Airport express bus: fare and journey time unpublished. A marketing infographic only confirms a round-trip fair express exists.
• Hotel shuttles on the last day: one hotel timetable says no return bus on Oct 27 and Nov 4; we do not know whether this applies to other hotels or to the city bus group's 46 routes.
• Intercity: live timetables and fares for Oct 23-27 and Oct 31-Nov 4 not checked; the "14-25 min from Guangzhou South" figure may be Panyu station.
• HKIA-Pazhou ferry: reported suspended from Sep 1 (Reddit, Sep 17); no current confirmation either way.
• Pazhou Exit A: one 2025 visitor called it far from all areas; official guidance uses it for Area B and the Line 11 transfer.
• Pazhou station lines: one note says Lines 8 and 18; official sources say Lines 8 and 11.
• Bus route 762 vs 763 at the complex stop.
• Late-night public transport from the airport: no sourced last-train times.
• Macao sailings from Pazhou: not confirmed.

Official sources

• Area A/D: Line 8 Xingangdong Exit A → Gate 6. Area B: Line 8 Pazhou A/B → Gate 4; Line 11 Pazhou E/F → Gate 3. Area C: Line 8 Pazhou C, a...
• Line 8 Pazhou entrances A/B/C/D; Line 11 Pazhou E/F. Lines are currently an OUTSIDE-STATION transfer, Line 8 A to Line 11 F via covered w...
• Guangzhou metro supports direct international-card taps using Mastercard/Amex/Visa/JCB; fair 1/3-day tickets at Guangzhou South/Pazhou/Xi...
• Gates 5/6/10 have temporary stop-and-go passenger bays. Taxi pickup 15:00–18:30: Huizhan Middle Road passage 2 and southbound right lanes...
• Police restrict Areas A/B/C/D vehicle access to Canton Fair vehicle-pass holders; Gate 8 permits public vehicles to borrow Zhanchang West...
• Ride-hailing pickup 16:00–19:00: Canton Fair Hall; eastbound Pazhou Avenue East 100m east of Huizhan East junction; Huizhan South 2nd Rd;...
• Airport–fair express: airport departures 09:00–16:00; fair departures 11:00–18:00; ordinary interval 30–45 min, demand-based at peaks. Fa...
• Tram runs Canton Tower–Wanshengwei serving A/B/D vicinity; Hong Kong downtown and HK Airport ferries serve Pazhou. Ferry times/fares requ...
• Fair–Liuhua Rd custom bus boards Zhanchang Middle Rd: days 1–4 of each phase 15:00–19:00, day 5 13:00–17:00. This earlier final-day BUS t...
• Pazhou intercity exits K/J serve Area B; services connect Pazhou with Guangzhou South and Baiyun Airport T3. Exact schedules/fares/journe...
• Police recommend metro Line 8 Pazhou/Xingangdong or Line 11 Pazhou. Temporary road control can change; Nanfeng East expressway link used ...
• Guangzhou taxis must use meter; passenger pays applicable expressway tolls. Do not negotiate fare. Complaint hotline 12345; taxi operator...
• New overseas buyers may preregister online year-round and obtain a free overseas-buyer badge remotely at Baiyun Airport, Guangzhou South,...
• From Oct 12, T2/T3 have 20 badge self-service machines; airport has fair priority processing and 96158 assistance; fair Areas A/B have ai...
• Driverless demonstration bus 11:00–16:00 every 15min loops Shangri-La, Pazhou E, fair bus stop, Modiesha, Pazhou bus stop. Fare not stated.