Guangzhou Baiyun Airport (CAN): the arrival guide
Arrival essentials · Verified 2026-09-21 · Rules change — confirm entry specifics with the National Immigration Administration before you fly
The short answer
Southern China's mega-hub and the natural gateway for Canton Fair trips and Hong Kong-bound overland routes: since May 2026 all flights operate from Terminal 2 (China Southern/SkyTeam) and the new Terminal 3, with metro Line 3 into the city in about 45 minutes.
What happens at immigration?
CAN processes a steady flow of visa-free and transit travelers plus international business traffic; booths are used to foreign passports. Arrival-card kiosks support English. Note the terminal picture changed in 2026: T1 closed for renovation in May and its airlines moved to T3 (opened October 2025), so T2 hosts China Southern and SkyTeam partners while T3 handles Air China and Hainan Group carriers — check which terminal your airline uses before arranging pickups. Peak Canton Fair weeks (April and October-November) queue noticeably longer - budget a full hour. The official entry, visa-free and 240-hour transit lists live at the National Immigration Administration — check your nationality against our visa checker before you book.
How do you get connected and paid on landing?
Operator counters in arrivals register tourist SIMs against your passport; hours cover most international banks but thin out after 22:00. A pre-activated eSIM avoids the counter entirely. For the full comparison of eSIM vs roaming (and what stays blocked), see our internet & eSIM guide. Alipay/WeChat Pay are universal here - Guangzhou is as cashless as China gets. Airport ATMs (Bank of China, ICBC) dispense to foreign cards 24h as fallback. The complete playbook, including what to do when verification fails, is in payments in China and our rescue cards.
What is the best way into town?
Metro Line 3 (North extension) runs from the airport to Tiyu Xilu in about 45 minutes for 8-10 yuan - trains every 5-8 minutes until the 23:15 last service from the airport-north (T2) station. Important 2026 change: the old airport-south metro station closed with T1 — to reach T3 by public transport, take Line 3 or 9 to Gaozeng station (Exit B) and transfer to the Konggang 2 shuttle bus (15 minutes, 2 yuan, all day) to the T3 transport center. Metered taxis: T2 uses the GTC east (gate 53) / west (gate 50) ranks; T3 uses gate 72 (domestic) and gate 75 (international). Ride-hail: T2 = Parking Building P8 levels 2-3 west; T3 = Parking Building P12 levels 1M-2. A free 24h shuttle bus links T2 and T3. Taxis meter 100-150 yuan and 40-60 minutes to the city center. For Hong Kong onward: through-coaches and the high-speed rail from Guangzhou South (30 min by metro transfer) both work.
Landing late? Where should you sleep?
Line 3 ends at 23:15; after that the official airport express buses take over — the Guangzhou Railway Station line runs 24 hours (roughly every 42 minutes), and the Baiyun/Tianhe lines run until 05:30. T3's NAPHUBS sleep pods (4th floor, about 305 yuan) cover the hours in between. Canton Fair season prices spike city-wide - book weeks ahead or sleep airport-adjacent on arrival night. Airport-adjacent rooms trade convenience for distance from the sights — right call after 23:00, wrong call otherwise.
Where should you spend the first night?
Beijing Road / Haizhu Square — the old core on Lines 2/6, one change from the airport Line 3. Dim-sum mornings and the fair-ground commute both work from here; skip the airport district unless you land past midnight.
Two scenario bases, editor-researched with honest trade-offs: