Why visit Haikou
Townapedia lists 26 museums and landmarks, 78 parks and trails, 55 places to eat, 46 places to stay and 10 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Baishamen Lighthouse, Hainan University, Hainan Museum and Temple of Five Lords.
Weather in Haikou
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Haikou
Haikou is the capital and most populous city of the Chinese province of Hainan. Haikou city is situated on the northern coast of Hainan, by the mouth of the Nandu River. The northern part of the city is on the Haidian Island, which is separated from the main part of Haikou by the Haidian River, a branch of the Nandu. Administratively, Haikou is a prefecture-level city, comprising four districts, and covering 2,280 square kilometres (880 sq mi).
From the Wikipedia article Haikou (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Haikou on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do10
Baishamen Lighthouse
Lighthouse · 5.3 km
Building in Baishamen Lighthouse, China
Changying Global 100 Fantasy Park
Monument and historic site · 16.9 km
Amusement park in Haikou, China
Haikou Century Bridge
Bridge · 3.8 km
Bridge in People's Republic of China
Haikou New East Bridge
Bridge · 4.8 km
Bridge in People's Republic of China
Hainan Centre for the Performing Arts
Cinema and theater · 3.2 km
Performing arts complex in Hainan, China
Qiongzhou Bridge
Bridge · 4.3 km
Bridge in People's Republic of China
Museums and landmarks26
Temple of Five Lords
Museum · 2.9 km
Buildings in Haikou, Hainan, China
Site of the First Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in Qiongya
Monument and historic site · 1.5 km
14 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds78
Century Park
Park · 3.1 km
Park in Longhua District, People's Republic of China
Haikou People's Park
Park · 0.9 km
Park in Haikou, People's Republic of China
Hainan International Friendship Park
Park · 3.0 km
Park in Haikou, People's Republic of China
66 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes55
Bonita pops
Ice cream · 4.4 km
201 白沙门公园 - Baishamen park
Mo-Su 09:30-22:30
43 more on the map.
History
Haikou's Qilou Old Street (骑楼老街) in the Bo'ai Road area features arcaded buildings blending Southern Chinese and colonial styles, reflecting its history as a treaty port.
The hanzi characters comprising the city's name, 海口, mean ocean/sea and mouth/port, respectively. Thus, the name "Haikou" is also a word for "seaport" – similar to Portsmouth in Britain. Haikou originally served as the port for Qiongshan, the ancient administrative capital of Hainan island, located some 5 km (3.1 mi) inland to the south east. During its early history Haikou was a part of Guangdong province. In the 13th century it was fortified and became a military post under the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The port is located west of the mouth of the Nandu River, Hainan's principal river. When Qiongshan was opened to foreign trade under the Treaty of Tianjin in 1858, Haikou started to rival the old administrative city. It was formerly known internationally as 'Hoihow', based on the Cantonese pronunciation by the British Raj officers. In 1926, Haikou overtook Qiongshan in population and it was declared a separate administrative city.
The city and island of Hainan stayed under the control of the Nationalists until April 1950, when it fell to the Communists during the Landing Operation on Hainan Island.
From the History section of Haikou on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay46
Haikou Meilan International Airport Microtel Wyndham
Motel and hotel · 12.7 km
A1 Jindi Yunhaiwan
Sheraton Haikou Resort
Motel and hotel · 14.3 km
199 滨海大道 - Binhai Avenue, Haikou
Churches and places of worship15
Shopping31
Gas and EV charging13
Schools, colleges and libraries95
Healthcare13
Map of Haikou
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Haikou Meilan International Airport (HAK) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 16 km away.
- Qiongshan 3 km south, about 3 min by car
- Xiuying 7 km southwest, about 7 min by car
- Xucheng 38 km northwest, about 38 min by car
- Jinjiang 48 km southwest, about 48 min by car
- Lingao 70 km west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Wenchang 72 km southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Qionghai 89 km south, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Haikou skyline 6 - 2009 09 07, Anna Frodesiak, Public domain
- EvCard car in Haikou - 01, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Clock tower at East Lake in Haikou, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- 海口东湖 - East Lake of Haikou - 2016.01 - panoramio, rheins, CC BY 3.0
- Auto-rickshaw in Haikou - 03, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Auto-rickshaw in Haikou - 01, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Root carving in Haikou - 08, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Root carving in Haikou - 06, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Root carving in Haikou - 07, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Baishamen Lighthouse in 2013 - 01, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Changying Global 100 Fantasty Park - 101, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Century bridge 1, Anna Frodesiak, Public domain
- Haikou New East Bridge 2014 - 01, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Hainan Centre for the Performing Arts, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Hainan Normal University, Haikou Campus - 01, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Holiday Beach, Haikou looking west - 01, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Qiongzhou Bridge - 01, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Hainan Museum 01, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Five officials haikou 2010 01, Rolfmueller, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Baishamen Park - amusement park - swing ride - 01, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Binhai Park in 2016 03 - 01, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Evergreen Park - lake - 01, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Golden Bull Mountain Ridge Park - 07, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Haikou People's Park - 05, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Xiuying Fort, front entrance - 03, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Haikou City People's Hospital - 01, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Hainan Library 01, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Wuyuan River Stadium 2018 05 08 - 01, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Hainan Science and Technology Museum 04, STW932, CC0
- WormholeLibrary06, STW932 Underlying building:MAD Architects, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Clock tower in Haikou 01, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Meishe River National Wetland Park - 02, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- Hainan Science and Technology Museum 2026 05 28 - 002, Anna Frodesiak, CC0
- 海府路2005 - panoramio, GPS8, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 和平南路2005 - panoramio, GPS8, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 海南国际旅游岛——海口人民公园（西南向） - panoramio, 川号子, CC BY 3.0
- 海南国际旅游岛——海口人民公园（宽幅）（北向） - panoramio (1), 川号子, CC BY 3.0
- 海南国际旅游岛——海口人民公园（宽幅）（西北向） - panoramio, 川号子, CC BY 3.0
- 海南国际旅游岛——海口海秀东路的望海国际广场（东南向） - panoramio, 川号子, CC BY 3.0
- 海南国际旅游岛——海口人民英雄纪念碑（西北向） - panoramio, 川号子, CC BY 3.0
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