Xiamen is easy, but arrival-day fatigue trips up a lot of first-timers: people over-plan day 1, don't adjust to the humidity, and are wrecked by day 2. This is a gentler structure.
From the airport
Gaoqi International Airport is on Xiamen Island itself — 20 minutes by taxi or BRT to the old city. Metro is being extended; for 2026 the most reliable is BRT Line 1 (BRT 1号线) to Lianban or Wenyuan, then transfer. Hotel check-in first — Siming District is the obvious base (around Zhongshan Road, Shapowei or Zengcuoan).
Afternoon — a short walk, not a big one
- Walk the Bailu Bay (白鹭洲) or the Yuandang Lake loop for 45 minutes to shake off the flight.
- A coffee in Shapowei or on Daxue Road.
Sunset — the cheap trick
Skip Gulangyu ferry on day 1. Instead, walk south along Lujiang Road (鹭江道) at 17:30–18:30 for a free-and-easy view of Gulangyu Island lit by the setting sun, without the ferry queue.
Dinner — Zhongshan Road
Enter the arcaded street from the west end; eat your way east with two or three stalls (satay noodles, oyster omelet, peanut soup). Back to hotel by 21:00.
Day 2 onwards: now you're fresh — ferry to Gulangyu first thing, Xiamen University / Nanputuo / Shapowei in the afternoon.