What To Do During A Long Layover in Xiamen

China     Destinations, Getting To and Fro
Not far from the airport and transit hotel are local streets with tons of character!
Not far from the airport and transit hotel are local streets with tons of character!
If you have a long layover in Xiamen, chances are that you flew Xiamen airlines. The layover is even easier to deal with, with the choice of FREE transit lounge, city tour, or hotel room.

A big benefit to flying Xiamen air is that if you have a layover of 2-6 hours or more, you get your choice of hanging out in the Transfer Passenger Lounge, a free city tour, or a free hotel.

What to do during your long layover with Xiamen Airlines? You have free options!
What to do during your long layover with Xiamen Airlines? You have free options!
Xiamen Airlines

No matter which you choose, you go to the Transfer Service desk just next to the domestic baggage carousels on the first floor (turn right outside the international baggage). It is very easy to find. There are three lines, each marked (in Chinese and English) for Hotel, Passenger Lounge, and City Tour. When I went, only one gal spoke a few words of English but you don't really need it. Just give them your boarding pass and passport and they will hand you a voucher and point you in the right direction.

Go to the Transfer Service desk on the 1st floor to get your choice of hotel, lounge, or city tour. It's really easy to find.
Go to the Transfer Service desk on the 1st floor to get your choice of hotel, lounge, or city tour. It's really easy to find.

Lounge

They will point you downstairs just in front of the Transfer Service desk. You just have to keep looking for the signs and you will find your way to it.

On my first trip through Xiamen, I decided to hang out at the lounge. I figured a glass of wine and some snacks might be nicer than a few hours sleep in a hotel and I was a bit too tired to enjoy a city tour. Mistake. It's not much more than a comfy seat and WiFi (Chinese WiFi mind you so no Facebook or Google).

There are a few lounger beds in the back (which stay pretty full) and a row of massage chairs. The gold plates on the floor slide open to reveal electrical outlets, and there are others scattered throughout. There's Nescafe, a few cans of soda, some soda crackers, and pickled tofu packets. So much for the wine and snack I was hoping for!
They certainly don't advertise it but there's a locked door labeled Bath Room in the very back at the end of the hall. Use Google Translate to ask if there is a place to bathe and they will unlock it for you. They didn't give me a towel (thankfully I had a sarong in my bag) but there was a little basket with shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body wash, a razor, and even a hair tie. The room smelled a bit like a sewer but it was clean and had nice hot water. Ahhh, how nice to be clean. :)
This is it. This is the lounge food and drink. Kind of depressing, huh?
This is it. This is the lounge food and drink. Kind of depressing, huh?
There are comfy seats, and electrical outlets which is better than you'll find in the terminal until you are able to check in.
There are comfy seats, and electrical outlets which is better than you'll find in the terminal until you are able to check in.
If you're lucky to score a bed, the lounge is probably worth it.
If you're lucky to score a bed, the lounge is probably worth it.

City Tour

It's a hop on hop off kind of a thing. I haven't done this one yet. I overheard the woman at the Transfer Service desk tell someone they can do it in 2 hours, but I also heard second-hand from a traveler that used up 8 hours of their layover on the city tour. So if you don't feel the need for a shower and a nap, this could be a fun option.

Hop on hop off free city tour of Xiamen.
Hop on hop off free city tour of Xiamen.
Xiamen Airlines

Hotel

I think it depends on the hotel they are using that day, but expect to have to share your room. So that means if you are traveling solo, you share with a random stranger. Yeah, that can be kind of weird. If you befriended someone during your flight, you can ask to share with them.

You have to take your own taxi to and from the hotel which costs approximately 15 Chinese yuan ($2.20 US) each way and you must pay in the local currency. There is a money changer just down the hall, ATMs upstairs (you probably only need about $10 US unless you plan to shop), and the taxis are right outside the door next to the Transfer Service desk. Show the taxi driver your voucher for the hotel address as they will not speak one word of English and they will also try to short change you. The hotels are close to the airport so although you might want to allow time for traffic returning to the airport, I had no traffic at all at 7pm.

The hotels are nice. The one I stayed in was the Hezheng Hotel on Fanghu North 2nd Road. The halls reeked of cigarette smoke but the room was nice with a kettle, waters, toothbrushes & toothpaste, and WiFi.

It was wonderful to have a shower, get some sleep and have a wander around town. Even though it's an industrial city, there are some amazing little Chinese local streets to roam around, have some ramen, see daily life, get lost, and have a boba tea.

See My First Foray into China - Getting to the Transit Hotel .
Typical smoggy skies. The free hotel is in the building on the left.
Typical smoggy skies. The free hotel is in the building on the left.
Chinese herbal medicine shop complete with acupuncture and jars of who knows what.
Chinese herbal medicine shop complete with acupuncture and jars of who knows what.
The bao type yummies were only about $.35 each (2 CNY)
The bao type yummies were only about $.35 each (2 CNY)

Go Exploring On Your Own

If those options don't suit you, you can just jump in a taxi or hit the pavement and go exploring! Once you exit the plane and are out by baggage, you are out of the secure area so you don't need to stay in the airport. Get some local currency and either know the name of where you want to go, or find someone in the airport who speaks English and have them write it down for you.

Be armed with Google Translate if you venture outside the airport. You will not even find basic English spoken and you'll need to to get back to the airport.

The area I found that I liked is actually a very easy walk from the airport (see map above) so if your layover isn't long enough to warrant the hotel, you can still get out and see some of the city.

See An Afternoon in China .

Hang Out at the Airport

You could just hang out at the airport, but you are not allowed to check in to your flight until about 3 hours before departure, leaving your food options at a minimum. In the pre-check-in part of the terminal there is a KFC and one cafe at the opposite end. You do only need a passport to get into the International check-in area where there are a few more food options, but nothing spectacular. It's mostly just duty free shops.

Xiamen isn't the best airport for just hanging out. It's not bad once you can check in (3 hours before your flight), so it's best to use one of the free options from the airline until then.
Xiamen isn't the best airport for just hanging out. It's not bad once you can check in (3 hours before your flight), so it's best to use one of the free options from the airline until then.
Soft comfy seats with no armrest at the mostly empty gates!
Soft comfy seats with no armrest at the mostly empty gates!

Once you are past security into the gate area things look a little less bleak. There are even more options including a Burger King and a cafe that sells cans of warm beer. There are fresh OJ vending machines (yes, full of real oranges and they smell wonderful when you walk by) and free water refill stations! They dispense hot and cold water so if you have something like cup-o-noodles (which you can buy at some of the souvenir shops), you have yourself a hot meal. And if you have enough of those warm beers, you might just be tempted to use one of the karaoke pods!

Fresh OJ in a vending maching - who woulda thunk.
Fresh OJ in a vending maching - who woulda thunk.
Free hot and cold water is a big win.
Free hot and cold water is a big win.
Yep, that's a karaoke pod.
Yep, that's a karaoke pod.

0 Comments

Submit Your Comment
Thank you! Your comment has been received. :) It will be posted as soon as I get a chance to read it first.
Sorry, don't know what happened. Try later :(
Your email will not be shared or spammed in any way. It is only as extra assurance that you are a real person! ;) Leslie's Travel Snacks reserves the right to delete any comment that is abusive, self-promoting, nonconstructive, mean, or otherwise not in the spirit of this website.
 
Hi, I'm Leslie! I hope to inspire you to budget travel on as little as $30/day, lend a few travel tips, share some real stories, and give useful information on the places I've been
... the type of information that I search for before I travel to a place.
Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellant

Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellant

Picaridin claims to be just as effective as DEET without melting your gear. Woohoo!! I don't find it quite as effective, but it's also not as toxic. I like that I can use this on my clothing.

Shop This my recommended gear, not an ad #affiliatelink