Sanya 三亚
Sanya city guide — sights, tickets and getting around.
Top things to do in Sanya
Ranked picks — headline sights first, with tickets and timing at a glance.
1 Yalong Bay
AttractionWidely recognized as Sanya's bay with the best water quality, hailed as "the First Bay Under Heaven": a 7 km crescent-shaped beach with powder-white sand, water visibility up to 7-9 m, and international resort hotels lined up in a row along the shore
2 Haitang Bay
AttractionThe latest-developed and most "upscale" of Sanya's bays, officially designated the "National Coast": the International Duty-Free City, Atlantis Sanya, Shangri-La and other first-tier hotel clusters line the shore, with a quiet, high-end resort vibe
3 Sanya International Duty-Free City (CDF Mall)
AttractionOpened in 2014, it is one of the world's largest single duty-free commercial complexes and the offshore duty-free flagship under CDF (China Duty Free Group), with a full range of fragrances and cosmetics, watches, luggage and electronics; with an outbound flight or bus/train ticket off the island you can enjoy the duty-free shopping allowance, and goods can be picked up at the airport or…
4 Atlantis Sanya
AttractionA seaside resort complex opened in 2018, themed on the legend of Atlantis, with more than 1,300 rooms, integrating hotel, water park, aquarium, live shows and dining
5 Sanya Bay · Coconut Dream Corridor
AttractionA 22 km coastal boulevard hugging the west side of downtown Sanya, with coconut groves stretching continuously on both sides—known as the "Coconut Dream Corridor"—and Sanya's golden free corridor for sea views
6 Dadonghai
AttractionSanya's earliest-developed public bathing beach: the bay is ringed by hills on three sides and opens to the sea on one, with a small mouth and gentle waves; the flat, gently sloping beach suits beginners and family water play
7 Houhai Village (Queen Bay)
AttractionA small fishing village beside the Wuzhizhou Island pier, it has grown into the birthplace of surfing instruction in China thanks to its favorable bay shape and wave conditions; the village is packed with surfer clubs, surfboard shops, and youth hostels, and fishing-village air blended with surfer culture gives it a distinctive "surfer village" character
8 Wuzhizhou Island
AttractionA roughly 1.48-sq-km island off Haitang Bay, billed as "the Maldives of China"; white sand wraps around it, its water clarity ranks first in Hainan, and sights such as Lovers' Bridge, Mazu Temple, and Sunrise-Viewing Rock link up a round-the-island route
9 West Island (Xidao)
AttractionThe hawksbill islet (Daimaozhou) off Sanya Bay, historically called Daimao (Hawksbill) Island; a boat ride of about 15 minutes puts it within reach — the island closest to downtown Sanya
10 Boundary Island (Fenjiezhou, Lingshui)
AttractionAn island off Niu Ridge (Niuling), named for lying right on the north–south climate divide of Hainan Island — often cloudy and rainy north of the ridge, often sunny to the south; on clear days the island's ridge reveals the marvel of a "two-tone sea," overcast on one side and bright on the other
11 Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone
AttractionSanya's — indeed Hainan's — cultural landmark scenic area; its core is the 108-meter South Sea Guanyin statue rising from the sea on the offshore Jingangzhou platform, a three-in-one figure (holding beads, a lotus, and a scripture case) consecrated in 2005 — especially solemn seen from the sea, tying into the Chinese "fortune as vast as the East Sea, longevity like the South Mountain"…
12 Daxiaodongtian (Big and Small Caves)
AttractionA Taoist cultural site next to Nanshan, opened and built by Mao Kui, prefect of Yazhou in the Southern Song dynasty; at about 800 years old it is one of Hainan's oldest scenic sites
13 Tianya Haijiao (Ends of the Earth)
AttractionChina's most famous 'place-name-level' scenic area. During the Yongzheng reign of the Qing dynasty, Cheng Zhe, prefect of Yazhou, inscribed the two characters 'Tianya' (edge of the sky) on a giant rock, and the 'Haipan Nantian' stone also stands on the beach; since then, 'Tianya Haijiao' has become a cultural coordinate in the Chinese imagination of remote frontier lands
14 Luhuitou Park
AttractionA small 275-meter hill peninsula east of downtown, surrounded by sea on three sides with views over Sanya Bay and Phoenix Island — one of the most popular free night-view platforms in Sanya
15 Yazhou Ancient City
AttractionA thousand-year-old city in Yazhou District, west of Sanya Bay; from the Song dynasty onward it long served as the seat of Yazhou prefecture — historically described as '2,000 years of administrative history and the prefectural seat of eight dynasties' — and it is China's southernmost ancient city
16 Sanya Romance Park
AttractionA theme park from Songcheng Performance in Hainan, centered on the large-scale song-and-dance show 'The Romance of Sanya' (Sanya Qianguqing); five acts — the prehistoric Luobidong civilization, Lady Xian quelling the rebellion, the Maritime Silk Road, the Luhuitou legend, and more — string together a 10,000-year narrative of Hainan, with sound, light, and water-stage effects that rank among the best of similar shows
17 Sanya Rice Paddy National Park
AttractionAn agriculture-themed park built around Yuan Longping's rice research base, where a thousand mu of rice paddies roll golden waves with the seasons, and a science hall tells the story of hybrid rice and nanfan (southern winter) breeding
18 Haichang Dream Ocean City
AttractionAn ocean-themed amusement park district in Haitang Bay with moderate rides such as a Ferris wheel, a rapids ride, and a family coaster, plus the Haichang Dream Theater and dining streets; open through day and night sessions, with the amusement atmosphere even livelier under the night lights
19 Yalong Bay International Rose Valley
AttractionA thousand-mu rose-themed park in the valleys of Yalong Bay, its rose fields nurtured by the tropical highland-valley climate; the "Rose Rendezvous" sea of flowers is replanted by season, and during the main bloom season the fields stretch on in deep, saturated color—a sea-of-flowers landscape rarely seen in Sanya
20 Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone (Baoting)
AttractionA national 5A-level tropical rainforest scenic area; the tropical valley rainforest within Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County is well preserved, with wonders such as buttress roots, strangler figs, and aerial gardens unfolding one by one along the boardwalks, plus a "Yanoda Rainforest Valley" guided route—the most systematic rainforest learning among comparable scenic areas…
21 Binglanggu Li and Miao Cultural Heritage Park (Baoting)
AttractionA living museum of Li and Miao ethnic culture; the Li-Miao Ethnic Museum inside holds Li "dragon quilts" (heirloom-grade woven-and-embroidered artifacts) and oral-history footage of tattoo-faced elders, documenting the last generation of facially tattooed Li women
22 Nantian Hot Springs (Shenquan Valley)
AttractionThe Shenquan hot spring resort on the Haitang Bay side; its reputation as "the Foremost Spring in China" comes from its high-quality silica-type, fluoride-bearing spring water, widely praised for its soothing effects on skin and joints
23 Qingshui Bay
AttractionA pristine 12-km bay on the east coast of Lingshui; the sand is fine and clean with an extremely low silt content and "sings" underfoot when walked on barefoot—hence the name "Singing Sand Beach," a rarity even among similar beaches worldwide
24 Nanwan Monkey Island
AttractionA macaque nature reserve peninsula on Xincun Harbor in Lingshui, home to more than 2,000 wild macaques and China's only island-type macaque reserve; ride the cable car onto the island for bird's-eye views of the Dan (Tanka) fishing rafts
25 Longmu Bay (Ledong)
AttractionA golden beach facing the Gulf of Tonkin in western Ledong. Facing due west over the open sea, it dyes sea and sky gold at sunset and is hailed by photographers as the "most beautiful sunset beach"; backlit portraits and silhouettes on the evening sand yield stunning shots.
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