I flew through Baiyun Airport in February 2025, landing on JAL at T2 and departing on ANA from the old T1. I rode the metro from T2 into the city to Yuexiu Park (越秀公园) station, then took the metro back to fly out of T1. Both legs were smooth — no confusion at immigration, no wrong turns. T1 has since closed (May 2026), so my T1 experience is now history rather than a live route; the current T2/T3 information below is research-based and verified against official sources.
Guangzhou rebuilt its airport across 2025 and 2026. Terminal 1 closed for good on May 7, 2026. Terminal 3 (广州白云国际机场T3航站楼) opened in stages between October 2025 and May 2026, and now holds all the airlines that used to fly from T1. The two terminals now in use, T2 and T3, sit roughly 16 km (10 miles) apart and connect to the city in completely different ways. So the first question isn’t “metro or taxi.” It’s “which terminal did I land at.”
Quick answer
- Check your terminal on your boarding pass before you plan anything — airlines have moved twice in the past year.
- T2 sits on top of a metro station (Line 3). This is the simple case.
- T3 does not have a metro station of its own. Your two public options are an intercity train or a free connector bus to a metro station a few kilometers away.
- The free shuttle bus that runs directly between T2 and T3 is for passengers connecting to another flight — it’s not a way to reach the city.
- Trains stop running around 11 p.m. After that, it’s a taxi, a ride-hailing app, or a night bus.
Step 1: Find your terminal
Terminal 2 (T2) is China Southern’s (中国南方航空) home terminal — its domestic and international flights, plus its SkyTeam codeshare partners, generally check in here. I landed here on JAL in February 2025.
Terminal 3 (T3) now holds everyone who used to fly from the old Terminal 1: China’s other major domestic carriers (Air China, Shenzhen Airlines, Hainan Airlines, and others), most international and regional carriers, and Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan routes.
Confirm your terminal on your boarding pass or your airline’s app before you plan anything — three carriers moved into T2 in January 2026, and the remaining eleven moved from T1 into T3 as recently as May 2026. Terminal assignments are not settled history here; they’re still being reshuffled.
Why it matters: T2 sits directly above a metro station. T3 doesn’t have one yet, so getting downtown takes an extra step.
Step 2: The fast default from T2
Board Metro Line 3 (广州地铁3号线) at Airport North station (机场北站), inside the terminal — follow the signs down. In February 2025, I rode this all the way to Yuexiu Park (越秀公园) station without any transfer confusion; I don’t remember the exact fare, but it was a few RMB. For the Tianhe CBD, it’s roughly 45 minutes to Tiyu Xilu (体育西路), and a few minutes more to Zhujiang New Town (珠江新城) or Kecun (客村). Trains run from around 6 a.m. to roughly 11 p.m.
One thing to know: Line 3 splits at Tiyu Xilu. The airport branch ends there. To keep going south toward Zhujiang New Town, Kecun, or Panyu, you typically step across the same platform onto a main-line train. Screens and staff point the way, but expect it so you don’t get off too early. For Yuexiu Park, the old town, or Guangzhou Railway Station, change to Line 2 at Jiahewanggang (嘉禾望岗) instead — this is the route I took.
https://m.gmw.cn/2026-06/06/content_1304485573.htm
A note on the old T1 route: when I flew out on ANA in 2025, I took the metro back to the T1-linked station, 机场南 (Airport South). That station closed to passengers along with T1 in May 2026 — trains now run through without stopping. If you’re departing from T3 today, this station is no longer part of your route.
Step 3: From T3, you have two real options
Option 1 — Intercity train from Baiyun Airport East station (白云机场东站). It sits on level B2 of T3’s ground transportation center, about a 3-5 minute walk from arrivals. This is the Guangzhou East Ring Intercity Railway (广州东环城际), and it also stops at Baiyun Airport North (白云机场北站, next to T2), Zhuliao (竹料), Pazhou (琶洲), and further out toward Guangzhou South and Guangzhou North high-speed rail stations. If you’re headed to the Tianhe CBD, ride toward Baiyun Airport North and change to Metro Line 3 there, or continue toward Pazhou and change onto the metro network from that side — check the platform screens for the current stopping pattern, since it can change.
If you’re headed straight to the Canton Fair, get off at Pazhou. The fair’s venue (广交会展馆) sits right by Metro Line 8’s Pazhou station, so this train saves you the detour through the Tianhe CBD.
Option 2 — Free connector bus to Gaozeng metro station (高增站). This is the “空港2线支线” bus, which became free to ride in June 2026. It runs from a stop just outside T3’s ground transportation center to Gaozeng station, where you can pick up Metro Lines 3 or 9. The ride takes about 15 minutes, with buses every 5 minutes at peak times and every 10 minutes off-peak, running roughly 6:15 a.m. to 11:15 p.m. from Gaozeng, and 6:35 a.m. to 10:40 p.m. from T3.
One route that looks tempting but isn’t for you: T3 does have a free shuttle bus straight to T2, about 25 minutes, running 24 hours. It’s restricted to passengers connecting between flights at the two terminals — not for anyone heading into the city. Don’t plan your downtown trip around it.
Either public option from T3 to the Tianhe CBD will likely run 70-90 minutes door to platform once you add the transfer. It is not a quick trip, and I have not personally used the T3 setup — the routing above is research-based, not something I have ridden myself.
Step 4: When to skip the train
Take a taxi or a ride-hailing app if any of these are true:
- You land after about 10:30 p.m. Metro and intercity trains stop running around then.
- You have several suitcases or you’re a group of three or more. Splitting a taxi is often cheaper than three separate transfers.
- You just want a door after a long flight. Fair enough.
Taxi stands and ride-hailing pickup points are marked in the arrivals hall at both terminals with English signage — confirm the exact gate or lot number on-site, since these get renumbered as the terminals settle in. Off-peak, the ride into the Tianhe CBD should take under an hour; during morning or evening rush, budget closer to 90 minutes. Check the fare on your ride-hailing app before you book, and if you’re taking a metered taxi, ask about the expressway toll, which is added on top.
Step 5: Airport coaches, the middle option
From T3, around eight bus lines run to specific districts — Tianhe, Yuexiu, Haizhu, Panyu, and others — starting from about 19.9 RMB, with a luggage hold under the bus. Worth it if a line stops near your hotel, you’re carrying a lot, or you land after the trains stop but don’t want a taxi. Check the destination board in the arrivals hall, or the airport’s “空港快线” account, for current routes and schedules, since these are still being adjusted terminal by terminal.
Step 6: Set up payment and data before you land
Guangzhou’s metro gates read Alipay and WeChat Pay QR codes, and both apps now let most foreign Visa and Mastercard holders link a card directly — worth setting up before you travel rather than at the gate. If you’d rather not, the ticket machines still sell single-journey tokens for cash, so carry a few small notes and coins. Ride-hailing apps take foreign Visa and Mastercard and show the fare before you book. Taxi drivers take cash or the QR apps, and change can be tight.
Having an eSIM working the moment you land makes maps, ride-hailing, and translation far less stressful than hunting for airport Wi-Fi — I cover eSIM options for mainland China in a separate guide.
Please see also those articles.
- China: How to climb over the Great Firewall of China ←about my roaming options
- Why Google Maps Doesn’t Work in China (And What to Use Instead) ←about my maps in China
- Alipay and WeChat Pay in China: What Actually Works for Transit and Small Shops ←about my payment in China
- Booking a Hotel in China as a Foreigner: What I Actually Check Before I Pay ←about my hotel booking in China
Bottom line
| Your situation | Best move |
|---|---|
| T2, daytime, light bags | Metro Line 3 from Airport North |
| T3, daytime, light bags | Intercity train from Baiyun Airport East, or the free bus to Gaozeng and Metro 3/9 |
| Heavy bags, or a group of three or more | Taxi or a ride-hailing app, split the cost |
| Landing after about 10:30 p.m. | Taxi, ride-hailing app, or a night airport coach |
| Connecting between T2 and T3 for another flight | The free direct shuttle bus — this is the one time it applies |
If your flight lands at T2 in daylight, this is a straightforward metro ride — my own trip through it, in and out, went without a hitch. If you’re at T3, plan for one extra transfer and more time than the map distance suggests, and don’t count on the T2-T3 shuttle bailing you out, since it’s not built for that trip.
